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This classic Hula Pie has an Oreo cookie crust, filled with ice cream that has been made with mix-ins, and topped with a frozen fudge topping. It tastes just like the original from Duke’s without the expensive flight to Hawaii!
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When I lived in Hawaii, my roommates and I would take the bus to Waikiki just to eat at Duke’s and get a big old slice of Hula Pie. It is the classic favorite dessert choice at Duke’s. It was totally worth the trek across the island just for one bite!
Now that I live back on the mainland, Hula Pie is a bit more difficult to come by. But all you need are a few delectable ingredients and a little patience, and you’ll have the famous hula pie in your home. This copycat recipe is as close as it gets to the original when a vacation to Hawaii just isn’t in the cards.
Ingredients in Homemade Hula Pie
For all you avid dessert eaters, you’re going to LOVE this incredible delight to the taste buds! Here’s what you need to make this island treat at home:
- Oreo Pie Crust – see notes below.
- French Vanilla Ice Cream – a gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream will work. The original pie recipe calls for macadamia nut ice cream but it’s difficult to find. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and coffee ice cream are all good substitutions.
- Coconut extract – about two teaspoons.
- Macadamia nuts – coarsely chopped.
- Fudge topping – about two cups, see notes below.
- Whipped cream – A delicious topping for this pie.
- Fudge topping – a layer of cool chocolate fudge on top, plus a few extra drizzles, to taste.
- Macadamia nuts – toasted macadamia nuts for garnish.
The Original Hula Pie
Hula Pie actually originated at Kimo’s restaurant in Hawaii but it probably is more widely known for being a dessert at Duke’s. Its real name is “Kimo’s Original Hula Pie Recipe” and it is even labeled as such on the menu at Duke’s. Hula Pie has become a fan-favorite around the world and people come from far and wide just to try a slice! You can buy Hula Pie at any Duke’s restaurant.
Duke’s has three locations in Hawaii and also three in California. Or stop by any of Duke’s sister restaurants: Kimo’s, Keoki’s Paradise, Hula Grill, Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge, Leilani’s on the Beach, and Jake’s del Mar. For an entire list of restaurants and exact locations, visit the Duke’s Restaurants website.
Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
Macadamia nut ice cream can be tricky to find, especially on the mainland, but it is key for this recipe. I haven’t had much luck finding my favorite macadamia nut ice cream so instead I make my own macadamia nut ice cream for Hula Pie. The easiest way to make a DIY macadamia nut ice cream is to make a vanilla ice cream mixture with macadamia nuts and coconut flavoring.
How to Make a Chocolate Cookie Crust
For this recipe, you can either use a store-bought pie shell or you can make your own scrumptious chocolate cookie crust. I prefer the homemade crust because it seems truer to the original Hula Pie at Duke’s. To make a homemade Oreo crust, just take about 25 Oreo cookies and blend them up in a food processor, filling and all. Place them in a bowl and add ¼ cup melted butter and stir until well combined. Then press into a 9″ pie pan and freeze as per the directions below. That’s it!
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
You can use store-bought chocolate fudge for this recipe if you would like, but we encourage you to try our homemade hot fudge sauce. It has that amazing fudgy texture that will delight your taste buds in a way that the jar stuff just doesn’t. Our incredible homemade hot fudge sauce recipe has been in our family for over 25 years. If you decide to use this sauce recipe, add ½ cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons butter to the other ingredients to make it thin enough to spread. We know you are going to love it! Trust me, it goes perfectly with this Hula Pie!
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never had a macadamia nut ice cream that didn’t have a hint of coconut in it , so this recipe is no exception. Of course you can leave it out if you prefer.
The cheapest place I have found macadamia nuts on the mainland is at Winco in the bulk bins. We were able to find them for a great price. You can also find them at Trader Joe’s. I also saw a container of Mauna Loa macadamia nuts at Walmart recently.
See recipe notes below. I use a deep, large bowl to freeze the ice cream mixture into perfect positioning. You can make any shape you like!
READ MORE: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas
More Pie Recipes
A slice of pie just hits the spot after a meal. We have so many delicious pies to choose from. Try a new pie tonight for your family!
