Fudgy Reese’s pie is a decadent and easy (almost) no-bake dessert! This rich chocolate peanut butter pie recipe features a thick fudge layer set inside a graham cracker crust, topped with mini Reese’s Cups and fluffy peanut butter mousse.
Like my Butterfinger pie and pumpkin mousse pie, this Reese’s fudge pie calls for zero oven time apart from par-baking the crust. It’s one of the easiest make-ahead desserts for the holidays and beyond!
I’m not saying I’m Superman. I can’t fly, and I’m not about to start wearing my underwear outside of my clothing. But, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my kryptonite. Put a peanut butter cup in front of me and I am powerless. For that reason, my Reese’s pie is a hard dessert to beat. Obviously, there are Reese’s scattered throughout. And the fudge layer is the real deal, like the classic chocolate fudge you make at Christmas, topped with light and fluffy peanut butter mousse. I won’t give too much away. You’ll have to experience this Reese’s fudge pie for yourself!
Things to Love About This Reese’s Pie
- Basically no-bake. This recipe is 100% no-bake apart from the graham cracker crust, which takes all of 8 minutes in the oven. You can also make this recipe totally no-bake and use a ready-made crust from the store. I won’t tell.
- Easy ingredients. You don’t need fancy ingredients to make the crust, fudge, and peanut butter mousse layers. Just a few pantry ingredients, that’s it.
- Packed with peanut butter flavor. My layered Reese’s pie is like a giant chocolate peanut butter cup, filled with even more peanut butter cups. The flavor is enough to satisfy any peanut butter lover!
- Perfect for parties. Make this pie ahead and have it ready to go in the fridge before company arrives. It’s ideal for potlucks and get-togethers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this fudgy Reese’s peanut butter cup pie. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe details.
- Graham Cracker Crust – I’ve included a simplified version of my best graham cracker pie crust in the recipe card. All you need are graham crackers, butter, and sugar for this one. You can also save a little time by making this pie in a store-bought crust.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – Make sure you’re buying the sweetened kind and not regular condensed milk, which is unsweetened.
- Chocolate Chips – I used milk chocolate chips but you can use dark if you prefer.
- Vanilla – To enhance the flavor of the fudge, I stir in real vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. If needed, you can use equal parts vanilla paste, but avoid imitation vanilla in this recipe.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – You can use Reese’s Minis, as pictured, or use full-sized peanut butter cups and chop them into smaller pieces.
- Peanut Butter – For the mousse, you’ll want to use creamy, shelf-stable peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif. Natural peanut butter is too oily and will separate.
- Powdered Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar thickens the mousse without it becoming grainy.
- Cream Cheese – Take it out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature. I also recommend using the blocks of full-fat cream cheese vs. the tubs, or non-fat.
- Cool Whip – You’ll need a tub of thawed Cool Whip, or you can use regular whipped cream.
How to Make Reese’s Fudge Pie
Making this peanut butter cup pie couldn’t be easier. Here’s how to prepare the three delicious layers. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Prepare the crust. Mix together crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until well combined. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a springform pan, and bake at 350ºF for 8 minutes.
- Make the fudge. Combine all the fudge ingredients in a saucepan on the stovetop. Heat, stirring frequently until the chocolate is fully melted. Afterward, spread the mixture evenly into the crust, and then press Reese’s Cups right into the fudge.
- Add the peanut butter mousse. Now, beat together the peanut butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in the Cool Whip. Spread the mousse over top of the fudge layer, smoothing out the top.
- Chill. Drizzle with chocolate if you’d like, and then pop the whole pie into the fridge to chill before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Use room-temperature cream cheese. It’s worth repeating, as softening the cream cheese really does make it SO much easier to mix. Take the brick of cream cheese out of the fridge 20-30 minutes ahead of time.
- Keep the pie refrigerated. Store your pie in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Not only is there dairy in the ingredients, but the mousse will start to soften if it’s been at room temperature for a while. See below for more tips on how to store your Reese’s pie.
- Garnish with more peanut butter cups. I mean, how could you go wrong? You can also drizzle this peanut butter pie with chocolate ganache or microwave caramel sauce (just make sure that they’re completely cool beforehand).
