Crunchy Vs Smooth Peanut Butter: Which Is The Better Pick For A Peanut Butter Pie?

Few desserts are as rich, creamy, and decadent as a peanut butter pie. A good peanut butter pie has that sweet, light, peanut-buttery mousse with just the right savory undertones. The taste of those roasted peanuts, plus a hint of salt to offset the sweet, is perfect if you are a peanut butter fan. The question is, what kind of peanut butter are you a fan of? There's nothing stopping you from indulging in some chunky peanut butter to shake up the texture, but we think smooth is your best bet for the ultimate peanut butter pie experience.

Like any pie, peanut butter pie lends itself to creative variation. You might enjoy a graham cracker crust, or maybe one made with crushed Oreos. Some chefs add a chocolate drizzle on top, while others choose crumbled peanuts. Our own decadent peanut butter pie recipe ties it all together with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings. There's room for crunchy peanut butter if you want to shake up the texture, but it won't provide that classic mouthfeel.

The essence of a peanut butter pie for most people is the smooth, velvety texture. Peanut butter by itself is often thick and dense. Folding in whipping cream is what gives your peanut butter mousse its lightness. That airiness is what makes the filling almost melt in your mouth while you're eating it. Using crunchy peanut butter can give you more texture, but you may lose some of that fluffiness.

When you make anything with whipped cream, the goal is fluffiness. Specifically, it's the air bubbles trapped inside the whipped cream that make the texture of your mousse work. That's why folding it is so important when you're incorporating the other ingredients with your whipped cream. In a peanut butter pie, you need to blend the whipped cream and peanut butter while handling it as lightly as possible so that you don't flatten all those air bubbles.

Chunky peanut butter won't mix as well with your whipped cream when you're making a mousse; there's a risk of a grainier texture. As you're folding the ingredients together, those chunks are going to deflate more of the air in the mousse than smooth peanut butter would. That will make your final result a little denser and flatter. Using a whisk to fold may help, but smooth peanut butter gives you the best results.

There's a reason we picked peanut butter pie as the best peanut butter dessert. It's always fun to play with recipes, but if you're looking for a tried and true winner, stick with smooth peanut butter. The result is going to be delicious, light, and decadent every time.