The Famous Duke’s Hula Pie Recipe
If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, there’s a very good chance you’ve heard of (or obsessed over) Hula Pie.
This iconic dessert made famous by Duke’s Waikiki is basically a dream in pie form:
- a chocolate cookie crust
- a massive dome of ice cream
- rich chocolate fudge with a hint of coffee
- fluffy whipped cream
- crunchy macadamia nuts
It’s indulgent, nostalgic, and honestly… one of the best desserts ever.
And the best part?
You can recreate it at home, no expensive plane ticket required
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No-bake (perfect for warm weather)
- Minimal ingredients
- Make-ahead friendly
- Crowd-pleasing and impressive
No Macadamia Nut Ice Cream?
No problem.
Use good-quality vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, and mix in chopped macadamia nuts and coconut extract (optional but recommended)
Pro Tips For The BEST Hula Pie
- Slightly soften ice cream before shaping
- Use a hot knife for clean chocolate spreading
- Freeze between steps if needed
- Slice with a warm knife for perfect pieces
My Go-To Kitchen Staples
- 9-inch pie dish
- Organic macadamia nuts
- Sharp knife (for clean slices)
- Organic vanilla extract
- Coconut extract
- Sporks (to cut through the cookie crust and ice cream together)
- Ice cream spade (for easy layering)
- Stand mixer or hand mixer (for mixing ice cream & whipped cream)
I always link my exact favorites, so you can recreate this perfectly at home. If you click and buy, I might earn a little commission—thanks for the love!
Bring Hawaii Home
Hula Pie is more than just dessert, it’s a full Hawaiian experience.
It’s the kind of thing you order on vacation, take one bite of, and immediately think…I need this again.
Now you can make it anytime you want, and honestly, it might become your go-to “impress everyone” dessert.
Gina
Duke’s Hula Pie
Ingredients
Hula Pie
- 1 9-inch Homemade chocolate cookie crust or store bought
- 1 gallon Vanilla ice cream
- 2 teaspoons Coconut extract
- 1 ¼ cup Chopped macadamia nuts divided
- 3 cups Hot fudge sauce homemade or store bought
- Whipped cream for topping
Homemade Cookie Crust
- 7 ounces chocolate cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- Pinch of salt
Homemade Hot Fudge
- 1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 stick Salted Butter Cut Into Pieces
- 3 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 shot espresso or strong coffee
Instructions
- Prepare cookie pie crust and place in the freezer.
- Remove ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften for 10-15 minutes. (Be careful not to melt)
- Place the softened ice cream into a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low and add the coconut extract and 1 cup macadamia nuts. Mix until incorporated.
- Scoop ice cream into prepared pie shell, smoothing it into a rough dome, or bombe, as high as you’d like.
- Warm espresso or coffee and mix into hot fudge sauce. Use a warmed knife to spread topping even over ice cream bombe.
- Freeze until ready to serve.
- Add whipped cream all around the bottom of the slice and the remaining chopped macadamia nuts before serving.
Cookie Crust
- To make the cookie crumbs, put cookies in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
- Combine the cookie crumbs with melted butter and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the crumbs are fully moistened.
- Scrape into a 9-inch pie pan, then compress into an even layer with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or by hand.
- Keep pressing until the crumbs are in a compact, even layer across the bottom and sides of the pan.
Hot Fudge Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, gently whisk together the cocoa powder and sugar.
- Whisk in the cream, then turn the heat to medium and whisk it as it warms up. When the mixture starts to heat up, add the butter and stir it in to melt.
- Then when the mixture is nice and hot, add the vanilla and stir it to combine.
- Let the sauce cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a mason jar.
