Layers of chocolate graham crackers and a creamy peanut butter filling topped off with whipped cream and mini peanut butter cups! This Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake is an easy and delicious no-bake dessert.

A slice of peanut butter chocolate icebox cake on a white plate with a fork. Mini PB cups rest in the background.

So, I celebrated my 28th birthday last Friday. The whole getting close to 30 thing is starting to feel real you guys. Luckily, I had the day off and spent time with Josh and my family.

When it comes to birthdays, my family never really celebrates with traditional birthday cakes. We almost always end up with a cheesecake at every birthday celebration. I love cheesecake though, so I’m not complaining at all! This year my mom made a churro cheesecake, it was absolutely delicious and totally hit the spot.

Next year, I’m thinking I may make this peanut butter chocolate icebox cake for my birthday?? Because believe it or not, July 22nd also happened to be the hottest day so far this year in Arkansas. Not a fan.. at all.

This is a great dessert that you can easily make ahead of time. Since the icebox cake will need to be refrigerated for at least 5-6 hours, it’s perfect to make the night before. Plus, it’s completely no-bake! Yay for not turning on the oven when it’s 100 degrees outside!

A no-bake chocolate graham cracker icebox cake in a glass baking dish.

Recipe Ingredients 

This is such an easy no bake dessert with a short ingredients list. To make the chocolate peanut butter icebox cake, you’ll need the following basic ingredients: 

  • Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat, brick-style cream cheese to make this recipe.
  • Peanut butter: A no-stir peanut butter brand like Jif or Skippy works best to make the peanut butter filling. 
  • Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is always my go-to. 
  • Powdered sugar: Sweetens the peanut butter filling without making it grainy. 
  • Heavy whipping cream: Needs to be at least 36% fat. 
  • Graham crackers: I used chocolate graham crackers, but you could use honey graham crackers if desired. 
  • Peanut butter cups: Mini peanut butter cups are the perfect topping on this chocolate icebox cake! 

How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake

If you’re not familiar with icebox cakes, they’re really one of the best no-bake desserts ever. There are a lot of different variations of icebox cakes, but I used chocolate graham crackers and a peanut butter filling in this one.  

The peanut butter filling has cream cheese in it, but you can’t really taste it too much. I found that the cream cheese helps to create a firmer layer for the peanut butter filling. To the peanut butter and cream cheese, you’ll need to mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar. 

Then, you layer everything in a pan, top it with some whipped cream and miniature peanut butter cups, and refrigerate it.  

After a few hours, the filling sets up so it’s easy to slice into and the graham crackers kind of soften. Trust me when I say that this is an absolutely delicious dessert!

A slice of peanut butter chocolate icebox cake on a white plate with a fork. Mini PB cups rest in the background.

Baking Tips 

  • You can easily use a different flavor of graham crackers or use another type of cookie, like Oreos, in this recipe. I made another variation with vanilla graham crackers and took the peanut butter out of the filling for 4th of July. 
  • Icebox cakes are best enjoyed within 48 hours of making them. 
  • I store my icebox cakes in the fridge, not the freezer, so I can’t speak to whether or not this dessert can be frozen. 

More No-Bake Desserts to Make! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake

5 from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Layers of chocolate graham crackers and a creamy peanut butter filling topped off with whipped cream and mini peanut butter cups! This Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake is an easy and delicious no-bake dessert.
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Ingredients

Servings: 9 pieces

For the icebox cake:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 13-15 full-sheet chocolate graham crackers (use more or less as needed)

For the topping:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
  • 1 chocolate graham cracker , crushed

Instructions
 

To make the icebox cake:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, mix together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.
  • Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
  • Slowly add in the heavy whipping cream and continue mixing on medium-high speed until the mixture has thickened and soft peaks form.
  • In the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan, make a single layer with the chocolate graham crackers, breaking them up as needed to fit in the pan. It's best to try and use as many full-sheets of graham crackers as you can. I usually use about 4.5 graham crackers for each layer.
  • Scoop out half of the peanut butter filling and smooth it out on top of the chocolate graham crackers. Add another single layer of chocolate graham crackers on top of the filling, then add the remaining peanut butter filling and smooth it out. Top with one more single layer of chocolate graham crackers and set aside.

To make the topping:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, add the other cup of heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  • Scoop the whipped cream out on top of the chocolate graham crackers and smooth it out into one even layer. Top with the miniature peanut butter cups and crushed chocolate graham crackers.
  • Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours. Remove from the refrigerator, slice into pieces and enjoy!

Notes

Storage instructions: This icebox cake will keep up to two days in the fridge. 
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle Rye
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

 

Layers of chocolate graham crackers and a creamy peanut butter filling topped off with whipped cream and mini peanut butter cups! This Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake is an easy and delicious no-bake dessert.