Churro Ice Cream Pie with Homemade Caramel Sauce
This stunning and delicious dessert is easy to make using a few simple ingredients you likely already have—all the flavors of a traditional churro layered into a creamy vanilla ice cream dessert.
Why I love this pie so much
I love churros. Cinnamon sugar-covered crispy pieces of fried dough. What’s not to like? The first time we vacationed in Spain, my goal was to eat as many churros as possible. I nearly made myself sick by the second day. They were delicious but came with a thick and very sweet cup of pudding consistency chocolate sauce that I found too rich. Ken and I went to Tucson for vacation this year, and a friend told us we had to eat dinner at La Frida Mexican Grill. Thankfully, we listened to their advice and went because it was one the best dinners I have ever had. I could write an entire post about our dinner there, but I will get right to the dessert, Churro Ice Cream Pie. Seems pretty basic, right? Some of the simplest recipes done well are the best. Creamy, delicious vanilla ice cream layered with crunchy caramelized cinnamon sugar wafer churro type thing. I am not sure exactly what it was, but I took pictures and notes, and I was hell-bent on recreating this ice cream pie when we got home. Daggummit! I believe I’ve done it. So now you too can have delicious ice cream pie to wow friends and family with! This dessert would make the perfect alternative to a birthday cake!
Who needs birthday cake? Let’s eat ice cream pie for dessert! Especially for those summer birthdays.
Gather these ingredients
Lets make homemade caramel sauce!
Caramel sauce is so easy to make you will ask yourself why you ever bothered to buy it!
1. add 1 cup of dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup salted butter in a medium saucepan. Turn to medium heat. 2. Whisk these two ingredients together until they become one and the mixture bubbles. You don’t want a full-on boil, just an easy low bubble throughout. If the brown sugar and butter mixture starts to spat and pop, turn down the temperature on your burner. Allow butter and sugar to bubble slowly for 2 minutes; it should be a smooth consistency. 3. Add heavy cream and whisk vigorously, making sure to get around the edge of the pan. Whisk until the sauce has come together and has returned to a low bowl.
Continue to stir the caramel for an additional 2-3 minutes. It should be smooth and creamy and cover the back of a spoon, as shown in the photo below.
Pour this golden brown deliciousness into a glass jar and let it cool to room temperature.
Making churro crisps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/2 cup butter on a shallow dish; mix 1 cup sugar with one tablespoon of ground cinnamon on a second shallow dish. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip flour tortillas in butter, then dip them in the sugar mixture, covering them completely in sugar. Lay cinnamon sugar-covered flour tortillas on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for twelve minutes. Remove from oven. Pick up the edges of the parchment and move to a cooling rack. Repeat until all tortillas have been baked.
Once the baked tortillas cool, they will be crispy and easy to break up into churro crisps. Place the cooled cinnamon sugar tortillas in a Ziploc bag and crush them up into little pieces by pounding them with a wooden spoon.
Cover the bottom of a nine or ten inch pie plate with the churro crisps and drizzle with a tablespoon of caramel sauce.
Take a couple of scoops of ice cream and cover the homemade churros. Repeat with churro crisps, drizzle with caramel sauce, and repeat two more times. End with a layer of churro crisp drizzled with caramel sauce. There should be three layers of creamy ice cream and four layers of churro and caramel sauce. The next level scrumptiousness comes from the four layers of crispy homemade churros between layers of vanilla ice cream.
Tips & Variations
- Storage: Cover the pie with a couple of layers of plastic wrap, making sure it is sealed well. You don’t want the ice cream to pick up other food flavors from your freezer. You can also place the plastic-wrapped pie in an airtight container for added protection. If stored properly, churro ice cream pie will last up to two months in your freezer.
- Serving: Remove pie from the freezer a few minutes before serving so that ice cream is easier to cut through. A serrated knife works best; run the knife under hot water and slice the pie into eight pieces. Serve churro ice cream pie as is or with an additional garnish of churro crisps and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
- Storage of Caramel Sauce: Pour caramel sauce into a pint-sized glass jar. Allow the caramel to cool before putting a lid on the jar and placing it in the refrigerator. In your refrigerator, homemade caramel sauce will be good for up to four weeks.
- Toppings: This ice cream pie lends itself well to many flavors. You could serve it with a variety of different toppings and let your guests build their own flavors: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, fresh sliced berries, chopped nuts, or whip up some whipped topping in your stand mixer for added decadence!
This rich tasting ice cream pie will soon become one of your favorite desserts. It is always great to have an easy recipe or two in your back pocket for summer. Especially recipes that can be made ahead of time. This dessert is great for any occasion, from everyday after dinner dessert to birthday or cinco de mayo celebration! Who wants a boring scoop of ice cream when they can have churro ice cream pie?
I hope that you make this recipe for your family. Print off the recipe card below and lay it out on your counter maybe just maybe it will inspire someone in your home to make it for you, because you deserve to have this dessert in your life! XO, Sheila
Churro Ice Cream Pie with homemade caramel sauce
Equipment
- 1 freezer safe 9" pie plate
- 1 12×15" baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar regular brown sugar works as well
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Churro Ice Cream Pie
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 8 6" flour tortillas
- 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
- Add butter and brown sugar to a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until butter and sugar come together and start to boil. Keep this mixture at a low bowl; you may have to turn down the temperature. Continue to whisk for an additional 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream into the pan. Whisk vigorously, bring the sauce back up to a low boil, and continue to whisk for an additional 2 minutes. The caramel should cover the back of the spoon with a thick layer, adhering to it. There shouldn't be any sugar crystals in the caramel. If there are some sugar crystals, add a splash more cream and continue to stir until smooth.
Churro Pie
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉
- Melt 1/2 cup butter in a shallow dish large enough to dip tortillas in. Combine sugar and ground cinnamon on a plate. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dip flour tortilla, one at a time, in the butter, then lay in the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring that the entire tortilla is covered in cinnamon sugar and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You must do these in shifts; only four tortillas fit on a sheet at a time. Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Pick up the edges of the parchment and move to a cooling rack. Repeat until all tortillas have been baked.
- Allow the tortillas to cool. Place them in a sealable plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until the cinnamon tortillas (churro crisp) are in small pieces. Reserve one to cut into triangles to decorate the top of the pie.
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften enough to be easily spread into the pie plate.
Assembly
- Cover the bottom of the pie plate with churro crisps. Cover with 1/3 of the ice cream. Spread the ice cream in an even layer, sprinkle with a thin layer of churro crisps, and drizzle with 1-2 table spoons of caramel sauce. Repeat this two more times. Ending with churro crisps and caramel drizzle on top of the pie.
- Cover the pie tightly with plastic wrap and freeze it for 2 hours before serving. Cut the pie into eight slices and serve with caramel sauce and the remaining churro crisps for garnish.
