Peanut Butter Pie Recipe - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Chocolate | Dessert | Pie | Videos

Peanut Butter Pie

By Tessa Arias
  |  
March 24th, 2020
4.93 from 214 votes
4.93 from 214 votes

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.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

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 a girl could want in a pie!
Pros: Easy, crowd-pleasing, and can be made ahead of time.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? 100% yes.

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. Life doesn’t get much better than a Peanut Butter Pie.

Up close overhead look of peanut butter pie in pie dish

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.

Simple homemade peanut butter pie in glass pie pan with slices already cut out

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!

How to Make Easy Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Pie Filling:

  • Cream cheese – make sure to use a regular full-fat cream cheese brick!
  • Powdered sugar
  • Peanut butter
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Vanilla extract

Chocolate graham cracker crust in pie dish with peanut butter filling being spread across

Peanut Butter Pie CRUST Variations!

This recipe calls for a chocolate graham cracker cookie crust, but you could also use:

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).

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!

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!

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.

Slice of pie with a fork on a plate

More Easy Pie Recipes:

4.93 from 214 votes

How to make
Peanut Butter Pie

Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chilling Time 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 32 minutes
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

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

For the crust:

  1. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Recipe Video

Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Keyword : peanut butter cups, peanut butter pie, peanut butter pie recipe

This recipe was originally published 3/18/15 and has been 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!

collage of peanut butter pies made for the handle the heat monthly baking challenge

Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Holly — May 7, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    Yum yum yum!! I made this peanut butter pie for my husbands birthday. It was so delicious and another favorite from HTH. I used Reese’s thins, miniature peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s, Reese’s peanut butter chips and Hershey’s miniature kisses for the topping and I used Oreos for the crust. This will be made again soon ♡

  2. #
    Elisabeth — April 25, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    Can I make this in a 9×13 pan? I have a large crew to feed

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — April 26, 2023 at 9:44 am

      Hi Elisabeth! I’m sorry, we haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Alternatively, you can always make double the recipe and simply make in two pie pans. Let us know how it goes 🙂

  3. #
    Maura — April 2, 2023 at 12:40 pm

    Can I substituted Kite Hill cream cheese made with Almond milk rather than regular cream cheese?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — April 3, 2023 at 9:03 am

      Hi Maura! I’m sorry, but we haven’t tried that so we cannot say for sure! If you give that a try, please let us know how it goes 🙂

  4. #
    Lisa W — March 18, 2023 at 1:51 am

    I made this one for a pie contest and I received first place.. It was awesome.. I also have had friends request this for there birthday pie. It is so good and decadent,,

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 20, 2023 at 11:28 am

      Woohoo! Congratulations, Lisa! That’s amazing 🙂

  5. #
    Carrie Flynn — March 10, 2023 at 7:48 pm

    I’ve been making a version of this for a long time but make A crust with crushed Nilla wafers and pretzels. It’s so good! I usually use regular Jif peanut butter but now I want to use natural peanut butter with no added sugar. It’s a little bit more runny, but do you think it will work OK?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — March 13, 2023 at 9:50 am

      Hi Carrie! Tessa has included tips for this in the pink tip box, above the recipe! As she mentions there, “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.” Happy baking 🙂

  6. #
    Lisa A — February 12, 2023 at 8:38 am

    This was a huge hit with the grandkids. We used chocolate animal crackers with a bit of sugar for the crust. So good. Topped it with some Reese’s pieces and tiny peanut butter cups.

  7. #
    Barbara — January 28, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    I made this today to take to a friend’s for dinner. It came out great! Highly recommend! I used chocolate teddy grahams for the crust and added Reese’s pieces candies to the top!

