This quick and Easy Turtle Pie is a tasty homemade recipe no bake pie made with swirled chocolate and caramel. That delicious Oreo Crust with cool whip and cream cheese just hits the spot. Step aside Edwards pie, this copycat recipe is way better than any store bought pie.
Turtle Pie is a pie everyone can love. It capture all those tasty fall and winter flavors making it the perfect go-to Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. This no-bake dessert pairs great with other desserts and can even be made for birthdays or family get togethers.
It's so easy to make you can whip it together when you are needing a fun dessert that looks fancy but is no hassle. Just a heads up though, I made a mess of my pie by letting the caramel and hot fudge pool on the edges. Less is more when putting on the sauces. If more is desired, add it after serving.
This pie is so easy to make and looks fancy. You can even make it one step easier by making it in a pre-made OREO pie crust. Make Thanksgiving or Christmas prep that much easier.
We love this easy creamed based pie. Make sure to try our other tasty pie like Banoffee Pie, OREO Pie, Reese's Peanut Butter Pie, or Chocolate Cream Pie.
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What We Love About This Recipe:
Quick and Easy - We love a good quick and easy recipe, and this one is no exception. It makes for the perfect thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. A great last minute pie.
Kid Friendly - Kids love this pie. That creamy texture mixed with the chocolate and caramel is the perfect kids dessert. But better yet, adults will love it too! You can even get your older kids to help make it, it's that easy.
Versatile - Be sure to check out our substitution and variation section. It's got great ideas to help meet dietary needs like gluten free, dairy free, or changing up the nuts to making it more chocolaty.
Great for a Party or Neighbor Gift - We love a good homemade neighbor gift and we've made this many times to give to neighbors during the holidays.
Decadent- Turtle pie is usually a lavish and indulgent dessert, often topped with whipped cream or served with ice cream. The richness and sweetness of the pie can make it a comforting and satisfying treat.
Ingredients
- Oreos - Oreos make up the crust for this pie. It's simple to make an Oreo Crust, but you can also purchase a pre-made one.
- butter - use we recommend using salted butter for this recipe. The salt in the butter compliment the sweetness of the pie.
- Cool Whip - any brand of cool whip will work with this recipe. Because cool whip is stored in the frozen section, make sure the Cool Whip is completely thawed before use. About 4 hours in the refrigerator or overnight should do it.
- Powdered Sugar- This is added in with the cool whip and cream cheese. It's a great sweetener that still keeps it light and fluffy.
- Cream Cheese- We are pretty bias to using Philadelphia cream cheese with any recipe. It makes a difference in quality. But for this recipe you can get away with store brand. Make sure to soften before or it will be chunky when mixing together.
- Caramel Sauce- You will need this ingredient for both mixing into the cream based pie and also topping. While we love a good thick caramel, for this recipe you will want a runnier caramel like this Ghirardelli Caramel because it mixes better with the cool whip mixture.
- Vanilla- This is a great flavor to add to most desserts. It compliments so many flavors, bringing them together.
- Chocolate Sauce-Just like the caramel, you want a runny chocolate sauce instead of a fudge. This goes on top of the pie.
- Pecans- Sprinkle the pecans on top for that iconic turtle pie look. If you don't like pecans, you can substitute them for another nut like walnuts or macadamia nuts, or try it nut-free.
Instructions
1. Thaw the cool whip and soften the cream cheese. Make the Oreo crust and set aside. Whip the cream cheese until it's smooth.
2. Mix in the caramel sauce and vanilla and whip until smooth. Whip in the powdered sugar.
3. Fold the 4 oz Cool Whip (making sure it's completely thawed) into the cream cheese and caramel mixture. You don't want to over mix on this step.
4. Add the cool whip mixture into the Oreo crust. With a rubber scraper, smooth the pie. Add caramel and chocolate sauce to the top with more whipped cream and then pecans.
Variations
- Frozen- Try this tasty pie frozen. You can serve it frozen or you can thaw for 1 hour before serving. Thaw in the refrigerator. You can even cut before freezing to make serving later easier.
- Pecan Crust- For more nuts, add ¼ cup chopped pecans to the graham cracker crust.
- Chocolate Base- Stir in 4 oz melted semi-sweet baker's chocolate to cream cheese mixture after the caramel, vanilla and powdered sugar and before folding in cool whip.
Substitutions
- Dream Whip - Instead of using cool whip, substitute with dream whip for the. Make Dream Whip according to package directions and use instead of the Cool Whip.
