If you've got five minutes, a tub of Cool Whip, and a craving for peanut butter, you're already halfway there. This creamy peanut butter icebox pie is an old-fashioned no-bake dessert. Rich, creamy, make-ahead friendly, and perfectly happy living in the freezer until you need it.
Table of Contents
🥰 Is this peanut butter icebox pie recipe for you?
- You appreciate the kind of vintage recipes that have survived decades because they actually work.
- You need something easy for a potluck, cookout, or family dinner.
- You love peanut butter enough to occasionally eat it straight from the jar.
- You want a make-ahead dessert you can stash in the freezer for later.
- You don't have time for recipes with seventeen steps and a spiritual journey.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
Just the usual suspects. Nothing that requires an ancient map, a magical compass, or a quest through three enchanted grocery stores.
- Peanut butter. The star of the show. If peanut butter isn't your thing, this may be where our paths diverge.
- Cream cheese. Gives the filling its rich, creamy texture and keeps it from tasting like sweetened peanut butter straight from the jar. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar. The dream team. One brings a little caramel flavor, the other brings sweetness and structure.
- Cool Whip. This is not the time for a debate about whipped topping. Cool Whip is what gives this pie its light, fluffy texture.
- Crumb crust. Graham cracker crust is classic, but a chocolate Oreo crust is what happens when you decide to live on the edge. It's the choice between linen and leather - choose wisely.
Don't forget to download the free Peanut Butter Icebox Pie recipe cheat sheet with extra tips, faqs, storage, and more.
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Icebox Pie
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 graham cracker crust, 9-inch
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- Chocolate syrup, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the peanut butter, cream cheese, and both sugars to a mixing bowl and blend on medium speed until completely mixed and the sugar crystals have dissolved. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Gently fold in half the Cool Whip until no streaks remain.
- Fold in remaining Cool Whip until completely mixed and there are no streaks of peanut butter or Cool Whip.
- Spoon into graham cracker crust.
- Cover.
- Refrigerate for 8 hours. You may also freeze for up to 3 months.
- Garnish as desired with chopped peanuts, chopped chocolate, chocolate syrup, or more Cool Whip.
Notes
-
- Blend the sugar in until it dissolves. If you're unsure, rub a little bit of the mixture between two of your fingers-it shouldn't feel gritty.
- Don't use low-fat cream cheese or the whipped kind in a tub. It'll be too watery for this pie. Go with regular cream cheese in a foil block.
- This recipe can be served chilled or partially frozen. Many readers prefer it slightly frozen because it has a texture similar to peanut butter ice cream pie.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
There are only a few simple steps between you and dessert. No baking, no special techniques, and no opportunity to accidentally overcomplicate things.
- Beat sugars, peanut butter, and cream cheese together.
- Beat until smooth, scraping the sides down if needed.
- Fold in the Cool Whip in two additions until evenly mixed.
- Spread peanut butter filling in the pie crust and chill for 8 hours.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Just before serving, drizzle the pie with chocolate or sprinkle on some chocolate chips, shaved chocolate, or crushed Oreo cookies. You can also use more whipped cream to add some pretty swirls on top!
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🥧 My filling is grainy.
The sugar probably hasn't dissolved completely. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature and soft. Beat the mixture a little longer before folding in the Cool Whip.
🥧 The filling seems too soft.
Make sure you're using regular block cream cheese and not whipped or low fat and give the pie the full chilling time. This is not a recipe that responds well to impatience.
🥧 My pie won't slice neatly.
For cleaner slices, chill overnight or freeze for 30 minutes before serving.
🥧 The filling looks lumpy.
Cold cream cheese is usually the culprit. Let it come to room temperature before mixing.
🥧 My crust is crumbling apart.
A crumb crust is a delicate creature. Chill the pie thoroughly before slicing and serve with confidence. Nobody complains about pie rubble.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Yes. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Either buy or make your own gluten-free crumb crust. (Psst-gluten-free Oreos are great in a homemade crust!)
Yes! Peanut butter pie freezes exceptionally well for up to three months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. You can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or serve it partially frozen for a creamy frozen-dessert texture.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Since this no-bake peanut butter pie is so easy to make, I recommend prepping two pies at once. You can serve one now and freeze the other for last-minute guests or enjoy it as a random surprise during the week with the kids!
📚 More easy, no bake pie recipes
- Peanut Butter Banana Icebox Pie: If Elvis had a favorite no-bake dessert, there's a good chance it tasted something like this creamy peanut butter and banana pie.
- Texas Flood Pie: Chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallows, and enough sweet Southern charm to make you forget your manners and go back for seconds.
- Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pie with Pretzel Crust: Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy. Basically everything good in life packed into one pie plate.
- Oreo Icebox Pie: Cool, creamy, and loaded with Oreo cookies, this easy no-bake dessert disappears faster than leftovers at a family reunion.
- More Icebox Pies: Because sometimes turning on the oven feels unnecessarily ambitious and we need options, thank you.
🏡 Five minutes of work, a handful of ingredients, and a refrigerator willing to take over the hard part. If only every problem was this easy to solve.
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