Classic cream pie is a thing of minimalist beauty: a sweet, vanilla-scented creamy filling inside a crumbly graham cracker crust. Our easy cream pie recipe gets you there without a lot of fuss.
Unlike many cream pie recipes, this one doesn’t require a cooked custard. In fact, only the graham cracker crust is baked. This pie is a wonderful no-bake dessert for any occasion, any time of year—especially when you only have a few hours to pull something together.
The pie is versatile, too. You can add fruit to the pie shell, serve the pie with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, or throw a few bright berries onto the plate. It’s all perfectly simple and elegant at the same time.
Ingredients for Cream Pie
- Graham crackers: Use your favorite brand of graham crackers for the sweet and buttery crust. If you’re short on time, a premade graham cracker crust also works.
- Unflavored gelatin: Since this is not a custard-based cream pie, you need the gelatin to give the creamy filling some structure. If this is a new technique for you, read our tips for using gelatin in any recipe.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese for this dessert. It will hold better and taste better as a result. Let the cream cheese sit out to soften for one to two hours for easier mixing.
- Heavy whipping cream: The heavy whipping cream does a lot of work here. You’ll whip it into the cream cheese for the filling, which makes it light and fluffy.
- Vanilla: It’s the only spice you use in this filling, and you can use whatever type of vanilla you prefer. By the way, did you know you can make vanilla extract at home?
Directions
Step 1: Make the graham cracker crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar with the melted butter. Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Using the bottom of a glass, press the cracker mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Bake the crust until it’s set, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 2: Make the filling
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl, and let it stand for five minutes.
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar in a large bowl until it’s nice and smooth. Then, slowly beat in the cream and vanilla. Microwave the gelatin on high until melted, about 10 seconds, then beat it into cream cheese mixture until combined. Transfer the filling to the crust.
Step 3: Refrigerate the cream pie
Cover the pie, and refrigerate until everything sets, which should take about three hours. If desired, top with mixed fresh berries before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Change the crust: Instead of graham crackers, experiment with other crumb crust ingredients like pretzels, chocolate wafer cookies or gingersnaps. Or make a classic butter pie pastry. Here’s how to blind bake a pie crust before filling.
- Add bananas: Transform this cream pie into an easy banana cream pie. Add sliced bananas to the graham cracker shell before pouring in the creamy filling, then decorate with extra banana slices on top.
- Coconut cream pie: Stir flaked coconut into the filling before pouring it into the pie shell. Top with toasted coconut for even more coconut flavor. Or make this coconut cream pie with a cooked custard filling.
- Top with other fruit: Turn this into a blueberry cream pie by topping the pie with fresh blueberries mixed with sugar and cornstarch.
- Add a drizzle: A drizzle of chocolate sauce or salted caramel sauce (or go crazy and add both) really elevates the pie to star status.
How to Store Cream Pie
Store this cream pie, covered, in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Cream Pie Tips
What thickens a cream pie?
In this case, gelatin helps thicken a cream pie. Other cream pie recipes are made with an egg-based cooked custard, such as this old-fashioned cream pie.
