If you have Reese’s lovers in your life, this Reese’s ice cream cake is for them!
I first made this homemade ice cream cake for my husband’s birthday last fall. With welcoming our daughter earlier last year, I wanted to start some new family traditions in our family, and one of them is making a cake for everyone’s birthday. My husband loves ice cream cake and Reese’s, so this Reese’s ice cream cake was born.
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It combines vanilla ice cream with chunks of Reese’s peanut butter cups, swirled with peanut butter, in a graham cracker crust. Besides being absolutely delicious, it is beyond easy to make. Simply make the crust by pulsing the ingredients together and place it in the freezer to set while you make your ice cream mixture.
It’s rich, decadent, and so tasty! A far cry from my usual healthy dessert recipes, but life is about balance, and that means eating cake! Plus, you can easily make it your own by mixing in some extra ingredients or tweaking it to your needs.
Why you’ll love this Reese’s ice cream cake recipe
- makes an easy no-bake dessert
- crowd-pleaser! – you can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter flavors!
- perfect for a hot summer day dessert or birthday party!
Ingredients
- cinnamon graham crackers
- butter
- honey
- vanilla ice cream
- peanut butter
- mini peanut butter cups
How to make a Reese’s peanut butter cup ice cream cake
For the complete directions, ingredient amounts, serving size, and accurate nutrition breakdown, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Make the graham cracker crust.
To a food processor, add graham crackers and pulse until crumbled. Add melted butter and honey and pulse until combined, and the mixture is slightly sticky.
Form crust.
Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a parchment paper-lined 9-inch springform pan, making sure to press it down evenly and a little up the sides. Place in the freezer to harden.
Make the ice cream mixture.
Add ice cream to a large bowl. Add peanut butter and chopped peanut butter cups and mix to combine.
Make cake.
Add the ice cream mixture over your graham cracker crust, spreading it out evenly.
Garnish.
Top with more chopped peanut butter cups and drizzle with peanut butter if desired.
Freeze overnight, or until hardened.
Slice and enjoy!
Storage
Substitutions and additions
- cinnamon graham crackers – honey graham crackers will work instead. Use gluten-free graham crackers if needed. If you want a chocolate crust, use chocolate graham crackers. If you don’t like graham crackers, you can use another cookie (Oreo, vanilla wafer, chocolate chip cookie…).
- butter – ghee or coconut oil will work instead.
- honey – maple syrup will work instead.
- vanilla ice cream – use your favorite brand! You can also swap out vanilla for your favorite flavor of ice cream (chocolate or peanut butter would work well!).
- peanut butter – crunchy or creamy peanut butter will work.
- mini peanut butter cups – you can use dark or milk chocolate peanut butter cups. If you can’t find mini, standard-size Reese’s peanut butter cups will work.
Here are some additions:
- chocolate – drizzle some melted chocolate or hot fudge on top of the cake. If using hot fudge, only drizzle it on individual pieces right before you eat them.
- caramel – drizzle on top.
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Reese’s Ice Cream Cake
equipment
ingredients
- 6.5 ounces cinnamon graham crackers (about 12 sheets)
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1.5 quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly softened (I used Tillamook vanilla bean)
- 1/4 cup all-natural peanut butter
- 1 4.7 bag mini peanut butter cups, chopped, plus more for topping
- for topping – chopped mini peanut butter cups, peanut butter
instructions
- Line the bottom 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. The easiest way to do this is to trace the bottom of the pan on parchment paper and then cut it. If you don’t have a springform pan, you will need to line your whole pan with parchment paper or Saran Wrap.
- Make the graham cracker crust. To a food processor, add graham crackers and pulse until crumbled. Add melted butter and honey and pulse until combined, and the mixture is slightly sticky. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, making sure to press it down evenly and a little up the side of the pan. Place in the freezer to harden.
- Make the ice cream mixture. Add ice cream to a large bowl. Add peanut butter and chopped peanut butter cups and stir to combine.
- Make cake. Add the ice cream mixture over your graham cracker crust, spreading it out evenly. Top with more chopped peanut butter cups and drizzle with peanut butter if desired.
- Freeze overnight, or until hardened.
- Enjoy! Slice and enjoy! A hot knife works best for slicing easily through the cake.
nutrition
Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by Sierra Inn
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