  8. #
    Jessica Corrales Buhrow — December 29, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    For the melted peanut butter and chocolate on top; what did you use? How did you melt? I used chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, and when they hardened, it made the pie hard to cut. Is that normal? Other than that, it was delicious, and as big of a hit you said it’d be!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — January 6, 2023 at 10:20 am

      Hi Jessica! We typically just melt the chocolate and peanut butter (separately) in microwave-safe bowls in short increments until melted. If you’re worried about the chocolate cracking when you cut it up, you can leave the pie out for a bit before slicing and serving – or skip the drizzle entirely. You can also use melted peanut butter, rather than peanut butter chips. I hope that helps 🙂

  9. #
    Darian — December 13, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    I’ve made many different peanut butter pies and this one takes the cake! It’s not dense and heavy like others tend to be and instead really light and airy! It’s not too rich and has just the right amount of peanut butter!

  10. #
    Amy Bonnett — November 23, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    I’m making this for Thanksgiving. Of course I waited till the last minute and there is no whipping cream. Can I use half and half?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 28, 2022 at 10:00 am

      Hi Amy! I’m sorry, we were out of the office to enjoy the Thanksgiving break with our families, so let us know how this went!

  11. #
    theresa — November 23, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    I wasn’t able to find chocolate graham crackers so I’m going to try using chocolate teddy grahams. Has anyone tried this?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 23, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      Yes, we have and it works great!! Tessa has additional tips for this in the Tip Box, above the recipe 🙂

  12. #
    Vanessa — November 23, 2022 at 12:46 am

    I had so much fun making pies with this recipe!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 23, 2022 at 9:00 am

      Yay! So glad to hear that, Vanessa!

    • #
      PAW — January 20, 2023 at 4:50 pm

      I can’t find the video to make this Peanut Butter Pie.

      • #
        Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — January 23, 2023 at 10:08 am

        Hi there! Apologies, our ‘Jump to Video’ button does not work (we’re working on fixing that!). To view the recipe video for this Peanut Butter Pie, simply go to the very top of the page, and just scroll down a tiny bit. You’ll see Tessa’s Recipe Rundown, and another picture of this delicious pie underneath that. It’s right below that, under a header that says ‘Recipe Video’ (an ad might play first, but it will play right after that). Let us know what you think once you’ve given this recipe a try! 🙂

  13. #
    Janie Lynes — November 22, 2022 at 2:07 pm

    This is always the favorite dessert when I bring it. Everyone loves this and it is so easy to make. I usually make it a day or two in advance and just bring it frozen in a cooler bag and it’s perfect to serve after dinner. So glad I found this recipe – I use lots of recipes from Handle the Heat and they are all great. My go to place when I need to make something. Thank you, Tessa, for sharing all your wonderful recipes and tips-they are much appreciated! Making this for Thanksgiving today!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 22, 2022 at 2:13 pm

      Hi Janie Lynes! We are SO excited to hear that this pie has been such a hit for you! Thanks so much for your comment and Happy Thanksgiving!

  14. #
    Melissa — November 21, 2022 at 8:35 am

    Hello! This pie looks absolutely delicious, and I am hoping to make it for Thanksgiving this week. When you say “conventional” peanut butter – I presume you don’t mean the natural variety? Have you tried with natural peanut butter?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 21, 2022 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Melissa! Tessa has tips on this very topic in the Tip Box above the recipe! Let us know if you give this recipe a try – we’d love to know what you think! 🙂

  15. #
    Christina — November 18, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    I don’t have powered sugar, can I just use regular sugar?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 18, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      Hi Christina! You can easily make your own powdered sugar – learn how here!

  16. #
    Ashley — November 4, 2022 at 2:10 pm

    Is the cream cheese non negotiable? Would love to make this but I am just not a fan of cream cheese.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 8, 2022 at 10:24 am

      Hi Ashley! Feel free to experiment if you wish, but we haven’t tried this recipe with anything except full fat cream cheese, so we couldn’t say if anything else would work in its place. I really don’t think you can taste the cream cheese when paired with all the other deliciousness, though, if that helps 🙂

    • #
      Patrick McBride — November 23, 2022 at 3:41 pm

      How many ready grahams would you say to use if you are using those instead?

