Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like a Reese’s peanut butter cup but with more unadulterated chocolate and peanut butter flavor.
Texture: The texture is my favorite part of a pudding pie, it’s what I crave. I just love that thick, creamy, luscious pudding paired with the buttery crunch of the graham cracker crust.
Ease: Surprisingly easy, just get ready to spend some time babysitting the pudding on the stove.
Appearance: Perfection.
Pros: Adding peanut butter to one of my all-time favorite pie recipes made me VERY happy.
Cons: The pie has to chill before being served which is pure torture.
Would I make this again? I’ve made variations of this recipe more times than I can count.
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This Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie is going to be the new pie in your go-to dessert rotation!
Chocolate pudding pie has been a favorite of mine since childhood. It was one of the first pies I learned to make when I became interested in baking. While I’ve made some variations, I almost always prefer the standard recipe.
Or, so I thought – until I created this peanut butter version!
I think the reason I adore this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie so much is because it maintains the texture of a classic pudding pie while adding a whole new level of deliciousness. I am such a texture person, so this means everything to me!
Of course, I also have an obsession with chocolate + peanut butter, so needless to say this pie all but vanished in our house.
If you’re anything like me, it won’t last long in your house either!
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
What Kind of Peanut Butter is Best for Pudding Pie?
- Use conventional creamy peanut butter for this recipe, such as Skippy or Jif.
- “Natural” peanut butter could 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.
Can’t Have Peanuts? Use Almond Butter Instead!
- We haven’t tested this to verify, but you should be able to replace the peanut butter with the same amount of almond butter.
- Decorate the edges of the pudding pie with chopped unsalted almonds.
- This 1:1 swap works perfectly in my Peanut Butter Pie recipe, and my Peanut Butter Cookies recipe. Let me know in the comments below if you give it a try!
Can I Make This Pie Dairy-Free?
Yes! I have successfully made this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie recipe dairy-free by substituting cow’s milk with unsweetened almond milk. The resulting texture isn’t quite as rich or smooth, and the pie started to weep and become soggy more quickly. If using almond milk, serve within 2 days.
Do I Have to Use Graham Crackers? Pudding Pie Recipe CRUST Variations
I love this pie with a graham cracker crust, but feel free to change it up and use:
- Chocolate Teddy Grahams or chocolate graham crackers (follow the crust ingredients & instructions in this recipe)
- Oreo crust (follow the crust ingredients & instructions in this recipe)
- Biscoff cookies (follow the crust ingredients & instructions in this recipe)
- Or use a single batch of my Best Ever Pie Crust
How to Serve Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
I love to serve this pie with some chopped unsalted roasted peanuts around the edge of the pie, to add a nice crunch. Feel free to add homemade whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or whatever else your heart desires!
How to Store Pudding Pie
Once cooled and set, store the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie covered in the fridge for up to three days. We have not tried freezing this pie.
More Pie Recipes:
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
Ingredients
For the crust::
- 15 whole graham crackers (230 grams)
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 7 tablespoons (99 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the chocolate peanut butter pudding::
- 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) sugar
- 1/3 cup (26 grams) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk (1%, 2% or whole)
- 3 ounces (85 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup (135 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For topping::
- Chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and sugar until finely ground. You should have about 1 3/4 cups. 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 or springform pan. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the pudding:
- Place the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water, and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Add in the peanut butter and chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the vanilla and reserved gelatin mixture. Pour the pudding into the pie crust. Garnish with the peanuts. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, until well chilled and set. Slice and serve! Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2014 and updated with new photos and recipe tips. Photos by Jess Larson.
i am obsessed with this pie and recipe is clear! only change i make is i use 10 graham crackers instead for the crust, but i’m not a huge crust person. thank you for great pie 🙂
So happy you love this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let us know!
This is a FABULOUS pie!!! Love it!!! I made it for Christmas and it was a hit.
I used 2% milk, regular Hershey 100% cocoa, Ghirardelli semi-sweet mini chips and Smuckers peanut butter and it was the best tasting pie without too much sugar. Thank you Tessa for this go to dessert now!!!
So happy you loved this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Do you think subbing the cornstarch for arrowroot or tapioca powder could work? Thanks!
We haven’t tried those, so I can’t say for sure! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Reeses are more milk chocolate not a big dark chocolate fan. How would you suggest tapping down the dark chocolate flavor
Hi Stella! This pie really tastes like one giant Reeses! If you’re looking for more of a milk chocolate flavor and not darker, you could try using a Natural Cocoa Powder and not Dutch-Process. You can find more details in this article here if you’re interested: Natural Cocoa vs. Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. I hope that helps, please let us know if you give this recipe a try 🙂
Should I use regular creamy peanut butter or the unsweetened peanut butter?
Hi Soujanya! Either should be fine, just make sure there’s not an excess of oil in the peanut butter that you add to the recipe. We used a “natural” peanut butter but one that didn’t require stirring.
Hello, this looks amazing! Do you definitely need the liquid gelatin?
Thank you, Livvy
The gelatin is essential to thickening up the chocolate peanut butter pudding filling 🙂
Hi Tessa,
Your pie looks so delicious. I wanted to know if it is possible to make the Pie without gelatin? Is gelatin necessary?
The gelatin is essential to thickening up the chocolate peanut butter pudding filling. I haven’t tried substituting it with anything else. If you do, please let me know how it goes! 🙂
Becky Rudella — January 24, 2020 at 10:30 am
Hi, Tessa–
I noticed that you usually indicate the type of cocoa powder used in your recipes — natural unsweetened or Dutch process — but it is not specified in your Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie recipe. What is your preferred type of cocoa powder for this recipe? I’m thinking that either might work (depending on personal taste preference) due to the fact that leavening is not a concern in this recipe.
Thanks for everything you do!
–Becky
Tessa, I think you would probably answer my question something like this:
Natural Unsweetened and Dutch Process cocoa powders can be used interchangeably IF no baking powder or soda are called for in the recipe . . . with the understanding that Dutch Process cocoa will create a darker product with a more complex flavor; natural unsweetened cocoa powder is less acidic, has more chocolate flavor, and will create a lighter colored product with a fruitier flavor than Dutch process cocoa.
Therefore, because your Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie recipe does not require a leavening agent, the type of cocoa powder used is personal preference.
I’ve made notes from various recipes you have discussed, which is what led me to find the answer. However, if you happen to prefer a specific type of cocoa for this recipe, I would love to know.
Thanks again for sharing your baking wisdom!
–Becky