Old Fashioned 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 no-bake 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. I’ve seen variations of this recipe in church cookbooks dating back to the 1970s. One recipe is even called “Jimmy Carter’s Peanut Butter Pie”. Another calls for serving it with a side of red grapes to invoke memories of PB&J. I love that idea!
Best of all, this pie is no bake! (I love a good no-bake dessert—No-Bake Raspberry Pie is another winner.)
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Kate’s Pie Making tips
- 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!
- 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. Check out the recipe card for instructions for using heavy cream instead.
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. Then, 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. Be sure to check out the recipe card for ideas for different crusts, toppings, etc.!
📖 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.
Notes
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- Replace the whipped topping with 1½ cups heavy cream, whipped until stiff peaks form (measure 1½ cups first, then whip)
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- Try chunky peanut butter instead of smooth
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- Use an Oreo crust, a pretzel crust, or a traditional pastry crust (this Crisco pie crust is so flaky and tender)
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- Drizzle with chocolate sauce when serving
Nutrition
More Peanut Butter Desserts
Love peanut butter? Me too. Here are a few more desserts that I love, all featuring PB!
- This 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge is an old fashioned favorite to bookmark for the holidays.
- Peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chips in a single cookie?! These PB Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies have ’em all!
- Corn Flake Candy is another 1970s classic. YUM.
- I absolutely adore Special K Bars. Chocolate + peanut butter are the perfect match.
do you have to use sugar?
Yes, you definitely need the sugar here.
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.