This easy no bake chocolate pie is full of rich chocolate flavor and made even better with a peanut butter crust! No special skills or frills required for this crowd-pleasing dessert!
Why I love this pie recipe:
As far as I’m concerned, chocolate and peanut butter will always be a match made in heaven. The peanut butter crust of this pie is made from a combination of graham crackers and peanut butter cookies to achieve the perfect balance of flavor against the rich, chocolate filling.
What is chocolate ganache?
Chocolate ganache is a mixture made from melted chocolate and cream that can be used for a variety of things like fillings, dips, frostings, etc. It also happens to be a key component of this no bake chocolate pie due to the way it solidifies as it cools.
The combination of chocolate ganache and whipped cream in this pie filling results in an almost mousse-like texture. At first bite, it’s light and airy, then completely melts in your mouth as you eat it.
Ingredients you’ll need for easy no bake chocolate pie:
For the chocolate filling:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
- Powdered sugar
For the peanut butter crust:
- Graham crackers
- Nutter Butter cookies
- Creamy peanut butter
- Butter (melted)
For topping:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder (optional, for dusting on top)
How to make silky, no bake chocolate pie:
- Mix: Fold together the chilled chocolate ganache and freshly whipped cream for the filling. Then separately combine ingredients for the peanut butter crust.
- Assemble: Once the crust is formed into the pie plate and baked, add in the whipped, no-bake chocolate filling.
- Chill: Transfer the pie to the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow the filling to set up. If you want very clean slices, freeze for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve this pie:
I love a pie with that’s topped with whipped cream, so of course I’m including that in this recipe! You can whip your own cream with some heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Spread it all over the surface of the pie before serving and optionally top with a dusting of cocoa powder to drive the chocolate theme home!
My top tips for baking a delicious chocolate pie:
- When making the ganache, heat the heavy cream until it’s very hot but don’t let it boil. Once very hot, remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate to let the warm cream melt the chocolate. Then mix.
- Make sure the pie crust mixture is pulsed into very fine crumbs. You don’t want big lumps of graham crackers and peanut butter cookies in the mixture because it’ll be hard to form a level crust inside the pie plate.
- When adding the crust to the pie plate, work on the sides first, then even out the bottom. I recommend using a heavy, flat bottom glass or the base of a measuring cup to pack the mixture down evenly.
- Be sure to FOLD the whipped cream into the ganache. It’s important to use a folding motion instead of whisking because you want to keep the mixture light and fluffy rather than knocking all the air out of it.
- Although the filling of this pie is no-bake, it’s imperative that you bake the peanut butter pie crust. If you skip this step, the crust will completely crumble when you go to slice the pie. It only needs 10-15 minutes in the oven to become perfectly crisp and golden!
FAQ:
Blenders tend to work much better for looser mixtures. If you don’t have a food processor, I’d recommend placing the graham crackers and peanut butter cookies in a large Ziploc bag, sealing it, and using a rolling pin to break things up into tiny crumbs. Then proceed by mixing in the remaining ingredients for the crust.
I think it makes sense to use whatever chocolate you like to eat on its own! If you like sweet chocolate, trying using milk chocolate. If you like a deeper, more bitter chocolate flavor, try using dark chocolate. For something in between (which is my favorite) go for semi-sweet!
Sure! This is a great pie to make even days ahead of time because it stores well in the fridge. Just be sure to cover the top of the pie to prevent it from drying out. Don’t forget to top with freshly whipped cream right before serving!
I like to loosely cover the pie dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Slice and enjoy straight from the fridge!
No Bake Chocolate Pie
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 10 nutter butter cookies
- 10 full graham cracker sheets
- 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 4 tbsp melted butter
For the filling:
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
For topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cocoa powder for dusting on top!
Instructions
For the chocolate ganache:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a very light simmer.
- Remove from heat and add in the chopped chocolate. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes to let the chocolate melt.
- After letting sit for a few minutes, whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth. Transfer to the fridge to cool.
For the crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add all the ingredients for the pie crust into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of your pie plate. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help pack it in if needed. Bake for 12 minutes.
Assembly:
- While the crust cools, add 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk to form stiff peaks.
- Fold the whipped cream into the chilled ganache.
- Transfer the filling to the cooled peanut butter crust and set in the fridge for 4 hours to set up.
- Before serving, make another batch of whipped cream by adding whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip until the cream reaches soft peaks.
- Spread the whipped cream all over the surface of the chilled pie, then finish off with an optional dusting of cocoa powder.
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