Everyone goes crazy for this super easy Root Beer Float Pie. It's a creamy pie that tastes exactly like a root beer float with the texture of a soft frozen dessert. So refreshing and light for these hot summer days. Plus, it's a no bake dessert recipe that takes just minutes to prepare with convenient ingredients like Cool Whip and a ready-to-use graham cracker crust.
For more recipes that use root beer try my Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken for dinner.
Root Beer Float Pie Recipe
This root beer float pie will be the hit dessert of the summer! Taste exactly like a root beer float in frozen pie form. It's so creamy, cool, and just perfect for summertime!
Bonus is that this no bake pie can be made in minutes. Yes minutes! It uses convenient store-bought ingredients like a graham cracker crust, instant pudding, Cool Whip, root beer, and root beer concentrate for lots of that root beer flavor everyone loves.
How To Make a No Bake Root Beer Float Frozen Pie
- Graham Cracker Crust - I use this one or a shortbread crust if I can find it at the store. You could go all out and make your won but why not make it easy?!
- Root Beer - It's best to not use diet soda in this recipe. We love A&W root beer!
- Milk - The higher fat percentage the better. You want the fat and the thickness to help set the pie up. I always use whole milk or half & half milk (which is half milk and half cream).
- Root Beer Concentrate - Some have a hard time finding this but I never have. Look by the other extracts (by the spices and seasonings) at the grocery store. The box will specifically say 'root beer concentrate' on it.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding - Ignore the directions on the box and just follow the recipe below.
- Cool Whip - Again, when it comes to dairy I prefer the higher-fat products over the lite and sugar-free stuff. But feel free to use what you prefer here.
- Whipped Cream & Maraschino Cherries - It says optional in the recipe but you should really add it! The homemade whipped cream layer on top adds so much to the pie. I serve each piece with a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top. It makes for a pretty presentation too.
Tips For Success
Here are a few of my helpful tips that will make this recipe a hit in your own family as well.
- Root Beer : For best taste & texture I would highly recommend using real root beer (not diet). It tastes much better in this pie.
- Milk : You want to use a higher fat content of milk in this recipe to help the pie set and thicken nicely. I prefer half and half when I make this, but whole milk is another good option too.
- Garnishes : If topping the pie with whipped cream and garnishes, do that after the refrigeration time and right before serving.
- Instant Pudding : Make sure you are NOT using the cook n' serve pudding mix. You want the instant pudding mix. It's best to not use sugar-free pudding mix in this pie. It's a much smaller package size, and I have never personally tested this recipe with it, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out.
More No Bake Pie Recipes You'll Love
- black forest cheesecake pie
- triple layer lemon pudding pie
- lemon cheesecake pie
- pistachio cheesecake pie
- oreo cream pie
- no bake snickers cream pie
- nutella pie
- toffee cheesecake pie
Root Beer Float Pie
Creamy, cool, light & refreshing! This Root Beer Float Pie is the perfect treat on those hot summer days. Only a few minutes of prep and then some freezer time and you have an easy, no bake pie that tastes EXACTLY like a root beer float!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup root beer
- ½ cup half & half OR whole milk
- 2 tablespoons root beer concentrate
- 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 carton (8 oz) Cool Whip thawed
- 1 (6 oz) ready-to-use graham cracker OR shortbread crumb crust
Garnishes (optional but highly recommend)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl combine the root beer, milk, and root beer concentrate. Sprinkle the vanilla pudding mix over it. Whisk together for 1-2 minutes and then let it sit for 5 minutes so it can thicken.
- Fold in the thawed cool whip and mix together until it is combined together well. Pour into the prepared crumb crust and evenly spread it out.
- Cover with enclosed lid (the plastic lid from graham cracker crust) and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Before serving prepare the whipped cream topping (if using). Beat together the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until thick and stiff peaks form. This will take about 5 minutes. Serve a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry over top of each piece. Or you can spread the whipped cream topping over top the pie and then cut into slices.
- Eat & serve straight from the freezer. Store any leftovers in the freezer.
Notes
Root Beer Concentrate : I get a lot of comments questioning the 2 tablespoons of root beer concentrate and others saying that they thought 2 tablespoons was too much. Once the pie has been in the freezer the flavor gets more muted and not as strong as when you just add it into the pudding mixture. I have always loved the 2 tablespoons of root beer concentrate but if you're worried about it then maybe start with 1 tablespoon the first time you make it and see what you think.
This ingredient can be found by the other concentrates (like vanilla extract, etc) and dried spices at the grocery store.
