Peanut Butter Pie Recipe - Handle the Heat (2024)

Tessa’s Recipe Rundown

Taste: Like a massive peanut butter cup from heaven.
Texture: The crust is crunchy yet buttery, the peanut butter filling is ultra-light, fluffy, and luscious, and the candy on top takes it to a whole other level. Every bite is bliss.
Ease: Super duper easy!! You’ll get a few dishes dirty and need some patience for the pie to set, but this is a great easy go-to dessert recipe.
Appearance: It’s everything you could ever want in a pie!
Pros: Easy, crowd-pleasing, and can be made ahead of time.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? 100% yes!

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Life doesn’t get much better than a Peanut Butter Pie.

To me, peanut butter is one of the great pleasures of life.

I’m OBSESSED with the stuff. Especially when it’s combined with chocolate… in PIE form.

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This isn’t any old peanut butter pie. I mean, just look at it. It’s over the top, messy, and unapologetically sinful in the best possible way.

I’ve accompanied this recipe with a step-by-step video to not only show you how to make this beautiful pie, but to whet your appetite for it.

Because the chocolate + peanut butter flavors truly belong together.

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This easy peanut butter pie recipe is that it is a total crowd-pleaser and won’t last long at all. That coupled with the fact that it can be made completely ahead of time makes it a perfect go-to recipe for easy entertaining. Everyone will want seconds of this pie. It’s that good!

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How to Make Easy Peanut Butter Pie

How to Make Peanut Butter Pie WITHOUT Cool Whip

My favorite part about this pie recipe is that it’s homemade! We make the filling with a mixture of peanut butter (of course!), cream cheese, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Whipping the cream, then folding it in with the other beaten ingredients, gives this pie a light, creamy, yet rich texture without any Cool Whip (or any other highly-process whipped topping).

Peanut Butter Pie CRUST Variations!

This recipe calls for a chocolate graham cracker cookie crust, but you could also use:

  • Chocolate Teddy Grahams or chocolate wafer cookies (use the same amount by weight for best results, you should have about 1 3/4 cups crumbs total)
  • Oreo crust (follow the crust ingredients & instructions in this recipe)
  • Regular graham crackers (follow the crust instructions in this recipe)
  • Best Ever Pie Crust

What Kind of Peanut Butter is Best for Pie?

  • Use conventional creamy peanut butter for this recipe, such as Skippy or Jif.
  • Any kind of “natural” peanut butter that doesn’t include an added oil to stabilize the mixture will result in a pie filling that will become oily and separated.
  • If you must use natural peanut butter, make sure it’s extremely well stirred and smooth before using.

How Much Melted Chocolate + Peanut Butter for Topping?

This is entirely up to you and your taste preferences! Simply melt the peanut butter and chocolate in your microwave and drizzle as much as you’d like over your pie.

How Many Peanut Butter Cups Do I Need?

Use as many or as few as you like – and feel free to customize! If you’d like to add some Reese’s Pieces in there, go right ahead – be as creative and fun as you wish!

Can’t Have Peanuts? Use Almond Butter Instead!

  1. Use the same amount of almond butter as peanut butter in the recipe.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond butter filling (still adding the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the heavy cream mixture as well).
  3. For the toppings, skip the Reese’s cups and peanut butter chips and instead garnish with almond butter cups and melted chocolate, or any other toppings of your choice!

How to Serve Peanut Butter Pie

You can actually serve the finished pie frozen or refrigerated, depending on which texture you prefer – or how hot it is outside!

How Long is Peanut Butter Pie Good For?

Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to Freeze Peanut Butter Pie:

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Serve frozen, or thaw overnight in the fridge before serving, if preferred.

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More Easy Pie Recipes:

  • French Silk Pie
  • Butterscotch Pie
  • Blueberry Pie
  • Chocolate Pudding Pie

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How to Make

Peanut Butter Pie

By: Tessa Arias

4.91 from 249 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 4 hours hrs

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 32 minutes mins

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This homemade Peanut Butter Pie is made from scratch with just a few ingredients and will have everyone coming back for seconds! It’s CRAZY good! With step-by-step video.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 14 whole chocolate graham crackers (196 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 7 tablespoons (99 grams) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

  • 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (94 grams) powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 cup (270 grams) creamy conventional peanut butter
  • 1 cup (240 grams) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

  • Melted peanut butter
  • Melted chocolate
  • Mini Reese’s cups
  • Peanut butter chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F.

For the crust:

  • In the bowl of a food processor, process the crackers and sugar until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Use the bottom of a measuring cup, glass, or ramekin to press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the filling:

  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and the peanut butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

  • In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream until thick and light. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

  • Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Pour into the prepared pie shell and freeze for 3 hours or chill in the fridge at least 6 hours.

  • Place your melted peanut butter and melted chocolate in separate resealable bags or piping bags. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag's tip. Squeeze slightly to drizzle the melted peanut butter and melted chocolate over your pie. Top with mini Reese's cups and peanut butter chips. Serve frozen or refrigerated.

  • Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Show us!If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe Notes

Can’t Have Peanuts? Use Almond Butter Instead!

Use the same amount of almond butter as peanut butter in the recipe. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond butter filling (still adding the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the heavy cream mixture as well). For the toppings, skip the Reese’s cups and peanut butter chips and instead garnish with almond butter cups and melted chocolate, or any other toppings of your choice!

This recipe was originally published in 2015 and was recently updated with new tips & photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

April Baking Challenge

This recipe was the April 2022 selection for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out some of the delicious pies baked by you guys!

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Peanut Butter Pie Recipe - Handle the Heat (2024)

FAQs

How long is peanut butter pie good for in the fridge after? ›

Peanut butter pie should always be stored in the refrigerator and it shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than two hours at a time. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last three to four days.

What is peanut butter pie made of? ›

We make the filling with a mixture of peanut butter (of course!), cream cheese, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Whipping the cream, then folding it in with the other beaten ingredients, gives this pie a light, creamy, yet rich texture without any Cool Whip (or any other highly-process whipped topping).

Why put butter on pie? ›

The theory is that the fat disrupts the formation of bubbles on the surface of the viscous fruit mixture. Others claim that the butter simply enriches the flavor and texture of the pie filling.

Is it safe to eat pie left out overnight? ›

If a pie contains eggs or dairy products, it should be stored in the refrigerator and not left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Pies that do not contain dairy products, such as fruit pies can be stored, loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days.

How long does peanut butter last without refrigeration? ›

According to The National Peanut Board, an unopened jar of peanut butter can last six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened, they say that it can last two to three months in the pantry before you should move it to the fridge, where it can maintain quality for another three to four months.

What is Angel Delight made from? ›

Sugar, Skimmed MILK Powder, Modified Starch, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil, Gelling Agents (Diphosphates, Sodium Phosphates), Emulsifiers (Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Lecithins), Lactose (MILK), MILK Proteins, Calcium Carbonate, Whey Powder (MILK), Anti-caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide), Colours (Beetroot Red, ...

Why is it called Jimmy Carter cake? ›

Though it is much unknown how this dessert became known as Jimmy Carter Cake, it can only be surmised that the 39th President of the United States—a former peanut farmer from Georgia—is attached to this one because of the generous addition of peanuts and peanut butter.

What is a summer delight? ›

"summer delight" is a correct and usable phrase in written English. It is often used to describe something that brings joy or pleasure during the summer season. Example: The taste of juicy watermelon on a hot summer day is a true summer delight.

What is crack pie made of? ›

Since it was invented it has become one of the most popular desserts in the world probably. Crack Pie is made of an oatmeal cookie crust filled with rich buttery pudding made mostly out of sugar, butter, cream and egg yolks. After baking it receives a golden top that is especially attractive and tempting.

What is possum pie made of? ›

The dessert typically features a nut-crumb crust, a cream cheese layer, a chocolate layer, a vanilla layer and whipped cream or Cool Whip layer. It can be made in a baking dish or a pie plate.

What is Robin pie? ›

...a recipe from Wehman's Cook Book, published in 1890: "Cover the bottom of a pie-dish with thin slices of beef and fat bacon, over which lay ten or twelve robins, previously rolled in flour, stuffed as above, season with a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, one of chopped parsley, and one of chopped ...

What makes a better pie crust, crisco or butter? ›

Butter pie crust has the most flavor out of the three fats. This pie crust bakes up nice and golden brown, with plenty of flaky layers.

Which butter is best for pies? ›

Cold unsalted butter – Supplies the pie crust's unbeatable flavor and flaky texture. Use unsalted butter. The amount of salt in different brands' salted butter varies, so for better control over the flavor, it's best to begin with unsalted and add your salt.

Should pie dough have chunks of butter? ›

You should have mostly pea-sized pieces of butter with some pieces slightly bigger, some slightly smaller. Over-processing at this point won't ruin your dough but it will take you toward a crumbly, sandier dough. Leaving irregular pieces of butter in the mix will help create flaky layers during baking.

Is pie still good after 5 days? ›

Fruit pies are best stored at room temperature and eaten within 2 days of purchase. However, they can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Custard pies (ex. Sweet Potato Coconut, Cardamom Tahini Squash, or Apple Butter Custard) are best eaten within 2 days of purchase if stored at room temperature.

How long can you keep leftover pie in the fridge? ›

Wrap any leftovers and consume within a few days.

Fruit, pumpkin, pecan, custard and chiffon pies can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, according to the chart and FDA guidelines. But many pies ― especially fruit ― are best eaten within just a couple of days.

Can I eat 5 day old pie? ›

Apple and other fruit pies keep at room temperature for up to two days, then in the fridge for two more. Pumpkin, custard, or other egg/dairy-based pies can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Pie dough can keep for two to three days in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer.

Is pumpkin pie good after 5 days in fridge? ›

The USDA says that pumpkin pie will last safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Some store-bought pumpkin pies may have preservatives that could affect this, but in general, pumpkin pies that are homemade or baked fresh at the bakery or store will follow this general rule.

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