Candy Cane Pie
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You'll love this No Bake Candy Cane Pie that's made with cream cheese, real peppermint and crushed candy canes on an Oreo cookie crust. It's the perfect peppermint pie recipe for the holiday season!
Why You'll Love It
- easy pie to make with only a few ingredients
- no-bake dessert with a creamy filling and real peppermint candy flavor
- delicious pie made on a homemade chocolate Oreo crust
- perfect for holiday parties or after Christmas dinner
- can be made ahead and frozen for later!
Recipe Highlights
This Candy Cane Pie recipe is so easy to make and delicious, you'll wonder where it's been all of your life. It's the perfect holiday dessert that will get rave reviews from family and friends!
Enjoy the peppermint flavor mixed with a crunchy Oreo cookie crust. It's like the best part of a peppermint patty in every bite. You'll love this easy dessert so much, you'll want to take it to every holiday party you attend!
The creamy filling tastes like a fluffy peppermint cheesecake which is never a bad thing. It's not too sweet because there are two packages of cream cheese in this recipe, which balances out the flavors nicely.
Ingredients Notes
All of the ingredients in this peppermint pie can be found at your local grocery store. See recipe card at the bottom of this page for quantities and instructions.
- heavy whipping cream - use as a topping or optional decoration in this recipe
- candy cane pieces - can be found during the holidays, or substitute peppermint candies (ad) all year long
- cream cheese - creates a no-bake cheesecake with a fluffy and smooth texture
- peppermint extract - use 2 teaspoons in the filling for medium flavor, or cut it back to 1 teaspoon if you like a milder flavor
- vanilla extract - flavors the whipped cream and compliments the peppermint
- powdered sugar - sweetens the cream cheese mixture
- Cool Whip - mix into the filling to add fluffiness and flavor
- Oreo cookies (or pre-made chocolate pie crust) - mix with butter for the perfect chocolate pie crust
How to Make Candy Cane Pie
Filling
- Let cream cheese sit until it reaches room temperature. Blend it with a stand or hand mixer until creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Blend well.
- Place 1 candy cane in a baggie. Crush candy cane (ad) with the back of a spoon or a heavy measuring cup until it becomes tiny little pieces. Add crushed candy to cream cheese mixture and stir.
- Stir in Cool Whip and place pie filling in the refrigerator while making the crust.
Oreo Cookie Crust
- Add entire bag of Oreo cookie thins to a food processor or blender (ads) and pulse until crumbly.
- Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter in a medium bowl.
- Pour crumb mixture into a pie pan or plate and press down into the bottom and up the sides.
- Place crust in the freezer for 15 minutes while making the whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
- Add heavy cream to a mixing bowl. With a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to whipped cream and mix until well blended.
- Use whipped cream to decorate the top of the pie however you wish.
Putting it Together
- Take crust out of the freezer. Spoon filling into the crust.
- Add candy canes in the middle of the pie.
- Decorate the top of pie with whipped cream and crushed candy canes.
Decorating the Top of the Pie
It's really easy to garnish the top of a peppermint pie, so don't let the decorations fool you. All you need is a piping bag cake tip set (ad) and you'll be ready for your creative juices to start flowing!
- Cut off the small end of your piping bag and insert the cake tip by threading it through the bag.
- Fill the piping bag with whipped cream.
- Squeeze the bag and whipped cream will come out. Practice a little bit before you start decorating the pie.
- When ready, squeeze the bag and decorate around the outside of the pie to make any design you like!
Put 2 candy canes in a baggie. Crush candy canes with the back of a spoon or heavy measuring cup. Sprinkle crushed candy canes randomly over the pie.
Arrange 2 whole candy canes on top of the pie in any design you like. Refrigerate until time to serve.
Variations
- Use a store-bought crust instead of making it homemade.
- Try a sugar cookie crust with layers of chocolate on the bottom.
- Mix the cream cheese with a few drops of red food coloring for a pink peppermint pie.
- Decorate the top of the pie with chocolate shavings and mini candy canes.
- Combine marshmallows with crushed candy canes to garnish the top.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, since this is a no bake pie recipe, it can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to decorate. Save the whipped cream topping for decorating right before serving.
You can definitely substitute whipped heavy cream for Cool Whip, but it will change the texture. If you use heavy whipped cream in the peppermint filling, it may curdle when freezing. Cool Whip freezes well, so for best results, it's recommended to use it in the filling if you plan to freeze this pie. If you're storing the peppermint pie in the refrigerator, heavy whipping cream will work just fine.
