This Vegan Peanut Butter Pie tastes like a chocolate peanut butter cup! There’s no baking required, so all you have to do is assemble the layers and then let it chill until firm. The hardest part is waiting to eat it!
Why You’ll Love It
This creamy peanut butter pie is:
- No-bake
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Egg-free
- and totally delicious!
It’s also a great dessert to make for a holiday gathering, because it won’t take up any oven space. Keep in mind that it will melt if you leave it out at room temperature for too long, so I recommend storing it in the freezer until about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in a vegan peanut butter pie?
- Peanut butter
- Coconut oil (see tips below)
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Cacao powder
- Almond flour (for the crust)
That’s seriously all you need, for all 3 layers! The coconut oil is key for making this pie firm-up when chilled, because coconut oil is solid when cold.
Pro Tip: If you don’t want a coconut-flavored dessert, be sure to shop for “refined” coconut oil, which is also called expeller-pressed coconut oil. This type of coconut oil has ZERO coconut flavor, so your dessert will only taste like peanut butter and chocolate!
How to Make It
Before you get started, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, and not cold from the fridge. If you store your maple syrup in the fridge, it’s a good idea to measure out what you need, then let it sit out for at least an hour before getting started.
1. Make the crust. Stir together the almond flour, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt. It should stick together into a big ball when you’re done stirring it.
Line an 8-inch baking pan (or springform pan) with parchment paper, so the pie will release easily later. Press the chocolate crust into the bottom of the pan evenly, then place it in the freezer to set while you make the filling.
2. Prepare the filling. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, water, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. (I tried simply whisking this mixture together, but using a blender makes a huge difference here. It turns silky smooth!)
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust, and place the pan back in the freezer. Make sure it’s sitting on a flat surface, so the pie will set evenly.
3. Make the chocolate topping. You can make this topping right away and swirl it into the peanut butter layer, or you can wait until the peanut butter layer is totally frozen, and add it as a topping.
I usually wait and add it as a topping, with a few crushed peanuts on top, but the choice is totally up to you! You can see an example of the swirling option here, if you’d like to give it a try.
To make the chocolate topping, make sure all 3 ingredients are NOT cold, and the coconut oil should be melted, in its liquid state. Use a whisk to stir them all together, until the chocolate looks smooth and silky.
4. Decorate. Drizzle the chocolate topping over the top, then add a few crushed peanuts on top, if you’d like. (I add them to help cover up my mediocre decorating skills, but they also add a nice crunch.)
Slice and serve chilled, for the best texture.
Store this vegan peanut butter pie in the freezer for the most firm texture, and keep it tightly covered to preserve the flavor. It will keep well for up to 3 months frozen in an airtight container.
Expert Tips & Common Questions
Can I omit the coconut oil? The coconut oil is important for the texture of this pie. It won’t firm up without some sort of fat that is solid when chilled. You could most likely use a vegan butter as a swap, or real butter if you don’t need a vegan recipe.
If you’re trying to avoid a coconut flavor, use refined or expeller pressed coconut oil, which will add no coconut taste to the final pie.
Can I use a different nut butter? Of course! Almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter should work well in its place. Just keep in mind that the flavor will change, depending on which nut or seed butter that you use.
Can I make a full pie crust? Sure! If you don’t want a pie crust that is only on the bottom, you could try adding cocoa powder and a little extra sweetener to my oat flour pie crust or almond flour pie crust recipes.
Adding a full crust will make this pie more calorie-rich, so I don’t think it’s necessary, but I love to hear how you experiment with it.
Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- Pinch of salt
Peanut Butter Pie Filling
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate Topping
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- chopped nuts , for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Spray an 8-inch pan lightly with oil, then press a piece of parchment paper inside. (Alternatively, you can grease a springform pan.) To prepare the crust, combine the almond flour, cocao powder, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt, and stir well, until it sticks together.
- Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, then place it in the freezer to firm up as you prepare the filling.
