Peanut Butter Pie
This old fashioned Peanut Butter Pie is perfect for peanut butter lovers! It’s no-bake, easy to make, and SO creamy and delicious!
I’m not sure how to adequately sing the praises of this Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie—it’s that good!
It’s delightfully creamy, cold from the fridge, and just plain luscious, with plenty of peanut butter flavor.
It fills the crust and then some, slices beautifully, and towers high on a dessert plate. So not only does it look really good, it tastes really good!
And, it’s no bake! Just like my No-Bake Raspberry Pie. (I love a good no-bake dessert.)
My husband refused to let the leftovers leave the house, but relented when our neighbors wanted a slice. The verdict was that this pie is perfect for peanut butter lovers—cool and creamy, with both peanut butter and chopped peanuts on top.
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Origin of creamy peanut butter pie
I’ve seen variations of this Creamy Peanut Butter Pie recipe in recipe books dating back to the 1970s.
One recipe is even called “Jimmy Carter’s Peanut Butter Pie”. And another calls for serving it with a side of red grapes (!) to invoke memories of PB&J. I love that idea!
Top tips for old fashioned peanut butter pie
- There’s no need to pre-bake many store-bought crusts now, so this pie is truly no-bake!
- Make sure that your cream cheese is softened (about 2 hours at room temperature). This is key to getting a really smooth and creamy pie!
- The whipped topping should be defrosted before adding it to the peanut butter mixture.
- Leave at least four hours for the pie to firm up in the refrigerator. This will give you nice, clean slices when you cut into it.
Ingredients
- A graham cracker crust is the base of the pie. A chocolate cookie crust (such as an Oreo crust) is delicious, too! You can find a recipe for an Oreo crust in my Mississippi Mud Pie recipe (store-bought also works).
- Full-fat cream cheese is the best choice for this recipe. It makes the pie extra rich and luscious!
- Since regular sugar can leave a grainy texture if it isn’t baked, we’ll use powdered sugar to sweeten the pie.
- Use smooth peanut butter if you want a totally smooth pie. Crunchy peanut works well, too, and adds some texture. It should be a regular peanut butter (not a runny kind). Skippy or JIF are great.
- Any type of milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole) works well here.
- Whipped topping (such as Cool Whip) keeps this pie light and silky.
- Chopped peanuts on top add some texture to this super creamy peanut butter pie!
How to make old fashioned peanut butter pie
Start by defrosting the Cool Whip (here’s a how-to on defrosting Cool Whip if you need to do it in a hurry!).
You’ll also need to soften the cream cheese, since cold cream cheese will create a lumpy pie. Here’s a tutorial on how to soften cream cheese if you’re short on time.
Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with the peanut butter. Beat on medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and milk, and beat until smooth.
Fold in the softened whipped topping.
Transfer the mixture to the graham cracker crust. It may seem like a lot of filling, but that’s a good thing—it makes for really impressive looking slices!
Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours, or overnight.
Cut into slices, and serve with crushed peanuts on top.
Can I make peanut butter pie ahead of time?
This old fashioned Peanut Butter Pie is perfect for making ahead! It needs at least four hours to chill in the refrigerator before serving.
You can make it up to 24 hours in advance of serving. Keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to slice it.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but the pie isn’t very stable. Cool Whip has additional stabilizers in it that prevent it from deflating (which whipped cream is prone to do quickly).
Store any leftover peanut butter pie in the refrigerator. It’ll keep for several days in a tightly covered container.
Creamy Peanut Butter Pie is delicious when frozen! Freeze for several hours, then let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing.
Yes, it is quite good with a chocolate cookie crust! You could even put some mini chocolate chips or chocolate curls on top for garnish to continue the peanut butter/chocolate theme.
What’s the best peanut butter for peanut butter pie?
You can use cream or chunky peanut butter for this recipe. Creamy peanut butter will produce a totally smooth pie, while chunky will of course have little chunks of peanuts in it. Both ways are delicious—it just depends on what you’re going for!
You should NOT use a drippy peanut butter for this recipe. You can natural peanut butter, as long as it’s not drippy. I used Skippy Natural Creamy peanut butter. JIF is another common brand that would work well.
More no-bake dessert recipes
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (not the drippy kind)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping, defrosted
- 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
- For garnish: chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat on high with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar and milk, and beat until combined.
- Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into the graham cracker crust. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Top with chopped peanuts and serve.
I don’t buy whipped topping. I only buy heavy whipping cream. How much liquid heavy whipping cream would I need to whip up in order to equal 8 oz of whipped topping? AND would that work? Thanks!
Hi Monika, unfortunately I haven’t tried it with heavy whipping cream to know if it’ll work. My guess is that it would, but it would be a little less stable (and not keep for as long). 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream, then whipped, would equal 8 oz of whipped topping.