Peppermint candies can be used if you can't find candy canes at the grocery store. There is enough flavor from the peppermint extract if you don't want to use candy canes at all. You can also use white chocolate shavings, or cover the entire candy cane pie with whipped cream if you don't want to add any decorations.
Yes, you can use a premade chocolate crumb crust and make the entire recipe in a disposable pie pan to save time. However, if you're looking for incredible taste and presentation, the homemade crust is fabulous and worth the effort!
Storage and Freezing
Wrap leftover pie with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If freezing, wrap pie in plastic wrap and cover with a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
This no-bake pie can be made ahead of your party or celebration! Wrap tightly or place in an airtight container. Store for up to 3 days before serving.
Top Tips
- Pulse the candy canes into very small bits for the filling. Leave a few candy cane pieces intact for the garnish.
- Be sure to freeze the chocolate crust before adding the filling to allow time for the crust to bind together.
- Candy Cane pie slices easier after it has been refrigerated for at least one hour. Refrigerating overnight is best and freezing this peppermint pie is even better!
What to Serve With Candy Cane Pie
This delicious peppermint chocolate pie is a great recipe to serve with other holiday themed desserts at a Christmas party or family gathering. Try these festive recipes that are sure to please...
Recipe Card
Candy Cane Pie
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- food processor (optional)
- Pie Plate (9 inch deep dish)
- Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 candy cane (crushed into small bits)
- 8 ounces Cool Whip (whipped topping)
Crust
- 10 ounce pkg. Oreo Thins cookies (get the THIN type)
- ½ stick salted butter (4 Tablespoons)
Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 candy canes (crushed for garnish)
- 2 candy canes (whole decoration for top of pie)
Instructions
Filling
- Let cream cheese sit until it reaches room temperature.
- Blend cream cheese with a stand or hand mixer until creamy and no lumps remain.
- Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Blend well.
- Place 1 candy cane in a baggie.
- Crush candy cane (ad) with the back of a spoon or a heavy measuring cup until it becomes tiny little pieces.
- Add crushed candy to cream cheese mixture and stir.
- Stir in Cool Whip and place pie filling in the refrigerator while making the crust.
Crust
- Add entire bag of Oreo cookie thins to a food processor or blender (ad) and pulse until crumbly.
- Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter in a medium bowl.
- Pour crumb mixture into a pie pan or 9 inch pie plate and press down into the bottom and up the sides.
- Place crust in the freezer for 15 minutes while making the whipped cream.
Assembly
- Take crust out of the freezer. Spoon cream cheese filling into the crust.
- Add 2 candy canes in the middle of the pie in any design you wish.
- Decorate the top of pie with whipped cream and crushed candy canes.
Topping
- Add heavy cream to a mixing bowl. With a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to whipped cream and mix until well blended.
- Use whipped cream to decorate the top of the pie however you wish. Use a piping bag, or spread whipped cream on top of pie.
- Place 2 candy canes in a baggie and close. Crush into small pieces and sprinkle over pie as desired.
Notes
- Try adding only 1 teaspoon of peppermint and tasting the batter before adding another. Some folks like it strong, and others don't.
- See blog post on directions on how to decorate with a piping bag and cake tip.
- You'll need a total of 5 candy canes for this recipe.
- Wrap leftover pie with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If freezing, wrap pie in plastic wrap and cover with a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- This no-bake pie can be made ahead of your party or celebration! Wrap tightly or place in an airtight container. Store for up to 3 days before serving.
- Pulse the candy canes into very small bits for the filling. Leave a few candy cane pieces intact for the garnish.
- Candy Cane pie slices easier after it has been refrigerated for at least one hour. Refrigerating overnight is best and freezing this peppermint pie is even better!
- View the Google Web Story for Candy Cane Pie!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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Perfect for this time of the year, very festive, and pretty easy to make. Pinned it.
Absolutely beautiful pie. Perfect for the holiday season. The second time I made it I used half the peppermint extract. Thank you, Debi!
Thanks Pam! I'm so glad you tried this pie and liked it! 🙂
Debi this looks soooo good!
Thanks so much Nicolle!
This pie was so easy and so festive. Delicious!
Thanks Tina! It's one of my favorites!
This is one of my favorite pies. I like your recipe better though. Sounds really good.
How sweet of you, Delores!