Peanut Butter Pie
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another flavor combination more beloved than chocolate and peanut butter! This creamy, light Peanut Butter Pie is a great way to use extra Halloween candy, but it’s timeless! My family loves to enjoy this chocolatey, whipped, chilled treat any time of year. There’s something extra sweet about making a from-scratch dessert for your loved ones versus buying something ready-made at the store! I use homemade whipped cream and a chocolate cookie crumb crust to make this pie extra special (all on a budget, of course!)
What is Peanut Butter Pie?
This Peanut Butter Pie is an indulgent dessert that combines the deliciousness of peanut butter and chocolate in one irresistible treat. There are many variations of this classic pie, but I use peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and freshly whipped cream for the filling in my recipe. The crust is made from crushed chocolate sandwich biscuits (aka Oreos!), and I top it off with more whipped cream, melted chocolate, peanut butter chips, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and peanuts…is your mouth watering yet?! It’s the perfect pie for the holidays, potlucks, or family gatherings!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this peanut butter cream pie:
Oreos: I have a confession to make. I didn’t actually use branded Oreos to make the pie crust. I used the more budget-friendly chocolate sandwich cookies from Great Value, Walmart’s store brand. They’re cheaper and just as tasty!
Salted Butter: Use salted butter to bind the pie crust and offset some of the sweetness.
Smooth Peanut Butter: You can’t have this pie without… well, peanut butter! I use smooth peanut butter to create a rich and creamy filling. I used a no-stir creamy peanut butter, but if yours has oil on top, make sure you stir it well before using.
Cream Cheese: I use a full 8 oz package of softened cream cheese. Make sure it’s at room temperature before using, or it won’t mix as easily with the other ingredients.
Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the pie filling while keeping it smooth and light. I also add some to my freshly whipped cream. Granulated sugar would also work, but the texture may be a bit grainy. Try processing granulated sugar in your blender if you don’t have any powdered sugar on hand.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Homemade whipped cream is a must for this pie! It adds a light and airy texture to the filling. Go for heavy whipping cream with at least 36% fat content for the best results.
Vanilla Extract: Adds a subtle vanilla flavor to the whipped cream.
Toppings: Chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, and peanuts are drizzled in melted chocolate chips to make the ultimate pie topping. You can also use regular-sized Reese’s cups (chopped into small pieces) or whatever leftover chocolate Halloween candy you have lying around!
Can I Use a Different Type of Cookie to make the Crust?
I use chocolate sandwich cookies to make the crust for this chocolate peanut butter pie, but you can absolutely use another crisp cookie, like graham crackers or vanilla wafers! Just keep in mind that the creamy white filling of the Oreo cookies helps hold the crust together and adds sweetness. I’d follow the crust recipe in our no-bake cheesecake and then fill it with my peanut butter pie filling if you want to use graham crackers.
Recipe Tips!
I use my fingers to press the crust into my pie dish, paying close attention to the corners and edges to make sure they’re evenly thick. You can also press the crust down evenly with a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup! Make sure your crust goes up the side of the dish (I used a 9” pie dish) to hold in all that delicious filling.
Check your ingredient temperatures! I recommend using room-temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps in your filling. Let it sit out for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is. It’s ready to use when it feels slightly soft if you press it. On the flip side, your whipping cream needs to be cold! This will help it whip up correctly to form medium/firm peaks and create a stable whipped cream topping for the pie.
Whip your cream to medium/firm peaks. I find this is the perfect consistency to help the pie hold its shape when cut. If you’ve never made whipped cream before, I highly recommend checking out our how to make whipped cream guide for more tips!
I melt my chocolate chips in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, then stir. Repeat this process until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat the chocolate or let it come in contact with any water whatsoever, or it’ll seize up and become grainy. Let it cool slightly if it’s really hot before decorating your pie. The goal is to warm it up just enough to be smooth when stirred and drizzle with ease.
Storage Instructions
This peanut butter pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered in plastic wrap, or stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze individual slices for up to 2 months in freezer-safe containers, but the texture may change slightly once thawed. If freezing, I’d decorate the pie with the chopped candy and melted chocolate after thawing because chocolate can bloom (turn white) in the freezer—which is fine to eat, but it doesn’t look as pretty!
Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Crust Recipe
25 Oreos* $1.504 Tbsp salted butter, diced $0.60
Filling Recipe
1 cup smooth peanut butter $0.978 oz cream cheese, room temperature $1.97¾ cup powdered sugar + 2 Tbsp $0.451 cup heavy whipping cream, cold $1.681 tsp vanilla extract $0.81
Toppings
2 Tbsp chocolate chips, melted $0.242 Tbsp peanuts $0.141 Tbsp peanut butter chips $0.156 mini Reese’s cups (from our Halloween candy stash!), chopped $0.88
Instructions
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
**If you need step-by-step photos for making whipped cream, check out our post, How to Make Whipped Cream.
Nutrition
how to make Peanut Butter Pie – step by step photos
Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, combine 25 Oreos and 4 Tbsp salted butter. Pulse to form a fine, crumbly crust.
Press Oreo butter mixture into a 9” pie pan and bake for 12 minutes. Allow the crust to completely cool before filling!
Wash and dry food processor (you want the filling to be nice and smooth, but if you don’t mind some Oreo crumbs, it’s ok to just wipe it out.) Add 1 cup smooth peanut butter, 8 oz cream cheese, and ¾ cup powdered sugar to processor and blend until completely smooth.
Transfer peanut butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and make your whipped cream by pouring 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 Tbsp powdered sugar in a separate mixing bowl. Whip on medium speed until peaks form. For this recipe, I like medium/firm peaks.**
Scoop half of the whipped cream into the mixing bowl with peanut butter filling and fold it together until consistent.
Scoop the peanut butter whipped cream filling into your completely cooled Oreo pie crust and smooth it out.
Spread the remaining half of the whipped cream on top of the peanut butter filling.
Decorate with 2 Tbsp melted chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp peanuts, 1 Tbsp peanut butter chips, and 6 chopped mini peanut butter cups. Cover and freeze for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
This easy peanut butter pie recipe is every bit as indulgent and delicious as it looks. Make it for the holidays, as a birthday treat, or just because!
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