If you’re looking for a quick and easy dessert to throw together, this is it! A buttery graham cracker crust pairs perfectly with the velvety peanut butter filling to make a classic no-bake silky peanut butter pie recipe that is rich and melt-in-your-mouth good.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS EASY PEANUT BUTTER PIE
I am the self-proclaimed queen of easy desserts, mostly because I am a sub-par baker, and my family loves sweets. But our silky peanut butter pie recipe is a breeze to make, even for me, and here’s why:
First, you’re using a handful of ingredients like peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip – nothing fancy. And all you have to do is combine them and fill a pie crust. After that, pop it in the fridge and let it chill. It’s THAT easy.
WHAT IS PEANUT BUTTER PIE MADE OF?
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese provides texture and flavor.
- Peanut Butter: Creamy or natural peanut butter creates a rich and luscious filling for the pie.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweeten the peanut butter dessert with powdered sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: Complement the other flavors in our silky peanut butter pie recipe with vanilla extract.
- Cool Whip: Thicken the filling with a custard-like texture by adding Cool Whip.
- Graham Cracker Crust: Fill a regular or chocolate graham cracker crust with the creamy peanut butter mixture to make our peanut butter silk pie.
- Toppings for No Bake Peanut Butter Pie: I top our pie with melted peanut butter, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, and salty peanuts for textural variation (honestly, my favorite part).
SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
- Pie Crust Variations: The pie crust is an excellent way to get creative and make the pie your own. I use store-bought graham cracker crust for this recipe. However, you can easily prepare a homemade graham cracker crust using the instruction in our smores pie recipe or shake things up and make an Oreo pie crust for a chocolatey addition to the dessert. You can also break up Nilla wafers, pretzels, or animal crackers instead of graham crackers for the crust.
- Toppings: Replace the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips, crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, or Reese’s Pieces. Use crushed walnuts, pecans, or almonds in place of the peanuts.
- Filling: Layer jam into the bottom of the pie crust for a peanut butter and jelly pie.
HOW TO MAKE SILKY PEANUT BUTTER PIE RECIPE
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer. Then, fold in Cool Whip.
Step 2: Set the ready-made graham cracker crust onto a solid plate and pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours.
Step 3: Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Drizzle melted peanut butter and chocolate syrup over the top and sprinkle the pie with chocolate chips and peanuts to serve.
EXPERT TIPS
- For a smoother consistency free of clumps, use softened cream cheese for the filling.
- Let the peanut butter pie chill for 2-4 hours before serving.
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WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVERS
- How long is peanut butter pie good for in the fridge? Store the leftover pie in an airtight container; it will keep for three days.
- Can I freeze peanut butter pie? Yes, and you can even make it ahead of time to freeze for later! To freeze, wrap the pie or pie slices in a few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil.
- Thaw – Remove the pie from the freezer 20-30 minutes before you’re ready to serve.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What’s the best peanut butter to use?
Since peanut butter is in the title, getting the right one is so important. Use creamy peanut butter like Skippy’s or JIF. Or you can use well-stirred natural peanut butter to create a smooth and consistent filling for the pie.
If you enjoy the texture of crunchy peanut butter, be sure to top the pie with chopped peanuts for a bit of crunch with each bite; it’s a perfect complement to the silky peanut butter pie, and you won’t miss it in the filling.
Can I make this dessert ahead of time?
Since the pie requires some time to chill before serving it, you can easily prepare the pie at least one day in advance.
How to make peanut butter pie WITHOUT Cool Whip?
Get the same results by replacing the Cool Whip with heavy cream. Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Whip the ingredients until peaks form, then fold in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.
Silky Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 container Cool Whip, 8-ounces
- 1 graham cracker crust, 8 to 9-inch
- 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter, melted, for garnish
- 1-2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, salted, crushed
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, for garnish
- Combine cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer. Then, fold in the Cool Whip.
- Set the ready-made graham cracker crust onto a solid plate and pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours.
- Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Drizzle melted peanut butter and chocolate syrup over the top and sprinkle the pie with chocolate chips and peanuts to serve.
- For a smoother consistency free of clumps, use softened cream cheese for the filling.
- Let the peanut butter pie chill for 2-4 hours before serving.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Jenna
Sunday 20th of August 2023
Pinning this to try later; it looks delicious.
Tressa Jamil
Sunday 20th of August 2023
I am a big fan of peanut butter and it is delicious. Be sure to come back and let us know what you think.