Ice Cream Balls (Easy Recipe)

These ice cream balls will transform humble ice cream into a show-stopping dessert!

They’re incredibly mouthwatering, but a lot easier to make than you think.

If you’re looking for a way to elevate that tub of ice cream you have sitting in the freezer, you’ve come to the right place.

This recipe takes the classic dessert to another level by covering it with a sweet, cinnamony, and crunchy crust.

If you haven’t had ice cream balls yet, consider this as the sign. This dessert will change your life!

Easy Ice Cream Balls

Ice cream balls are a fun dessert made of scoops of ice cream covered in a graham cracker crust.

The ice cream can be whatever flavor you like.

The crust is a mixture of graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and peanut butter. It’s crunchy and crumbly with sweet and nutty flavors. 

If you’re looking for the perfect summer dessert, you’re staring right at it. 

Ingredients

Ice Cream – The flavor doesn’t matter. Seriously, these balls will taste heavenly regardless if you choose vanilla, coffee, or strawberry. As long as you like the flavor, this dessert will be a success.

Crust – It’s a mixture made of crushed graham crackers, peanut butter, sugar, and cinnamon. If you have picky eaters who can’t stand cinnamon, just take it out.

How to Make Ice Cream Balls

1. Prepare the crust.

Mix together the crushed graham crackers, peanut butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. 

If your peanut butter is a little dense, microwave it for a few seconds to soften it up.

2. Scoop the ice cream into balls.

You can simply eyeball the balls and scoop them with an ice cream scoop.

Or, to ensure the balls are evenly sized, cut the ice cream into four equal slices, then cut the slices again into four. 

Using plastic gloves, form the slices into balls.

3. Roll the balls in the crust.

Roll the balls in the crust and coat them evenly.

You’ll want to work quickly here to keep the ice cream from melting. Also, just work on one to two balls at a time and keep the rest in the freezer.

4. Freeze.

Give the ice cream balls 30 minutes to an hour to firm up again.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Now, for the fun part: garnish the ice cream balls with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Working with ice cream can be a little tricky. So here’s some tips and tricks to make things easy:

• Blitz the graham crackers. Just crush them up in a food processor. But not all the way! Leave a few small bits for a delightful texture.

• Use a rolling pin. Don’t want to dirty the food processor? Just place the cookies in a Ziploc bag. Then give them a couple of smashes with a rolling pin. A meat mallet works too.

• Make bite-sized ice cream balls. They’re the perfect poppable treat! To make, simply scoop the ice cream into small balls. Then follow the recipe.

• Use room temperature peanut butter. This ensures it mixes smoothly with the rest of the crust ingredients. 

• Avoid melted ice cream. Work on the balls one at a time to prevent melting. Keep the rest in the freezer while they wait for their turn.

• Freeze the ice cream balls. They’ll be a little melted from scooping and rolling. So firm them up in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

Variations

The great thing about ice cream balls is that you can go crazy with the flavors! 

• Opt for the classic flavors. You can’t go wrong with vanilla and chocolate. They also let the taste and textures of the crust to shine.

• Go wild with experimental flavors. Try butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, and whatever ice cream flavor tickles your taste buds.

• Tweak the crust. Add chopped or ground nuts. You can also toast them beforehand to make their flavors pop!

• Go wild with toppings. Caramel is a no-brainer, but there’s plenty to choose from. Hot fudge, butterscotch, candy canes, sprinkles, add your favorite.

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