Grasshopper Pie

If you love the classic combination of mint and chocolate—and who doesn't?—then grasshopper pie is for you. The taste evokes mint chocolate chip ice cream, and the cookie crust adds a rich cocoa flavor that complements and adds depth to the minty filling.

Serve this charmingly green pie alongside a steaming mug of coffee—or, if you’re feeling extra festive, a grasshopper cocktail in the same hue.

Learn how to make a grasshopper pie, and delight your friends and family with this old-fashioned dessert.

Grasshopper Pie Ingredients

To make grasshopper pie, you’ll need:

• A box of brownie crisp cookies: You can use any brand; we developed with Dewey’s. This will form the easy crumb crust.
• Unsalted butter: You’ll melt it and mix with the cookie crumbs for a quick crust.
• Whole milk: Combined with the marshmallows to make the fluffy pie filling.
• Miniature marshmallows: You can use Jet Puffed or another available brand.  
• Green crème de menthe: It’s available in any conventional liquor store. 
• Clear crème de cacao: Make sure to use clear to preserve the green color of the pie without muddying it (using a brown version might alter the color).
• Heavy whipping cream: Whipped into a light cream, it's added to the marshmallow mixture for loft and lightness.
• Green food coloring gel: You can add vigor to the green hue with some coloring gel. Use the thicker gel, not the thin liquid, to keep the pie filling thick.
• Chocolate shavings: Create the shavings from one four-ounce semisweet chocolate baking bar.
• Freshly grated nutmeg: Nutmeg and chocolate savings are used because they're classically used as garnishes on the namesake drink.

Why Is It Called Grasshopper Pie?

The grasshopper pie is named after the cocktail of the same name, which incorporates the same liquors as the dessert calls for: creme de menthe and creme de cacao. The drink also incorporates heavy cream and often garnishes with nutmeg, so it’s a similar flavor profile and ingredient list.

What Does Grasshopper Pie Taste Like?

Grasshopper pie is chocolaty, minty, and creamy. The marshmallows soften the mouthfeel and provide the sweetness and sliceable texture. The taste evokes a Thin Mint cookie or Andes candy—meets a silk pie. The cookie crumb crust is buttery and chocolaty.

Can You Make Grasshopper Pie Ahead?

This pie can be prepared and frozen ahead of time. Remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator before serving and slicing. The crust alone can also be made ahead of time and stored, covered, at room temperature for up to four days.

Grasshopper Pie Recipe Tips

We tested a few versions of grasshopper pie to get the best one for you, and we wanted to pass along a few times we learned during the process:

• Change up cookies: If you want to make this recipe easier, you can use premade Oreo cookie crusts to save time and effort.
• Keep moving: Stirring constantly after removing marshmallows and milk from heat helps speed along the cooling process.
• Work in batches: Folding the lighter whipped cream mixture in batches into the heavier marshmallow mixture helps keep the filling light and fluffy by not overworking the whipped cream.
• Don't wait: Make sure you don't let the marshmallow mixture sit too long, or it will set up firm, making it hard to fold in the whipped cream. If the mixture is too set, you can whisk to break it up a bit.
• Give the marshmallows time to melt: When melting the marshmallows with the milk, it's important to make sure you cook them long enough for the gelatin to melt fully and mix evenly with the milk. Gelatin has a pale yellow color, which when fully melted changes the marshmallow mixture from pure white to light beige.

Grasshopper Pie Recipe Substitutions

You can use marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows with the same weight equivalent (so, 10 ounces of marshmallow fluff for 10 ounces of marshmallows).

More Chocolate Pie Recipes

Some of our favorite pies are great for parties or family dinners. Check these out next:

• Chocolate Silk Pie
• Over-the-Moon Chocolate Pie
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice-Box Pie
• Mississippi Mud Pie
• Kentucky Bourbon Pie

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.