No Bake Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie

This No Bake Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie is made with a buttery graham cracker crust, a cream cheese pistachio pudding filling mixed with coconut, and a homemade whipped cream. It’s an easy no bake pie for Easter and the spring season. 

Pistachios are subtle in flavor. They’re a little sweet, mildly nutty, and a pinch earthy in flavor. 

Pistachio pudding, on the other hand, is overhwelmingly sweet and dinstinct in both color and flavor. 

And I love them both with my whole heart. 

I grew up with pistachio pudding, it often being served in a marshmallow pistachio fluff salad at baby showers, potlucks, and holiday gatherings. As a kid, there was nothing better than a brightly colored dessert referred to as ‘salad.’ 

As an adult, fluff pudding salads are a whole lot sweeter than I remember them being, and while I still love the nostalgic flavor, I enjoy elevating them a bit by adding in more flavors and textures that enhance the overall dessert. 

This No Bake Pistachio Pudding Pie is just the dessert to showcase how to turn a standard classic (aka pistachio fluff salad) into a creamy pie just begging to be devoured. 

The best part? It’s still just as easy. 

Three Reasons This Pistachio Pudding Pie Is Perfect For Easter (And Life):

• Color: Let’s talk aesthetics here. Easter is the prime holiday for all things soft and pastel colored. Everything looks like something straight out of a baby shower with the baby blues, greens, pinks, yellows, and purples. This pie is the softest shade of green, making it a perfect addition to your Easter dessert table. 
• Simplicity: Did I mention this is an easy pistachio dessert? It’s a no bake pie made with cream cheese, whipped cream, coconut, and instant pistachio pudding. 
• Taste: If you love pistachio pudding, you’re going to love this pistachio pudding pie. It’s rich and creamy, full of coconut and pineapple, and has the perfect buttery graham cracker crust. 

If you really adore pistachio flavors, here are some other pistachio desserts to try next:

• Honey Pistachio Cupcakes (made with real pistachios!)
• Pistachio Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie Ingredients:

• Graham Cracker Crumbs + Unsalted Butter: This is for the homemade graham cracker crust. For this pistachio pie, I did not add granulated sugar to the crust (a lot of graham cracker crusts are made with sugar), but feel free to add 1/4 cup of sugar if you’d like a sweeter crust.
• Instant Pistachio Pudding: Make sure you get the instant kind, not the stovetop kind.
• Milk: I use 2%, but you can use whole milk or even 1%.
• Cream Cheese
• Granulated Sugar and Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Coconut: Use sweetened shredded coconut. 
• Pineapple
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Pistachios

How To Make This Pistachio Cream Pie:

Graham Cracker Crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together. Once combined, press the crumbs into a pie plate. 

• If you’re making your own graham cracker crumbs, use a food processor to grind the graham crackers into crumbs. Then, while pulsing the food processor, drizzle in the melted butter.

Whipped Cream: Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, whisk heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add in powdered sugar. Whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Divide in half. 

Pistachio Pudding: Do not follow the directions on the box. Instead, mix the pistachio pudding powder with 1 cup of milk. Whisk until the pudding thickens, then set aside. (It will be very thick.)

Filling: Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in the pistachio pudding, pineapple, and coconut. Mix until combined. Lastly, fold in half of the whipped cream. 

Assembly: Pour the pistachio pudding pie filling into the graham cracker crust. Top with the remaining whipped cream. Top with crushed pistachios and toasted coconut, if desired.

Chill: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Storage Tips:

Because this is a pistachio cream pie, the pie needs to be refrigerated before serving, at least 4 hours—overnight would be best. 

When storing this pie in the fridge, make sure to cover the top with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. 

This pie is not really something that can be frozen and thawed so I do not suggest attempting to freeze it. 

Quick and Easy Pistachio Pudding Pie Tips:

• Instant Pudding: Make sure you use instant pudding not stovetop pudding (it will say on the box). 
• Do Not: Do not follow the instructions on the instant pistachio pudding box. This recipe calls for a lot less milk because you want the pudding to be very thick since it’s being lightened with whipped cream and cream cheese.
• Crust Variations: If you don’t want to use graham crackers, you can use vanilla wafers or golden oreos instead. 
• Filling: In the filling, I use cream cheese, coconut, pineapple, pistachio pudding, and whipped cream. In a lot of pistachio fluff salads, marshmallows are also added. If you wanted to, you could add mini marshmallows to the filling (similar to this Strawberry Marshmallow Pie). I thought it was too sweet with the marshmallows, but do what your heart tells you. 

This just might be my favorite Easter dessert! (Well, next to this Lemon Bundt Cake and this Lemon Coconut Cake.)

5 from 2 votes

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No Bake Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie

Prep Time

4 hrs 30 mins

Total Time

4 hrs 30 mins

 

This No Bake Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie is made with a buttery graham cracker crust, a cream cheese pistachio pudding filling mixed with coconut, and a homemade whipped cream. It’s an easy no bake pie for Easter and the spring season. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie

Servings: 8 -10 Slices

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Pistachio Pudding Filling

• 1 3.4oz box Instant Pistachio Pudding
• 1 cup milk
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut, shredded and sweetened flakes
• 8 oz diced pineapple, if using canned, make sure it’s drained

Whipped Cream

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Toppings (optional)

• 1/3 cup toasted coconut*
• 2-3 Tbsp roasted pistachios, chopped

Instructions

1. Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until combined. Press crust into a 9” or 10” pie plate, and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix instant pistachio pudding and 1 cup of milk together. Whisk until the pudding mixture thickens, and then set aside.
3. With a standing mixer and whisk attachment or hand mixer, whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
4. Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Add in pistachio pudding, coconut, and pineapple. Mix until combined.
5. Fold in half of the whipped cream mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour the pistachio pudding cream filling into the graham cracker crust.
7. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top, and sprinkle with toasted coconut and chopped pistachios, if desired.
8. Chill for at least 4 hours.
9. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Toast coconut by spreading it an even layer on a sheet pan and baking it in the oven at 325 for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Alternatively, you can toast it in a pan on the stove on low heat.

Here are some other recipe you might enjoy:

Blueberry Lemon Cream Pie

No Bake Lemon Cream Pie

Post updated in 2022.