- Gluten Free - This can easily be a gluten free dessert. Use gluten free Oreos instead of regular.
- Dairy Free/ Vegan - Though the taste will a be little different you can make this dairy free/vegan. Use plant based butter for the crust, then use your favorite vegan cream cheese recipe mix in coconut cream whipped cream or marshmallow fluff.
- Marshmallow - Replace the Cool Whip with marshmallow fluff. This will change the flavor but still a sweet treat.
- Graham Crackers - Use 1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers instead of Oreos.
- Macadamia- Instead of pecans, use macadamia nuts or even walnuts for the top.
Helpful Hints
If you make this recipe in one of the small shallow pie plates that often come in a multipack or with a pre-made crust, it will be very full and end up higher than the edges of the pan. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but good to know. If needed you can always split it in two different crusts if you have shallow tins.
The best part about this pie is you can freeze it and thaw when ready to use. So if you are feeling ambitious you can make this a couple weeks to even a month ahead of time and that's one less step you have to do when a big holiday rolls around.
How to Serve
Serve this for any holiday and it will be a huge hit. I know it is at our house. We make this for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This pairs great with our other holiday pies like our double layer pumpkin pie. It has a great fall and winter feel to it.
Equipment
For the best results you will need a 9 inch Pie Pan, a Mixing Bowl, a rubber spatula, and an Electric Hand Mixer. This will help you have the best outcome.
Storage
Store the prepared Turtle Pie lightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that it will begin to weep.
Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer friendly container. Serve thawed in the refrigerator or even enjoy it as a frozen treat.
Top tip
Once you add the Cool Whip, be careful not to stir or mix. Use a folding motion so that it stays light and fluffy. It's worth the extra minute or 2.
FAQ
This dessert is typically made with a combination of chocolate, caramel, and pecans. It's named after the "turtle" candy, which consists of caramel and pecans covered in chocolate to resemble a turtle's shape. In a turtle pie, these flavors are often combined into a pie crust to create a rich and indulgent dessert. The pie may include layers of chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and pecans, creating a decadent and sweet treat that's popular in many dessert menus. Variations of turtle pie can include ingredients like whipped cream, ice cream, or different types of nuts, but the core components are usually chocolate, caramel, and pecans.
This cream pie is typically made of a combination of the rich and indulgent ingredients caramel, chocolate, pecans, whipped cream, cream cheese all in a pie crust.
This dessert is named after the "turtle" candy, which itself is named for its resemblance to a turtle. The classic turtle candy is made by placing pecans or other nuts onto a bed of caramel and then covering the nuts and caramel with chocolate. The clusters of nuts and caramel covered in chocolate resemble the shape of a turtle, with the nuts representing the turtle's legs and the caramel its body.
When this combination of flavors and textures was adapted into a pie, it retained the name "turtle pie" due to its connection to the turtle candy that inspired it. The pie typically includes layers of chocolate, caramel, and pecans, mirroring the ingredients found in the candy. The name "turtle" has become synonymous with this combination of flavors in various desserts, including pies, ice creams, and other confections.
The pie will last 2 days, then it will start to weep and the crust will be a little soggy, but it won't go bad for at least 5 days.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Turtle Pie:
Recipe
Easy Turtle Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 OREO cookies
- 4 Tablespoons butter I used salted
For the Filling:
- 12 oz cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup caramel sauce homemade or store bought
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz Cool Whip thawed
For the Whipped Topping (optional):
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings:
- caramel sauce
- hot fudge sauce
- pecans
Instructions
For the crust:
- Remove the cream center from the OREOs. Place in a food processor and food process until it's a fine crumb with a small amount of coarse crumbs. Melt butter and mix into the crumbs until well combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
For the Filling:
- Using a paddle attachment to a stand mixer or beaters in a hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese on medium high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the caramel and vanilla and beat on medium speed until mixed in. Add the powdered sugar and mix on medium low until well combined. Fold in the Cool Whip, being careful to fold and not stir the mixture.
Assembly:
- Place the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours then decorate as desired. We like to use plenty of caramel and chocolate sauce and pecans.
For the Whipped Cream:
- Using a whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Whipped Cream is optional.
Notes
- You can freeze this pie to enjoy later. Thaw for 1 hour in the refrigerator or eat frozen.
- Add extra caramel and chocolate sauce after you serve so it doesn't make a gooey mess and run off the pie.
Andrea
This turtle pie is so easy and way better than the Edwards pie I bought. I will be making this for thanksgiving and probably Christmas too!