How to Make Duke’s Hula Pie Recipe
Duke’s Hula Pie (Copycat Recipe)
Video
Equipment
- Kitchenaid Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) OREO pie crust, frozen store-bought or homemade
- 1 gallon French vanilla ice cream
- 2 teaspoon Coconut extract
- 1 ¼ cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, divided
- 3 cups fudge topping (store-bought or homemade), divided
- whipped cream, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare Oreo pie crust and place in the freezer.
- Remove ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften for 10-15 minutes. You do not want it to melt, so keep a close eye on it.
- When the ice cream has softened, place it in a stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low and mix the ice cream until it reaches a thick frozen yogurt consistency. Add coconut extract and 1 cup macadamia nuts. Mix for another minute.
- Find a mixing bowl where the rim will easily fit inside the pie crust. If using a 9-inch pie crust, find a bowl where the rim is less than 9 inches. You will be placing the bowl upside down inside the crust after it's frozen.
- Line the bowl with plastic wrap, spray with cooking spray, and scoop ice cream into the bowl. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
- Remove ice cream and crust from the freezer. Remove the cover from the ice cream bowl. Carefully place the bowl upside down in the crust. Pull the plastic wrap down until the ice cream settles onto the crust. Remove the bowl and plastic wrap from the ice cream.
- Spoon 2 cups of fudge topping over the ice cream dome. Do not heat the fudge; you don't want it to melt the ice cream. If you must heat it to soften, do it for only a few seconds, until soft enough to remove from the container. Spread fudge evenly until the ice cream is covered in fudge. Freeze again until fudge becomes firm, about 1 hour.
- Remove from the freezer and cut into slices using a warm knife. Top each slice with whipped cream, the remaining 1 cup hot fudge (it's okay for this fudge to be hot), and the remaining ¼ cup macadamia nuts.
How do you get the fudge to adhere to the ice cream? It was a mess…the fudge hardens as you place it on the ice cream dome and you cannot spread it! I used your homemade fudge recipe which was indeed delicious but a total disaster when finishing the pie. Any suggestions? Does the Smuckers you have pictured work better? Always a tasty dessert would prefer a better presentation!
If you used our homemade sauce it may not have been thin enough. We have used our fudge sauce recipe before but I am trying to remember if we made it thinner before adding it to the pie. I may need to make it so I can test it again to see what could have gone wrong. When I am in a rush I use the Smuckers sauce as-is and I haven’t had any issues.
My family loves this recipe. I’ve made it a few times and hand no issues. However this time, my ice cream never froze. It’s a shake like consistency ever after being in the freezer for 24 hours. Any idea why this might be?
Oh that is so weird! If that happened to me I would use a thermometer to check the temperature of my freezer to make sure it was working okay. The only other thing I can think of is maybe it got over-mixed when you were adding the coconut and macadamia nuts. Did you mix it for longer than usual?
We haven’t eaten it yet but I can’t imagine it not being delicious. It’s in the freezer waiting. Was excited to see this recipe as my son loved this in HI.
Had a hard time spreading the fudge as others have mentioned. Didn’t want to heat it up because that would melt the ice cream. Used smuckers brand. The second the outside of the ice cream became the slightest bit soft it was impossible to spread the fudge. Is there a secret to doing this? There’s no way I had any time to spread it in a nice appealing way. Wondering if adding cookie crumbs to the outside might help it adhere the next time. Anyone have any tips?
I have had this dessert many times at Duke’s Waikiki and I was so excited to come across this recipe ! I didn’t have coconut extract on hand so I used 1/2 cup of Malibu Coconut Rum! Wow took it to the Next Level!!!
I can’t wait to make this. One question, what size package of chocolate chips for the hot fudge sauce?
12 ounces!
The chocolate fudge was a mess and slid down the cake. I’d recommend using a chocolate syrup or fudge from a squeeze bottle. My chocolate wasn’t even warm. Tasted amazing though!
In the written portion above you mention folding homemade whipped cream into the ice cream but then in the directions I didn’t see that step. Is the whipped cream just used to garnish at the end?
Thanks for catching that! You don’t add the whipped cream to the ice cream. It is a topping only. I have fixed the post to reflect that.