Peach Cream Pie
I love fresh peaches, and I love graham cracker crusts, so I looooove this peach cream pie! And I think you’re going to love it, too. A graham cracker crust with just a touch of cinnamon is topped with a whipped cream cheese filling and then fresh peach sauce and fresh ripe peaches. This creamy peach pie is the perfect summer dessert to celebrate peach season.
For more fresh peach recipes, check out my Fresh Peach Pie recipe, which packs even MORE peaches into a flaky pie crust, Peach Dessert, and Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler. Don’t forget to sip some Peach Punch on the side.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple peach cream pie recipe. No need to fuss with pie crust here. This peaches and cream pie is a super easy peach pie recipe. Starting with the graham cracker crust, followed by the easy cream pie filling, and finishing with the peach sauce you make in a blender. Dicing your peaches (and not snacking on them) is the hardest part!
- Best way to eat peaches. Not only is this pie cool and refreshing, perfect for the hot days of peach season, but it’s also a great way to celebrate the delicious taste and texture of fresh peaches.
- Complementary ingredients. While a peach pie with cream cheese may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to peach pie, trust me when I say, it’s a dynamite combination. The slight tartness and smoothness of the cream cheese filling play beautifully with the fresh peaches and peach sauce. And the crunch of the graham cracker crust with that hint of cinnamon? This is the best peach pie!
Ingredient Notes
- Graham crackers: For the crust of this recipe, you need 1½ cups of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs. This takes around 10½ graham crackers.
- Cinnamon: A tiny amount of cinnamon in the graham cracker crust provides just the right hint of warmth without overwhelming the other flavors.
- Cream cheese: This cream cheese peach pie combines cream cheese with heavy cream to make a light and smooth filling.
- Lemon juice: Tart lemon juice is added to the cream cheese filling for just the right amount of tang. In the fresh peach sauce, it adds a bit of tartness and helps preserve the bright color.
- Peaches: To pack every bite of this cream cheese and peach pie with peach flavor, you’ll use between 7-8 peaches. Two will go into the fresh peach sauce, while the rest will be diced and scattered on top of the pie.
- Cornstarch: We use cornstarch to help thicken the fresh peach sauce.
- Sugar: It wouldn’t be a pie without sugar to sweeten it! Granulated sugar goes in the graham cracker crust and peach sauce, while powdered sugar is used to sweeten the cream cheese filling.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the graham cracker crust. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Crush graham crackers, then mix 1½ cups of graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl with ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons of melted butter, and ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon. Press the crust into a 9-inch pie pan, then bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
- Whip heavy cream for cream cheese filling. Using a hand mixer, whip 1 cup of whipping cream in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Set it aside.
- Mix other cream cheese filling ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine 4 oz of room temperature cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Beat at medium-high speed until smooth and combined.
- Combine cream cheese mixture with whipped cream. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
- Add cream cheese mixture to pie crust. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the graham cracker crust. Note that you may not want to use all of the filling—I used about ¾ of the filling so I would have plenty of room for peaches on top! Once you’ve filled the pie crust, let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour while you make the peach sauce.
- Blend peach sauce. Peel and slice 2 medium peaches and add them to a blender, along with ¼ of water, ½ a tablespoon of lemon juice, ½ a cup of granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Blend until smooth.
- Cook peach sauce. Pour the peach sauce mixture into a small saucepan on the stovetop and bring it to a boil. Whisk until the sauce thickens. This will take a few minutes, but be careful not to let the sauce burn! Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the stove and let it cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until completely cooled.
- Prep peaches. Peel and chop 5-6 ripe medium to large-size peaches. Place the sliced peaches in a bowl, then toss peaches with the fresh peach sauce until they’re just barely covered. You’ll have leftover peach sauce, which is great because it’s delicious on everything!
- Top peaches and cream pie. Spoon the peach mixture over the cream cheese filling of the pie, and allow the pie to continue to chill in the fridge for a few hours to let it set up. Then slice and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Make the fresh peach sauce up to a day in advance. You can also assemble the crust and cream cheese filling a day in advance and let them chill in the fridge. Then, the day you plan to serve the pie, mix up fresh diced peaches with the peach sauce and put them on top of the pie, chill for a couple of hours, and then serve.
Since the peaches in this pie aren’t cooked, and the juicy peaches don’t have any sugar added (other than what’s in the sauce), it’s important to use super sweet peaches. Peaches are typically sold when they’re still hard. To find perfect peaches, look at the top of a peach near the stem. It should have a yellow or orange hue. If it’s green, it was picked too soon and won’t ripen well. Once you’ve picked your peaches, you know they’re ripe when there’s some “give” when you squeeze them gently. They should also smell sweet when they’re ready to eat.
You may be tempted to use Cool Whip for this recipe instead of whipping your own cream. I don’t recommend this, as it may make the filling too sweet.
To make this recipe for peaches and cream pie a no-bake recipe, you can assemble the graham cracker crust and pop it in the fridge or freezer to firm up before adding the filling.
Making Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: Make the peach sauce, graham cracker crust, and cream cheese filling all up to a day in advance. Then, on the day you plan to serve this pie, dice your fresh peaches and lay them on top of the pie. Note that this pie is best on the day it’s made.
Storing: Store leftover peaches and cream pie in the fridge in the pie dish, covered loosely with plastic wrap. It will keep for just a couple of days.
Freezing: You make and freeze graham cracker crusts for a couple of months, but no other part of this pie should be frozen.
Recipe FAQs
I think you could make this pie with canned peaches. It will taste very different, but I think it would still be yummy. However, I’m not sure how to measure how many canned peaches you would need.
This recipe could be really delicious with another fresh, soft fruit, like plums or berries. However, I’m not sure how much you would need of those ingredients, since their size is so different from peaches.
You can use whatever kind of crust you like for this pie! I just like the texture and taste of a graham cracker crust with the ingredients.
More Fresh Fruit Recipes
- Fruit Pizza Cookies
- Fruit Salad Cocktail
- Strawberries and Cream
- Greek Yogurt Fruit Bites
- Strawberry Butter
Peach Cream Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs - finely crushed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons milk
Fresh Peach Sauce
- 2 medium peaches - peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Fresh Peach Topping
- 5-6 medium to large peaches - peeled and chopped
Equipment
Instructions
Make the graham cracker crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium sized bowl stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, ground cinnamon and melted butter together until combined.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into a 9” inch pie plate and press it firmly in the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Make the whipped cream cheese filling
- Using a hand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks and set aside. In a medium sized bowl beat the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and milk. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined. Next, fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipping cream.
- Spoon this cream cheese mixture into the pie crust. Use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer Place in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour to set. (Note *You may have a little extra cream cheese filling! I use about ¾ of the cream cheese mixture as I want to make sure there’s room for a good pile of fresh peaches on top!) While this is chilling make the fresh peach sauce.
Make the Fresh Peach Sauce
- In a blender. Add peaches, water, lemon juice, corn starch and sugar. Blend well, until smooth. Pour mixture into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sauce thickens (this will take a few minutes). Careful not to burn it. Remove from heat, and allow to cool in the fridge (about 30 minutes).
Prep the peaches/topping
- Place the sliced peaches in a bowl, and then cover with sauce JUST until well coated, (you may have extra peach sauce, which is good since it’s yummy on pancakes and waffles!) Spoon the peach mixture over the cream cheese layer, then cover, and allow to set up in the fridge for a few hours, then serve!