Pudding Mix : Do not prepare the Instant Pudding Mix! Just sprinkle the dry powder straight from the box over the liquids as called for in the recipe. I do not recommend using sugar-free pudding mix in this recipe. It's a smaller sized box, with less powder in it, so I just don't know if it would work well. I have never personally made it using sugar-free, but others have commented and said that it works great. So experiment if you want.
Tip : A lot of people are having trouble finding the root beer concentrate. You will find it by the other extracts (vanilla, almond, etc) at the grocery store. It comes in a small bottle and will say 'root beer concentrate' on the front. You must use this for the pie to taste like a root beer float. So don't try to substitute it with anything else.
Root Beer : I do not recommend using zero sugar root beer or diet root beer in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 212kcal
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Oh yum! You have been killing me with all of your delicious treats lately!
haha 🙂 I know, I'm sorry! This one was just way too yummy to not post a.s.a.p!!
Yes!! This is exactly what I need at this moment. I love root beer floats and haven't had one in a very long time. And I love pie, so pair these two things together and I've got a major craving!
I'm anxious to try this - love root beer floats!!
I can't find the root beer concentrate
Hi Melissa! Not every store sells it. I usually have to go to Walmart to find it. It is by the spices/extracts (like vanilla extract, etc). I had to go to 3 different stores before I finally found it. Good luck 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I was able to order the root beer concentrate online from Watkins
I tried this using the 1 box of pudding the big box is only 1.5 oz so used 2 boxes thickened up real fast not good so I will try using just 1.5 oz box. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks
It sounds like you may have used a sugar-free box of pudding?? The regular jello pudding has the 3.4 oz box. The smallest size. I've never made this pie with sugar free pudding so I am not sure if it would work out. It should work but like you mentioned, I would just do the one box of sugar-free pudding mix. I will clarify in the recipe. Thank you for your comment. I hope you enjoy this and that it works out for you.
I just put mine in the freezer and it definitely wasn't the color in the picture! Ha 😉
Do you think it will come out okay?
I am sure it's fine. It's supposed to be a light tan color. The picture is probably slightly brighter/more white than it is in real life. I hope you love it!
Thanks for the response! It came out okay. Flavor is good but it's a little bit icy . . . I was expecting it to be a little creamier. I wonder if I didn't thicken the pudding enough? Any ideas?
You got it right. If you let it sit out for some time it will be creamier. It is supposed to be a icy type texture which is why it goes in the freezer overnight. I also always use whole milk to mix pudding. If you did use a lower % milk that could make it not as thick and creamy. Or if you used a box of sugar-free pudding that could also make it less creamy. So sorry it was not what you were expecting! 🙂
I had trouble getting my root beer, milk, extract and pudding to thicken at all - so when i finally added the cool whip in, it still felt pretty liquidy and I'm nervous about it turning out to be one big ice block. I used 2% milk bc we don't keep whole milk typically, but I didn't think it would make it so thin.
2% should be fine to use. It's been several months since I made this last but I know that it will be fine once it's frozen overnight. The pudding mixture will not be super thick like traditional pudding when you add milk to it. I hope it turned out ok 🙂
This pie is absolutely amazing!! Made it just as the recipe stated and it was perfect!! Huge raves at work. Making two more for people at work!! It's awesome!! Never heard of a rootbeer float pie b4!! (Some of the comments!! )Thank you huge winner in my book!!
Love it! Finally some good feedback about this pie, haha 🙂 It's one of my faves for sure!
I just made this tonight for tomorrow's Sunday dinner!!! It looked so good, I just had to try it myself!!!
If you are looking for that midnite brown color that you associate with root beer, you can purchase brown coloring gel or powder at cake specialty stores. If you do a lot of baking, like me, you can use caramel coloring that is used in soda. It is what makes root beer and cola that deep brown.
Thank you for the suggestion. That's a great idea. The very light color of this pie I think throws some people off sometimes.
I am not a fan of root beer so I am a poor judge of flavor so I fed it to my husband! He liked it but thought that 2 T of root beer concentrate was too much. After sampling it myself I agree and am glad I did a test run before serving it to my card club! I will either use just 1 T of root beer concentrate and am wondering if you meant 2 tsp of root beer extract? Otherwise it turned out very well; nice consistency and easy to make! Thank you!
The 2 tablespoons is correct. You could always reduce that amount if you make this again. Not sure that the pie will actually taste like root beer with less as I've never tried that. But then again it might be just fine with less concentrate. Thank you for visiting the blog. Sorry it did not turn out...
The pie is perfect. Especially for my picky son and grandsons who are root beer fanatics. I found that using the root beer flavoring sold at my cake decorating store gave the best flavor. I also splurged and used half and half, the second time I made it. Really gave it the ice cream float flavor.
