No bake desserts are essential for summer potlucks and picnics! This easy pie recipe with its creamy peanut butter filling will have your friends and family drooling!
Next time try the millionaire pie and the s'mores pie, too. They're both no bake!
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Reader Review: "Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for our company picnic today and won the 2nd place ribbon! 🏆 " ~Laurie
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Great make ahead recipe - it's perfect for summer get-togethers and potlucks.
- Who doesn't love a salty-sweet-crunchy-creamy combo?
- Quick and easy to make.
This is the most decadent dessert you ever put in your mouth! Layers of caramel, chocolate ganache, and rich peanut butter filling are spooned into a salty pretzel crust and chilled until it's creamy perfection.
It will have any peanut butter lover drooling!
🥘 Ingredients
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Nothing weird here - just simple ingredients!
- Pretzels for the crust. You could also use an Oreo crust.
- Butter - I like to use unsalted since there's so much salt in the other ingredienets.
- Caramel sauce - I use my homemade Jack Daniels caramel sauce but you can use any kind you like.
- Chocolate chips - bittersweet are my favorite for this pie recipe but use what you like.
- Heavy cream - also called heavy whipping cream.
- Creamy peanut butter - or use crunchy if you like more texture. I don't think natural peanut butter works well in this.
- Cream cheese - full fat, NOT low fat or reduced fat. Don't get whipped, either - it has to be the full fat cream cheese to work.
- Sugar I use all white sugar but you could use ½ brown sugar if you prefer. It will be more sweet.
🔪 Instructions
This simple chocolate peanut butter pie has a few more steps than some but the results are worth it!
Step one
- Make the crust by mixing the butter and pretzel crumbs in a medium mixing bowl.
- Firmly press into a pie plate.
- Bake and cool. (this is the only "baked" component of the pie.) You can also skip the baking and give it an extra hour of chill time.
Step two
- Heat the cream to a simmer and add the chocolate chips.
- Stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Beat the peanut butter and cream cheese until well blended and smooth.
- Beat in the sugar.
- Fold in the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture.
Step three
- Add the caramel to the cooled crust.
- Chill for 10 minutes or so.
- Add the chocolate ganache layer.
- Chill until firm.
- Spoon on the peanut butter mousse and add the toppings.
- Chill thoroughly before serving.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- 8-inch or 9-inch glass pie pan
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Medium sauce pan
- Plastic wrap
- Measuring cups and spoons
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Don't try to take this chocolate peanut butter pie recipe to an outdoor event in hot weather... it will lose its texture completely in a short period of time. Keep in mind I'm from Texas so I consider 115F hot weather. 75F and below will be fine.
- You can skip baking the crust. It won't be as firm but it will still be delicious.
- You can use melted caramels, commercial caramel sauce, OR you can treat yourself to the Jack Daniels caramel sauce here.
- Save some of the pretzel crumbs and chocolate to drizzle over the top. It looks beautiful and tastes better.
- Cut this in small pieces. It is written for 10 servings but you could probably make it 12 unless your family is expert dessert consumers.
- Be sure not to over-whip the cream or you will have little granules of butter in the filling. Not pleasant.
- When you are folding the cream into the peanut butter use a rubber spatula and a gentle over and under movement.
- The cream cheese needs to be at a warm room temperature - very soft but not melted.
- Don't put the chocolate chips in the microwave. They'll melt in the hot cream - just keep stirring.
- Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered for up to 3 days.
- If your refrigerator has a strong smell (onions, fish, etc) the pie WILL take on that flavor.
📖 Variations
This recipe is absolutely amazing as it is but... there are a few little changes you can make to keep it from getting boring.
This recipe is super easy - definitely easy enough for a beginner. Here are some tips to help you get it right every time!
- Add chopped Reese's peanut butter cups to the top or add a layer of them between the ganache and the peanut butter mousse layers.
- Chopped salted peanuts on top
- Add the ganache to the mousse - it's a little more dense but more like a truffle
- Use a chocolate cookie crust
- Use a Ritz cracker crust
- Use white chocolate ganache
- Remove the chocolate and caramel completely and just use the peanut butter mixture - put whipped cream over the top
📚 Related recipes
Here are some more pies that you'll love!
