Royal Ambrosia Pie

This is a vintage no-bake situation. The reaction between softened vanilla ice cream and instant chocolate pudding mix is what gives the filling its structure. The pudding’s starch sets the dairy as it chills, no eggs, no oven. Plan around the 3 to 4 hour fridge rest; it’s the only real time commitment in the whole recipe.

The ice cream needs to be just soft enough to stir, not fully melted. Pull it out 5 to 10 minutes before you start. Fully liquid ice cream loses too much air, and the filling turns dense and grainy.

Graham cracker crusts go pre-made here, the kind in the foil pan from the baking aisle. Pour the filling in, swirl whipped topping across the top, and shave chocolate curls over the surface with a vegetable peeler. The recipe makes two pies, so one for now and one for the freezer makes sense.

Kitchen Tips

• Use full-fat ice cream; light varieties have less butterfat and the filling won’t set as firmly
• Beat the pudding mixture a full 3 to 5 minutes; that’s when the thickening kicks in
• Make a homemade graham cracker crust if you have time; the from-scratch version is denser and tastes like real graham
• Freeze the second pie wrapped tight; pull it 30 minutes before serving for ice-cream-cake texture

Variations

• Swap butterscotch or banana cream pudding for the chocolate
• Stir a teaspoon of espresso powder into the milk for a mocha twist
• Top with toasted coconut and a caramel drizzle for a tropical ambrosia spin