I'll have to look for that root beer flavoring. I've never seen that. And yes, the higher fat content milk you use the better 🙂 I use whole milk but half-n-half sounds amazing in this pie. I'll try that next time.
I wished you said what size pie shell to get,my was the small size so i could only use half of it!
Oh I'm sorry. I have only ever seen the one size in the store. I don't have one here but it's the standard size graham cracker crust that you buy at the store. I'll have to get the size next time I am at the store.
When you saw root beer concentrate do u mean extract? In Canada we gave a company called Watkins. They sell various flavors of extracts. Wondering if I would use their root beer extract? But 2 tbsp might be a bit strong? Thanks.
I just looked in my pantry and mine says 'root beer concentrate'. It's actually the Watkins brand that you mentioned. If you are using extract then yes it would be a lot less than 2 tablespoons.
Thanks for response. I checked and mine says imitation extract. So perhaps one tsp. My apologies for spelling errors in previous question! I did not proof read before sending. I look forward to trying this recipe.
You can also just taste it before you add it into the pie shell too. Add more of you can't taste the root beer flavor enough.
Where do you get root beer concentrate?
You will find it by the other extracts and the spices, in the baking aisle. It comes in a small bottle just like the vanilla extract and almond extracts do.
Made this the other day with a homemade graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping. Had to buy the Kool Whip but had everything else on hand. Everyone in the family loved it. Thank you.
Hi: I would like to use sugar free pudding because my daughter is diebetic and trying to cut down on sugar. Did you ever try this recipe with sugar free pudding?
Bob
I have never tried it but I think it would be fine. I have had readers comment (on another pie recipe that uses instant pudding mix) that they have successfully used sugar-free instant pudding with great results. I hope that helps.
I made this! I love root beer, the 2 Tbsp. Of extract was way too much. Are you sure it wasn’t suppose to be 2 tsp?
Will make again sometime but with lots less extract.
You can get the extract at Walmart.
I always use 2 tablespoons. But yes, the amount of extract can be reduced depending on preference. Some say this pie has no root beer flavor while others say it does. So use less if that's what you prefer and it will turn out just fine.
2 Tablespoons of root beer extract is too much, I made it using the 2 tablespoons as stated in the recipe and it was inedible. I tried it again using 2 Teasoons of the extract and it was perfect!
Do you think I could make real whipped cream as opposed to Cool Whip? We are not big Cool Whip fans.
Thanks!
Yes, that would work fine. An 8 oz Cool Whip tub is equal to 1 cup heavy whipping cream + 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat that together until stiff peaks form.
Yeah I’ve been scrolling through the comments hoping someone asked this question. We always go with real whipped cream instead of cool whip. Can’t wait to make this for Father’s Day.
Oh yes for sure! You will need about 2 1/2 cups real whipped cream which is equal to 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream plus some sweetener (I like to use about 1/4 cup powdered sugar but you can certainly use more or less depending on preference).
Looks like some of you are confusing root beer extract with root beer concentrate. They are very different.
I just made this but with on tweek. When working with cool whip or whipped cream it is important to stabilize it or you end up with cool whip/whipped cream soup. I used one 1/4 oz packet of unflavored gelatin with 1/4 cup water and let it bloom then microwaved it 15 seconds. Let it cool then added it to the whipped cream mixture. This way I can let it set in the refrigerator instead of cooler and can even take to a friends house without it becoming soup. It can also be stored in the refrigerator giving a more creamy texture rather than frozen texture.
I thought that this would be delicious, since I absolutely love root beer. However, take heed! In my opinion, the two tablespoons of root beer concentrate gave the pie an almost medicinal, sickening taste, and I had to throw the entire thing out. Upon further investigation, most recipes list two teaspoons, and to me, that would be much more reasonable. I may try it again using the lesser amount. The author does warn of this, but I think that even one tablespoon might be a little much. You might want to start with the two teaspoons and go from there. The strength of the concentrated does not mellow with freezing.
I served this for a small dinner party this evening and it was a huge hit!. I used cream instead of milk and extra creamy Cool Whip. I used the full 2 Tablespoons of Root Beer Concentrate and thought the taste was wonderful. I tasted the filling right after making it and I do think it mellowed overnight in the freezer (but I was fine with the flavor immediately as well.). I made a pretzel crust and I think that bit of salt makes a really nice contrast to the sweet. The small dollop of whipped cream and the cherry on top was perfect. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I totally agree, the taste definitely mellows as it freezes overnight. So happy to hear it was a hit because we love this pie. Thanks so much for your comment and star rating. I appreciate it.