In today’s post: Frozen s’mores are the perfect way to enjoy the flavor of s’mores while cooling off on a hot summer day!
It’s summer, which means it time for the blogging world (and the rest of the world?) to go crazy about s’mores again. Seriously, smores are like the pumpkin spice of July, right? Let’s make s’mores everything! And it turns out I’m just as guilty as all the other bloggers. This year I’ve already shared s’mores cake mix cookies and s’mores crack (aka Golden Graham bars), both of which are ridiculously delicious.
And last year I shared my favorite s’mores pizza recipe, which has a graham cracker crust and is just about the best way to get the gooey goodness of s’mores without a campfire. Today I’m reaching into the archives to share this recipe for frozen s’mores, which I first published three years ago.
These frozen s’mores are the perfect treat for a hot summer day because you get all the chocolate/marshmallow/graham cracker taste in a cold refreshing format. They’re easy to make and keep in the freezer so you can hand them out next time you have a bunch of kids running through the sprinkler in your backyard.
Frozen S’mores Recipe
Frozen s’mores are easy to put together with just a couple of ingredients. Graham crackers, chocolate pudding, and marshmallow creme, plus cream cheese and cool whip.
You start by making the pudding and marshmallow layers, and freezing them in a 9×13 pan until they are hard enough to slice. At that point you slice the layers up and sandwich them between graham crackers. Frozen s’mores can then be eaten right away or stored in a zip top bag in the freezer. I like to keep them in the freezer for a few hours because the graham crackers will get a little soft, making them taste a bit more like an ice cream sandwich.
Reader Tips for better Frozen S’mores
I’ve had some readers comment that the chocolate pudding mixture freezes harder than the marshmallow layer. This is true. I’ve changed the recipe card to recommend letting the finished s’mores sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving to give the pudding layer time to soften. However, the pudding layer will still be more like a fudge bar in consistency, while the marshmallow layer stays a little softer.
Additionally, some readers have commenting that mixing about a quarter of the whipped topping into the chocolate pudding mixture helps to lighten up that layer so it doesn’t freeze quite as hard (mix the rest of the whipped topping into the marshmallow mixture as directed; you don’t need any extra whipped topping).
Finally, your graham crackers may not immediately stick to the chocolate layer when you are assembling them. That’s ok. Just sit them with the chocolate layer down for about ten minutes at room temp and the pudding should soften up enough that graham cracker should stick.
One last thing to remember: freezer temperatures vary. If your freezer isn’t super cold, it might take more than the 6 hours listed to freeze the layers. Or if your freezer is super cold, it may take more than 15 minutes at room temp for them to soften up enough to easily eat. (Think ice cream – if it’s rock hard coming out of your freezer, these bars will be too!)
Video
Watch this video to see how to make them (recipe card below):
Frozen S'mores
Ingredients
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding 6 serving size
- 2.5 cups cold milk
- 16 graham crackers
- 7 oz marshmallow creme
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz frozen whipped topping thawed
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth and creamy. Pour into 9x13 pan and spread into an even layer. **See note**
- Chill pudding layer while you mix up the marshmallow layer.
- In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and marshmallow cream until smooth. Fold in whipping topping.
- Spread marshmallow layer over chocolate layer. Cover with foil.
- Freeze layers about 6 hours, until firm enough to cut through (freezing time will vary depending on how cold your freezer is). Use the foil or parchment paper to remove layers from 9x13 pan and place on a cutting board.
- Break 15 graham crackers in half. Slice pudding/marshmallow layers into 15 squares the same size as the graham crackers. If your layers have frozen very hard you may want to wait 15 minutes before slicing.
- Sandwich layers in between two graham crackers. (Watch the video in the post for an easy way to do this.)
- Eat right away or store sandwiches in the freezer in an airtight bag or container. Graham crackers will soften slightly if stored in the freezer for a while, and I think that makes these taste even better. After they've been frozen, allow them to rest at room temperature 15-20 minutes before eating for the best texture.
Notes
Looking for more cold treats? Try these recipes:
How to make Oreo ice cream sandwiches
Raspberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
OneVanilla Login says
This dish look tasty. Please keep sharing this type of tips.
Natalie says
This turned out just okay for my family. The marshmallow layer had wonderful flavor, but took a lot more than 6 hours to freeze. However, my biggest complaint was with the chocolate pudding layer – it hardened into a rock solid ice layer that was unpleasant to eat and didn’t pair well with the marshmallow layer. I won’t be making this specific recipe again, but I will be trying out various ways of using this new marshmallow/cool whip/cream cheese mixture!