- To prepare the Peanut Butter Pie filling, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, water, and salt to a blender, and blend until very smooth. Alternatively, you can use an electric hand mixer to beat this well. (Mixing by hand, even with a whisk, will not give you the same results.)
- Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the peanut butter filling on top of the chocolate crust. Return the pan to the freezer, making sure it's sitting on a flat surface, so the pie will set evenly.
- When the peanut butter filling has set, which can take roughly 3 to 4 hours, prepare the chocolate topping. In a small bowl, combine the coconut oil, cocao powder, and maple syrup, and whisk well until it's very smooth, with a drippy consistency.
- Once the peanut butter filling is firm to the touch, use the parchment paper to remove the peanut butter pie from the pan. Drizzle the chocolate topping over the top, and watch it harden quickly as it rests on the frozen pie. Slice and serve right away, with a few chopped peanuts on top, if you like.
- This peanut butter pie will store well in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Serve chilled for the best texture.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Vegan Peanut Butter Pie, please leave a star rating and comment below letting me know how you like it!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite holiday dessert?
What is coconut oil and if it is oil why would it be melted?
Coconut oil is a unique oil that is solid at room temperature– it melts at 76 degrees. Similar to butter!
OMG…this is an amazing dessert. I am grateful Kris Carr shared it! I made it for a family Christmas celebration and everyone LOVED it. I’ve never used coconut oil before, and am very pleased with how it is used in this dish.
Thank you very much…it’s a wonderful dessert 🙂
Can I use garbanzo bean flour for the crust?
This recipe is truly phenomenal!
I made this pie last night and it was great. I didn’t have any almond meal on hand but I did have hazelnut meal, so I used that in the crust and it worked fine. I am also super lazy and don’t like cleaning peanut butter out of my blender, so I used my immersion blender to whip up the filling and it was super easy – you just have to use a big enough bowl so you don’t splash everywhere! Thanks for a great recipe.
Well, this is not sugar-free/
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/maple-syrup?portionid=40127&portionamount=0.500
820 calories, just in maple syrup, loaded with high fructose corn syrup and additives. even the organic is high calories?
How can you call yourself a detoxinista as these recipes are laden with fat. and sugar?
Pure maple syrup is not loaded with high fructose corn syrup or additives– the only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” I’d definitely consider this recipe a treat, but there’s nothing wrong with having a treat every now and then!
My view on “detox” is that it should be done on a daily basis, by gradually incorporating more whole foods and healthy lifestyle habits into your routine, rather than doing any drastic cleanses. Upgraded recipes like this one are intended to help people transition away from highly refined sugars and processed desserts, so even though it’s still high in natural fat and natural sugars, it’s still a step in the right direction. In fact, I lost quite a bit of weight myself while enjoying treats like this one, partially because it kept me from feeling deprived while improving my habits!
Maple syrup is maple sap from a tree, boiled down to a syrup. You are most likely referring to the garbage found in markets that is labeled maple syrup, but is just dyes, sugars and processed sweeteners. Not in any way maple syrup.
Pure maple syrup is loaded with minerals, has a lower glycemic index than sugar and tastes amazing.
Hey! I live abroad and I guess the natural peanut butter we get over here is runny. For the peanut butter batter I ended up having to add 1/4 cocoa powder to thicken it up, as it was runny and not the right consistency. That did the job! My boyfriend absolutely loves it! Thanks for this recipe. 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times since the original post in November- It’s my guys’ favorite and I truly think its my favorite too; not only to sample the masterpiece in the making and “clean” my tools while getting it ready but actually preparing this No Bake Peanut Butter Pie is so enjoyable and easy! Thanks for sharing!
made this tonight loved it , subded honey for the syrup, honey overpowers the taste of the pie but was awesome and i will definatley make again
Amazing recipe! Great tip for the salt which I doubled bc my nut butters are unsweetened. Used half almond and half sunbutter. Finger-licking good as I poured the last bit onto the crust. Will be making for my daughter’s birthday party.
