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?
Megan, you are so talented:) This is RESTAURANT WORTHY!! I cannot get over this recipe. It is absolutely fantastic. It looks and tastes like something you would drool over at your favorite bakery. My 19 year old daughter is a novice chef, and thoroughly enjoyed making this. She pulsed raw almonds in the blender to get an almond meal consistency. The 8 inch springform pan worked very well. I could also imagine this working well in a square pan cut into small pieces instead of pie shape. Whatever shape it is, I’ll lick the pan. And it is so healthy!
I’ve done this recipe with peanutbutter and homemade roasted cashew butter. Yummy!! We are all peanutbutter lovers in our family but actually prefer the cashew butter pie. The peanutbutter pie is still delicious but the cashew butter wins overall. For those commenting it was too coconutty, just add a little less coconut oil.
Could you replace the coconut oil with Earth Balance vegan butter? If so, how much? Thank you!
This was really yummy!! While my chocolate topping hardened on the pie, it didn’t stick to it. The pie was in the freezer overnight so it was frozen a lot longer than 6 hrs. Do you think this could be the reason?
I have made this recipe three times now. One of my son-in-laws is lactose and whey intolerant. He really enjoys when I make this dessert and so does everyone else! It is a little bit more labor intensive to make but totally worth it. This is a nice quality pie.
Hi Megan,
Thank you for sharing with us these beautiful recipes…
Can we use almond flour in this recipe instead of almond meal?
Thank you one more time 🙂
Yes, I think almond flour would work fine for this recipe!
Any chance coconut oil can be substituted, we have a coconut allergy. Would Palm shortening work ?
I think that should work, since palm shortening is also solid at room temp. I’d love to hear if you experiment with it!
Could I use oat flour? I recently found out I have a sensitivity to Almonds ☹️
I bet you could! But you might need to use a little more oil to help it bind together, since oat flour will be more dry compared to almond flour. I’d love to hear if you experiment with it!
Oh my goodness, made this today and just had a slice, and I think I’m in heaven! So delicious! 10 stars ⭐️
Could you give an estimate of how long this pie can be kept just in the fridge?
I think it would last at least 7 days in the fridge. But the texture will be much softer in that case!
This tastes like a cheesecake.I had a slice for breakfast. A little slice is deceptively filling. For sure not a low calorie food, but such a great treat for the peanut chocolate lovers in my family. Thanks Megan for another awesome recipe! ❤️
easy and delicious! i made it in a rectangular pan, and cut them into small squares and call them reese’s – we eat them out of the freezer.. so good and impressive looking! also i used an hand immersion blender for the filling which worked well. thank you!
What would be a good substitute for coconut oil. My SIL is allergic to coconut. I’d love to try this!
Made this last night and it was phenomenal. My husband, who grew up on junk food, declared it’s on his “top 5 pies ever” list. High praise indeed.
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that it’s a hit! Thanks for letting me know!
Has anyone made this with a 9×12 baking dish instead of a pie pan? If so, should I double the recipe? Thank you!
Loved this…. The pan I used was too big so was thin but delicious
My kids loved this and it was so easy to make. I love all your recipes!
My kids loved this!
Made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it!
This recipe blew us away. My husband has not stopped talking about it since we made it. We’ve been trying to eat tiny pieces to make it last but it’s so good it’s hard to stick to one piece for dessert! It was the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving dinner. It was SO easy to make! The ingredients are few and so simple for how delicious this recipe is. It makes me so happy to find an amazing dessert recipe that isn’t loaded with refined sugar, gluten and salt. My husband has said repeatedly that if he went to a restaurant and was served this pie he would be in complete and total shock. We will be making this recipe for years to come I know! I can’t wait to share it with my friends + family.
I made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit!!! Everyone asked for the recipe and the added benefit is that it’s healthy with no added sugar (just maple syrup) : ) the cold creamy layers are delicious. I highly recommend this recipe and not just for thanksgiving. I could eat it every day! Thanks, Megan!
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and it never fails me. I make them into mini cups for holiday treats/desserts for my partner and me throughout the year. I can’t say enough about them– simple to make, loved by ALL, and SO much yummier than the store-bought alternatives– truly. Detoxinista is life!
Is it served frozen or can it be refridgerated after it is finished and firm?
YUM!!! This was so good! I have always been a fan of the grocery store freezer pies.
Having this healthier option is a game changer! My husband, who is a peanut butter fanatic, really enjoyed this as well!
2nd Time I replaced the coconut oil in the pie with canned coconut milk because all my coconut oil floated to the top as the pie cooled.
Pie was amazing! I tasted more maple syrup than peanut butter so going to try again with less syrup.
We have tried quite a few different chocolate/pb combinations and this one, by far, blows them all away!
How long should it sit outside the freezer before serving? I don’t bake a lot so I don’t know what “served chill” means.
I serve it directly from the freezer. Slice & serve it while it’s still cold, otherwise it will start to melt if it sits too long on the counter.
I have now made this pie several times! It’s as easy as pie (pun intended :)) It’s absolutely delicious and always a hit! Make the pie! You won’t regret it 🙂
Will make this again!!! It’s so easy yet it looks and taste like a decadent difficult dessert.
Delicious! Just finished freezing & topping this pie, and it’s so good !! We’ve made some similar recipes before- this has been the best AND easiest 🙂 It’s also too rich/filling to eat more than a slice (or two, haha) at a time, so no worries about running out of pie in one day! I replaced the coconut oil with avocado + extravirgin olive oil! Such a healthy treat to solve the sugar cravings
It’s in the freezer and looks so good! Question – should I put this in the refrigerator prior to serving or is it easy to slice from the freezer?
Delicious! Easy to make with my little one and tastes very good. However, the topping didn’t quite get liquidity enough and then solidified too much to drizzle or even spread. What went wrong?
Im thinking Ill try pie without the extra topping as I think its rich and sweet enough without.
Made this for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was loved by all!! So easy and delicious! Instead of the chocolate drizzle, I crumbled healthy peanut butter cups and sprinkled on top.
This is awesome! Made it for the second year in a row and was again a hit with all of the family. Thanks so much! Oh and super easy to make!
Made for Valentines today and it is delish