The easiest pies to make are ice cream pies—they take minutes to assemble and can hold in your freezer for a week if you want to make them well ahead of time.
Recipe Spotlight
I Scream. You Scream. We All Scream for Easy Ice Cream Pie.
This easily customizable ice cream dessert comes together in minutes.
By Published June 30, 2023.
Ice Cream Pie Formula
To make an ice cream pie, follow this simple formula.
1. Fill a cooled, baked cookie crumb crust with 2 pints of softened ice cream. (I like using a homemade crust, but if you’re short on time, buy a good-quality, ready-made one.)
2. Cover the pie and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 1 week.
3. Dress up the ice cream pie with whipped cream, ganache, nuts, sprinkles, crushed cookies, fruit, candy, or other toppings before serving.
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Some Tips for Ice Cream Pies
Softening Ice Cream
Though it takes a little longer, you should let the ice cream soften in the refrigerator, not on the counter. This takes about 30 minutes, but it helps soften the ice cream more evenly, which makes it easier to work with.
Using Two Ice Cream Flavors
If you want to use two flavors of ice cream, spread the first softened pint in the cookie crust. Pop it into the freezer for an hour before spreading a second, different flavor of softened ice cream on top. Then return the pie to the freezer for the full 3 hours to let it firm up before decorating.
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Getting Clean Slices of Pie
To slice an ice cream pie cleanly, dip the blade of your knife in warm water. Then carefully wipe off the water with paper towels or a clean dish towel before slicing. Repeat after each slice.
We love using boning knives to slice pie. A boning knife has a sharp tip that you can angle to cut through the crust, and since it is flexible, you can angle the blade under the crust if needed to lift the first slice.
Ice Cream Pie Flavor Combos
Once you know the formula for an ice cream pie, it’s easy to customize. Here are some fun flavor combinations to get you started.
• Butter Pecan: graham cracker crust + butter pecan ice cream + caramel sauce + toasted pecans
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: Oreo cookie crust + peanut butter ice cream + whipped cream + chopped peanut butter cups
• Drumstick-Inspired: graham cracker crust + vanilla ice cream + fudge sauce + caramel sauce + salted peanuts
• Salted Caramel Pretzel: pretzel crust + caramel ice cream + salted caramel sauce + whipped cream + toffee bits
• Strawberry Lemonade: shortbread cookie crust + strawberry ice cream + whipped cream + lemon zest + sliced strawberries (optional)
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Failproof Whipped Cream
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What kind of ice cream pie will you make?