Just wondering if you have a substitute for almond meal. My hubs is allergic to tree nuts but had this last night at a friends and it was delist!! Just wondering if perhaps fine shredded coconut would work? Any tips would be awesome!! Thanks
Coconut flour would work I think?
Have you ever made these as individual servings rather than one large pie? I have a silicone brownie mold with square serving-size openings, thinking this might be a neat way to serve them. If I try it, I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Great pie!
I have experimented with several butters: peanut, sunflower seed, cashew, and almond – as well as a mixture of several butters at once. Also tried different toppings. In the end my favorite butter is ALMOND, and we skip the chocolate topping and instead put a layer of Pascha 85 percent cocoa chocolate chips on top of the crust. Then we pour in our almond butter filling. Then we sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the filling. Such a divine pie!
Also, I leave my pie in the freezer. I find it costs easily enough, and tastes great while still solid.
[5 star recipe. For some reason I can only click on 3 stars]
I meant to say “cuts easily enough”.
This pie is my husband and I’s favorite dessert now! It is so unbelievably good! Your blog is my favorite ever, I don’t have to scroll through endless pictures and text to get to the recipe and I love your take on things. Very down-to-earth. Next I will try your similar no-bake pb cup bars (meaning as soon as UPS delivers our 9 lbs of peanut butter to keep up with all your recipes I can’t wait to try!
Made this for Christmas, and everyone loved it! Only change I made was I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of water in the filling and it was great. I used a hand mixer on high vs a blender to mix the filling. Also – do not be tempted to microwave the topping to make it “runnier”.. it will turn cakey, as I learned 🙂
This is my brother’s favorite dessert ever! I’m shocked he loves it since he is so anti-vegan, but at the same time I’m not surprised since this pie is DELICIOUS. I made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it was GONE. By far the best dessert of the night.
Oh.my.god, this is DELICIOUS!!!! Just made it tonight and my boyfriend and I absolutely loved it!!!
I love all your recipes, I find that they are super simple, really delish, they always turn out great! Thank you!
Made this for hubby for Valentine’s Day. It was a huge hit! I made my crust with walnuts, cashews, date paste, and cacao. It was perfect. I am sure he will request this one again! Thanks
So our little guy can’t do coconut oil. 🙁 Any ideas for a good substitute???
If he can tolerate real butter, that’s the best substitute for coconut oil as it stays firm when chilled.
No we are dairy free and use Earth Balance. Think it would work?
I don’t use Earth Balance, but if it’s firm when chilled it should work!
It worked great with Earth’s balance!! I also dubbed payed for the crust and it was good too.
Will the crust recipe work with blanched almond flour? I do not have any almond meal.
Love this pie!!! 🙂
was this made with refined or unrefined coconut oil?
I always use unrefined coconut oil, which has a mild coconut flavor, but I’ve heard that the refined version has no coconut taste at all if you prefer that.
I’m allergic to almonds- do you know of another flour that is comparable to baking with almond flour? Thanks so much
Bethany
I can’t use maple syrup. Any other sugar substitute? I usually use Swerve, stevia, or Truvia. Thanks! 🙂
I can’t tolerate any of those sweeteners myself (you can read my post about that here) so you’ll have to experiment and let us know what works!
Tanya, what about agave or date paste? Also you could try erythritol. But agave might be closest.
Thanks for this recipe. Although easy, I managed to mess it up 🙁 I ran into some issues with the filling. My peanut butter (Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted) and coconut oil were separating. I drained off about 1/4 cup of the coconut oil before pouring it onto the crust, but there was still an oily sheen on top of the peanut butter filling. I changed the ingredients slightly in that I used only 1.5 tablespoons of honey to sweeten instead of the maple syrup. I added 2 tablespoons coconut milk and some more water to make up for less liquid. I guess the chemistry is very important here in keeping the ingredients the same? Or should I not have used an immersion blender? At least it will probably still taste good!
