This cherry pie à la mode is reinvented: instead of serving vanilla ice cream beside a slice of pie, this vanilla base is swirled with homemade cherry sauce and studded with pieces of pie crust. The crust pieces stay crisp for a satisfying crunch in every bite — a little trick of freezing them first keeps them from going soggy while the ice cream finishes setting.
Ingredients for Cherry Pie Ice Cream
If you already have ingredients for a cherry pie plus some milk and heavy cream, you can make this ice cream. I use my all-butter vanilla pie crust for added vanilla depth, but any homemade or store-bought baked pie crust works fine.
- Cherries, fresh or frozen
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Sugar
- Leftover baked pie crust pieces
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Salt
Quick Tips for Prepping Cherry Pie Ice Cream
Follow a few simple tips for the best results when making this ice cream at home.
Keep everything cold. Chill or pre-freeze the container you’ll store the ice cream in, chill the cherries, and freeze the pie crust pieces before adding them.
Canister-style ice cream makers are common and affordable. They don’t reach the deep-freeze temperatures of compressor machines, so churning will give you a soft-serve consistency that needs further time in the freezer to firm up.
Because churned homemade ice cream is only just barely frozen when it comes out of the machine, adding anything warmer than freezing will cause partial melting. Even refrigerated additions can soften the ice cream. To avoid melting while transferring, pre-freeze the storage container so each scoop lands on a cold surface and stays intact.
That’s also why I recommend chilling the cherries separately and freezing the pie crust pieces in advance so they stay crisp when folded into the cold ice cream toward the end of churning.
Can I Use Frozen Cherries?
Yes. Frozen cherries work well because they will be frozen in the ice cream anyway. The sauce might take a little longer to reach a simmer with frozen fruit, but the final flavor and texture aren’t affected.
Chill the cooked cherries separately from the ice cream base. Add them in during the last five minutes of churning. If you add them too early they can settle and freeze into a clump at the bottom of the canister.
Ensuring Crispy Pie Crust Pieces
To keep pie crust pieces crunchy, break them into bite-size pieces and freeze them before use. Add the frozen crust pieces only in the last five minutes of churning.
If the crust pieces are not fully frozen, they will absorb moisture from the partly thawed ice cream and become soft. They will still taste good, but you’ll lose the crunch.
Vanilla and Almond Extracts: Are Both Necessary?
Technically you can omit one or both, but the combination of vanilla and a touch of almond extract gives a bright, rounded flavor that turns a good ice cream into something exceptional. Use almond extract sparingly — it’s potent, and a little goes a long way.
Do I Need an Ice Cream Maker?
You can make this without an ice cream maker, though the texture and convenience differ. To do it by hand: churn or whisk the mixture until partially frozen, then place it in a freezer-safe bowl. Every 30 minutes for three to four hours, whisk vigorously by hand or with a mixer to break up ice crystals until fully frozen. Fold in the mix-ins when the ice cream is mostly solid, then freeze until firm.
A compact canister-style machine works well for home use and speeds up the process considerably.
How to Get a Perfect Scoop
Long, narrow freezer containers make scooping easier because you can drag the scoop along the sides and form a clean, rounded scoop. Pre-freezing the container also helps prevent melting while you portion the ice cream. A sturdy, well-weighted scoop gives better results and smoother presentation.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy the cherry-almond combination, try other cherry and almond desserts that use a similar flavor profile: cherry pies with almond extract or cherry almond cupcakes both highlight the pairing of fruit and nuts and make lovely complementary treats.
Dish Cleanup: A Little Messy
I rate cleanup on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is minimal and 5 is every dish including the sink. This recipe earns a 3: it requires several larger bowls and utensils, but most items are easy to clean. The number of dishes can look intimidating, but much of the volume comes from a few big items that rinse quickly.
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this cherry ice cream and love it, please leave a review to let others know how it turned out.
Cherry Pie Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (220 g) cherries — about 30
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (3 ml) almond extract
- 1 ½ cups (100 g) baked pie crust leftovers
Instructions
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Break the baked pie crust into bite-size pieces and place them in an airtight container or plastic bag. Freeze the crust pieces so they stay crisp when added to the ice cream later.
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Wash, pit, and roughly chop the cherries. Put cherries in a small saucepan with sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 2 minutes more, then remove from heat. The cherries should be soft but not mushy. Strain the cherries, reserving the syrup. Spread the cherries in a single layer in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator so they cool quickly.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla and almond extracts, and the reserved cherry syrup. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is very cold, about 2 hours or until the bottom of the bowl feels cold to the touch.
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Pour the cold mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions, generally 15–20 minutes. In the last five minutes of churning, add the chilled cherries and about two-thirds of the frozen pie crust pieces.
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When the ice cream reaches a soft-serve texture, transfer it to an airtight container. Top with the remaining crust pieces and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until firm enough to scoop.
Notes
Reserve some crust pieces as a topping to ensure crunchy bites; mix-ins can sink if the container isn’t cold.
Store ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer and enjoy within a week for best texture, though it will remain safe longer if kept frozen.
Nutrition
Thanks for trying this cherry pie ice cream recipe! If you make it, consider sharing a photo and leaving a review to help others discover how it turned out.