A simple and refreshing pistachio ice cream cake recipe made with instant pudding mix and a cookie crumb crust! It’s the perfect layered frozen dessert for summer parties.
Why this recipe works
This pistachio ice cream is insanely easy to make with the help of pudding mix and vanilla ice cream. It’s cool, creamy, and refreshing with three simple layers – golden Oreo cookie crust, pistachio ice cream center, and whipped topping plus chopped nuts as the finishing touch. The hardest part about this frozen dessert is waiting for it to freeze.
If you’ve ever made a lush or lasagna dessert, this ice cream cake isn’t too far off. In fact, it has similar bones to our pistachio lush but instead of using cream cheese it uses vanilla ice cream as the base.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CRUST – The crust is made with melted butter and crushed golden Oreo cookies, filling included. You can easily swap the golden Oreos with regular or even use a graham cracker crust instead. Some people say that using buttery roun crackers like Ritz adds a nice salty touch!
FILLING – Instant pistachio pudding mix, milk, and vanilla ice cream make up the center.
TOPPING – You can use Cool Whip or make your own homemade whipped cream for topping. Chopped toffee, candy, or nuts are all great garnish options.
How to Make Pistachio Ice Cream Cake
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper allowing excess to hang over the sides as handles.
- Mix together crushed cookies and melted butter and press into the bottom of your baking dish.
- Freeze the crust while you create the ice cream layer.
- Whisk together the pudding mix with cold milk in a large mixing bowl until no lumps remain.
- Stir the softened ice cream into the pudding mix until fully incorporated.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the on top of the crust in the baking dish. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the ice cream has set.
- Spread the whipped topping across the top of the ice cream and freeze for another hour or until ready to serve.
- Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with crushed pistachios and slice in squares to serve, enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, absolutely. Prepare the cake a day or two in advance, store covered in the freezer, and allow to rest at room temperature for around 10 minutes before serving.
Store the cake covered with a lid or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish your pistachio ice cream cake with toffee bits, chocolate candy bars, chopped pistachios, or crushed golden Oreo cookies. It would also be great with a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top! Allow the cake to rest at room temperature for around 10 minutes before enjoying.
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Pistachio Ice Cream Cake
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 15 crushed golden Oreo cookies with the filling. about 1.5 cups
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, 1/4 cup
- 3.4 ounce instant pistachio pudding mix
- ¾ cup cold milk
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream softened, 32 ounces
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
- ½ cup pistachio nuts chopped
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- To crush the Oreo’s simply place them in a food processor, with the filling, and blitz until you get a fine crumb. You can also place them in a gallon sized ziptop bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- You can easily swap the golden Oreos with regular or even use a graham cracker crust instead. Some think the saltiness of Ritz crackers is a delicious substitute!
- You can use Cool Whip or make your own homemade whipped cream for topping. Chopped toffee, candy, or nuts are all great garnish options.
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper allowing excess to hang over the sides as handles.
- Mix together crushed cookies and melted butter and press into the bottom of your baking dish.15 crushed golden Oreo cookies, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Freeze the crust while you create the ice cream layer.
- Whisk together the pudding mix with cold milk in a large mixing bowl until no lumps remain.3.4 ounce instant pistachio pudding mix, 3/4 cup cold milk
- Stir the softened ice cream into the pudding mix until fully incorporated.1 quart vanilla ice cream
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the cooled baking dish. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the ice cream has set.
- Spread the whipped topping across the top of the ice cream and freeze for another hour or until ready to serve.8 ounces Cool Whip
- Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with crushed pistachios and slice in squares to serve, enjoy!1/2 cup pistachio nuts
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store the cake covered with a lid or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
- Make Ahead – Prepare the cake a day or two in advance, store covered in the freezer, and allow to rest at room temperature for around 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Kristen Rittmer
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Linda says
I’m not a huge fan of ice cream cake but this recipe is the exception! It’s such an easy recipe to whip up and it’s so delicious, the whole family loved it!
Debbie K says
I made up this recipe yesterday , first off it was so easy , prep is easy with a good processor and I just added my melted butter to the processor to get a nice even mix for the crust . The crust was not baked and I put it in the freezer while I made the pudding and ice cream layer. Froze for an hour then added cool whip layer and froze another hour. I used crushed pistachios on top. The squares were easy to cut through and it’s like a frozen no bake cheesecake.
This recipe could be augmented to change flavours by using a different instant pudding flavour giving you lots of options .
It’s perfect for a backyard dessert on a hot summer day. Make it the day before for a ready to serve dessert
Laura says
Are you sure about the crust recipe? I followed it exactly and it turned into a brick. I compared it to many other Oreo crust recipes and this seems like too much butter/not enough cookies. If this is correct, do you have any troubleshooting tips? Thank you!!
Amanda Davis says
I sincerely apologize you had trouble Laura. We will be testing this recipe next week. I do believe you are correct and the butter measurement is too high. Once we have tested this we will make any adjustments needed.
Laura says
Thank you! I’ll definitely check back because we otherwise loved this recipe!
Amanda Davis says
Hi Laura. We tested this with different ratios of Oreos and with and without baking the crust. We found that 15 Oreos was the sweet spot and it worked best when we DIDN’T bake the crust. We have updated the recipe and really hope you will give it another try! Thank you again for the feedback, it is most appreciated!
Lisa Voss says
I’m making the crust and it hasn’t even begun to set after 12 minutes in the oven. It looks like too much butter and not enough cookies..
Amanda Davis says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble. Are you sure you measured everything correctly?
Icecream!! says
This is a new family favorite! We couldn’t stop eating it!!! Thanks for the recipe!