Peanut butter pie is rich and decadent, combining creamy peanut butter and sweet chocolate in each bite. This over the top dessert features a peanut butter Oreo cookie crust, peanut butter filling, Reese’s Pieces, and homemade chocolate ganache. It’s unbelievable!
There’s no flavor duo quite like peanut butter + chocolate. We’ve made chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars, no-bake peanut butter bars, chocolate peanut butter snack bars, and peanut butter ice cream pie to name a few. My chocolate chip cookie layer cake is even filled with a chocolate peanut butter frosting! Today, we’re adding another recipe to the chocolate peanut butter mix: truly unbelievable peanut butter pie.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in.
This Is Unbelievable Peanut Butter Pie
The layers! The textures! This might just be the richest dessert I’ve ever made, right alongside chocolate peanut butter cake. Today’s recipe is a new twist on classic peanut butter pie with a crunchy peanut butter Oreo cookie crust, colorful Reese’s Pieces candies, creamy peanut butter filling, and smooth chocolate ganache. It’s a peanut butter lover’s dream come true.
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Totally indulgent
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Made with only 10 ingredients
- Tons of texture in each bite
- Perfect for birthdays and celebrations
- A great make-ahead recipe
4 Parts to Peanut Butter Pie
- Peanut Butter Oreo Crust
- Peanut Butter Filling
- Chocolate Ganache
- Reese’s Pieces
Though the written recipe is below, let me walk you through each part so you understand exactly what you’re doing.
Peanut Butter Oreo Crust
It wouldn’t be peanut butter pie without an Oreo crust, but let’s use peanut butter Oreos! Regular Oreos work just as well, but peanut butter Oreos add another layer of peanut butter flavor. We’re using the same recipe and technique found over on my Oreo Crust Recipe page. Pulse the Oreos (the whole Oreo including the chocolate cookies and the filling) into a fine crumb, then combine the Oreo crumbs with a little melted butter. Just 2 ingredients and so easy.
Press the mixture firmly into a pie dish and bake the crust. I recommend beginning with this step so the crust has time to cool down before assembling. This is the only layer that requires baking—the rest of the recipe is completely no-bake! I love making this pie in the warmer summer months when our kitchen welcomes a break from the hot oven.
You could use a regular Oreo cookie crust or even a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
Peanut Butter Pie Filling
This peanut butter filling is about as decadently rich as we can get. It’s made with just 5 ingredients including heavy cream, peanut butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. You can’t really taste the cream cheese; rather, you truly just taste peanut butter. We use the exact filling as a layer in peanut butter banana cream pie also. It has as much peanut butter flavor as these peanut butter balls and these super soft peanut butter cookies.
You’ll begin by whipping the heavy cream into whipped cream. In a separate bowl, mix the other 4 ingredients together, then gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. The result is a creamy, airy peanut butter filling.
Chocolate Ganache Topping
You only need 2 ingredients for the chocolate ganache topping: chocolate and heavy cream. You’ll simply pour warm cream over chocolate and stir. Use a quality chocolate because it’s where all of the flavor comes from. I would avoid using chocolate chips, which contain a stabilizer—use the real deal. Pure chocolate never lets you down. Never! See my chocolate ganache page if you need extra help with it.
You’ll want to make the ganache before the peanut butter layer because it must fully cool down prior to pouring over the peanut butter filling. This time also allows the ganache to thicken, creating a fudge-like consistency when the pie is ready to serve.
Crushed Reese’s Pieces
You’ll find crushed Reese’s Pieces in two places—on top of the Oreo crust and sprinkled on top of the chocolate ganache. They add a little crunch, a little color, and that little something extra! Instead of Reese’s Pieces, try crushed M&Ms, or skip them altogether.
Like peanut butter cup tart, the only baking we’ll do is for the crust. Other than that, the refrigerator does all the work. The pie must set up in the refrigerator for 5–6 hours. Overnight would be wonderful, but I’ve made this peanut butter pie twice with just 5 hours of chill time. Peanut butter perfection each time. This dessert is always fun for birthdays, but I’ve served it along side Father’s Day recipes, Mother’s Day recipes, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, a random Sunday (why not?), you name it. It’s always devoured!
Quick Peanut Butter Pie Video
Unbelievable Peanut Butter Pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 1 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The most unbelievable peanut butter pie! Complete with an Oreo cookie crust, Reese’s Pieces, and chocolate ganache, this recipe is over the top in the best way.
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 22 regular or peanut butter flavor Oreo cookies
- 5 Tablespoons (71g)Â unsalted butter, melted
Ganache
- 3/4 cup (180g) heavy cream
- 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Peanut Butter Filling
- 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (310g) creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (200g) Reese’s Pieces, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an un-greased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact, thick crust. See Oreo crust page for more success tips if needed. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool as you prepare the filling.
- Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to boil, immediately remove from heat then pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until the ganache is smooth. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. During this time, it will slowly thicken as well.
- Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spoon the whipped cream into a bowl and set aside. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to rinse clean!), beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until combined. Mixture will be thick. Fold in the whipped cream until smooth. be gentle, you don’t want to deflate that cream.
- Sprinkle half of the Reese’s Pieces on top of the cooled crust. Spread peanut butter filling evenly on top, then spread ganache on top of filling. Sprinkle the rest of the Reese’s Pieces on top.
- Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or even overnight. Slice and serve cold.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can get started on the crust in step 2 and the ganache in step 3. You can keep both in the refrigerator overnight if you’re getting started the day before. Cover both tightly. This pie can be frozen up to 3 months. It’s tasty frozen or you can let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | 9-inch Pie Dish | Small Saucepan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rubber Spatula
- Peanut Butter: Use a conventional (processed) smooth peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural style or oily peanut butter; both cause the filling to separate and/or turn greasy.
This turned out well but my ganache was a bit too loose even after chilling. I would adjust next time or try a different chocolate brand.
Like one of the other reviewers, I found the filing to be too dense. I had to use the whip attachment on my stand mixer to complete the filing because there was no way to fold the whipped cream into the rest of the filing. The addition of the ganache is interesting, but this is an average chocolate peanut butter pie. I’ll continue my quest for a recipe where I can actually fold the whipped cream into the filing
I made this for my husband’s birthday and it was an incredible hit. The filling is light and silky, with just enough peanut butter flavor. I used some chopped up peanuts for crunch instead of the Reese’s pieces. It’s the first time I ever made a pie and Sally’s detailed instructions made it easy to get it right. Love this recipe!
This was tasty but if I could do it again, I probably would have kept the same amount of cream (or 8oz) and decrease the peanut butter to 1 cup. The texture was a little thicker than used to for a pie like this.
If you want a thick, super peanut buttery pie, this is it, but I used salted (because I like salty/sweet desserts) and was hoping for something a little more fluffy/sweet on the palate.
This is the 2nd time my husband has requested this for his birthday. That pretty much says it all. I have better tools and more experience this time so I hope it’s as evident in the taste as it is in the presentation. This is a great pie for beginners. When you get another request to make this (and you will), you can put a little finesse on it just for you 😉
Fabulous!!!!
I just made this and it’s settling in the fridge! While I haven’t tasted it all together, each component was devine!! I have to wait till tomorrow to eat it.
I chopped up a combo of Reese’s Cups and peanuts instead of the Reese’s pieces because I couldn’t find those.