If you’ve been on the hunt for a truly simple, creamy, easy-to-love dessert, this peanut butter pie recipe may be just what you need. Aside from its graham cracker crust, which requires a scant five minutes in the oven, the pie is entirely no-bake, and calls for only a handful of common kitchen staples. In fact, you could say the hardest part of this extremely easy recipe is deciding what brand of peanut butter to buy. Good thing we have an answer for that too.
The simplicity of the cookie crust is hard to beat. We love the honey-and-spice sweetness of graham crackers with our peanut butter pie, but any crumbly cookie will do here (Oreo lovers, we’re looking at you). A trusty stand mixer (or hand mixer) makes quick work of the pie filling, first to whip the cream, and then separately to beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla into a smooth, homogeneous consistency. Gently folding the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture ensures the pie isn’t too dense or heavy, for a rich but silky texture that will leave room for seconds.
The assembled pie should be chilled in the freezer for at least an hour, which makes it a great make-ahead candidate. To extend the freezer time beyond an hour, wrap it tightly in plastic so it doesn’t pick up off flavors or develop freezer burn. And there you have it: a peanut butter pie so easy it practically makes itself.
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes plus chilling
Yield
Makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter; press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 3
With a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the cream at high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer to a large clean bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and a clean bowl; add the cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat at high speed until the mixture is smooth and silky.
Step 5
Gently fold the cream cheese–peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream with a spatula until completely blended. Spoon into the cooled pie shell and smooth out the top. Place the pie in the freezer for 1 hour or until ready to serve (if you are going to leave it in the freezer awhile, wrap it in plastic wrap after 1 hour so it doesn't get freezer burn).
Step 6
Take the pie out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve!
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the ‘Mac n Cheese Cookbook’ and first appeared on Epicurious in September 2013.
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Reviews (25)
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Anonymous
9/7/2022
I made a version of this pie and it was great, can’t understand why some people thought it lacked flavour, we all thought it was very peanut-buttery. I substituted the said sugar with a third of a cup of coconut sugar, and used a gluten free pie base made with almond meal, an egg, coconut oil and coconut sugar.
Anne-Marie
Sydney Australia
9/6/2022
Excellent! I made a chocolate cookie crumb rather than graham cracker crusts but otherwise followed the recipe. My family loved it! Will make again!
Anonymous
8/28/2022
This is superb after a few modifications: I made a chocolate crust using 12 Tates Double Chocolate Cookies instead of graham crackers. Much better. If you find a gluten free chocolate cookie you like, that would work if gluten free is your thing. But the Tates cookies are outstanding. I then made a Chocolate Ganache using about 7 ounces of really good dark chocolate. Pour HALF the peanut butter recipe into pan, then half of the Chocolate Ganache. Pour the remainder of peanut butter recipe, place pie in freezer for a few minutes so it hardens enough to make spreading the 2nd half of Chocolate Ganache on top. To die for!
andrewrodney2571
Santa Fe, NM
2/15/2021
This pie is so easy to make and so wonderfully peanut-buttery! I didn't find it lacking in pb flavor at all and we'll definitely be making this again.
melissamick8030
Cleveland, Ohio
2/10/2019
Everyone, especially the kids, love this rich but simple summer desert.
pickyboys
Chicago, IL
4/23/2018
This is a great basis for a peanut butter (or any but butter) pie. If one didn’t want to venture from the recipe, give the creame cheese mixture a pinch or two of salt to amplify the flavor. Easy. I also like to add a little Tonka bean to the mix... and I like to line the bottom of the crust with a light layer of dulce de leche, sliced fresh bananas, and then another drizzle of dulce. Kick it up a notch and turn the crust into a chocolate cookie crust and/or sprinkle some toasted nuts on top. I like to replace the peanut butter with hazelnut butter- which is fairly easy to make in the food processor with toasted hazelnuts. The world is your oyster, folks.
LuneClementine
Texas
3/17/2018
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