Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie

This no-bake, old fashioned peanut butter pie recipe is a dessert that takes only 15 minutes to put together and uses simple ingredients like cream cheese, peanut butter, cool whip & store-bought pie crust!

PLAN AHEAD: Freeze/refrigerator the pie for at least 3 hours (or overnight) before serving, for best results, and soon you’ll have others telling you that this is one of your best dessert recipes!

Why this recipe is so good:

I don’t know about you but in the summer, the last thing I want to do is stand in a hot kitchen, baking.

So when I need an easy dessert, cream pies are my go-to and this easy peanut butter pie recipe is ALWAYS a hit and one our favorite pies! (And if I’m being honest, it’s not just a dessert that I make in the summer… I’m making it all year long.) So if you’re a peanut butter lover, buckle up… cause you’re going to love this one!

How do you make peanut butter pie from scratch?

You’ll use ingredients such as cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and cool whip for the “peanut butter custard” or filling. So this recipe is made from scratch, except for the crust! But if you’d like to make your own pie crust, I recommend this graham cracker crust recipe!

Ingredient Checklist:

I often recommend keeping certain ingredients on hand for staple recipes that you can make in a pinch without going to the store. This classic, old-fashioned peanut butter pie recipe is one of those recipes!

The ingredients are easy to keep on hand, they stay fresh for a while and it’s a recipe that can easily be whipped up if last-minute guests arrive or if you need something to carry to a potluck!

Here’s what you need for this great recipe:
(The full printable recipe card with instructions can be found at the bottom of this post!)

• 9-inch graham cracker crust, premade or a homemade crust
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 container Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed in the fridge overnight
• If desired, toppings such as chocolate sundae sauce, mini chocolate chips, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

Step-by-Step Directions

• In a stand mixer or with a hand electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth and creamy in a large bowl – scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. (Image 1 below.)
• Add the powdered sugar and beat until mixed together smoothly – again, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated. (Images 2 & 3 below.)

• Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in the container of Cool Whip in to the peanut butter mixture, with a spatula. (Image 4 below.)
• Transfer pie filling into the graham cracker crust that’s in the pie plate, and smooth out the top. (Image 5 below.)

• For the top of your pie, you can do a drizzle of hot fudge or chocolate sauce, mini chocolate chips, and chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for the BEST pie. (Or at least we think so!)

• Place the plastic lid that came with the crust (or use plastic wrap) on the top and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for 3 hours or up to overnight.
• To serve from the freezer, let it thaw at least 10 minutes before trying to cut into it.

Expert Tips & FAQ’s

What to serve with this recipe

Although this old-fashioned pie is absolutely perfect to have by itself, you can serve it with some of these favorite things:

• Extra whipped cream (dollops, or piped whipped cream on top can be beautiful too!)
• Serve alongside a warm cup of coffee
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream
• Your favorite cookies, such as peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

Related Recipes

If you love peanut butter pie, then you may also love these other easy recipes:

• No bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies
• No bake peanut butter chocolate energy balls
• Edible cookie dough (also a no-bake recipe!)
• No bake brownie peanut butter cup trifle
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Toffee Cake