Dorothy KernThis is the pie of my dreams: Hawaiian HULA PIE! It’s got an Oreo cookie crust, macadamia nut vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and a hefty dose of chopped macadamia nuts. It’s easy and no-bake and it’s worth every calorie!
If you’ve ever been to Hawaii you’ve probably heard of and/or tasted Hula Pie. It’s a classic dessert in the touristy parts of the islands and it’s easy to see why. (Hello, ice cream, Oreos, and hot fudge.)
Last year, on our first trip to Maui, we went out for Father’s Day dinner at the Hula Grill. We’d been shopping all afternoon in the hot sun and ended up sitting outdoors at the restaurant, directly in the sun. We got through dinner, ordered Hula Pie…and then Jordan almost got heat stroke. We ended up leaving Mel at the table, Hula pie melting away, to run back to our hotel to get her cooled off.
For an entire year I dreamed about that pie. It had been the one meal I was looking forward to, and I’d only gotten one bite. When we planned our return trip this year, I got smart: we relaxed all day in the pool and shade, drank lots of water, and went to Leilani’s on the Beach only once the sun had started to set. They had two kinds of Hula Pie that day: regular and Butterfingers. The three of us ordered a slice of each and demolished both in less than 10 minutes.
It was magical.
Seriously, this is my favorite pie ever. I first was introduced to it about 16 years ago when I went to Kauai with my mom. I thought about it for years and years until I finally had it again. It’s one of those special things you can only get in Hawaii…until now.
The recipe starts with an Oreo Cookie Crust. I love making the crusts myself because they taste so much better than store-bought, but it would be much easier to go that route, so do what you like best! I love my Oreo Crust recipe because it’s totally no bake and it’s thick and even better than eating actual Oreos!
You fill the crust with macadamia nut ice cream. Now, it’s easy to find that in Hawaii, but not so much here on the mainland. I bought a big bag of macadamia nuts from Trader Joe’s, chopped 1 cup and stirred them into my favorite vanilla ice cream. Make sure to use a really good ice cream! Then pile it high into the pie crust.
Once it re-freezes you cover it with hot fudge and more macadamia nuts. The end result: pure decadence.
My pie isn’t as high as a traditional Hula Pie, but that’s okay. I could have doubled up on the ice cream…but no one needs that many calories! 🙂
(Also…Mel ate it.)
Watch me make this recipe from start to finish on my YouTube Channel! Subscribe for all of my recipes.
Hula Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Oreo Cookie Crust or from the store
- 1 1.5 quart container vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts plus more for topping
- 2 cups hot fudge ice cream topping
- Whipped Cream for garnish
Instructions
- Make sure your Oreo crust is chilled if you made it from scratch. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature until you're able to stir it, but it's not all the way melted (about 10-15 minutes). Stir the macadamia nuts into the ice cream. Pile the ice cream into the pie, then freeze until hardened, at least 1 hour.
- Spread the hot fudge over the top of the frozen pie. Sprinkle with more macadamia nuts. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To serve, top with whipped cream. It's easier to slice if you let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. The first slice might be messy!
Recipe Video
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Brownies
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Published on: June 26, 2016
I know this would stray from the traditional Hula Pie, but I feel like some coconut in this recipe would be fantastic! Maybe some shredded coconut sprinkled on top, and a creamy coconut ice cream base in place of vanilla? Coconut always makes me think of the tropics/Hawaii!
Leilani’s on the Beach was our favourite Restaurant when we went in Maui. We had Hula Pie also and we loved it. Unfortunately Hawaii is so far away from Switzerland. Thanks for your recipe. Now I can share this great Pie with all my friends.
Greetings from Switzerland
WHY DID I NOT TRY THIS WHEN I WENT TO HAWAII WHEN I WAS 9??! Oh mannnn I missed out. Luckily, my brother has been stationed in Honolulu soooo I’ll prob visit him at some point and remedy my mistake then! But I’ll prob get impatient, which is why this recipe is PERFECT 😀
Dorothy is 100% correct in saying you should use the very best vanilla
ice cream for this recipe. Ever since living on Maui and tasting this
yummy pie for the first time at Kimo’s in Lahaina, I started making
it myself. If you can’t make it to Maui and have a Duke’s near you
on the mainland be sure to order the Hula Pie. Whenever we go to
Maui I always order this pie as my meal, whether it be lunch or
dinner !!!
also it would be great if you could leave a comment!! with any suggestions
Hi dorothy!
The recipes on your blog have always turned out so yummy! if you could check out the food blog that I just made that would be great! also, how do you make a food blog popular? I really like making posts but it is hard to get people to look at it:(
https://justlivenlovenlaugh.wordpress.com/
just Yumm yumm….. will love to test it..
Dorothy, this pie looks amazing! My husband and I are going to Hawaii in the fall, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Hulu Pie! In the meantime, I’m just going to have to make your recipe to prepare myself for extreme deliciousness!
Looks super❤️
We had Hula Pie when we went to Maui and LOVED it! You’re right, they pile it to the sky at the restaurant. It’s fun to see that sky high pie making it’s way across the restaurant to your table!
It’s the highlight of my day!