This lusciously creamy peanut butter pie is such a treat for peanut butter lovers out there like me. It’s so simple to whip up and I love a good Oreo cookie base for a chocolate graham cracker crust and a chocolate peanut butter vibe. Simple ingredients come together for a no bake treat that is totally irresistible!
Why you are going to love this easy no bake peanut butter pie recipe
- Made with minimal ingredients (5 main ingredients)
- Perfect for any occasion
- Wonderfully sweet, and the texture is light airy
- Unbelievably creamy and mousse like
- Packed with Peanut butter flavor
- Easy and great to make ahead
- No bake time – no oven required!
Easy Peanut Butter Pie Recipe Ingredients
- OREO COOKIES: You will need approximately 25 oreo cookie sandwiches for an oreo cookie crust. If you prefer a graham cracker crust no problem – simply combine 2 cups crushed cookie crumbs, 6 tablespoons butter, and a Pinch of salt together then press into pie plate as stated in recipe.
- BUTTER: This is to bind the cookie crumb base. I use unsalted butter.
- CREAM CHEESE: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to help ensure no clumping in your cheesecake. For this recipe, I recommend using the block style cream cheese and make sure to use full fat cream cheese for the best results and flavor. The cream cheese spreads in tubs will not work as well in this pie.
- PEANUT BUTTER: This recipe ONLY works with conventional peanut butter not runny natural peanut butter. I prefer to use creamy as opposed to crunchy peanut butter for a smooth peanut butter pie finish but if you like a bit of crunch feel free to use crunchy PB
- VANILLA EXTRACT: For a balanced flavour
- HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM: The key to making your peanut butter pie filling light and fluffy is beating until you achieve stiff peaks. It MUST be full fat or at least 30-35% for the peanut butter pie to set! I like to whip up my own as the store-bought prepared cool whip/whipped topping is already sweetened and that could make you cheesecake too sweet. It should be cold while whipping to achieve best texture. Please see recipe notes below for COOL WHIP VERSION
- POWDERED SUGAR/CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR: Ok I get it it seems like there is a lot of powdered sugar in this recipe but hear me out. I have tried so many no bake PB pie recipes that do not set – the key is the amount of powdered sugar in the recipe. Powdered sugar actually acts as a stabilizer – so not only does it sweeten the pie but it helps set the pie. How? Powdered sugar has cornstarch in it (approx 3%) which helps absorb moisture thus stabilizing the pie and allowing it to set up really well. SO for this recipe the powdered sugar is NOT REPLACEABLE unless you are using cool whip.
How to Make This No Bake Peanut Butter Pie (full instructions in recipe below)
- PREPARE CURST: Combine cookie crumbs with salt, and melted butter. Press evenly into pan and chill while you make the filling. (if using graham crackers or whole cookies use a food processor to grind them into fine crumbs or place them in a bag and roll with rolling pin)
- PREPARE FILLING: Start by beating the whipped cream until stiff peaks. In a seperate bowl beat the cream cheese with the sugars until smooth, then add vanilla, salt and peanut butter continue to beat until nice and smooth. Fold in whipped cream gently.
- ASSEMBLE PIE: Pour filling into prepared crust. Wrap tight with plastic wrap or foil.
- CHILL PIE: Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours.
Tips for Making the Perfect No bake Peanut Butter Pie:
- Can I bake the crust? YES you definitely can bake the crust. Although this is a no bake recipe for a more crisp cookie crust it’s’ always recommended to bake the crust for 8-10 min at 350°F then allow to cool completely. This of course is not necessary but it will give you a more crisp crust and will help it stay together more firmly.
- For the smoothest filling (no lumps), let the cream cheese come to room temperature for 60-90 minutes before mixing. But if you’re strapped for time, remove any packaging (especially foil!) and place the block of cream cheese on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high at 10 second intervals checking in between to test it by poking the center of the cream cheese block to test the texture. It should be soft but not melted or hot
- Gently fold in the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture – over mixing will deflate the air in the whipped cream.
- This pie doesn’t need anything extra, but a garnish of whipped cream, and maybe some chopped peanut butter cups or shaved chocolate. It’s totally irresistible with or without the garnishes.
- To make sure this peanut butter pie has enough time to set up for clean slices, I typically make it the day before I plan to serve it which makes this the perfect make ahead dessert.
- For clean slices, run a sharp knife under hot water and dry between each slice.
How Long Does No-bake Peanut Butter Pie Last?
STORAGE: This peanut butter pie is the perfect dessert to make ahead of time because it stores so well. You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you are planing on keeping it that long I recommned you store toppings seperatly.
Can You Freeze No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie?
- YES! Once your pie has properly set up in the fridge, you can definitely freeze to enjoy at a later time. Wrap Pie in a sheet of plastic wrap and a layer of tinfoil to prevent freezer burn. You can freeze this PB pie for up to 3 months. I dont recommned freezing with the toppings. Dress pie with toppings just before serving.
- To thaw, place in fridge until defrosted.
- PRO TIP – Do NOT place the pie in the freezer to help quicken the chilling/setting time of the pie. You’ll lose the fluffy and creamy consistency of the cheesecake. Instead, give the cheesecake at least 8 hours of chill time in the fridge (preferably overnight) to set up before wrapping and freezing if you wanted to freeze it
- IF you are using COOL WHIP – you can freeze pie immediately and help the pie set faster because cool whip has stabilizers in it that will allow the pie to set in the freezer without altering the texture