      • #
        Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 23, 2022 at 3:50 pm

        Hi Patrick! Assuming you mean Teddy Grahams, follow Tessa’s instructions in the Tip Box above the recipe: “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”. Happy baking 🙂

  17. #
    Leslie — October 5, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    Can this be made a day or two ahead without the crust getting soggy?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — October 6, 2022 at 9:30 am

      Hi Leslie! It sure can! Tessa included all the information about shelf life and even freezing instructions, in the pink tip box, above the recipe. Happy baking 🙂

  18. #
    Sara — October 4, 2022 at 2:02 pm

    I am going to make this recipe using cookie butter in the place of the peanut butter. Maybe top it with crushed Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates. Mmm. Sounds mouth watering if you ask me!)

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — October 6, 2022 at 7:18 am

      Hi Sara! That sounds like it could be delicious – let us know how it goes once you have given that a try!! 🙂

  19. #
    Jessica — September 10, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    My family LOVED this! I will definitely use this recipe again!! Thank you for sharing!!

  20. #
    Francesca — September 1, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    could you use milk in place of heavy whipping cream?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — September 2, 2022 at 9:46 am

      Hi Francesca! No, unfortunately milk cannot be substituted for whipping cream in this recipe. You need to whip the cream to stiff peaks, then fold other ingredients in, and milk will not hold a stiff peak. Let us know what you think if you give this recipe a try!

  21. #
    Paul M — August 15, 2022 at 10:54 pm

    Made this recipe for my work crew. If you want to be the peanut butter pie king then you must use this recipe. It is totally amazing and delicious.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — August 16, 2022 at 1:37 pm

      That’s so wonderful to hear, Paul! So glad this was such a hit 🙂

  22. #
    Arianna Miller — August 12, 2022 at 11:11 am

    I made it once just for fun and now I get requests for it every gathering I go to. I used the Famous Chocolate Wafers for the crust because I couldn’t find chocolate Grahams. It worked perfectly.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — August 15, 2022 at 8:37 am

      Yay! So happy to hear that, Arianna!!

  23. #
    Lauren — July 25, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    Made this over the weekend, and of course it turned out great (no surprise!). I kept it very bare bones – used a simple pre-made graham cracker crust I had on hand and added a basic chocolate sauce and homemade whipped cream. Perfect for all of us stuck in this heatwave!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — July 27, 2022 at 9:20 am

      Hi Lauren! So happy to hear this was a delicious, cool treat in this heat!!

  24. #
    CHARLOTTE JEAN BINGAMAN — July 3, 2022 at 4:14 am

    Not printable recipe

  25. #
    Shamistha — June 21, 2022 at 2:00 am

    Is powdered sugar icing sugar or soft sugar

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — June 21, 2022 at 7:38 am

      Hi Shamistha! I’m not familiar with the term ‘soft sugar’, sorry! Powdered sugar, icing sugar, confectioners’ sugar and 10X sugar are all the exact same thing. It’s essentially regular (white, granulated) sugar that has been ground down to a fine powdery consistency. Tessa talks about how to make your own at home here! I hope that helps 🙂

  26. #
    Mary — June 20, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    I made this today I was surprised at how easy it was. Now, I had to use a pre made chocolate graham cracker crust because the stir did not have chocolate graham crackers, and I didn’t realize I could have used Teddy Grahams. But it still was delicious

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — June 21, 2022 at 7:14 am

      So happy you enjoyed this pie, Mary!!

  27. #
    Sue — June 19, 2022 at 4:44 pm

    Fantastic and easy!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — June 20, 2022 at 11:49 am

      So happy to hear you loved this pie, Sue!!

  28. #
    Cathy — June 3, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    Might be a new family favorite I cheated and used a pre made pie crust. So easy!

