Ice cream pies are one of my favorite summer treats! They take hardly any effort at all to make and they are always crowd-pleasers. I love the extra texture and crunch of the Oreo crust beneath layers of ice cream! Then top it off with a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce before serving and a sprinkle of extra Oreo crumbs and everybody will be thrilled with this dessert that looks fancy but is a cinch to pull off. Mint and chocolate is one of our favorite flavor combinations of all time! Some of our other favorite desserts featuring this pairing are Andes Mint Cookies, Fudgy Frosted Chocolate Mint Brownies, and Peppermint Bark Cheesecake. We make this grasshopper ice cream pie year round – it’s a good choice for Pi Day or as a green dessert for St. Patrick’s Day as well – but most often when the weather is hot since it can be done totally no-bake without heating up the oven just by freezing the bottom crust rather than baking it to firm it up before adding the ice cream layers. I’m obsessed with the vanilla-mint chip-Oreo combo of flavors that is so much more than the sum of its parts (which are all delicious on their own). It’s such a fun and easy dessert experience and we like to serve it when we have guests over for dinner during the summer because everybody always goes crazy for it. If you are really short on time (or motivation to crush up some Oreos and mix them with a little melted butter), you could even buy a premade oreo crust at the store. I have seen them in the baking aisle next to the graham cracker crusts in the past. The rest of the recipe is just scooping slightly softened ice cream and broken up Oreo cookies into your pie shell and pressing them down into a deliciously vanilla-mint-chocolate pie that everybody will love. You stick the whole pie in the freezer for 4-6 hours (or more – this is great for making ahead!) so the slightly softened ice cream can firm up again and freeze really well before slicing the pie and drizzling each slice with chocolate syrup. This is also a favorite summertime dessert for us when the weather gets hot since it has the double refreshing factors of being both cold AND minty. I love the chocolate mint combination (ahem, frosted chocolate mint brownies) but even that is somewhat more subtle in Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie thanks to the vanilla ice cream layer which mellows out the mint just a bit. If you are looking for even more no-bake dessert ideas, be sure to check out all of my no-bake recipes here! You can also check out all of my pie recipes if you are looking for even more pie inspiration If you have any leftover pie, just cover it tightly with plastic wrap and stick it back in the freezer. I find myself sneaking into kitchen to slice off another little sliver of pie, then another, until it’s all gone. The last time I made Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie, I ate the last slice while Paul was at work and he was bummed when he got home and learned it was all gone. So I definitely need to make another one soon and be sure he gets the last piece this time, lol.
Recipe Ingredients
Mint Chip Ice Cream: You can buy mint chip that is both white or green. For this recipe, I always get the green kind for a pretty presentation. Vanilla Ice Cream: Use your favorite brand of vanilla. I think that the Costco vanilla ice cream is the best, but a french custard vanilla, old-fashioned vanilla, or a vanilla bean vanilla will all work. Oreos: I just use regular Oreos in this recipe, but double stuff or mint Oreos would also work. You will need them for both the crust, and for layering in the middle of the ice cream pie as well. Salted butter: A little melted butter is added to some of the Oreo crumbs to create a crust that will hold together on the bottom.
How to Make an Ice Cream Pie
It’s so simple to make an ice cream pie, but knowing a few things beforehand will set you up for success and make it a lot easier to do. Start by crushing up whole Oreos, cream centers and all. This is easiest with a food processor (affiliate link) or blender as you want the crumbs to be pretty fine, but you can definitely use the rolling pin (affiliate link) and ziploc bag method instead. Add the melted butter to the Oreo crumbs and toss them together to evenly moisten everything. Then press the crust mixture into the bottom of a springform pan or pie plate (affiliate link). At this point, I like to bake my crust for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees F to set it, but you can definitely skip that part and just stick the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up instead. Let the vanilla and mint chip ice creams soften on the counter for 10-15 minutes. It’s so frustrating trying to make this pie when your ice cream is rock hard! Giving the ice cream a little time to soften before adding it to the crust makes this so much easier! Scoop the vanilla ice cream layer into the bottom crust first, then place a piece of plastic wrap over the top. Press down with your hands to make an even vanilla layer, then remove the plastic wrap. Sprinkle a layer of broken up Oreos onto the vanilla ice cream. You want bigger pieces than crumbs for this layer so that there is more crunch for a textural contrast in the ice cream pie, so I like to just chop these up by hand rather than using the food processor (affiliate link). Add the softened mint chip ice cream right on top of the Oreo pieces, then repeat the process of covering it with plastic wrap and using your hands to compact it down into an even top layer. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and stick the ice cream pie into the freezer for at least 4-6 hours. When you are ready to serve the pie, pull it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly before trying to slice into it. I like to decorate the top with a few additional Oreo crumbs for a nice presentation. After you slice and plate the ice cream pie, drizzle each piece with some chocolate sauce just before serving!
Recipe Tips
If you prefer a stronger mint version, try using mint Oreos instead of regular Oreos in this. I used a 10″ springform pan to make my pie this time around but you can absolutely just use a pie dish or even a square baking dish instead. Don’t rush this recipe. It’s not difficult to make and is only 10 minutes or so of actual effort to assemble, but it requires at least 4 hours in the freezer to freeze solid before you can slice and serve it.
More Frozen Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
Orange Basil Granita Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream Toasted Almond Ice Cream Orange Basil Granita Strawberry Pineapple Coconut Swirl Popsicles Strawberry Pretzel Icebox Pie Easy Lemon Icebox Cake
This grasshopper ice cream pie was first published March 11, 2017. The photos and text were updated June 28, 2021. Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
