Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This post contains affiliate links and may earn commissions on recommended products. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Chocolate peanut butter pie is creamy and full of peanut butter and chocolate flavor. If you love peanut butter cups, you’ll love this easy no bake pie recipe.

For as long as I can remember, the combination of peanut butter and chocolate has been a favorite of mine.

A peanut butter cup right from the fridge? Heaven.

I first made this pie in 2010 out of a desire to use up some cookies, and I’m glad I did. The smooth, creamy peanut butter filling is fantastic with the chocolate cookie crust.

You can choose to bake the crust, or simply chill it for a completely no-bake pie.

Whether you enjoy it in summer or winter, chocolate peanut butter pie is a family favorite!

Ingredients for peanut butter chocolate pie

This pie comes together easily, thanks in part to the short list of ingredients.

Peanut butter – I recommend creamy peanut butter for a smooth pie. Crunchy peanut butter is a little more difficult to blend in the pie.

If you use natural peanut butter, remember that it tends to separate, so be sure to mix it well before measuring and adding to the recipe.

Cream cheese – Make sure to soften your cream cheese before making the pie. If it is too cold, it will not blend properly, and you’ll be left with cream cheese chunks in the pie filling.

I suppose this pie could be considered a cheesecake — either way, it’s delicious.

Vanilla extract – Vanilla is a must in desserts, in my book. It adds extra depth of flavor.

Powdered sugar – To add sweetness and tame some of the tang from the cream cheese. Spoon the powdered sugar into the measuring cup so that you do not use too much.

A small amount of powdered sugar is also added to the whipped cream for stabilization.

Cocoa powder – Chocolate in the crust isn’t enough, we need it in the filling too! Use any unsweetened cocoa powder you have on hand.

Heavy cream – Also called heavy whipping cream, this is used in place of the frozen whipped topping you might see in other no-bake pie recipes.

Crushed chocolate cookies – I use Oreo cookies for this pie crust. You can use your favorite cookie, or even use a premade graham cracker crust.

Melted butter – The butter is mixed with the crushed cookies to make the crust.

How to make chocolate peanut butter pie

First, pull your cream cheese from the refrigerator so that it softens. 

While it softens, make the crust. You can choose to either bake the crust or simply chill it.

Baking the crust will help it stay together for serving. It can be done the day before if needed.

Crush your cookies in a food processor or plastic bag so that you have 1 ½ cups of crumbs. For me, this was 12 Oreo cookies.

In a bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter so that it is evenly moistened.

Lightly coat a pie plate with nonstick spray and press the cookie mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. The bottom of a measuring cup is great for pressing the crust evenly.

Chill the pie crust in the freezer or bake at 350°F for 7 minutes, then cool completely.

Make the whipped cream by beating heavy cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, then continue whipping until it forms stiff peaks. 

Place the bowl of whipped cream in the refrigerator to keep cold while you continue the recipe.

To make the filling, combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

Use a hand mixer to beat them together until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. It will clump together at first, but continue beating until it smooths out.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar and the cocoa powder, and beat again until completely combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. 

Again, it will be clumpy and then smooth out, but it will be thick.

Add half of the whipped cream and beat until smooth.

Now, add the remaining whipped cream and fold it into the filling. 

Folding is done by scraping a spatula around the side of the bowl, across the bottom, and folding the mixture over itself. 

Turn the bowl as you fold to make sure the filling gets evenly mixed without over blending. Folding helps preserve the lightness of the whipped cream, so don’t mix too vigorously.

Scoop the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top.

Place the pie in the refrigerator and chill until set, which will take at least 2 hours.

Recipe suggestions

We love this chocolate peanut butter pie just as it is, but if you want to change it up I have some ideas!

Leave out the cocoa powder in the filling to focus on the peanut butter flavor. If you don’t like chocolate at all, swap the cookies for graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies.

Add chopped peanuts to the filling, folding in with the whipped cream. Or, use the nuts as a garnish.

Top the pie with whipped cream. Then add cookie crumbs, peanut butter baking chips, mini chocolate chips, or even chopped peanut butter cups!

Use neufchâtel cheese or light cream cheese for a lighter pie.

More pies to love

Try these other pies to round out your dessert table.

• Shoofly Pie
• Maple Pecan Pie
• Butternut Squash Pie
• Caramel Apple Slab Pie
• Raspberry Pie Bars