Rebecca Foster says
Mine did the same thing and I thought I’d done something wrong! Glad It wasn’t just me 😬 we did find it easier to eat if it sat at room temp for 5 mins
jessica says
This recipe is amazing! I used one of those rocker pizza cutters to cut them and it was so easy!
Tonya says
Could you put the crackers on the put in the freezer again? Want to make for sat but have to work go to bbq right after work so just wondering if the crackers will be ok in freezer over night
Autumn says
Yep. The crackers do get a little softer but they still taste great.
LAUREN GLOWACKY says
Can’t wait to try this. My question: Is there an alternative to using Cool Whip. Not a fan of its flavor.
Carol says
My whole family loved them! Super fun to make, and easy too!
Tricia says
Carol, I’ll be making these today. It looks delicious. I’m a little worried however because I’m not sure if the graham cracker will stick to the pudding/cool whip mixture since the directions say to place it on after it freezes. Did yours stick? Any tips? Thanks!
Linda says
Messy as all get out but very delicious! Easy to make!
Mary Kerrigan says
Does this require whole milk or can I substitute almond milk or 2%. Almond milk is what we usually have on hand. Our kids are grown and regular milk spoils before we can use it all.
autumn says
Hi! 2% milk will work just fine. I’ve never tried it with almond milk, but I’d guess it would work too. Good luck.
Amy says
The pudding layer came out icy even after the 10 min thaw. My friend thinks it’s because I used 1% milk and not higher fat. The flavor is great though and the recipe was pretty easy to make.
Elizabeth says
Almond milk will not allow the pudding to set. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work.
autumn says
Thanks for letting us know Elizabeth!
Tiffany Stange says
Almond milk makes great pudding, it’s just not a 1:1 ratio. Start with half the amount of recommended cow’s milk and add more as needed. This also means, for this recipe, you will need two boxes of the 6 serving pudding mix because less almond milk means less volume. My boys can’t have dairy so I do this a lot.
Carol says
I used lactaid milk and they came out perfect!
Amelia says
I made (and served) these today as an alternative to an ice cream cake for an employee birthday. It was a hit!
I followed directions so far as layering and freezing, however I did not place the graham crackers on top and then cut, I took one piece of graham cracker and eyeballed how wide to cut and went from there. Once cut, I then sandwiched the ‘smore’ between the two crackers.
I think the next time I do this, I will also fold a little whipped cream into the pudding mixture to lighten that up a little so it does not freeze as hard.
Carol Laframboise says
I added a large spoonful of the whipped topping into the pudding and it made it much easier to cut. I also put the graham crackers on while adding the layers and it worked great.
Autumn Baldwin says
Thanks for the tip, Carol!
swords and souls 2 says
Thank you, it is really a very good idea.
Julie says
These were amazing!!!
Lori Kogelnik says
I followed the directions and my pudding layer barely covered the bottom of a 13×9. I had to make a game decision to transfer to an 8×8 pan. Disappointing instructions!
Diana says
Did you use the 6 serving size box of pudding? The “regular” box is only a 4 serving size, so you have to get the larger one.
Sitran says
I don’t think it’s the instructions since the rest of us didn’t have that problem, you had to have used the wrong size pudding box. Why don’t you give it another try.
Jtibbs says
My pudding isn’t setting up- what did I do wrong?
Leah says
Mine was not setting up either until I realized I didn’t use the instant pudding. Luckily I had a backup.
Sherry says
I made these using real homeade from scratch chocolate pudding because I don’t like the taste of instant pudding. They were amazing!! The combination of cream cheese, whipped topping and marshmallow creme is wonderful!
Denise says
I can’t wait to make this! My pudding package calls for 3 cups of milk. Do you use less to make the pudding more fudge like or does your pudding call for 2.5 cups. Just want to make sure I am doing it right! Thanks
autumn says
I used less milk to make sure it sets up a little thicker. Good luck!
Arlene says
I have it now setting up in the freezer, should I wait a little prior to placing the crackers on so they STICK to the pudding??? Someone said it was too frozen and the cracker didn’t stick !!
Arlene
Celeste says
Hi Autumn,
is there a substitute that can be used to replace the cream cheese? or can it just be left out?
Thank you!