Delight all of the dessert and peanut butter lovers in your life with this easy peanut butter pie recipe! With a homemade Oreo cookie crust and a light and silky peanut butter filling, this chocolate peanut butter dessert is perfect for almost any crowd. Set it down on any dessert table and watch the slices disappear.
Your friends and family will love diving into this recipe for peanut butter pie as much as you’ll like making it. It is a no-bake recipe that is made with simple pantry ingredients, and nothing pre-made is needed. Whip up this pie in just a handle of simple steps that even the most novice baker can master. There’s nothing like simple from-scratch baking that never fails to delight! For creamy pie recipes, check out my French silk pie, butterscotch pie recipe, and Oreo pie recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Peanut Butter – opt for conventional no-stir peanut butter instead of the natural or chunky varieties. Natural peanut butter may split or add a gritty texture, compromising the smooth and creamy filling.
Cream Cheese – choose full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature. You will know that the cheese is adequately softened when you can easily leave an indentation in it when pressed gently but firmly with your finger. For best results, do not use light or fat-free cream cheese, as they do not have the proper rich and creamy texture.
Heavy Whipping Cream – also known as heavy cream, this cream whips up nice and light. When folded into the pie filling, it makes it extra light and creamy.
Vanilla Extract – for the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste if possible.
How to Make Peanut Butter Pie
1. Place the cookies in a food processor, and process the cookies until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the fine crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
3. Using the bottom of a bowl or your hand covered with parchment paper, press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitting with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine cream cheese and peanut butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth and well combined.
5. Scrape down the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat just until combined.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. (Beat to stiff peaks for a firmer set filling.)
7. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture.
8. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and smooth into an even layer. Freeze for at least 3 hours or refrigerate for at least 6 hours before slicing.
How to Serve
Serve this no-bake peanut butter pie plain or top it with more homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip, a drizzle of chocolate ganache, chocolate-covered peanuts, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, or chopped peanut butter cups.
To cleanly slice the pie, run a sharp knife under hot water to warm it up and then wipe it dry. Wipe off the knife between cuts.
How to Store and Freeze Leftovers
Any leftover peanut butter pie can be loosely covered or placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
To freeze, tightly wrap the pie in the pie pan with several layers of plastic wrap or place slices in airtight freezer containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. The pie is excellent served frozen! Just let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften up slightly. To fully thaw, place it in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours before serving.
Peanut Butter Pie Variations
- Switch up the crust. Replace the Oreo crust with a graham cracker crust. Or, swap the crumb crust altogether for a flaky, blind-baked pie crust shell.
- Use Cool Whip: Using frozen whipped topping in place of homemade whipped cream is a great option when serving this pie on a hot day or if you need to save on prep time. Thaw one 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip according to the package instructions. Skip the cream altogether and fold the thawed whipped topping along with the vanilla into the peanut butter mixture as directed.
- Add mix-ins: Fold in 1 cup of finely chopped Oreos, chopped peanut butter cups, or ½ cup of chopped chocolate chips to the filling for added texture.
- PB&J spin: Swirl ½ cup of your favorite fruit jam into the filling or spread it onto the bottom of the crust before adding the filling.
- Use a store-bought crust: Look for a premade crust labelled “deep dish” or purchase a 10” crust; otherwise, the crust will be too shallow to hold all of the filling. If that’s the case, you can fill additional mini pie crusts or place the extra filling in little bowls to serve like a mousse!
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Chill the pie crust. Make the crust first so it can chill for 30 minutes in the freezer while you prepare the filling. Alternatively, set the crust in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Cookie-crushing alternative. You can also crush the cookies in a large ziptop bag with a rolling pin until finely ground.
- Chill the pie until set. To prevent a runny filling, chill the pie for 3 hours in the freezer or 6 hours in the fridge. The pie can also be made up to a day in advance and chilled right up until serving as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is a great option for a make-ahead dessert. Make the pie in a freezer-safe pie pan and leave off any toppings or garnishes. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the pie in the fridge overnight and garnish before serving.
For a dairy-free filling, replace the whipped cream with a dairy-free frozen whipped topping. Use dairy-free butter for the crust.
I don’t recommend using peanut butter that separates. The filling will be oily and not as light and airy. Use a no-stir creamy peanut butter for the silkiest filling. If it is labelled as “natural,” that is fine, as long as it also indicates it is a no-stir peanut butter.
If you love this recipe try these out!
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Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9” pie plate
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 Oreos sandwich cookies
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted (56g)
For the Filling:
- 1 (8 ounce/226g) block cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (250g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (90g)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Place the cookies in a food processor, and process the cookies until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. (You can also crush the cookies in a large ziptop bag with a rolling pin until finely ground.)
- Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitting with the whisk attachment, combine cream cheese and peanut butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Beat just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form, then fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Spoon the filling into the pie crust and smooth into an even layer. Freeze for at least 3 hours or refrigerate for at least 6 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Chill the pie crust. Make the crust first so it can chill for 30 minutes in the freezer while you prepare the filling. Alternatively, set the crust in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Cookie-crushing alternative. You can also crush the cookies in a large ziptop bag with a rolling pin until finely ground.
- Chill the pie until set. To prevent a runny filling, chill the pie for 3 hours in the freezer or 6 hours in the fridge. The pie can also be made up to a day in advance and chilled right up until serving as well.
- Optional: Switch up the crust. Replace the Oreos with 2 cups of regular or chocolate graham cracker crumbs or chocolate wafer cookies. Increase the butter to ½ cup and add an optional 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for more sweetness. Check out my graham cracker crust recipe for more details. Or, swap the crumb crust altogether for a flaky blind-baked pie crust shell.
- Optional: Use frozen whipped topping. For an even easier filling, skip making homemade whipped cream and use 1 (8-ounce) tub of frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip), thawed. Just stir it into the filling as directed with the whipped cream.
