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.

Peanut Butter Pie Recipe - Handle the Heat (2)

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

4.90 from 239 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? ›

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.

What is peanut butter pie made of? ›

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners' sugar together until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping, then spoon the mixture into graham cracker crust. Spread remaining whipped topping over the peanut butter mixture and garnish with peanut butter cups.

How hot to bake pie? ›

Preheat the oven to the temperature that your recipe recommends. Most fruit pies bake at a temperature between 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). 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.

How many calories are in peanut butter pie? ›

Common serving sizes
Serving SizeCalories
1 oz82
100 g291
1 piece (1/8 9" dia)419
Aug 21, 2007

Can you refrigerate a pie and bake it later? ›

The pie will need to be thatwed for 24 hours in the fridge before you bake it. if you are baking the pie direct from the fridge then you may find that it needs an extra 5 to 10 minutes baking time to make sure that it is completely cooked through. The recipe gives a timing for a cooled, but not chilled, filling.

Is pie still good if 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.

Does egg white prevent soggy pie crust? ›

Brush the Bottom with Corn Syrup or Egg White

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.

What makes Peter Pan peanut butter different? ›

For the best-tasting PB&Js, Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter is the only choice with plenty of peanut flavor you love, and a smooth, spreadable texture. This gluten-free peanut butter has no high-fructose corn syrup and four simple ingredients.

What is the best butter substitute for pie? ›

WHAT ARE BUTTER ALTERNATIVES FOR BAKING?
  • MARGARINE. Margarine is a fat that is made mostly from vegetable oil that's flavored to taste like butter. ...
  • SHORTENING. Shortening is 100% fat, made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. ...
  • OLIVE OIL & VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  • COCONUT OIL. ...
  • PUMPKIN PURÉE. ...
  • APPLESAUCE. ...
  • GREEK YOGURT. ...
  • BANANAS.

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.

What is the best oven setting for pies? ›

Pizza mode. This is a good setting when browning on the base is required for foods like pizzas, meat pies, fruit pies, focaccia and bread. It uses high heat and a combination of 'base heat' and fan or fan-forced where heat comes from the elements surrounding the fan as well as the bottom element.

What is the best oven position for pie? ›

A pie's place in the oven is on the bottom rack. The worst mistake you can make with your pie is under-baking the bottom crust—it makes for a soggy, doughy mess. Baking your pie on the bottom rack will ensure that bottom crust gets nice and golden brown. Speaking of which: bake your pie in a glass pie dish.

What is the least fattening pie? ›

So what's a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you want to consume fewer calories, go for the pumpkin—it almost always has fewer because of the single crust. You could also take a sliver of both pies.

Does peanut butter have more calories than cream cheese? ›

Peanut butter may be higher in calories than cream cheese (95 calories per tablespoon versus 50), but it delivers what cream cheese doesn't: heart-healthy fats, fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium and phytochemicals. Peanut butter is also a much better source of protein than cream cheese.

How many servings are in a Costco peanut butter pie? ›

"Peanut butter pie is my all-time favorite, and this Costco pie is four and a half pounds. It is huge." Officially, the pie weighs in at 72 ounces, or 4.5 pounds, which adds up to about 16 servings.

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 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 I keep a store bought pie in the fridge? ›

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.

Does peanut butter go bad in the refrigerator? ›

An open jar of commercially processed peanut butter lasts up to 3 months in the pantry and up to 9 months in the refrigerator. Natural peanut butter has a shorter shelf life and lasts up to 6 months in the refrigerator once opened.

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