No-Bake Candy Cane Pie

Made with fluffy whipped cream, a crunchy graham cracker crust, and a smooth marshmallow sauce, this Candy Cane Peppermint Pie is entirely no-bake! Top it with some crushed peppermint pieces and you have a festive winter dessert.

This Candy Cane Pie is so festive and perfect for the holiday season. It’s fresh, minty, and will stand out at the dessert table!

Considering this pie is made up of marshmallows and whipped cream galore, it’s not overly sweet. The bottom crust is just the right about of buttery; the inner peppermint layer is light and minty fresh; the fluffy top layer of whipped cream sprinkled with peppermint chunks is oh-so dreamy. Put it all together and you get an all-around delicious no-bake treat!

I’m labeling this dessert as “no-bake” because you could just make the graham cracker crust and filling and pop it in the freezer—no messing with the oven. Buuuut, I do like to make this semi-no bake by baking the graham cracker crust for only 10 minutes to give it a little extra crunch. Completely optional though. 

Why You’ll Love this Recipe:

• No gelatin: unlike a lot of recipes, you don’t need any Jell-O packets or gelatin of any kind, making this a vegetarian-friendly dessert
• No-Bake: aside from the graham cracker crust (which baking is optional but incredibly easy), all you need to do is pop this pie in the fridge and let it chill overnight
• Easy: you only need about 30 minutes of hands-on time from start to finish

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Peppermint Extract: NOT peppermint oil!! Make sure yours is specifically made for baking (no essential oils).
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Can also use cool whip or any whipped topping.
• Graham Crackers: This is for the crust. If you live in a location that does not sell graham crackers, you can use any similar crunchy cookie or cracker-like Oreos, Ritz, or even pretzels.
• Mini Marshmallows: You will need about 3 1/4 cups which equates to 218 grams. Or substitute with 24 large marshmallows.
• Red Food Coloring: This is not for taste, but rather aesthetics. You can completely omit if desired.
• Crushed Peppermint: I put candy canes in a plastic bag, seal, and crush with a rolling pin. You can use any peppermint candies for this.

Step-by-step Instructions:

To make the crust, you’ll need to crush graham crackers until it looks like sand. You can do this in a food processer or by placing them in a sealable bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter, sugar, and salt and stir together. Firmly press the mixture into a 9″ pie pan.

You have two options when it comes to making the graham cracker crust. The first option is to leave the crust as is and continue on to make the filling. Or, the second option is to throw “no-bake” to the wind and preheat your oven to 350F and bake the crust for 10 minutes for a crunchier texture. 

Start by adding your milk to a saucepan and heat until small bubbles around the edges form. Then add in the mini marshmallows and stir continuously until they are melted. The mixture will be thin, but don’t worry since it will thicken quite a bit in the fridge.

Add in a few drops of red food coloring and chill the mixture (I usually just place the whole saucepan uncovered in the refrigerator). It usually takes around 30 minutes while checking and stirring occasionally before the mixture gets to the right consistency.

At this point, your marshmallow/milk mixture should have thickened and looks something like the picture above. You can check this by seeing if it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon and has some resistance when stirred. 

Now you can work on your whipping cream. Beat the cream in a cold bowl until it resembles whipped cream. Be careful not to overwhip! Scoop out 1 cup of the whipped cream and set aside to use as the topping.

Fold the milk/marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream, making sure everything is well-combined.

Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust and smooth it out. You can add a layer of peppermint pieces here if you want.

Take the whipped cream you set aside earlier, spread it on top towards the center, and sprinkle your crushed peppermint pieces over the top. Chill in the freezer for at least 12 hours before serving.

Storage:

Since this pie consists mainly of whipped cream, you’ll need to store it in the freezer so it doesn’t get liquidy and melt. With that being said, if making this for a group party or event you should not have an issue with leaving it out on the counter for an hour or so since the pie holds its shape for the most part (and it’s usually not that warm in December for most locations anyway). Keep it in the freezer if storing for an extended amount of time though.

Pro Tips:

• For a crunchier crust, you can bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, let it cool completely, and then follow the directions to fill and chill.
• Try not to over whip your heavy cream—you just need soft peaks!
• For an even easier method of making this pie, use an equal amount of Cool Whip in place of the heavy cream.

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