Easy Variations
I love customizing this pie with different ingredients. It’s perfect to serve either winter, spring, summer, or fall even though it’s chilled. The fudgy flavors go with just about anything! Here are some ideas:
- Use another candy. Make Snickers pie instead by using chopped Snickers candy bars in place of Reese’s Cups. Or, use any other candy bar you prefer.
- Add garnishes. Top your pie with a dusting of cocoa powder, shaved chocolate, or leftover chocolate chips. You can also dress it up with colorful sprinkles, M&Ms, chopped nuts, etc.
- Use Nutella. Swap the peanut butter with Nutella to make hazelnut mousse instead.
Storing and Freezing
- Refrigerate. Store your Reese’s pie covered airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. This Reese’s pie freezes well. Make sure to store it airtight and defrost it again within 3 months for the best freshness. Thaw the frozen pie in the fridge before serving.
More Peanut Butter Desserts
Reese’s Pie
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This fudgy Reese’s Pie is an almost no-bake dessert made from layers of rich fudge and silky peanut butter mousse set inside a graham cracker crust. Filled with Reese’s Cups, of course!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 9 graham crackers, crushed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
For the Fudge Layer
- 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 (8oz) bag Reese’s Minis
Peanut Butter Mousse
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz room temp cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip, thawed.
- *optional 1/4 cup melted chocolate for drizzle
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Mix all ingredients together and spread in the bottom of your springform pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.
- Set aside.
Make the Fudge
- Mix all the fudge ingredients together over medium-low heat, stirring until the chips are melted and smooth.
- Spread the mixture over your graham cracker crust.
- Press Reese’s Minis into the fudge.
For the Peanut Butter Mousse
- Mix peanut butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together in a bowl with a hand mixer until combined and smooth.
- Fold in your Cool Whip.
- Spread the peanut butter mousse evenly over the fudge. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
- Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.
So….my wife is making this pie as we speak!! I have to tell you, you just killed my diet…..and I am totally fine with that!! she even gave me the spoon she spread the fudge with!! Kinda made me feel like a kid again! Thanks for posting this recipe!!
Hi,
I came across your recipe and it lools AMAZING. My bf will absolutely love it for his birthday, so thank you! 🙂
Just one question – it says 2 tbs vanilla. What do you mean? Because it sounds a bit much for vanilla extract. (I’m not from the States, if maybe it’s a product).
It might seem like a lot, but it works, I promise! If you are really unsure you can add just 1 Tbsp.
I made this pie because I love chocolate and peanut butter and Reese Cups. I have a major sweet tooth, but I have to say that this was way to sweet. I also had a heck of a time cutting through this pie. The fudge layer seemed too hard to cut through. I like the concept of this pie, but it is just too rich.
Shelly! OMG I just discovered this recipe. I’ve made it and it’s sitting in the fridge, just waiting for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I am dying of anticipation. The contrast of textures, crunchy, thick and fluffy – and the combination of peanut butter and chocolate – heaven! Did I mention I changed the crust? Instead of graham crackers, Oreo cookie crust. PEANUT BUTTER Oreos, of course! Oh yes I did! I will happily slide into a sugar coma tomorrow. : ) Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Ooh, I can’t wait to hear what you think! Peanut Butter Oreo is genius!
I made this recipe for my husbands birthday and it is extremely rich. It’s like eating an especially rich fudge. I have a great passion for sweets but I think this recipe is “trying too hard”. The sweetness needs to be toned down, or one of the layers needs to be changed to offset the sweetness of the other. Just my humble opinion.
Just made this and it is one of the best pies i have ever tasted! The choclate just melts in your mouth and it is a perfect mixture with the peanut butter mosse and the gramcracker crust. Defenatley give this recipe a thumbs up! <3
Yay!! So glad you liked it 🙂
I just made it in two store-bought pie crusts. Fit pretty well. Definitely would NOT fit in one! Also, I recommend cooling the fudge before adding the topping. My PB cups melted and made it tricky to spread the PB layer.
This looks amazing!! What size springform pan did you use???
A 10″ springform pan…but really it doesn’t matter too much!
I made this last night for a cookout I went to this afternoon. This pie was a huge hit; everyone LOVED it! Graham cracker crust, smooth chocolatey fudge, reese’s cups, and creamy peanut butter mousse…can’t get much better than that! Thanks for the awesome recipe (:
Awesome!!
I love everything about this recipe except for the cool whip, just not a fan. Do you think it would turn out as well if I made my own whip cream and then folded it in?
I am sure that would work great!