29 Cream Pie Recipes That Are as Fluffy as a Cloud
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 Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova2/29Coconut 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, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich5/29Eggnog 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 Sara Remington7/29Peanut 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 Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini9/29Pumpkin 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.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton11/29Banana 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 Foster12/29Peanut 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 Yunhee Kim17/29Meyer 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.
Photo by Peter Frank Edwards21/29Coconut 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 McDowell22/29Deep-Dish Maple-Bourbon Cream Pie
25/29Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie
Flecked with shards of candy canes, this minty chocolate cream pie is ready for your Christmas dessert buffet.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua28/29Salted Coffee Custard Pie
