Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie | Butternut Bakery

Layered with homemade chocolate pudding in a sweet Oreo crust and topped with creamy peanut butter mousse, this homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie strikes the perfect balance of rich flavors and luxurious textures. Perfect for when you need a dessert that’s indulgent but not overly sweet!

It’s no secret that I love a good peanut butter dessert. From peanut butter cookies, peanut butter chocolate cake, to homemade peanut butter cups, I can’t get enough! I even sneak it into energy balls and banana muffins for breakfast. 

This chocolate peanut butter pie recipe is a bit more indulgent but not too much! It starts out with an Oreo pie crust as the base, adding a crunchy chocolate flavor with a hint of creamy taste. You’ll then make a homemade chocolate pudding as the first layer to add creamy chocolate decadence to each bite, followed by a layer of peanut butter mousse that is light and airy but still packed with flavor. 

Balanced Flavor & Texture

Normally, peanut butter pies like this are very dense and sweet. While this recipe still has all the right elements, I’ve made some tweaks to make sure it’s not too sweet and not overly rich so it can be enjoyed anytime!

• Using dark chocolate: Instead of using milk chocolate in the pudding layer, I use unsweetened cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate with just a touch of sugar. This allows the chocolate flavor to shine without it being overly sweet. 
• Less sweet mousse: I use just ¼ cup of powdered sugar in the peanut butter mousse layer as the heavy cream, cream cheese, and peanut butter are already rich enough. This makes sure the natural flavor of peanut butter shines in each bite without it being too overpowering.

Easy Peanut Butter Mousse

It may sound fancy, but the peanut butter mousse layer is super easy to make! It uses six simple ingredients, including cream cheese and heavy whipping cream. This gives the mousse a stiff texture with a touch of tangy flavor while the heavy cream thins it out, incorporating a bit of air and fluffiness. One of the things I love about it is that it’s NOT made with Cool Whip, which keeps a natural flavor with less junky ingredients. I could seriously eat this stuff by the spoonful! 

Key Ingredient Notes

• Oreo Cookies & Butter – This simple two-ingredient crust comes together easily. The butter helps moisten the cookies, so they press together easily and set perfectly after a 15-minute bake. 
• Cornstarch – This is whisked into the chocolate pudding to give it a classic thick pudding texture. 
• Cocoa & Chocolate – The pudding layer is made with REAL dark chocolate chunks and cocoa powder to let the chocolate flavor shine. Opt for high quality chocolate here, it makes a difference! 
• Egg Yolks – The yolks by themselves give the pudding a creamy texture and help that layer set properly. 
• Cream Cheese & Heavy Whipping Cream – This makes up the base layer of the peanut butter mousse. The cream cheese keeps things thick and stable, while the heavy cream incorporates a light and fluffy texture. 
• Creamy Peanut Butter – You’ll want to use creamy peanut butter to add to the mousse to keep in line with the smooth texture. This is your standard Jif or Skippy peanut butter.
• Peanut Butter Cups – Chopped peanut butter cups get sprinkled on top of the final pie to add texture and reinforce that classic chocolate peanut butter taste! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Baking Tips

Whether it’s a birthday celebration or for a special occasion, this peanut butter chocolate pie always hits the spot. Here’s everything you need to know to make sure it turns out just right:

1. Process the Oreo cookies so that everything is finely ground. This will help the crust set better when baked and will create a more even texture.
2. Slowly add the milk to the pudding mixture, whisking as you go to make sure there are no lumps in the pudding. 
3. Keep constantly whisking the pudding ingredients so the milk doesn’t burn or scorch. This takes 10 minutes of patience!
4. The pudding will go from liquid to thick very quickly, so instantly remove it from the heat right as it thickens into a rich pudding consistency.
5. Use room temperature cream cheese for the mousse. This will help it whip smoother and faster. 
6. Trickle in a small amount of heavy cream at first, then scrape down the bowl. It’s important to thin out the cream cheese before adding in all of the heavy cream.
7. Be careful not to over whip the cream. This can happen very fast and very easily, so really keep an eye on it once it starts to thicken.
8. Gently fold the peanut butter into the whipped cream layer so you don’t deflate the incorporated air. This keeps the mousse light and fluffy. 

Customize It!

This no bake peanut butter chocolate pie is very forgiving and can be customized to your liking. Here’s a few different options to change things up a bit:

• Experiment with different types of cookies for the crust. Use different flavored Oreos (like peanut butter or double chocolate), or use gluten free Oreos to make the pie completely gluten free!
• Create a crunchy layer by chopped adding roasted peanuts in between the pudding and peanut butter mousse layer. 
• Instead of peanut butter, use creamy sunflower seed butter and sunflower seed butter cups for a nut-free dessert. 
• Swap the dark chocolate in the pudding with milk chocolate to bump up the sweetness.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie FAQs

More of my favorite pie recipes:

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make this chocolate peanut butter pie. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. And if you have any questions, ask me on Instagram! That’s the best way to reach me. Happy baking!

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