Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
This easy Oreo ice cream dessert is phenomenal. Layers of Oreos, cookies and cream ice cream, and hot fudge make this one incredible dessert!
Want the easiest dessert for summer? This ice cream dessert is it! Not only is it crazy simple to throw together (no baking!), but it is highly adaptable to so many other flavor combos!
4-Ingredient Dessert
Four easy-to-find, everyday ingredients make up six luscious layers in this Oreo ice cream dessert. Here are the deets:
Ingredients:
- Oreos (or “chocolate sandwich cookies,” if you want to be politically correct and brand neutral 😉)
- Salted butter
- Cookies and cream ice cream
- Hot fudge (store bought or homemade)
This dessert is more than the sum of it’s parts. And you’ll see why as we dive into how the dessert is assembled. ⬇️
Assembling Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
- Coarsely crush the Oreos. You can use a food processor, blender, or just place the cookies in a bag and smash the guts out of them with a rolling pin.
- Mix 3 cups of the crumbs with butter and press into a 9X13-inch pan. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Spread half of the ice cream on top of the crust.
- Swirl lightly warmed hot fudge over the ice cream.
- Sprinkle Oreo crumbs over the top.
- Evenly spread the remaining ice cream.
- Top with the final allotment of Oreo crumbs.
- Freeze for at least two hours before serving.
Pro Tip: when popping the crust in the freezer to chill for a few minutes, take out the ice cream so it can soften a bit, which will make it much easier to spread.
Ice Cream Flavor Variations
Because this easy Oreo ice cream dessert is a beautiful compilation of store bought goodness (OF COURSE FEEL FREE to make your own Oreos…will never talk you out of that), it is wildly adaptable to so many different flavors.
Here are a few flavor variation ideas:
- Mint Chocolate: mint oreos + hot fudge sauce + mint choc chip ice cream or mint cookie ice cream (like the Mint Moose Tracks ice cream at Albertsons or Fred Meyer)
- Peanut Butter: Nutter Butter cookies + hot fudge sauce (this recipe has a choc-PB version) + peanut butter ice cream
- Caramel: Shortbread cookies or golden Oreos + caramel sauce + caramel/caramel cone ice cream (the Tillamook waffle cone ice cream is 💯)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate: Oreos (regular or PB flavor) + hot fudge + Moose Tracks ice cream
- Chocolate Chip: crispy chocolate chip cookies + hot fudge sauce + cookie dough ice cream
- Holiday Peppermint: Oreos or Thin Mint cookies + hot fudge + peppermint ice cream
What other flavor combos come to mind?? Chime in below in the comments.
A Perfect Summer Dessert
This dessert is a dream for so many reasons:
- it is shockingly easy to make
- it can be made ahead weeks ahead of time
- it is simple enough for the kids to go crazy over but has enough pizazz to wow even the staunchest food snob
I mean, even if you don’t serve it to company, make it, stash it in the freezer, and cut off little (big?) pieces each night (each hour?), as needed.
The ice cream softens the cookie layers just a bit, which is what we want, because in combination with the ice cream, those cakey layers lend a delicious ice cream sandwich vibe to the whole dessert. 😍
Perfect for warm weather entertaining…but also equally appropriate to make year round…this easy Oreo ice cream dessert is really exceptional!
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Seven Years Ago: Cherry Pie Cookie Bars
Eight Years Ago: Tender Grilled Salmon
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Ten Years Ago: Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
Ingredients
- 3 quarts cookies and cream ice cream (I use two 1.5-quart containers)
- 39 to 40 Oreo cookies
- 5 tablespoons melted salted butter
- 12-ounce jar hot fudge (see note)
Instructions
- Crush the Oreos into coarse crumbs (see note) using a food processor, blender, or by placing the Oreos in a bag and smashing with a rolling pin.
- Measure 3 cups of crumbs into a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Press the buttered Oreo crumbs into the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. This makes a very full pan of dessert, so make sure your pan is a legit 9X13-inch pan and not skimpy in dimensions.
- Freeze the crust for at least 20 to 30 minutes (this helps keep the crust in place while spreading the ice cream). While the crust freezes, take out the ice cream to soften.
- Scoop 1.5 quarts of the softened ice cream over the crust and spread into an even layer.
- Lightly warm the hot fudge until spreadable (but not piping hot). Drizzle or spoon the hot fudge over the ice cream and swirl and spread over the top. It's ok for this layer to look messy.
- Sprinkle about 3/4 cup of the remaining Oreo crumbs over the hot fudge (leave enough crumbs to sprinkle on the top of the dessert at the end).
