29 Cream Pie Recipes That Are as Fluffy as a Cloud
![29 Cream Pie Recipes That Are as Fluffy as a Cloud](https://assets.epicurious.com/photos/65242b49ee54e510c930ccf9/16:9/w_320%2Cc_limit/Chocolate-Pudding-Pie_RECIPE.jpg)
Cream pie recipes rarely get the spotlight. At Thanksgiving everyone’s sweet on pumpkin pie and classic apple pie, or they’re partial to pecan or sweet potato. In summer it’s cherry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, as if fruit pies were the only pies that matter. But luscious cream pies have a lot going for them. Piled high with mountains of whipped cream, sometimes made tangy with a touch of sour cream or yogurt or cream cheese, these pies can often be prepped almost entirely in advance, then crowned with the showstopping pile of fluff while your dinner guests clear the dishes.
And there’s another benefit: Many types of cream pie are perfectly happy set in a press-in cookie or graham cracker crust, giving you a reprieve from finicky pie dough. Below you’ll find a few of our best cream pie recipes for serving at your next celebration.
- Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton1/29
French Silk Pie
Few cream pie recipes have a name as evocative as this—the chocolate filling of this pie is silky indeed. This cream pie starts with a no-bake Oreo crust and finishes with dramatic curls of dark chocolate on top of the whipped cream pompadour.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova2/29
Coconut Cream Pie
Of all the different types of cream pies, coconut cream pie stands out—especially when you employ the clever tricks embedded in this recipe. You’ll blind-bake the pie shell, lining the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil and filling with dried beans or pie weights, then toast coconut flakes in the oven before using them to flavor warm whole milk. After straining, that toasted coconut concoction is combined with canned coconut milk for well-rounded coconutty flavor in the pie filling, which is thickened with egg yolks, cornstarch, and unflavored gelatin.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne3/29
Chocolate Cream Pie
This beautiful cream pie is great for entertaining, since the rich, creamy filling will be a surefire hit with anyone who likes chocolate pudding. Sure, you could serve it at room temperature, but right out of the fridge is better.
- Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart4/29
Banana Cream Pie
A bit of mashed banana gives a slightly chewy texture to the graham cracker crust in this old-fashioned cream pie recipe. Make it at least eight hours ahead to allow the crust to soften slightly.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich5/29
Eggnog Pie
This boozy pie, inspired by classic eggnog, first appeared in Gourmet in 1975. Top the rum-spiked whipped cream with shavings of semisweet chocolate for a festive look.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne6/29
Banoffee Pie
“Banoffee” is a portmanteau of banana and toffee, layered onto a crust made with crumbled digestive biscuits. Lightly sweetened cream, whipped until soft peaks form, gets spread or piped over the top of this British specialty.
- Photo by Sara Remington7/29
Peanut Butter Pie
This simple pie is all about the gently sweetened peanut butter—serve it with a big dollop of whipped cream and nothing more.
- Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh8/29
Chocolate Pudding Pie
A mound of fluffy whipped cream, a layer of dense chocolate pudding, and a base of the flakiest pie crust: What could be better?
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini9/29
Pumpkin Icebox Pie With Snickerdoodle Crust
This dessert is much easier than a classic pumpkin pie, thanks to a press-in cookie crust and a tangy whipped filling that doesn’t need to bake. Grab your pie plate, and dessert will be ready lickety-split, chilling in the fridge while you focus on the rest of your Thanksgiving spreadsheet.
- Tina Rupp10/29
Elvis Pie
What makes this luscious cream pie like no other? It’s the peanut butter-bacon pie crust. But the topping of whipped cream scented with vanilla extract and beaten with a touch of peanut butter brings the whole thing together.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton11/29
Banana Cream Pie With Bourbon Whipped Cream
Banana pudding lovers will find all the best parts of their favorite dessert in pie form here. You could use a store-bought graham cracker crust to make this boozy delight, but a homemade one is much tastier.
- Photo by Kelsey Foster12/29
Peanut Butter Pie Bites
These little no-bake desserts are the ideal handheld sweet for peanut butter lovers. Garnish each one with a salty pretzel nugget just before devouring.
