This homemade Peanut Butter Pie is based off my dad’s Peanut Butter Surprise Pie recipe and it’s full of rich peanut butter flavor, sweet honey and a hint of chocolate. It’s a peanut butter lover’s dream dessert!
Homemade Peanut Butter Pie with a graham cracker crust is just what the dessert doctored ordered, or something like that. It’s rich, packed with peanut butter and the filling is refined sugar free…so, need I say more?
We’re taking a bread from your regularly scheduled programming (aka, all things pumpkin) and bringing a peanut butter dessert that is so rich without being overly sweet that it transcends all seasonal trends.
Plus, I’m thinking peanut butter is one of those ingredients you can eat all year long without ever getting tired of it.
And, for all those who are anti-pumpkin, I’m offering you a bit of solace from the pumpkin invasion that lasts from mid-August (guys, can we all just agree that when it’s 100+ degrees it is way too early for pumpkin) to December, respectively.
Love me or hate me?
Will it help or make things worse if I tell you this Peanut Butter Pie is made with honey and a bit of chocolate for sweetness? The whipped cream is made with powdered sugar; however, you could definitely make it with honey or maple syrup if you weren’t feeling the sugar. 🙌🏻
When I was younger, my dad would sometimes whip up a pie or a dessert for us on the weekends.
He makes an amazing Lemon Meringue Pie, and he makes an amazing Peanut Butter Surprise Pie, which is what this Peanut Butter Pie recipe is based off of.
Now, why would I change a recipe from my childhood that I know and love and just called amazing?!
Wait for it…
Have you ever heard people say things like, “Make sure you read through the recipe entirely before starting,” or something similar?
Yeah, I didn’t take that advice. I was all, “I know this recipe. I’ve seen him make it a 100 times!” So while I was all “I can do it!” I was actually unintentionally getting creative and adapting the recipe.
And you know what? It totally turned out fine (this time) and I love how this recipe came out. Someday, I’ll probably share his recipe verbatim, but for today, we’re sharing my take on this peanut butter lovah’s dream.
(For the record, yes, I do know I spelled that wrong. This was intentional, unlike how this recipe came to be.)
Let’s talk about this Peanut Butter Pie so you can get to making this bomb pie asap.
First things first, the peanut butter filling is made on the stove and is a very thick custard, of sorts. It’s a combination of milk, honey, peanut butter, cornstarch, egg yolks, butter and vanilla.
This peanut butter pie filling is refined sugar free, using honey as the sweetener, and whipped cream on top (which can be made with or without sugar). I didn’t intentionally seek out a refined sugar free peanut butter pie recipe (you know me, I’m no stranger to sugar), but it’s a nice fringe benefit, you know?
Now, because I’m no stranger to the sweetness, I added a bit of chocolate to the pie. If you truly want this to be a refined-sugar free pie, then you can omit the chocolate or use a chocolate that is mostly cacao or whatnot.
Do I have to use a graham cracker crust?
No, actually my dad often used nutter butters (definitely adds some sweetness to the pie!). You could use vanilla wafer cookies, chocolate graham crackers, oreos, etc.
Can I use any chocolate in this recipe?
Absolutely. Just note, what type of chocolate you choose can change the sweetness factor of the pie. Using unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate will make the pie significantly less sweet. I used dark chocolate, but you can also use semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.
Homemade Peanut Butter Custard Pie Tips & Tricks:
- The graham cracker crust is made with honey grahams, vanilla extract, melted butter and shaved chocolate.
- The filling is a stovetop peanut butter custard filling made with a combination of milk, honey, cornstarch, peanut butter, egg yolks, butter and vanilla extract.
- I used all natural peanut butter.
- Chocolate and honey are drizzled over the crust, before the filling goes on top.
- Finally, the peanut butter pie is topped with a homemade whipped cream—you can make this with powdered sugar or maple syrup/honey, if you prefer.
PB for life. (And fellow PB fans, after making this pie, definitely try these gooey Peanut Butter Crumb Bars and these Chocolate PB Marshmallow Cookie Bars.)
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 8 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, however you can use whatever chocolate you want—dark, milk, etc.)
- 2 1/2 cups milk (2% is what I used)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used all natural)
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt (about 1/8-1/4 tsp)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (alternately, you could substitute honey or maple syrup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings, if desired
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, honey and melted butter together. Once combined, press into a 9” or 10” pie plate (I used a deep dish 9” plate). Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the crust. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over med-low heat, whisk milk, honey, cornstarch, and egg yolks together, until it begins to boil and thickens (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and whisk in peanut butter, butter, vanilla and pinch of salt.
- Allow the custard to sit for 5-10 minutes, giving it a chance to cool slightly.
- Pour the custard over the crust, smoothing in an even layer. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until the custard has chilled. Once the custard is chilled, make the whipped cream.
- Whip heavy whipping cream on med-low speed until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar (or honey/maple syrup) and vanilla extract and whip until it’s the consistency of whipped cream (stiff peaks).
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cooled custard, and top with chocolate shavings.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
(Also, side note—when I shot these photos, it was one of those it’s-so-hot-we’re-all-going-to-melt-and-maybe-pass-out-from-the-heat days, thus I froze the slice of pie before shooting the pictures, otherwise you would have seen a pile of filling and crust on the plate. When you make this, the pie filling will be a bit looser—that’s exactly how it should be! 😊)
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