- Scoop the remaining 1.5 quarts ice cream in spoonfuls evenly over the Oreos/hot fudge and spread into an even layer. The Oreos and hot fudge may shift and move around a bit as you spread the ice cream; that's ok.
- Top with the remaining crushed Oreos.
- Lightly cover the dessert with foil or plastic wrap and immediately freeze for at least two hours before serving. If the dessert has been frozen longer, take it out of the freezer 20 to 30 minutes before serving so it's easier to cut and serve.
- This dessert keeps well in the freezer for up to two months.
Notes
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This seemed so basic that I thought it was going to taste basic and be nothing special. I was so wrong! It was amazing! Everyone loved it and I loved it even though I don’t especially care for Oreos or ice cream. I slathered rather than drizzled hot fudge (your “5 minute hot fudge”recipe) on that layer and it really made it extra delicious and held the layer of crumbs above it so well. The leftovers had to be carefully split amongst us.
I’m so happy you loved this, Shalynn! Glad it exceeded your expectations!
This was so easy to make and so good! I can’t wait to try it with your other suggested variations. With the hot summer, this is the perfect dessert! So good! Thank you, Mel! You are a rock star!
This was so easy, but really good! We are a family of 5, so I used a smaller pan and halved the recipe. Everyone loved it and it made me want to try other combos that Mel suggests. Thanks for another winner!
Thanks, Megan – so happy you loved this one (thanks for all the comments and reviews on the recipes you’ve tried lately!)
My ten year old granddaughter and I made this recipe! It was so fun and SO delicious! We made your hot fudge sauce first, then the cookie crust, and by then it was time to assemble the dessert! We all LOVED it!
I am looking forward to trying different types of ice cream and cookies to make fun variations!
Thank you, Mel, for another FABULOUS recipe!
Oh, how fun that you were able to spend time with your granddaughter making this. So happy you loved it. Thanks, Lynne!
What an amazing dessert!! Oh, so decadent!!! I halved it and put it into two 9×9 pans, one for us and the other for my married son’s birthday! We all absolutely loved it!!
Great idea to split it into two pans, Annie!
Oh my! This is so yummy! I can’t wait to make it again. A chocolate lover’s dream!
Made it for company. It was a hit!!
Yay, Sheryl! Thanks for letting me know!
Made this with chunky-chopped Oreos, vanilla ice cream and Smucker’s peanut butter flavored topping. Drizzled a little more topping on top with the cookie crumbles. It was a huge hit and perfect for a summer gathering! Thank you for posting this recipe, I’ll use it (and many variations) over and over.
Thanks for the comment, Jill! So, so happy it was a hit!
Excellent! This was a hit! So easy to make and so delicious.
Thanks so much, Nadia!
Made this with gluten free Oreos and vanilla ice cream, also gluten free, with my homemade hot fudge and it was awesome!!!!
Fantastic, Christy!! Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you Mel for posting this recipe! We have made something similar for years with toasted coconut added to the cookie crumbs. It is so yummy! I can’t wait to try some of the other variations suggested.
Yummy idea, Susanna – thanks for sharing!
We have made this for years. We have another layer.
Oreo – ice cream- hot fudge- cool whips- Oreo cookie crumbles on top.
Biscoff or Lemon!!
Yes to both!
I’ve been making this for years and here is a secret….. you don’t need the butter. I have always just crushed oreos and laid on the bottom, no butter necessary. We have done several different types of ice cream, flavored oreos, and sauce combos. Caramel, hot fudge, and peanut butter are delish options. My fam requests this for their birthday cake everytime so we throw rainbow sprinkles on top to be festive. It is a winner!
It really is a winner!
Mel, all of my favorite things in one dessert! This looks amazing and so easy. Will maybe make for the 4th and report back!
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Teresa!
Mel, this looks amazing! Our family loves to make this dessert for birthdays and we call it ice cream cake. We haven’t added the fudge sauce though, so this is a great idea! Our favorite combo is graham crackers as the base and butter pecan ice cream or mint oreos as the base and mint chocolate chip ice cream topped with Andes mints! Thanks for this fun recipe – we’ll definitely try your version sometime soon!
Oooh, thanks for adding your flavor suggestions, Adalyn. Yum!
I love the graham cracker crust idea, too! Thank you!
When I make this for birthdays, I put colorful sprinkles/jimmies on top to make it more festive.
Cute idea!
Ooooh. I’m thinking a ginger snap pumpkin ice cream with caramel sauce vibe for the fall. Yum!
YESSS! Love, love this idea!
This is an amazing idea for a make-ahead dessert!! My brain went immediately to lemon cookies or shortbread, a lemon ice cream, raspberry sauce, maybe even broken up waffle cones on top?
You are on to something – amazing idea! Yum, yum, yum!!