Photo of an ice cream pie made with a cookie dough crust and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.

4 Steps For Making Flawless Ice Cream Pies

If you’re like us, your schedules are probably packed with parties and gatherings that aren’t complete without something sweet. What’s our secret to easy, delicious desserts that always feel fresh? Ice cream pies. You won’t believe how easy they are to make, and with an almost unlimited number of ways to customize them, you’ll never make the same one twice. But you will have people asking you what your secret is, and feel free to spill the beans. Here’s how to make the best ice cream pies:

  1. Pick Your Crust

    Start with a crust that will give your pie structure and flavor. These are our favorites:

    Pie crust. Press it into a pie pan and bake it until fully cooked. You may need to use wax paper and pie weights or dry rice to help it keep its shape, depending on your recipe.

    • Graham cracker crust. Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and some sugar and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. No need to bake it, just refrigerate for about 30 minutes before you add the filling.

    • Chocolate cookie crust. Swap the graham crackers for your favorite chocolate cookies, skip the sugar, and you’ve got a delicious chocolate base.

    • Shortbread cookie crust. Shortbread can be time-consuming to make, but use shortbread cookies the same way you would use graham crackers and BOOM, the easiest shortbread cookie crust ever.

    • Edible cookie dough crust. Trust us on this one. Buy or make edible, no-bake cookie dough and press it into the bottom and up the sides of your pie pan.

  2. Choose Your Ice Cream Flavor

    This might be the toughest step. Choose a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream or Non-Dairy flavor to pair with your crust. Let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and then scoop it onto the crust, smoothing out the top. Usually one tub is enough for one pie, depending on the depth of your pie pan.

  3. Top It!

    Top it with your favorite fun toppings! Cookies, brownies, nuts, candy pieces, pretzels — get wild!

  4. Freeze And Enjoy!

    Freeze your ice cream pie until it’s firm, then serve and enjoy!

Our Favorite Combos

Wondering what ice cream pies we like to impress our friends with? We’re glad you asked. These are some of our favorites:

  • Graham cracker crust + Chocolate Fudge Brownie + pretzels
  • Chocolate cookie crust + Half Baked + chocolate drizzle
  • Cookie dough crust + Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough + Cookie Dough Chunks
  • Pie crust + Americone Dream + caramel sauce
  • Graham cracker crust + Strawberry Cheesecake + fresh strawberries
  • Shortbread crust + Phish Food + marshmallows