Ice Cream Pie
Learn how to make an Ice Cream pie with this delicious and simple recipe, and you’ll have a delicious frozen dessert ready for any occasion.
A crispy, buttery, Oreo cookie crust is topped with layers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, with hot fudge sauce inside.
Top this homemade ice cream pie with chopped nuts, maraschino cherries, whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles. It’s perfect as is, or adjust the ingredients to make something really special.
Looking for a yummy ice cream dessert that will impress your guests? Look no further, because this easy recipe for Ice Cream Pie has all the indications of being the perfect frozen dessert! We also have an entire post all about ice cream desserts, if you’re interested.
We love making ice cream cakes too! Check out the recipe for a Classic Ice Cream Cake, or try an Oreo Ice Cream Cake next.
Why You’re Going to Love this Ice Cream Pie Recipe
Simple Step By Step Recipe – I always give you step-by-step instructions to follow for all of the ice cream recipes on this site, and this is no exception. Follow along and you’ll have a beautiful and delicious pie to serve your family.
Semi-Homemade – While you can make an ice cream pie completely from scratch, with homemade ice creams and toppings, it’s fine to use store-bought ingredients instead.
Festive and Fancy – Everyone loves having ice cream for dessert, but sometimes you need to make it a little bit fancier than just scooping ice cream into bowls! Ice Cream Pie is an easy way to make simple ice cream fit for any occasion.
Ingredients in Homemade Ice Cream Pie
Oreo Crust – Crushed Oreo cookies mixed with melted butter create the best chocolate ice cream pie crust. Crush the cookies with a food processor, or add them to a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or heavy item.
Chocolate Ice Cream – Choose your favorite chocolate ice cream, or use homemade chocolate ice cream if you like. You can buy just one pint, or measure out 2 cups of ice cream from a larger container.
Vanilla Ice Cream – The top layer of our ice cream pie is vanilla ice cream! Again, you can make your own or buy it at the store.
Hot Fudge Sauce– Fudge goes in between the ice cream layers, and on the top of this delicious dessert.
Pecans – Chopped pecans add crunch to ice cream pie. You can swap them out for peanuts or walnuts if you prefer, or leave them out altogether if you’d like this dessert to be nut-free.
Caramel Sauce – Drizzle this all over the top of the pie. It’s beautiful and delicious.
Whipped Cream – Make a simple fresh whipped cream with heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Sprinkles and Maraschino Cherries – Your ice cream pie will be just like a classic ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles and a cherry on top.
How to Make an Ice Cream Pie
- Combine crushed Oreos and melted butter in a bowl, and stir to combine.
- Add the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes, while you let the chocolate ice cream soften.
- Add the softened chocolate ice cream to the pie crust. Spread until it is an even layer.
- Top the ice cream with 1/2 cup of chocolate fudge and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Freeze for 30 minutes while you allow the vanilla ice cream to soften.
- Spread the softened vanilla ice cream over the the syrup and nuts.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce, the remaining hot fudge, and the remaining pecans over the vanilla ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until very firm.
- Prepare the whipped cream topping by adding the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Whish with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until soft peaks form.
- Remove the pie from the freezer and frost with whipped cream. Decorate with maraschino cherries and rainbow sprinkles. Serve immediately, or freeze until ready to serve.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Ice Cream Pie
Store this homemade Ice Cream Pie in the freezer in an airtight container or wrapped very well. It will stay fresh for 1-2 months.
Make sure that you have enough room in your freezer for the ice cream pie before you start making it. You’ll want a flat area that’s a bit larger than your pie tin.
Tips for Making Homemade Ice Cream Pie
Use quality ingredients – The better the quality of your ice cream and toppings, the better your ice cream pie will taste.
Chill out – There are multiple chilling steps in this recipe. It is important to freeze each layer separately, so be prepared for waiting around for each layer to freeze before moving on to the next.
Soften the Ice Cream – You won’t be able to spread ice cream into the pie crust if it’s too hard. See tips below for the best ways to soften ice cream for pie.
Take shortcuts, or do it all from scratch – You can use store-bought ice cream and store-bought sauces to make this ice cream pie. You can also use homemade ice cream and homemade sauces if you prefer. It’s up to you, and the pie will be amazing no matter how you do it.
Try other flavors – Here we’re making an ice cream pie with chocolate and vanilla ice cream layers, but don’t let that stop you from making unique ice cream pies with other fun flavors of ice cream.
Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure that they’re chopped up so that they are easy to eat. Too many toppings on an ice cream pie can be overwhelming.
Toppings
I love the simplicity of this pie with chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chocolate, nuts, cherries, whipped cream, and sprinkles. It’s a nod to the classic ice cream sundae recipe!
Try other ice cream toppings if you like. Just be sure that they are chopped up into easy to eat pieces. Here are some to start with:
- Chopped Oreos, frosted animal cookies, or any other crunchy cookies.
- Ice cream sauces, like strawberry, caramel, or marshmallow.
- Fresh berries
- Festive sprinkles to match the holiday or occasion
Flavor Combinations
Need a little bit of inspiration for a delicious and unique ice cream pie? We have a few gourmet ice cream pie ideas that should help.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry: Chocolate and Strawberry ice cream with fudge sauce, topped with chopped dark chocolate, fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream.
Grasshopper Pie: Layers of mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate ice cream with fudge and topped with chopped Oreos and Andes mints. If you have some Thin Mint girl scout cookies left, chop them up and use them here too.
Double Chocolate Ice Cream Pie: Try an ice cream pie made with a layer of Mississippi Mudd Ice Cream and a layer of lighter, French Silk Ice Cream.
Peanut Butter Cup: Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Chocolate Ice Cream layered with fudge, drizzled peanut butter and topped with chopped Reese’s cups.
Oreo Ice Cream Pie: Try making this pie with Cookies and Cream ice cream for both layers. Add hot fudge and crushed Oreo cookies in the center, and top with more of the same.
Did you come up with a new and different flavor idea? Leave a comment and let us know about your creativity!
How Long Does Ice Cream Take to Thaw?
When softening ice cream for ice cream pie or ice cream cake recipes, you want it to be soft, but not melted. There are two ways to soften ice cream:
Refrigerator: Place the ice cream in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This method will give the best results, as you soften the ice cream more gradually and none of it will be liquidy.
On the Counter: To soften ice cream quickly, leave it on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Can I soften ice cream in the microwave?
Yes, you can, but you need to be very careful! I suggest microwaving ice cream at 30% power at 10-second intervals, checking after each. A pint of ice cream might only need 10-30 seconds total to defrost in the microwave.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
These ice cream desserts are perfect for celebrations!
Our Favorite Ice Cream Making Tools:
- Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
- Loaf Pan – You can use any 9 x 13 loaf pan or a shallow pan, but we like this one.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
- Ice Cream Bowls – You can use any bowl, but we think these are fun.
- Ice Cream Containers – We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.
Note: Each of these links will take you to the exact product on Amazon. As an Amazon associate, I earn a little from each qualifying purchase.
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Ice Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed Oreo cookies from about 20 Oreos
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 pint chocolate ice cream
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 3/4 cup hot fudge sauce divided
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans divided
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
- 1 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- rainbow sprinkles for decorating
- Maraschino cherries for decorating
Instructions
- Combine the crushed Oreo cookies and melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Press the Oreo crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes while you let the chocolate ice cream soften.
- Add the softened chocolate ice cream to the pie crust. Spread until it is an even layer.
- Top the chocolate ice cream with 1/2 cup of the chocolate syrup and 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. Freeze for 30 minutes. Soften the vanilla ice cream while the chocolate layer is freezing.
- Once softened, spread the vanilla ice cream over the chocolate syrup layer.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce, remaining chocolate syrup and pecans over the vanilla ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, until very firm.
- Prepare the whipped cream topping by adding the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the pie from the freezer and frost with the prepared whipped cream topping. Decorate with maraschino cherries and rainbow sprinkles. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make sure to leave yourself enough time to complete this recipe. The steps are very simple, but there are periods of freezing/waiting time in between each of them. Overall you'll need about 5 1/2 hours to make this dessert.
- The ice cream needs to be softened before it's added to the pie, but each flavor is added at a different time, so you won't soften them together. Soften the chocolate ice cream while the crust is in the freezer, and soften the vanilla ice cream while the chocolate ice cream layer is in the freezer.
- Fresh whipped cream is fairly simple to make, and so delicious as an ice cream pie topping. If you prefer, you can use prepared whipped cream or even whipped topping instead.
- Instead of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, try other ice cream flavors. Change up the ice cream flavors and the toppings to create your own unique ice cream pie combinations.
- Gluten-Free Oreos can be used if you want to make a gluten-free ice cream pie crust.
- The crust can also be made using any kind of cookies or graham crackers instead of Oreos.
