| Prep | 30 minutes |
| Cook | about 5 minutes to heat the cream for the ganache |
| Total | about 4 hours 45 minutes, including at least 4 hours in the fridge |
| Serves | 12 slices |
| Equipment | 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate, food processor or zip-top bag and rolling pin, stand or hand mixer, 2 mixing bowls, small saucepan, offset spatula |
Plenty of no-bake peanut butter pies start with a tub of whipped topping and a box of instant pudding. This one skips both. The filling is cream cheese, creamy peanut butter and powdered sugar beaten until smooth, then lightened with real whipped cream, and the top is a layer of dark chocolate ganache made with a spoonful of peanut butter stirred in. Under it all is a crushed chocolate sandwich cookie crust held together with butter.
The result slices like a chilled cheesecake but eats like a mousse: rich and salty-sweet, with three distinct layers in every forkful. Nothing goes in the oven, the work takes about half an hour, and the fridge does the rest, so it is an easy dessert to make the day before a party or a holiday meal.
Ingredients
For the cookie crust
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, filling included (about 2 1/4 cups crumbs) – the cream filling helps the crumbs stick together.
- 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, melted – binds the crumbs and sets firm in the fridge.
- A pinch of salt.
For the peanut butter filling
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened – gives the filling body so it slices cleanly.
- 1 cup (250 g) creamy no-stir peanut butter – not natural peanut butter (see the guide below).
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, plus 2 tbsp for the cream – dissolves instantly, so the filling stays smooth instead of gritty.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream – whipped and folded in to make the filling light.
For the chocolate topping
- 6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1 cup chips.
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream.
- 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter – softens the ganache slightly so it cuts without cracking.
- 1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts, optional, for the top.
How to Make It
1. Make the crust – then chill 15 minutes
Pulse the cookies with the salt in a food processor until they are fine crumbs, or crush them in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Stir in the melted butter until evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate, using the base of a measuring cup to pack it tight. Freeze for 15 minutes while you make the filling. The crumbs should look like damp sand and hold their shape when pinched.
2. Beat the peanut butter base
In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add the peanut butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat until combined and fluffy. Scrape the bowl well; any lumps of cream cheese now will stay as lumps in the finished pie.
3. Whip the cream
In a second, cold bowl, whip the heavy cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until it holds stiff peaks. When you lift the beaters, the peaks should stand straight up; stop there, since over-whipped cream turns grainy.
4. Fold the two together
Stir about a third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest with a spatula until no white streaks remain. The filling should be thick, airy and pale tan, and hold soft peaks of its own.
5. Fill the crust – then chill 30 minutes
Spread the filling into the chilled crust and smooth it with an offset spatula, mounding it slightly in the center. Refrigerate for 30 minutes while you make the topping. A short chill firms the surface so the ganache spreads on top instead of sinking in.
6. Make the ganache – about 5 minutes, then cool 10 to 15 minutes
Put the chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it steams and small bubbles form at the edge, without letting it boil. Pour it over the chocolate, wait 3 to 4 minutes, then stir slowly from the center until smooth. Let it cool, stirring now and then. It is ready to use when it feels only barely warm and has thickened to the consistency of pudding.
7. Top and chill – at least 4 hours
Spread the ganache over the filling, leaving a thin border of peanut butter filling showing if you like, and scatter the chopped peanuts on top right away. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The pie is ready when the ganache looks matte and set and the filling feels firm when you press the edge gently.
8. Slice
Dip a sharp knife in hot water and wipe it dry before each cut. A warm blade glides through the ganache and leaves clean layers instead of dragging chocolate through the filling.
Why the Filling Holds Its Shape
Without gelatin or pudding mix, this filling relies on three ingredients working together. The cream cheese gives it structure and a slight tang. The peanut butter, once chilled, firms up much like butter does. And the whipped cream holds air, so the filling is light rather than dense.
Two steps protect that structure. First, the cream is whipped to stiff peaks before it goes in. Soft, droopy cream does not hold enough air, and the filling slumps when you slice it. Second, the cream is folded in by hand rather than beaten. A mixer at this stage knocks the air back out.
The temperature of the ganache matters for the same reason. Poured hot, it melts the whipped cream just below it and leaves a soft, streaky layer between chocolate and peanut butter. Cooled until barely warm, it sits neatly on top.
If you want a pie that is all chocolate, our French silk pie is another rich, chilled chocolate pie to try.
Choosing the Peanut Butter
The type of peanut butter changes the texture of the filling more than anything else in the recipe.
| Peanut butter | Works? | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Creamy, no-stir | Best choice | Smooth, stable filling that sets firm and slices cleanly |
| Crunchy, no-stir | Yes | Same set, with small pieces of peanut in every bite |
| Natural (oil separates) | Not ideal | Looser, slightly grainy filling; the oil can make it greasy and softer when sliced |
| Reduced-fat spread | Not ideal | Often sweeter and thinner; the filling may not firm up as well |
If natural peanut butter is all you have, stir it very thoroughly so the oil is fully mixed back in, and expect a softer pie that needs the full overnight chill.
For another no-bake chocolate pie, our no-bake s’mores pie pairs chocolate with toasted marshmallow instead.
Make-Ahead and Storing
This pie is a good one to make a day ahead: the layers firm up and the flavors settle overnight. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, and slice it straight from the fridge.
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension advises keeping cream pies refrigerated after preparing them and eating them within 4 days. Return the pie to the fridge as soon as it has been served. The same guidance notes that cream pies do not freeze well, so this one is best kept in the fridge.
For a cool, no-bake pie with a lighter, fruit-forward finish, our fresh strawberry pie is an easy second dessert for the same table.
Variations
- Graham cracker crust: use 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons melted butter instead of the cookie crust.
- Peanut butter cup topping: chop a few peanut butter cups and scatter them over the ganache in place of the peanuts.
- Milk chocolate: use milk chocolate for a sweeter topping; it sets softer than semisweet, so use a little less cream.
- Mini pies: press the crust into a paper-lined muffin tin, then fill, top and chill as written.
For a chilled mint-and-chocolate pie, see our grasshopper pie, and find more ideas among our dessert recipes.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients
Method
- Crush the cookies with the salt into fine crumbs, stir in the melted butter and press firmly into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Freeze 15 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the peanut butter, 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
- In a cold bowl, whip the heavy cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to stiff peaks.
- Stir a third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, then gently fold in the rest until no streaks remain.
- Spread the filling into the crust and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Put the chocolate and 2 tablespoons peanut butter in a bowl. Heat the cream until steaming, pour it over, wait 3 to 4 minutes, then stir until smooth. Cool 10 to 15 minutes, until barely warm.
- Spread the ganache over the filling and sprinkle with peanuts. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry.
Notes
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