Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie (freezer dessert)

Okay, summer is here, and I’ve got something seriously delightful for you. We’re making a Frozen Grasshopper Pie. It’s basically everyone’s favorite mint chip ice cream, but in a pie, with a rich chocolate cookie crust.

We’re making the ice cream from scratch (I have a genius hack for the flavor), crafting a custom crust, and channeling all those good summer vibes.

Why You’ll Love This

• The “Toothpaste” Fix: Unlike recipes that use spearmint (which tastes like toothpaste to most people), this uses a special infusion technique to get that classic, cooling peppermint flavor.
• Stracciatella Texture: Instead of big, hard frozen chocolate chunks, we drizzle melted chocolate into the churn. It creates fine, delicate shards that melt in your mouth.
• Not Too Sweet: We strip back the sugar in the crust and balance the ice cream so you don’t get “flavor fatigue.” It’s sophisticated but still fun.
• Make-Ahead Magic: It actually needs a solid freeze, so it’s the perfect dessert to make a day or two before a party.

If you love this minty chocolate magic, also try my Pistachio Pudding Dessert for a nutty holiday twist or Chocolate Mousse for Two for silky no-bake indulgence.

What You’ll Need

Special Equipment

• Ice cream maker (freezer bowl style or compressor)
• 9-inch pie plate
• Saucepan & instant-read thermometer
• Fine mesh strainer

The Chocolate Crust

• 7 oz chocolate wafer cookies (or chocolate graham crackers/Oreos with cream scraped out)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 big pinch salt

The Mint Chip Custard Base

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 big pinch salt
• 4 pure herbal peppermint tea bags (100% peppermint leaves, no green tea blends)
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Food coloring: Green (gel or liquid) and a tiny drop of blue
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips (for the stracciatella)

The Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)
• Garnish: Crumbled chocolate wafers or shaved chocolate

Let’s Make It!

1. Prepare the Crust

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Crush your cookies into fine crumbs. You can absolutely use Oreos if you want to save time (since Famous Wafers are hard to find!), scrape the cream out first to keep the sugar low.

Mix the crumbs with the melted butter, salt, and—here’s the secret—an egg yolk. It’s a fantastic binder that keeps the crust sturdy so it doesn’t crumble apart when you slice into that frozen filling later.

Press firmly into the pie plate and bake for 10–12 minutes. Let it cool, then place the pie plate in the freezer.

If this chocolate crust has you hooked, level up your berry game with my Perfect Chocolate-Covered Strawberries—foolproof and stunning.

2. My Secret Mint Hack (Infusion)

In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat.

Now, we deviate from the standard “fresh mint” advice. Fresh mint from the grocery store is almost always spearmint. Mint chip ice cream needs to be peppermint. If it’s spearmint, it just tastes wrong (like toothpaste!).

My hack? Pure herbal peppermint tea bags. It sounds crazy, but dried peppermint leaves give you that intense, cooling flavor without the “grassy” notes. Add the 4 tea bags, press them down, and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove and squeeze them well.

3. Make the Custard

In a separate bowl, whisk the 6 egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

Temper the eggs: Slowly stream about two-thirds of the warm dairy mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly (this prevents the eggs from scrambling). Pour everything back into the saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard reaches 170°F–175°F on an instant-read thermometer. It should coat the back of a spoon.

4. Strain, Color, and Chill

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Add a few drops of green food coloring and a tiny drop of blue (the blue cancels out the yellow of the yolks for a nice minty shade).

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl to catch any cooked egg bits or tea leaves. Chill the mixture thoroughly (in an ice bath or overnight in the fridge) until completely cold.

5. Churn and “Stracciatella”

Pour the cold base into your ice cream maker and spin according to instructions (usually about 20 minutes).

While it churns, melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Let it cool slightly but remain liquid.

When the ice cream is 90% frozen (thick and pulling away from the sides), slowly drizzle the melted chocolate into the machine while it’s running. The cold ice cream will shatter the chocolate into tiny, delicate flakes.

6. Assembly

Retrieve your frozen crust. Spread the churned ice cream evenly into the shell.

Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight until rock solid. Before serving, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, spread over the pie, and garnish!

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Homemade Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

480

kcal

Chill time

8

hours 

Total time

9

hours 

10

minutes

A nostalgic frozen dessert featuring a homemade peppermint-infused custard ice cream with stracciatella chocolate shards, set in a crisp chocolate cookie crust.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed

• Ice cream maker

• 9-inch pie plate

• Instant-read thermometer

• Fine mesh strainer

• Ingredients
• Crust:

• 7 oz (≈2 cups crumbs) chocolate wafers (or chocolate graham crackers/Oreos with cream scraped out)

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 1 egg yolk

• Pinch salt

• Ice Cream Filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided

• Pinch salt

• 4 pure herbal peppermint tea bags (100% peppermint leaves, no green tea blends)

• 6 egg yolks

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Green + tiny drop blue food coloring

• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (melted, for stracciatella)

• Topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1–2 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)

• Chocolate shavings or cookie crumbs (garnish)

Directions

• Crust: Crush wafers into fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter, egg yolk, and salt. Press into 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 min. Cool, then freeze.
• Infusion: Simmer cream, milk, ½ cup sugar, salt. Off heat, add tea bags, steep 10 min. Remove/squeeze bags.
• Custard: Whisk yolks + remaining ¼ cup sugar. Temper with warm dairy. Cook to 170–175°F, thick/coats spoon.
• Finish Base: Add vanilla + food coloring (green + blue drop). Strain. Chill completely.
• Churn: Spin in ice cream maker (~20 min). Drizzle melted chocolate at 90% frozen for shards.
• Assemble: Spread into frozen crust. Freeze 8+ hours.
• Serve: Top with whipped cream + garnish. Slice with hot knife.

Notes

• Tea Selection: Use pure herbal peppermint (100% peppermint leaves), not green tea blends.
• “Toothpaste” Rule: Avoid fresh spearmint for classic mint-chip flavor.
• No-Churn: Soften store-bought mint chip ice cream + 1 tbsp Crème de Menthe, spread in crust.
• Crust Swap: Oreos OK—scrape out cream first.