This frozen grasshopper pie has been our family-favorite St. Patrick's Day dessert for a few years now! It's super easy to make, and only takes a few ingredients. In 30 minutes, you'll have this delicious treat ready to go into the freezer.
If you enjoy this grasshopper pie, make sure to try these recipes for frozen peppermint pie and shamrock shake.
Ingredients
Fortunately, you don't need a lot of ingredients to make this frozen grasshopper pie! Let's talk about the key ingredients.
- Oreo Crust: Make your own or use store bought.
- Cream Cheese: This gives the grasshopper pie a cheesecake-like texture and flavor when frozen.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This sweetens the pie.
- Whipped Cream: Use real heavy whipping cream and whip it yourself for the best flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Dairy Free/Vegan: Use vegan cream cheese, sweetened condensed coconut milk, and coconut cream instead.
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free Oreos in the crust and for the decoration. Double-check that all your ingredients are certified gluten free to eliminate cross-contamination.
How to Make Frozen Grasshopper Pie
Gather the ingredients for the grasshopper pie.
- Beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. (image 1)
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix until blended. (image 2)
- Add the peppermint extract and green food coloring. (image 3)
- Whip the cream until it's stiff. (The photo shows coconut whipped cream, since I was making this grasshopper pie dairy free.) (image 4)
- Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture until well blended. (image 5)
- Smooth the filling in an Oreo crust and decorate with mint Oreos. (image 6)
- Freeze for at least 20 hours to allow the filling to set. (image 7)
- Cut in slices with a hot knife and enjoy immediately! (image 8)
Recipe FAQs
This no bake version consists of a cheesecake-like frozen filling (made from cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped cream) and a chocolatey Oreo crust. It's decorated with mint Oreos.
The bright green color of creme de menthe reminded someone of grasshoppers, hence the name. This dessert doesn't contain any alcohol or creme de menthe, but it still has a minty green color and wonderful peppermint flavor.
A Filipino pie made from real grasshoppers was mentioned in the New York Times back in 1904, but the sweet creme de menthe version we know and love today was invented in the 1950s-1960s. The recipe was most likely a collaboration between Knox Gelatine and Heublein Cordial.
This flavor combination is named after the grasshopper cocktail invented in 1918 by New Orleans bartender Philip Guichet. The drink spread throughout the South, and during the 1950s and 1960s, it was turned into pie form.
Leftovers: You'll have to keep leftover grasshopper pie in the freezer since it's a frozen dessert. Keep it covered with foil, and it will stay good for a month in the freezer.
Serve
Looking for other St. Patrick's Day treats to serve? You'll want to try this easy shamrock shake and this non-alcoholic Irish coffee.
If you're looking for other Irish recipes, make sure to try our recipes for boxty pancakes, boxty bread, Dublin coddle, dingle pie, pub salad, ham and cabbage pie, and Irish-American Mulligan stew.
Expert Tips
- Add extra minty flavor by making your own Oreo crust with mint Oreos.
- Use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Make your own whipped cream. Cool-Whip doesn't taste as good!
- Freeze for 24 hours before slicing to ensure that it's fully frozen.
- Can't find mint Oreos? Just use regular ones.
Other St. Patrick's Day Recipes
Recipe
Frozen Grasshopper Pie
Ingredients
For the Pie
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ teaspoon peppermint extract
- green food coloring
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 9- inch Oreo crust
- 7 mint Oreo cookies
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then scrape down the sides and beat in the sweetened condensed milk until well blended.
- Add the peppermint extract and enough green food coloring to color it mint green. Keep in mind that the color will lighten when the whipped cream is folded into the mixture.
- Whip the cream until it is firm, but not dry. Fold it into the peppermint mixture until it is well mixed, then pour into the Oreo crust and smooth the top.
- Slice the mint Oreos in half and place them around the edge of the pie.
- Carefully cover with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 20 hours before serving.
- Let the grasshopper pie sit out for 10 minutes before slicing. Run a sharp knife under hot water and dry it off, then cut. Heat and dry the knife between each slice. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- To increase the mint flavor, use mint Oreos in the homemade Oreo crust instead of the regular ones.
- Serve it frozen and store the leftovers in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- If you must keep it out of the freezer for a long time, put the dish in a larger dish filled with ice to help keep it cold.
- For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil in the crust. Use vegan cream cheese, a 14-ounce can of coconut cream, and sweetened condensed coconut milk in the filling.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
This is a creamy, minty pie. I love having an Oreo pie that tastes this great. It tastes surprisingly good made dairy free (using coconut cream, sweetened condensed coconut milk, and vegan cream cheese).
Emma
I'm glad you enjoyed the dairy free version so much, Beth!
Alex
This pie is creamy and cold, and I like the mint flavor. The crust is crunchy, and the Oreos on top are a nice touch. Yum!
Emma
So glad you enjoyed it, Alex!
Libby
This pie was delicious and turned out great! An excellent recipe!!
Emma
That's wonderful, Libby! I'm glad it was a tasty success for you.