What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
📞 The last word
This peanut butter pie is totally addictive - especially if you are one of those people (like me ) that loves sweet and salty combinations. You can make it a day or two ahead of time, too.
I haven't tried to freeze it - I'm pretty sure it would freeze well although the pretzels on top might get a little soggy. If you're going to freeze it leave the pretzels off the top until it's time to serve.
It's the perfect pie for a special occasion but easy enough to be just a delicious dessert to finish a family meal.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups pretzels, coarsely crushed. Reserve some for the top
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
Caramel Bottom Layer
- ½ cup caramel sauce, either homemade or commercial
Chocolate Bottom Layer
- 12 ounces chocolate chips, milk chocolate, bittersweet, semi sweet, dark, or a combination - reserve some for topping
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1 ¼ cup peanut butter, creamy
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to a warm, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 pint heavy cream
- ⅓ cup sugar
Optional
- Fleur de Sel
- Chocolate curls
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Add the melted butter to pretzel crumbs and toss with a fork.
- Press the mixture into a 10 inch pie plate, firmly.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until set.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Chocolate Layer
- Heat the ¾ cup of heavy cream to a simmer.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Continue to stir until mixture is smooth and all of the chips are melted.
- Set aside.
Peanut Butter Layer
- Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat until the peanut butter and cream cheese mix and soften.
- Add the ½ cup sugar and beat until there is no graininess.
- Set aside.
- In a clean mixer bowl, with the whip attachment whip the cream until it begins to thicken.
- Slowly add the ⅓ cup sugar as you continue to whip the cream until it is thick and fluffy.
- Do not overbeat.
- Carefully fold half of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, be sure not to deflate the cream.
- Fold in the rest of the whipped cream.
Assembly
- Add the caramel to the prepared crust.
- Chill briefly. (10 -15 minutes, just to set)
- Spoon the chocolate on top of the caramel and chill for 10 minutes or so.
- Add the peanut butter mixture.
- Top with the reserved chocolate and pretzel crumbs
- Chill for at least 2 hours.
- Just before serving top with a sprinkle of Fleur de Sel if desired.
Notes
- If you don't want to bake the crust you can skip that part. It won't be as firm but it will still be delicious.
- You can use melted caramels, commercial caramel sauce, OR you can treat yourself to the Jack Daniels caramel sauce here.
- Save some of the pretzel crumbs and chocolate to drizzle for the top. It looks beautiful and tastes better.
- Cut this in small pieces. It is written for 10 servings but you could probably make it 12 unless your family is expert dessert consumers.
- Be sure not to over-whip the cream or you will have little granules of butter in the filling.
- When you are folding the cream into the peanut butter use a rubber spatula and a gentle over and under movement.
- Don't put the chocolate chips in the microwave. They'll melt in the hot cream - just keep stirring.
- Don't try to take this to an outdoor event in hot weather... it will lose its texture completely.
- Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered for up to 3 days.
- If your refrigerator has a strong smell (onions, fish, etc) the pie WILL take on that flavor.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First publish March 14, 2012. Last updated June 20, 2021 to add a clickable ingredients list.
J Licata
I wanted to know could I use a metal pie plate for your recipe?
Marye
Yep!
Jenny
This was good and fun to make. Next time I’ll use half the amount of chocolate tho, it overpowered everything else. I bought the salted caramel sauce from Trader Joe’s and it was a nice addition., so think I’ll use more of that and less chocolate. Thx for the recipe!
Marye Audet
I'm glad you liked it. 🙂
Debra
Love this recipe especially the fresh whipped cream! I made my crust out of crushed peanut butter stuffed pretzels from Trader Joes :)...I also added more peanut butter since my dad loves his peanut butter! Replaced the sugar with confectioners sugar because I actually ran out of white sugar, but it did not make a difference . I took a lovely picture of mine, but am unable to post it.
Marye Audet
aww Debra can you post it in the Restless Chipotle Facebook page? I'd love to see it!
Jacqueline
My mom made this in a 9x13 pan and it worked out perfectly. I'm in love!
Marye Audet
Thanks for letting me know! I never thought about making it that way!