Too hot to turn on the oven? Make this No Bake Peanut Butter Eclair Cake. Layers of chocolate graham crackers with pudding, peanut butter cups, and ganache.
If you love all things chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll love these Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies too.
Why This Recipe is Best
I love cold, no-bake desserts and eclair cakes are no exception. Similar to Icebox Cake, eclair cake set up in the refrigerator and is so easy to make!
Some people may call these layered desserts a dessert lasagna (like our no bake strawberry lasagna), or you may hear them called a “lush.” Whatever the name, just know it’s delicious.
Today’s recipe is based on my Chocolate Eclair Cake Recipe with a twist that peanut butter fans are going to love.
- This is an easy no bake recipe made with simple ingredients.
- Layers of creamy peanut butter filling, Reese’s cups and graham crackers.
- Topped with a thick layer of chocolate frosting!
- Peanut Butter Eclair Cake makes enough to feed a hungry crowd!
Craving a light and fruity dessert? Try my Strawberry Eclair Cake or this banana eclair cake instead.
Ingredient in Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
Here’s what you need to make an eclair cake with peanut butter.
- Graham Crackers– You’ll need a whole box of the chocolate or plain (or honey) flavored ones if you can’t find chocolate. Layering Oreo cookies (or even nutter butters) works great too.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix – Make sure to use the INSTANT kind. You’ll mix it with milk to make pudding for the filling.
- Peanut butter – The shelf stable creamy peanut butter works best.
- Cool Whip– or homemade stabilized whipped cream.
- Reese’s mini cups – Chopped into bite sized pieces.
- Chocolate Frosting- You can use canned frosting, or follow the recipe to make homemade chocolate frosting below!
Easy Instructions
Make the filling: Combine vanilla pudding with peanut butter. Fold in Cool Whip or whipped cream.
To assemble the eclair cake:
- Arrange 6 graham crackers in a square baking dish.
- Spread half of the pudding mix on top.
- Top with 6 more crackers and the Reese’s cups.
- Spread the rest of the pudding mix on top.
- Cover with graham crackers and frosting!
Prepare the frosting: Melt butter and corn syrup with a bar of unsweetened chocolate. Whisk in powdered sugar and milk.
Refrigerate the peanut butter butter eclair cake for 4 hours. Cut, serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Prepare it ahead of time. I like to make the cake the night before I plan to serve it. Chilling overnight gives eclair cake an even better flavor and texture!
- Canned chocolate frosting tastes wonderful on eclair cake, too! Open the can, remove the lid and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir frosting, then pour it over the top layer of graham crackers.
- Ganache. Make a batch of chocolate ganache for the topping if desired. Works great in place of the frosting.
- In order for the pudding mix to set properly in the cake, we recommend using cows milk (not oat or almond milk).
- Store eclair cake in refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. The graham crackers will soften more and more each day.
Recipe FAQs
Fresh whipped cream works well as a substitute for the Cool Whip here. I love to use my Stabilized Whipped Cream, a homemade version of cool whip, in eclair cakes recipes.
One 16 ounce can of frosting is plenty for covering the top of this peanut butter eclair cake.
For this eclair cake frosting, I used light corn syrup.
Cook ‘n’ serve pudding mixes will not work with this recipe, so make sure to check the box label!
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Try out some new cookie options like these Avalanche Cookies! They will blow you away!
- Make some of this easy Puppy Chow for a quick on-the-go snack!
- I absolutely love this creamy and delicious Frozen Snickers Pie for a last day of school dessert for my children!
- Try this Apple Delight for some sweet apple flavor!
- A classic, like these soft and chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies are exactly what you need this week!
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No Bake Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 18 chocolate graham crackers
- 1 box vanilla instant pudding mix 3.5 ounce
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 8 ounce Cool Whip thawed
- 16 Reese’s Peanut butter cups chopped
For the frosting:
- 2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat vanilla pudding mix with milk, until there are no lumps. Beat in peanut butter until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip, set aside.
- In a 9-inch square baking dish, layer 6 grahams. Top with half of the pudding mix. Top with 6 more crackers and the chopped Reese's PB cups. Top with the remaining of the pudding mix. Finish by topping with the remaining 6 graham crackers.
- For the frosting, heat unsweetened chocolate with butter and corn syrup on medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and milk. Frost the top of the graham cracker layer and place in refrigerator.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Cut and enjoy!
Notes
- Prepare it ahead of time. I like to make the cake the night before I plan to serve it. Chilling overnight gives eclair cake an even better flavor and texture!
- Canned chocolate frosting tastes wonderful on eclair cake, too! Open the can, remove the lid and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir frosting, then pour it over the top layer of graham crackers.
- Store eclair cake in refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. The graham crackers will soften more and more each day.
- In order for the pudding mix to set properly in the cake, we recommend using cows milk (not oat or almond milk).
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
don’t look for 3.5 oz instant pudding….use the small box. No instant pudding weighs that much. Look for 1 oz. box
Jell-o 3.4 oz instant pudding in the small box They do sell it.
Hi Would you double all ingredients exactly to make this a 9×13 dessert? I would assume you’d double but sometimes not all ingredients are. I have a big family & a 9″ pan won’t work Lol! I see in comments this question was asked a couple times & not answered so Hoping for an answer this time :))
Thanks so much
Yep, just double it 🙂
Cu
Thanks for writing such a nice recipe. I love to eat chocs cakes and definitely try this tomorrow at any cost.
What would be the amount of each ingredient if I made it a 9×13 pan version?
Thanks!
I’m confused about how you fit six Graham crackers in a 9×9 pan?
Hi Cheryl, I was wondering the same thing, then scrolled back towards the top and saw the pictures. She placed as many whole graham crackers in the bottom then broke up the last one to fill in the gaps. Hope this helps.
Where do you buy TCHO Choc
Did you use dark or light corn syrup and what % milk do you use?
Hi Kristal,
I used light corn syrup and skim (fat free milk)…that’s what I had on hand. Any % milk should work just fine though!
I tried this as a pie, I used chocolate wafer and honey graham crackers as the pie crust and put a little homemade whip cream on it, it was to die for!
While your recipes look delicious ,could you please tell where you can buy ingredients like creamy peanut butter and vanilla cream .
Wendy… you can buy creamy peanut butter in ANY FOOD STORE, AS WELL AS THE VANILLA INSTANT PUDDING ! AND THE PUDDING DOES COME IN A 3.5 OZ BOX AS NEEDED IN THIS RECIPE. (AND ALSO IN A 5.1 OZ BOX )