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

4.94 from 233 votes

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

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

Why do pies need to bake at high temperatures? ›

Tip: Why the initial high oven temperature? Pie crust gains its flaky texture from the fat in the dough melting and producing steam — which happens most quickly and effectively at a higher temperature. Reducing the oven temperature after about 15 minutes allows the pie to bake fully without danger of burning.

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.

Why do some pie recipes start with a baking temp of 450 and then lower it? ›

Some recipes call for baking the pie in a 450 degree F oven to begin with, then turning down the oven to about 350 degrees F. This helps set the shape of the crust in recipes with a lot of fat; it can keep your crust from slouching.

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).

Can you bake a pie at 350 instead of 400? ›

ABSOLUTELY! If you have more time cooking at lower temperatures can be great because you will get more even cooking. Avoiding the burnt edges on your cake and the under baked middle (which sinks as it cools) is an excellent idea.

Can I bake a pie at 250 degrees? ›

Pour the pie filling into the cooled crust, and bake uncovered in the bottom of a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 250 degrees, and bake for another 10 minutes. The pie is done when the center of the filling is firm and doesn't move when tilted slightly from side to side.

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 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.

What happens if you don't refrigerate peanut butter? ›

"The separated oil in unrefrigerated natural peanut butter is more likely to become rancid sooner, leading to unpleasant taste and texture." Natural peanut butter is also more at risk for mold growth; refrigeration can help prevent this.

Will parchment paper keep pie crust from burning? ›

Unfold the parchment paper and test out your shield on the pie plate to see if the crust will be sufficiently covered. You may need to trim the outside edges of the parchment paper, if there is a lot of excess that hangs off. Now you have an easy one-time-use parchment shield that will prevent your crust from burning!

What temperature should I bake my pie at? ›

No soggy bottom pie crust Not nessary to blind bake! Just bake a filled pie at 425° for the first 15 min to set the crust then reduce temperature to 350° for the rest of the time.

What to put on pie crust so it doesn't burn? ›

To do it, Walker simply folds a large square sheet of aluminum foil in half, cuts a circle (with a perimeter that's a little smaller than that of the pie plate), unfolds it and places it over the pie crust. Then, she gently crimps the sheet of foil around the edges.

Why is there Peter Pan peanut butter? ›

Peter Pan is an American brand of peanut butter that is marketed by Post Consumer Brands, part of Post Holdings. Named after the J. M. Barrie character, the product was introduced by Swift & Company (originally through their "Derby Foods" subsidiary) in 1920 under the name "E. K. Pond" and renamed in 1928.

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.

Does egg white prevent soggy pie crust? ›

Adding a layer of corn syrup or a slightly beaten egg white before pouring in the filling will form a seal between the pie dough and the filling and will help make the crust crisp and flaky.

Why is a high temperature required for baking? ›

Generally speaking, higher temperatures will give your bakes a more golden, crisper crust to the sponge or pastry and a low temperature will result in a fluffier, less golden sponge. With some cakes, you want a golden crust and with other cakes you want them to be gently cooked and fluffy.

Can you bake a pie at a lower temperature? ›

Pies bake best at lower temperatures—around 350°F.

Why are pastries baked at relatively high temperatures? ›

Here's what I mean: Putting something in a hot oven sets off a series of chemical reactions that turn gooey dough into a fluffy bread or sheets of puff pastry into golden, flaky pastries. A temperature around 350 degrees F is hot enough to complete a lot of these steps quickly.

What does baking at a higher temperature do? ›

Keep in mind that a cake baked at 300 degrees is lighter and fluffier than a cake baked at 400 degrees. At 300 degrees, the middle will be pale with a nicely browned crust. A cake baked at 400 degrees will have a darker outer crust and a drier surface.

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