  29. #
    Ron — May 25, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    How can I print the peanut butter pie receipt or can u send it to me please

  30. #
    Senikka — May 25, 2022 at 9:18 am

    Do you decorate before freezing?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — May 25, 2022 at 9:37 am

      Hi Senikka! For best results, decorate after freezing 🙂 If you decorate before freezing, your decorations could start to sink into your pie, since it won’t be fully set yet! I hope you enjoy your peanut butter pie! 🙂

      • #
        Nicole — November 23, 2022 at 2:45 pm

        I’ve made this before (amazing), but I can’t find chocolate graham crackers anywhere. Can I use a Keebler chocolate ready crust? Please help!

        • #
          Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — November 23, 2022 at 2:55 pm

          Hi Nicole! That ready-made crust should work, but it might not quite be big enough to hold all the filling. Otherwise, Tessa has several crust variation ideas in the Tip Box, above the recipe. Check it out for ideas of chocolate graham cracker replacements or alternative crust recipes 🙂 Happy baking!

          • #
            Jess — December 29, 2022 at 6:19 am

            I’m sure you already made it, but I used the Keebler chocolate crust and it turned out just fine. The filling fit into it without issue. Wanted to let you know in case you choose to make it again!

  31. #
    Linda — May 24, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    I JUST PUT THIS IN THE FREEZER….EVEN NOW THE FILLING TASTES GREAT….THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE WITH IT, IS THAT I CAN’T SEE WHER E TO PRINT THE. RECIPE.

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — May 25, 2022 at 7:20 am

      Hi Linda! I’m so happy you are loving this peanut butter pie! There is a little printer icon at the top of the page, right below the initial recipe description, but I have also linked the printer-friendly page right here. You should be able to print from there 🙂 Happy baking!

  32. #
    Connie — May 5, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    I’m going to try to make this pue

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — May 13, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      We can’t wait to hear what you thought of this delicious pie, Connie!
      – Kiersten @ HTH

  33. #
    Mae — April 30, 2022 at 11:19 pm

    This recipe is for all the Peanut Butter lovers! Not only was it so easy to make, but I ended making 3 pies all at once.

  34. #
    Christina Roberson — April 30, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    Simple and delicious recipe. Easy to follow.

  35. #
    Jess — April 30, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    This pie was so easy and delicious. A new fave in my family! The Oreo crust didn’t hold together very well, so I may use a tad more butter next time. Thanks for a great recipe!

  36. #
    Emily — April 30, 2022 at 7:57 pm

    Absolutely scrumptious!

  37. #
    Jenny Kuzina — April 30, 2022 at 7:22 pm

    Delicious pie, will make again!

  38. #
    Tristann — April 30, 2022 at 6:35 pm

    Yummy!! Awesome pie.

  39. #
    Alexa — April 30, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    A peanut butter lover’s dream! I used oreos instead of chocolate graham crackers and the rest of the recipe was ridiculously easy to follow. My whole family loved it!

  40. #
    Jorjean Murphy — April 30, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    Perfect. Not too sweet, creamy and delicious. Very easy , too!

  41. #
    Crystal Kloth — April 30, 2022 at 10:32 am

    So good. Perfect for peanut butter lovers and easy to make.

  42. #
    Amanda — April 30, 2022 at 9:22 am

    so easy and delicious!

  43. #
    Kelly — April 30, 2022 at 7:32 am

    Delicious! Couldn’t find the chocolate grahams but chocolate wafer cookies were a perfect substitute.

  44. #
    Samantha — April 30, 2022 at 6:00 am

    The easiest & delicious pie. It’s like eating a jumbo peanut butter cup.:)

  45. #
    Greg — April 29, 2022 at 10:11 pm

    Great recipe, filling is excellent! You can use mix up candy on top depending on what you like. Reese’s Take 5 worked well and added a little crunch and salt to the flavor.

  46. #
    Rosie — April 29, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    Creamy and delicious! Super rich

  47. #
    Pam R. — April 29, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    Easy and fun recipe that looks so decadent. I love that you can make it ahead and freeze it which is what I’ve done. I’ve made a peanut butter pie before but not with these decorations. I can’t wait to try it.

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