Amish Peanut Butter Cream Pie Recipe

Amish peanut butter cream pie is a pre-baked 9 inch pie crust filled with a fluffy peanut butter and cream cheese filling, covered in whipped topping, and finished with sweet peanut butter crumbs. This version is no bake: about 25 minutes of mixing and assembling, then at least 4 hours in the fridge, and it cuts into 8 rich slices.

The crumb is the part people remember. It is nothing more than peanut butter rubbed into powdered sugar until it turns sandy, yet it gives every forkful a little crunch against the soft cream. I have made this pie countless times, and it is still the one my family asks for first when peanut butter desserts come up.

The Three Layers, Measured

• Crumb topping: ½ cup creamy peanut butter and ½ cup powdered sugar
• Filling: 1 cup creamy peanut butter, one 8 oz block cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ cup whole milk
• Whipped layer: one 8 oz tub whipped topping, or 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Crust: 1 pre-baked 9 inch pie crust, store bought or homemade
• Time: 25 minutes prep, 4 hours chilling (overnight is fine)
• Yield: 8 slices
• Keeps: 3 days in the fridge

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Ingredients for Amish Peanut Butter Pie

Use a regular creamy peanut butter for both the crumb and the filling. Natural peanut butter that separates in the jar makes the filling oily and the crumb greasy, so save it for toast. Powdered sugar dissolves into the cream cheese without any grit, which is why there is no granulated sugar anywhere in this recipe.

The cream cheese should be a full fat block, softened on the counter until a finger presses into it easily. Whole milk loosens the filling into something light and spreadable. For the crust, a store bought shell works, but my homemade pie crust adds a flaky, salty edge that suits the sweet filling. Bake it fully and let it cool before you start.

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Making the Peanut Butter Crumbles

Put ½ cup peanut butter and ½ cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl and work them together with a fork or pastry cutter. At first it looks like a sticky paste. Keep pressing and cutting, and it breaks into small, dry crumbs that look a little like brown sugar. Set them aside while you make the filling.

If the mixture stays pasty, add another spoonful of powdered sugar. If it turns to dust, work in a teaspoon more peanut butter. You want clumps you can pinch together that still fall apart when you scatter them.

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Beating a Fluffy Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Filling

In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with 1 cup peanut butter until completely smooth, with no specks of white left. This step decides the texture. I have found that cream cheese that is even slightly cold leaves small lumps that never beat out once the sugar goes in.

Add the 1 cup powdered sugar and mix until it disappears. Then pour in the ½ cup milk a little at a time, beating as you go, until the filling looks light, fluffy, and holds soft swirls. It should spread like thick frosting, much like my peanut butter mousse filling for cakes, only denser.

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Assembling the Pie: Filling, Cream, Crumb

Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and smooth it into an even layer with a spatula. Spread the whipped topping or whipped cream over it, all the way to the edge of the crust, so the filling is completely covered. Scatter the peanut butter crumb evenly over the top until no white shows through.

Chill the pie for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The filling firms up, the whipped layer sets, and the slices come out clean instead of sliding. Serve it cold.

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Cool Whip or Real Whipped Cream on Top?

Both work, and I have made the pie both ways. An 8 oz tub of whipped topping (like Cool Whip), fully thawed, spreads easily, holds its shape for days, and is the faster choice. Homemade whipped cream, 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, tastes richer and less sweet but softens sooner, so it is best within 2 days.

If you choose homemade, whip the cream to firm peaks so it sits on the filling without weeping. My whipped cream frosting is a stabilized option if the pie needs to sit out on a buffet for a while.

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Pudding, Custard, or No Bake Filling?

Many Pennsylvania Dutch peanut butter pies use a cooked vanilla custard or pudding filling, with peanut butter crumbs layered under the custard and again over the top. This recipe takes the no bake route instead: the peanut butter goes straight into a cream cheese filling, so the peanut flavor is stronger and there is no stove time at all.

If you like the layered look of the pudding style, press a few spoonfuls of the crumb into the bottom of the crust before adding the filling and use the rest on top. For a cooked cream pie with a custard base, my banana cream pie and coconut cream pie follow that method.

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When the Filling or Crumb Misbehaves

• Lumpy filling: the cream cheese was too cold. Let the bowl sit for 15 minutes and beat again before adding more milk.
• Filling too stiff to spread: beat in milk 1 tablespoon at a time, up to the ½ cup in the recipe.
• Crumb melts into the topping: it was scattered on a warm or very soft whipped layer. Chill the pie for 30 minutes first, then add the crumb.
• Slices fall apart: the pie needs the full 4 hours. Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
• Soggy crust: the shell was underbaked or still warm when filled. Bake it until golden and let it cool completely.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter and Other Twists

For an Amish chocolate peanut butter pie, drizzle a thin layer of melted chocolate over the filling before the whipped topping goes on. If you want chocolate all the way through, my chocolate peanut butter pie is built around it, and the no bake peanut butter pie uses a cookie crust for a different texture.

For a bigger party, the same flavors work in a peanut butter cheesecake. And if you have leftover peanut butter after baking, a batch of buckeyes uses it up nicely.

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Chilling, Slicing, and Making It a Day Ahead

This pie slices best well chilled. A sharp knife, cleaned between cuts, keeps the layers neat, and the crumb stays on top instead of sliding off. You can assemble the whole pie the day before serving, which makes it an easy dessert for Thanksgiving, potlucks, and family dinners.

Cover leftovers loosely and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap slices individually and freeze them for up to 1 month. They thaw quickly in the fridge and taste nearly as fresh as the day you made them. The whipped topping version freezes better than homemade whipped cream.

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What Bakers Want to Know

Is Amish peanut butter cream pie no bake?

Yes, apart from the crust. The filling, whipped layer, and crumb are mixed and chilled, never baked, so you only need a pre-baked 9 inch shell.

What makes a peanut butter pie Amish?

The peanut butter crumb, made from peanut butter and powdered sugar, scattered over a creamy filling and whipped topping. It is a Pennsylvania Dutch style that puts the crumb front and center.

How long does Amish peanut butter pie need to chill?

At least 4 hours, or overnight. That is how long the filling and whipped layer need to firm up enough for clean slices.

Can I use pudding instead of cream cheese?

This recipe is written for cream cheese, which gives a firmer, tangier filling. A vanilla pudding base is a different pie, so the amounts here will not carry over directly.

How many slices does one pie make?

One 9 inch pie makes 8 generous slices. The filling is rich, so thinner slices work well for a crowd.

If this pie becomes a regular at your table, my chocolate cream pie is a good one to bake next. Save it to your Pinterest board, and tell me in the comments how yours turned out.