This chocolate peanut butter pretzel pie is a luscious dessert combining a buttery, salty pretzel crust with layers of rich, no-bake peanut butter cheesecake and pudding and topped with a sweet and salty topping of whipped cream, crushed pretzels, and chocolate sauce.
Is this dessert a pie or a cheesecake? It's a little bit of both, and it's thoroughly delicious. We love to make this dessert recipe for an extra-special weeknight dessert or parties. It looks and tastes fancy, but it's ridiculously easy to make.
This was inspired by our other chocolate peanut butter recipe on this site, and it's a delicious way to finish off a meal with classic Americana flavors like glazed meatloaf, sloppy Joe garlic bread, or beef stroganoff.
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Why You'll Love This Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie Recipe
This recipe is incredibly easy to make and loaded with classic chocolate and peanut butter flavors. And that's just the beginning of why it's so fantastic.
- It only uses a few simple, basic ingredients.
- It's an easy recipe that even beginners can make with no problem.
- Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combo that everyone loves.
- The rich, sweet layers of the pie pair perfectly with the salty crust.
Ingredients
You'll only need to hit two or three aisles in the store to get everything you need to make this recipe. It's all basic stuff. In fact, you might just have most of them in your kitchen right now.
Crust
- Pretzels - crushed
- Unsalted butter - melted
Peanut Butter Filling
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese - softened
- Creamy peanut butter
- Vanilla extract
- Whipped topping
Chocolate Pudding Layer
- Instant chocolate pudding
- Milk
Topping
- Whipped topping
- Pretzels - crushed
- chocolate sauce
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Flavor Variations and Substitutions
- Sweet Crust: You can make a sweet crust with crushed Oreos, Nilla Wafers, or graham crackers.
- Richer Pudding: For a super-rich pudding layer, use heavy cream in place of milk.
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter: Use a layer of white chocolate instead of chocolate.
- Nut Butter: Use almond, cashew, or your other favorite nut butter to create different pie flavors.
If you love sweet and salty treats like this pie, then be sure to check out our copycat Crumbl salted caramel cheesecake cookies.
How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie
1: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Then, turn off the heat and stir in the crushed pretzels.
2: Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 13x9 dish lined with parchment paper and bake until golden.
3: Beat all the peanut butter ingredients except the whipped topping. until smooth and creamy. Then, fold in the whipped topping.
4: Spread the mixture over the crust and chill to set.
5: Make the pudding and spread it evenly over the peanut butter layer. Chill again to let the pudding set.
6: Top with whipped topping and chill for at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with crushed pretzels and drizzle with chocolate sauce before serving.
Hint
Fold the whipped topping into the peanut butter cheesecake mixture rather than stirring it. This ensures a light, fluffy filling.
Storage
Refrigerate your pie until ready to serve and immediately after serving for the freshest flavor and longest shelf life. Freeze for longer storage.
Refrigerator: Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Flash freeze individual slices of the pie. Then, wrap them in plastic wrap, place them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
What To Serve With Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie
This pie is loaded with chocolate and peanut butter flavor, making it an excellent dish to pair with other fruity desserts at parties or to finish off a meal of all kinds of savory dishes.
Tips
- When lining your baking dish with parchment paper, ensure the edges hang over the baking dish sides. This makes it easier to remove the slices.
- Remove the butter from the heat before stirring in the crushed pretzels. This ensures the pretzels are coated with melted butter but not cooked.
- Press the pretzel mixture firmly into the bottom of the baking dish to ensure a uniform crust that holds together when the pie is cut.
- Fold your whipped topping into the peanut butter mixture with a spatula. This keeps the filling nice and fluffy.
- 3 hours is the minimum chilling time for this pie, but it's so much better when chilled overnight.
FAQ
Peanut butter pretzel pie is a variation of no-bake peanut butter cheesecake made with a baked pretzel crust and layers of peanut butter cheesecake filling and chocolate pudding.
If you don't press the crust very firmly into the bottom of the dish, it won't mesh as it bakes, falling apart when you cut up the pie. In addition, if the pretzels aren't crushed into fine enough pieces, they won't be able to form a cohesive crust.
Yes and no. Strictly speaking, no-bake cheesecake is really more of a mousse. However, it has all the signature flavor of cheesecake. It's just delivered in a lighter, fluffier package.
No, you have to use instant pudding. Instant pudding sets without boiling, while cook-and-serve pudding doesn't. In addition, it's difficult to spread thickened cook-and-serve pudding evenly.
More Must Try Peanut Butter Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Pretzel Crus
- 2 cups pretzels crushed
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whipped topping
Pudding Layer
- 2 (3.9 ounce) packages of instant chocolate pudding
- 3 cups milk
Topping
- 8 ounces whipped topping
- ½ cup pretzels crushed
- ½ cup chocolate sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Prepare a 13X9 baking dish by Lining it with parchment paper, ensuring it extends over the edges.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Turn off the heat, add the crushed pretzels, and stir until completely coated.
- Add the pretzels to the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish and press it down with a spoon-Bake for 5 minutes. Then, let cool to room temperature.
- Add powdered sugar, cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Then, fold in 1 cup of whipped topping until well incorporated. Spread evenly over the pretzel crust.
- Spread evenly over the pretzel crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Mix the pudding and milk until well combined. Pour over the peanut butter filling, evenly smooth it out, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Spread whipped topping evenly over the top. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle crushed pretzels over the top and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
TC
Decadent describes this dessert. We loved it and it was very easy to make, although it takes a bit of time between layers. I did not use the parchment paper, and it still served up fine. Thank You... I will definitely be making again.
Ryan Allen
Glad you enjoyed it and the wait is definitely worth it.