- Photo by Will Meppem13/29
Coconut and Passionfruit Cream Pie
Store-bought ingredients are an easy way to spruce up old favorites. Here, passionfruit curd lends its distinctive tropical flavor to a coconut cream pie filling—made with a mix of coconut cream and heavy whipping cream—for a refreshing twist.
- Ditte Isager14/29
Mile-High Chocolate Pie
It’s best to chill this chocolate pie overnight. Not only will the mousse set, but it will be easier to slice, too.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone15/29
Our Favorite Key Lime Pie
The contrast of the creamy whipped cream topping and tart, citrusy filling works magic here. And the active prep time for this Key lime pie is just 35 minutes.
- Photo by Romulo Yanes16/29
Banana Rum Cream Pie
A touch of Madras curry powder and a few teaspoons of rum add complexity to the flavor of this creamy pie.
- Photo by Yunhee Kim17/29
Meyer Lemon Cream Pies
Slightly sweet Meyer lemons give these little pies their fabulous fragrance, but if you can’t find any, you can substitute more-common Eureka lemons. This pie’s silky cream filling is made from protein-rich tofu. To make the whole pie vegan, replace the unsalted butter in the crust with plant-based butter.
- Julian Broad18/29
Banana Cream Pie With Salty Bourbon Caramel
If you thought banana cream pie couldn’t get better, think again—drizzling bourbon caramel over it is a pro move.
- Photo by Ellen Silverman19/29
Lemon Icebox Pie
Freezing this pie gives it a cool sherbet-like texture; you’ll top with Chantilly cream just before serving.
- Tina Rupp20/29
Nutella Pie
Whipping chocolate-hazelnut spread with mascarpone makes an excellent creamy pie filling. The easy pie crust recipe here starts with finely ground chocolate cookie crumbs. And while this definitely doesn’t need ice cream on the side, we won’t stop you from scooping.
- Photo by Peter Frank Edwards21/29
Coconut Cream Pie With Macaroon Press-In Crust
Just a little bit of lime zest in the custard makes this coconut cream pie recipe stand out. A dose of cornstarch in the pudding keeps it firm and sliceable. You don’t need a food processor or stand mixer for this recipe—just whip the cream by hand or use a hand-held mixer.
- Photo by Tara Donne, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell22/29
Deep-Dish Maple-Bourbon Cream Pie
This pie’s custard filling is enriched with maple syrup, bourbon, and brown sugar for deep, toasty butterscotch flavors that are wonderful against the soft layer of whipped cream (mixed with Greek yogurt) on top.
- Ben Fink23/29
Ultimate Mud Pie
A buttery chocolate wafer cookie crust enhances this deeply chocolaty pie. Serve with extra whipped cream on the side.
- John Lee24/29
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cream Pie
The crumbly hazelnut-cocoa crust here is flourless, which makes this pie perfect for gluten-free guests.
- 25/29
Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
Flecked with shards of candy canes, this minty chocolate cream pie is ready for your Christmas dessert buffet.
- Photo by Mark Thomas26/29
Black-Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
A layer of deep, dark chocolate is hidden underneath the light and fluffy peanut butter mousse in this crowd-pleasing pie.
- Ditte Isager27/29
Chocolate Cinnamon Cream Pie
For this Mexican-chocolate-inspired pie, the smooth chocolate-pudding filling settles into a crumbly cinnamon graham cracker crust, all topped with a layer of cinnamon whipped cream.
- Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua28/29
Salted Coffee Custard Pie
Instead of a round of coffee after dinner, serve this coffee cream pie dusted with instant espresso powder and flaky sea salt.
- Brian Finke29/29
Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
While you’ll find lots of classic cream pie recipes above, this beauty is a fun variation on banana cream, layered both vanilla custard and a tangy mix of cream cheese and peanut butter, plus chopped store-bought peanut brittle on top.
By Maggie Hoffman
By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious
By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious
By Zoe Denenberg
By Zoe Denenberg and The Editors of Epicurious
By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious
By Hannah Lee Leidy and The Editors of Epicurious
By Joe Sevier