No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

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This easy no bake chocolate peanut butter pie has creamy peanut butter filling and a rich layer of homemade chocolate ganache. It’s loaded with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a caramel and chocolate drizzle. A family favorite dessert perfect for a peanut butter lover!

I love serving this easy peanut butter pie recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It works great for the holidays since it is no bake, it frees up oven space! Even better you can make it ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to serve.

Quick Tips

• To make this recipe easier, you can use a store bought graham cracker crust.
• If making your own crust, pack the crust down tightly to prevent crumbling when serving.
• Weigh your peanut butter with a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement.
• Reserve a small amount of ganache filling for drizzling on the top. You could also use chocolate syrup or hot fudge instead.
• This pie is best served after being chilled for a few hours.

Equipment

You will need some common baking equipment to make this delicious pie.

• Food processor or rolling pin
• 9-10 inch pie pan
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Rubber or silicone spatula – not necessary, but really handy for bowl scraping!
• Piping bag with star tip or a plastic bag with the tip cut off

Ingredient Notes

This recipe requires a few simple ingredients, most of which you will probably already have in your pantry.

• Graham crackers – Used to make the graham cracker crust. You could also use other cookies here. Oreo’s work great like in my Hershey’s Chocolate Cream Pie.
• Heavy whipping cream – Used to make the silky chocolate layer, and whipped cream for the top.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – You could substitute dark chocolate here.
• Creamy peanut butter – You will want to use the creamy version here, not chunky. Also it is not recommended to use natural peanut butter. Brands like Jiff or Skippy work best.
• Cream cheese – I find full fat cream cheese works better for this recipe. Make sure to take out your cream cheese a few hours ahead of time so it can soften and come to room temperature.
• Mini Reese’s cups – These mini cups make the perfect topping! if you can’t find the mini version, you can chop up the full sized Reese’s peanut butter cups.

How to make chocolate peanut butter pie

I adapted this recipe from a Reese’s peanut butter pie recipe on Mandy’s Recipe Box Blog. I tinkered with it to create a ‘copycat’ Baker’s Square Peanut Butter Pie that I grew up eating each holiday. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is so good and the result is AMAZING. 

This no bake pie is also referred to as a refrigerator pie or a freezer pie, since you can serve it without baking. This no bake pie recipe is easy to make and can be broken down into a few main steps:

• Make the graham cracker crust
• Make the chocolate ganache layer
• Make the peanut butter cream filling
• Make the whipped cream mixture
• Assemble the pie

How to make a graham cracker crust

To make the graham cracker crust, you can use a food processor or rolling pin. To use a food processor, add in 12-14 graham cracker sheets to the food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can add the graham crackers to a gallon plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. 

Next, mix together crushed graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until combined. 

Firmly press mixture down on the bottom and edges of a 9-10″ pie plate using your fingertips or the back of a measuring cup. You want to make sure the crust is firmly pressed, so it holds together better when serving. 

Set the pie crust aside until you are ready to use. 

How to make chocolate ganache

For the chocolate ganache topping, heat up ¼ cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until almost boiling. You can also do this in the microwave. Heat for 1 minute in the microwave, then in 10 second intervals until heated through. 

Next, add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the hot cream and remove from heat. Stir constantly until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour the chocolate ganache over the bottom of the prepared graham cracker crust and smooth until even. Place the pie crust with chocolate ganache in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until the chocolate has set. 

You can begin making the peanut butter filling while the chocolate is in the freezer chilling.

How to make peanut butter cream filling

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and peanut butter on low speed until smooth. You can also do this step with a hand mixer in a medium bowl. 

Add in the cup of powdered sugar. Mix until smooth & set aside.

How to make whipped cream

In a separate bowl, whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high speed. Whip until stiff peaks form. Don’t over whip, or the milk will start to curdle. 

Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the whipped cream into the peanut butter cream mixture and gently mix. Add in half of the chopped Reese’s cups to the mixture and combine. 

Reserve the rest of the whipped cream for the topping.

Assemble the pie

Remove the pie plate from the freezer once the chocolate layer has set. Spread the peanut butter filling mixture evenly over the chocolate layer.

Put the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe small circles around the edge of the pie.

Add the remaining chopped Reese’s in the center of the pie, inside of the piped whipped cream circles.

Drizzle the top of the pie with caramel and chocolate sauce.

Allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour before enjoying. Serve chilled!

How to store leftovers

You can store this pie in the refrigerator for up to a week, but I find it is best the next day.

You can also freeze this pie! To freeze, tightly cover the pie in plastic wrap, then wrap again in aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.

Try these other no bake desserts!

• No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
• No-Bake Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Hershey’s Chocolate Cream Pie

Variations/substitutions

• If you don’t want to make your own graham cracker crust, use a store bought crust to save time.
• Try a chocolate cookie crust instead by using Oreos or peanut butter Oreos to make the crust instead of graham crackers for even more chocolate and peanut butter flavor.
• Make a pretzel crust instead for an extra salty compliment to the sweet pie.
• If you want to make this pie gluten free, use a gluten free pie crust or use gluten free graham crackers.
• Some recipes call for instant chocolate pudding for the chocolate layer, but I think the chocolate ganache is the best!
• Use a springform pan and freeze the pie before serving for a pretty presentation.
• Double this recipe and use 2 pie pans.
• You can also decorate this pie with Reese’s pieces, chopped peanuts, crumbled peanut butter Oreos, peanut butter chips, or hot fudge.
• You can substitute Cool Whip instead of making your own whipped cream to save time.
• Make mini peanut butter pies by using muffin tins to form the crust instead of a pie pan.

FAQs

Can I make peanut butter pie with natural peanut butter?

I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter for this recipe. It tends to separate making the pie oily. Brands like Jiff or Skippy work best.

Can I make peanut butter chocolate pie ahead of time?

Yes! You can make this peanut butter chocolate pie ahead of time. Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 6-8 weeks in the freezer.