This scrumptious and easy cherry ice cream pie, with almond-flour crust, has a yummy cherry sauce swirled in vanilla ice cream. The crust is naturally gluten-free but can be made with graham cracker crumbs instead of almond flour.
Sauce for Cherry Ice Cream Pie
If you love black cherries and ice cream, this recipe is for you! It combines your favorite vanilla ice cream with a cherry sauce made from fresh or frozen cherries. Unlike store-bought ice cream, you determine how much cherry sauce to put in the ice cream. Use the leftover sauce to garnish the top of the pie, and add whipped cream if you like.
Almond Crust
The almond flour crust is made with brown sugar, which gives the crust a caramel flavor; however, you can easily substitute an equal amount of granulated sugar. Use a wooden tart tamp or a smooth, flat-bottomed cup to help spread the crust in the bottom and sides of the pie dish. After baking the crust, remember to cool it completely so it doesn’t melt the ice cream.
Change the Crust
If you don’t eat nuts, you can easily change this crust using graham crackers instead of almond flour (or almond meal). Just substitute an equal amount of graham cracker crumbs for the almond flour.
Cherries for Cherry Ice Cream Pie
Use sweet dark pitted cherries for this ice cream pie rather than sour or tart cherries. Some varieties of dark cherries include Bing, Chelen, Stella, Lambert, Sweetheart, and Sunburst. When buying cherries, look for very dark cherries that don’t have cracks or wrinkles.
Ice Cream
What makes this pie so easy to make? Using your favorite vanilla or vanilla bean store-bought ice cream! Be sure to use premium ice cream for the best taste. Take it out of the freezer 30 minutes ahead to let it soften, then stir it to remove any frozen lumps.
Steps for Making Cherry Ice Cream Pie
Follow these steps to make this ice cream pie. Both the sauce and the crust are cooked. Remember to cool both before using the ice cream filling to prevent it from melting.
Freeze the Ice Cream Pie
Cover and freeze the finished pie for at least four hours. Then when you are ready to serve it, take it out of the freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften it enough to make cutting easy. Enjoy!
| Did you know that you can easily make your own sweet cherry ice cream by making this cherry sauce and adding it to your favorite vanilla ice cream? Skip the pureeing step and double the sauce if you want extra cherry flavor! |
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you like this recipe, here are other recipes to try. Click on each name to link to the recipe.
- Black Cherry Ice Cream
- Blueberry Ice Cream
- Black Cherry Almond Bread
- Peach Ice Cream
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 13 minutes |
| Passive Time | 4.5 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 1/4 cups almond flour (see note below for substitutions)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) (add if you prefer a saltier crust to contrast with the sweet ice cream)
- 2 1/2 cups fresh black cherries, pitted (or use a 12-ounce bag of frozen)
- 2/3 cup water (if using frozen berries, use 1/3 cup of water)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1 9-inch pie dish
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
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- Preheat oven to 350 °ree degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour and brown sugar. Mix well. Pour in the melted butter and stir until well blended.
- Place the crust mixture into a 9-inch greased pie dish. Press and tamp the crust into the bottom and sides of the pie dish using a small smooth-bottomed cup or crust tamp.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Combine the water, cornstarch, sugar, and cherries in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Chop the cherries with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla. Cool completely.
- Pour half of the cherry sauce into a food processor and puree it. Set aside. Store the other half of the sauce in a container in the refrigerator until you are ready to garnish the pie.
- Thaw the ice cream for approximately 30 minutes to soften it. Place it into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to chop it. Then stir it until smooth. Pour in the pureed cherry sauce. Then fold the ice cream to swirl the sauce. Do not overmix. Pour the ice cream into the crust, smooth the top of it, and then freeze it for at least 4 hours.
- Remove the pie from the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes so it is easier to cut. Pour the leftover cherry sauce over the pie before serving it.
Water Amounts for Fresh versus Frozen Cherries
If using fresh cherries, add 2/3 cup of water to cook them. If using frozen, add 1/3 cup of water. If the sauce gets too thick, add extra water.
Crust Options
The almond flour crust listed in this recipe is gluten-free. However, substitute graham cracker crumbs if you prefer not to use nuts in the recipe. Or, for a chocolate twist, use crushed chocolate cookies like Oreos. Additionally, you can use a store-bought prepared graham cracker or chocolate crust.
If making a graham cracker crust, use these ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
If making a dark chocolate cookie-crumb crust, use these ingredients:
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- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate cookies (like Oreos--it is okay to leave in the cookie filling)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
Garnishing with Whipped Cream
If you garnish your ice cream pie with whipped cream, add it immediately before serving. Whipped cream deflates after a few minutes unless it is stabilized with gelatin or cream cheese. Click here for a cream cheese-stabilized whipped cream recipe.