This no-bake Tang Pie is a creamy, citrus dream straight out of the retro recipe box. Made with cream cheese, Cool Whip, and that nostalgic Tang orange drink mix, it's a quick dessert that tastes like summer vacation in a graham cracker crust. Sweet, tangy, and perfectly chilled, it's the kind of easy make-ahead dessert that disappears fast at potlucks, cookouts, and family reunions. Keep it in your freezer for last-minute guests-or just eat it straight from the pan. I won't tell.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Why this Tang pie deserves a spot on the dessert table
Oh, bless this pie and the decade that dreamed it up! Tang Pie is everything we love about mid-century desserts-easy, dramatic, and a little bit unhinged. It's got that citrusy, space-age optimism of the 1960s, when powdered orange drink was considered cutting edge and Cool Whip was basically culinary magic.
One spoonful and you'll swear you can hear the faint hum of a pastel kitchen appliance and the rustle of polyester dresses-proof that not everything from the atomic age should've gone out of style.
🧾 The 6 little ingredients you'll need for this no bake pie
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this Tang Pie, and every one of them screams retro comfort. It's grocery-store easy but looks like you raided Grandma's secret dessert file.
- Tang orange drink mix - that bright, unapologetic orange powder that fueled astronauts and church picnics. Use the original flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk - liquid gold in a can, sticky, silky, and probably responsible for half the happiness in the South. I use Eagle Brand.
- Cream cheese - because even the fluffiest pies need a little backbone and sass. Use the full fat original. I use Philadelphia brand.
- Mandarin oranges - tiny, juicy bursts of sunshine straight from a can. Don't fight it-just go with it.
- Crumb crust - buttery and crumbly, the reliable base for all things good and slightly chaotic.
- Cool Whip - the crown jewel of convenience desserts. Light, fluffy, and just this side of scandalous.
💾 Grab the Tang Pie Cheat Sheet!
Want all my best Tang Pie secrets in one handy printable? This free PDF has extra tips, FAQs, and storage hacks-like how to keep your pie perfectly creamy, how long it lasts in the fridge or freezer, and what to do if your Cool Whip rebels. Print it, stick it in your recipe binder, and pretend you're running a mid-century test kitchen. (Apron optional.)
📖 Recipe
Tang Pie
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup orange Tang drink mix
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, I stick with Eagle Brand
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia for me)
- 9- inch prepared graham cracker crust
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed, divided use
- 1 cup mandarin orange segments, well-drained - reserve some for garnish
Instructions
- In a big mixing bowl, beat together the Tang, condensed milk, and cream cheese until it's smooth enough to make the Jetsons jealous.
- Fold in 2 cups of the Cool Whip and the mandarin orange pieces-gentle now, this isn't a wrestling match.
- Scoop the mixture into the graham cracker crust and smooth the top like you mean it.
- Chill at least 8 hours, until set.
- Top with the rest of the Cool Whip and garnish with a few bright orange mandarins-because nothing says "Atomic Age dessert" like canned fruit and neon powder in the same pie.
Notes
- Use full fat cream cheese and regular Cool Whip. Low fat substitutes don't work well.
- Soften that cream cheese - it will blend better. Also remember - never whip cream cheese unless you want a super fluffy filling.
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.
🔪 How to make pie magic out of Tang and Cool Whip
You don't need a stand mixer or a PhD in pastry to pull this off. Just stir, fold, and chill your way to creamy, citrus heaven. It's the kind of recipe that makes you look wildly impressive with about five minutes of actual effort - my favorite kind of kitchen magic.
- Toss that softened cream cheese into a big ol' mixing bowl. Add your Tang powder and pour in that silky sweetened condensed milk. Mix it like you mean it-until it's smoother than your ex's apologies.
- Dump in those mandarin oranges, syrupy and cheerful, like they just came back from a Florida vacation. Fold in a hearty scoop of Cool Whip. This is where it starts looking like an orange dream cloud.
- Spoon that glorious fluff into your crumb crust. Don't be shy, really get it in there. Smooth the top with your spatula like you're tucking it into bed for a long, cold nap.
- Crown your creation with more Cool Whip-because restraint is for salads, not dessert. Chill it in the fridge until it's firm enough to slice and dramatic enough to make Grandma gasp.
👩🍳 All the FAQs about Tang pie
If you've got questions, sugar, I've probably already asked them myself somewhere between licking the spatula and sneaking another slice. Have other questions? Download the free kitchen cheat sheet or ask me in the comments!
No. Not unless you like weeping over runny pie. Fresh oranges release too much juice and will keep your filling from setting up properly. Stick with drained mandarin oranges - they behave themselves.
You can, but Cool Whip gives it that classic 1970s texture - stable, fluffy, and slightly scandalous. Real whipped cream tastes great, but it won't hold its shape as long. You could use this homemade Cool Whip which is similar to stable whipped cream.
📚 More retro dessert recipes that taste like childhood
If Tang Pie takes you straight back to grandma's avocado-green kitchen, wait 'til you taste these other retro-favorites. Millionaire Pie struts in like the debutante of the dessert table - all creamy pineapple, pecans, and Cool Whip elegance with a cherry on top. Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie is its tropical cousin, sweet-tart and tangy with that luscious old-school filling that somehow tastes like sunshine and Sunday dresses. And then there's the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pie, pure Southern drama in a flaky crust - rich, silky, and unapologetically cocoa-heavy.
These aren't just recipes - they're edible memories from back when dessert meant you had to gag down the broccoli first.
So grab your whisk, pour some sweet tea, and let's keep the retro sugar rush rolling.
And there you have it - the great Tang Pie comeback tour. It's creamy, citrusy, and just the right kind of kitschy, like your favorite aunt who still wears Avon's Sweet Honesty perfume she's been hoarding since 1972.
This pie doesn't need approval from the food snobs; it's here for joy, not judgment. So go on, make it, chill it, and serve it with a smile. Some recipes stick around for decades for a reason - they taste like home, laughter, and a time when dessert was unapologetically fun.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Comments
No Comments