This pie is best made with Almond Butter. Also, cut the water. I use 1/2 cup water. Makes perfect consistency for the filling.
Nutritional info?
You can use MyFitnessPal.com to calculate any numbers you might need.
Would it be ok to use a muffin tin to make the pie? I’d like to make them for a party and have it easy to grab and go.
This dessert is amazing!! It is not too sweet so you feel good eating it. It is a chocolaty peanut butter masterpiece! I love this recipe! My friends were so puzzled by it like it has no dairy? and it’s not cheesecake? It was pretty funny but there were no leftovers 🙂 It’s worth the maple syrup!
I made this last night for dinner guests. It was a hit!!! Even kids ate it. It was so delicious. Definitely making this again!
What peanut butter brand did you use for the no bake peanut butter cup recipe?
This was really super delicious!
I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and it is out of this world good. I didn’t change a thing. I have a major sweet tooth, and this is so rich and decadent that even I only want a small slice at a time, but that’s a good thing. I think I have a new go-to pie recipe. Thank you!
Yes yes YES!!!! So easy and so good and so healthy (well minus all the fat, but its healthy fat right???). This is my husbands absolute favorite- thank you Meghan!! Love all your recipes.
Oops meant to rate this!!! I’d give more stars if I could!
Oh my goodness. I just made this last night. Delicious!!! My husband and three year old son loves it. And I felt good giving them a piece of pie as a sweet treat knowing the ingredients. Thank you!!!!
Is there an alternative to almond meal?
This looks great!
Love this recipe!! But I’m curious if a “milk” (almond, oat, etc) could be used instead of water?
Sure, I don’t see why not!
Megan, this was AMAZING. I made it to surprise my pb loving husband on Canadian Thanksgiving. In 15 minutes this baby was setting in the freezer! Easiest dessert ever and now in his top three. The only change I made was I used butter (because I love it) and for the drizzle I used a Lindt dark chocolate and sea salt bar that I melted. Just wrote this recipe out in my book of “keepers!”
Any substitute for the almond flour? I have a tree nut allergy😒
Maybe oat flour or ground sunflower seeds?
This is really delicious!!! I’ve made this recipe several times because my kids and I love it!
I’m making this today! One question, in the video it says to chill it for 4-6 hours before adding the topping. The recipe says to freeze it. Does it matter which? And if you need it to set in the freezer, once it is firm can it be stored in the refrigerator! Many thanks! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
We made this yesterday and enjoyed it today. It is absolutely amazing and I will be sharing this recipe with everyone I know 🙂
I personally liked it, the peanut butter flavour is reach in texture. My guest thought it was too much, I guess you really have to love peanut butter 😀
Thanks for this recipe, is very delicious, easy and fresh, good the summer, but also in all season😉.
This pie is requested for birthdays or special occasions at least twice a year. and the peanut butter filling is good for so many different things… today I am making it for an ice cream bar…I had some left over and spread it on a pancake…oh my!! this is likely my new favorite way to have pancakes. if you LOVE all things peanut buttery, this is AWESOME-SAUCE!!!
I throw an annual girls’ chocolate party every year; it just hasn’t been as fun since I’ve developed allergies and can only eat a mediocre dessert or two that I make. This was a game-changer. Everyone loved it – me, my celiac SIL, and my gluten-dairy-loving friends. You’d better believe I’m making this for Thanksgiving dinner!!
Yay! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Sounds PERFECT for Thanksgiving. 🙂
How did you do the drizzle? I keep trying to make the chocolate sauce to make the sauce come out as a drizzle but it’s not working. I’ve heating it but it always still comes out thick and not smooth.
As long as the maple syrup isn’t cold from the fridge, it usually turns out runny enough to drizzle. You can add another tablespoon of coconut oil to thin it out, though!
I used almond butter and I used melted cocoa butter in place of coconut oil as I’m allergic to coconut. Yummy
I made this. It was UNREAL. No joke I am a really dessert critic and this recipe is literally everything!
I’ve made this five times! It’s amazing!