Peanut butter cream pie is everything you need in your life right now.
What’s better than silky-smooth peanut butter with airy whipped cream? And don’t forget that buttery graham cracker crust!
I’m telling you, you definitely want to bring this pie to your next potluck or holiday gathering.
And the best part? You don’t need to turn on the oven to make this luscious peanut butter cream pie.
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Peanut butter cream pie isn’t a new recipe. It’s a classic that stands the test of time.
Commercial peanut butter debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World Faire. And the invention of the peanut butter cream pie wasn’t far behind.
It’s one of those simple recipes that uses accessible pantry staples whipped into creamy goodness.
While peanut butter is notoriously dense, this pie recipe is light and creamy. Seriously, it melts in your mouth.
And since it comes together in a flash, you don’t have to save it for special occasions.
Ingredients
A few simple ingredients are all you need for a decadent and creamy pie filling.
In fact, you likely have everything you need at home to whip up this tasty pie right now!
- Cream Cheese- Adding cream cheese is the perfect backdrop for nutty peanut butter. It’s deliciously tangy and helps build a creamy texture in this pie filling.
- Powdered Sugar- For fluffy pies, powdered sugar is a must. Powered sugar delivers the perfect sweetness kick without weighing things down.
- Peanut Butter- Behold: the star of the show! You don’t need a boatload of peanut butter for bold PB flavors. A small jar of your favorite creamy peanut butter is more than enough.
- Whole Milk- You don’t need heavy whipping cream to create a mousse-like texture. Whole milk works fine. And if you want to use plant-based milk, you swap out whole milk for coconut milk.
- Frozen Whipped Topping- Thawed whipped topping gives this pie its light-as-air texture. The brand of frozen whipped topping doesn’t matter as long as it’s thawed first.
- Graham Cracker Crust- Using a pre-made graham cracker crust makes your life much easier. You could make your own with crushed graham crackers and melted butter, but it’s unnecessary. The crust is a mere vehicle for tons of pie filling!
- Chopped peanuts. If you like an extra crunch, chopped salted peanuts are the ultimate topping. But if you want to keep things creamy, skip this step.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Pay close attention because these directions go fast! You won’t believe how quickly this pie comes together. It almost feels like cheating.
1. Beat the cream cheese. Add room-temperature cream cheese to a large bowl. Then, beat it with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.
2. Add sweetness. Once the cream cheese is fluffy, add peanut butter and powdered sugar. Continue to beat until it’s nice and smooth.
3. Combine with dairy products. Gradually add the milk, and continue to whip until incorporated. Then, fold in the whipped topping.
4. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Pour pie filling into the prepared crust and garnish with chopped nuts.
5. Chill. Cover, and place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours, or overnight.
Tips and Variations
Here are a few quick tips to ensure that your pie is potluck-ready. I’ve also included a few variations that will take your pie over the top.
- Don’t use all-natural peanut butter. If your peanut butter has oil that collects on the top, it’s not a suitable candidate. Peanut butter that requires stirring before use doesn’t blend as well in this pie recipe.
- Always use room-temperature cream cheese. The trick to fluffy pie filling is using room-temperature ingredients. Don’t skip this step! Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces to expedite the thawing process.
- But use cold milk. Everything else must be room temperature, but milk must be super cold. Cold milk fluffs up easily. It helps the pie achieve a mousse-like status.
- Add more than peanuts. The great thing about this simple recipe is it’s ripe for any topping. Get creative and add ingredients like fudge, chocolate syrup, peanut butter cups, or chocolate chips. There are no wrong answers.
- Use a chocolate crust. Using a pre-made chocolate crust will transform this peanut butter cream pie into a giant peanut butter cup!
How to Store & Freeze
When making peanut butter cream pie, there are rarely leftovers. It goes fast!
But if there are leftovers, or you have an extra pie, this pie stores well in the fridge and freezer.
To Store. Wrap the whole pie or place leftovers in an airtight container. Then, keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Freeze. Yes, you can freeze this pie! Double-wrap it in plastic and foil, then freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
More No-Bake Desserts to Love
No-Bake Cookies
30 Easy No-Bake Cheesecakes
No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites
Haystack Cookies
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Cream Pie (No-Bake Recipe)
8
servings10
minutes4
hours515
kcalThis silky no-bake peanut butter cream pie is easy to make but hard to resist! Its tasty combo of peanut butter, cream cheese, and whipped cream can’t be beat.
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 tablespoons whole milk
1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add softened cream cheese. Whip until fluffy.
- Gradually, add powdered sugar and peanut butter, and whip until combined.
- Add whole milk, and beat until fully incorporated. Then, slowly add whipped topping. The pie filling should resemble a light mousse.
- Pour pie filling into a prepared graham cracker crust, and garnish it with chopped peanuts.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Always use room-temperature cream cheese to prevent lumps.
- Your whole milk should be cold so it whips easily into the pie filling.
- Chill your pie for at least 4 hours in the fridge. For best results, chill overnight.
Can you freeze the pie?
Yes, you can freeze this pie! Double-wrap it in plastic and foil, then freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
Disappointed with the inaccuracy of the kcal estimate of this recipe! It’s way off from the 4-serving 300 kcal estimate on the recipe. The recipe calls for whole milk, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and cool whip. I used diet versions of all these ingredients and it still came out to 368 kcal. That’s for no sugar cool whip, 30 cal almond milk, monk fruit confectionery sugar (Swerve), and reduced fat cream cheese.
Hi Judy!
So sorry about that.
It was actually an issue with the recipe card itself, and all of the numbers (servings, prep time, etc.) were somehow result to default.
I’ve fixed the issue and added the true numbers.
I went back through the recipe and used the calories provided for the brands we used. Please keep in mind that will vary by brand and the type of product used, such as different brands of peanut butter.
Hope this helps 🙂