Super simple and super delicious summer dessert. Sweet graham cracker crust filled with bananas, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream flavors, then topped with whipped cream, chocolate, and fruit.
ICE CREAM PIE
Let me tell you about taking pictures of frozen treats in the summer….I hate it! Love the frozen treats as much as the next person but absolutely hate taking pictures of them. You see, my prime spot for taking pictures is outside, on my patio, where I get the best natural light and it’s away from direct sunlight. As you can imagine, summer in Florida isn’t very forgiving when it comes to keeping frozen stuff outside. Things melt literally in minutes.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks when it comes to taking pictures of popsicles, like placing the board on top of ice, placing popsicles right in a bowl with ice, etc. When it comes to a whole pie or a cake though, it’s not as simple. I pretty much had to get everything, including the camera set up, ready exactly where I wanted it before getting the pie from the freezer. Then, quickly take pictures and rush it back to the freezer on life support.
There is no place and time for errors there, so I just prayed that the light didn’t change suddenly because some cloud decided to fly by. Studio photographers for magazines definitely have a much easier time taking food photos. Lucky. But on the bright side, most food shot in the studio is not exactly edible and we get to enjoy the fruits of my labor after I’m done. That makes going though all that just to take a nice photo worth it!
TIPS FOR MAKING ICE CREAM PIE
This Banana Split Ice Cream Pie was definitely worth running back and worth to the freezer just to snap a few photos. After all that running and taking photos in the hot weather, nothing is more rewarding than enjoying a slice of a delicious ice cream pie. The second I saw an idea for a simple ice cream pie in an old food magazine, I knew that it would be a perfect summer treat to make.
~ Use your favorite brand of ice cream to make sure that you like the ice cream flavor.
~ Do use whipped topping, like Cool Whip, and not whipped cream. It stands much better to freezing and it’s thicker.
~ Add your fruit and fudge toppings right before serving. You can add the whipped topping and then place the pie back into the freezer until ready to serve, then just sprinkle toppings on top right before servings.
SOME MORE RECIPES TO TRY
No Bake Cookie Dough Cheesecake
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream
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Banana Split Ice Cream Pie
Ingredients
- Graham cracker pie crust
- 3 medium bananas
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 4 scoops strawberry ice cream
- 4 scoops chocolate ice cream
- 8 oz whipped topping
- 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
- Hot fudge topping
- Additional optional toppings: nuts and cherries
Instructions
- Slice 2 bananas and line the bottom of the crust with banana slices.
- Scoop out strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream into the pie crust, alternating them. Use spoonfuls of ice cream to fill the spots between the scoops.
- Cover with saran wrap. Quickly and gently press down to even out the ice cream and place it back in the freezer for at least an hour.
- Dice banana and strawberries and set aside.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1M frosting tip with whipped topping.
- Quickly frost frozen pie with whipped topping all over the top.
- Spread diced banana and strawberries over the frosting and drizzle generously with hot fudge topping. (If you're planning on keeping it in the freezer until ready to serve, you can frost it but don't add fruit and hot fudge topping until right before servings.)
- You can serve immediately of place back into the freezer, covered gently with saran wrap.
Nutrition
Donna Weddington says
could you use neopolitan ice cream?
LyubaB says
Hi Donna, You can absolutely use Neopolitan ice cream if that’s what you prefer it will be just as good.
Ruth Martin says
I love your recipes please send more. I really like banana split ice cream pie delicious.
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Ruth! I hope you will like everything that’s coming up 🙂
Eden Passante says
This looks so good!! Yum!!
lyuba says
Thank you so much 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Uh huh! And did you by any chance get a little bit on your fingers that you JUST had to lick off?? If you didn’t then you certainly had more self control then I would have had. Your only solution to your Florida weather is to take summer shots in the winter and then post them in summer. Unfortunately that’s not as much fun 🙂 Great shots as always. BTW, do you have any left???
lyuba says
Haha, oh yes, there was like half a carton of ice cream left too. Win/win! I think if I’d make a recipe like that in the winder, I’d forget all about it 🙂
Thank you, Marisa!