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Dulce de Leche Pie no bake caramel pie with a crust lined with a rich ganache (also known as a black bottom pie). The filling is a rich combination of cream cheese and caramel and the combination of flavors is amazing! It’s the perfect summer pie because you can make it ahead and it keeps well for days.
Table of Contents
What is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de Leche is a milky, thick caramel that is made with condensed milk. Condensed milk is very sweet and when you heat it up it caramelizes and turns a golden brown. It’s thick enough to eat with a spoon, which is always very tempting.
You can buy dulce de leche at the store or you can make homemade dulce de leche with your slow cooker. It’s so easy and I use it for so many dulce de leche desserts.
Why you’ll love this recipe
You are going to LOVE this pie. There isn’t one single thing in that list that I don’t love. Did I mention it’s a no bake pie? Just got even better, right? This cool and creamy caramel pie is always at the top of my summer dessert list, especially since it’s a black bottom pie!
Ingredients for Dulce de Leche Pie
- Chilled 9” graham cracker crust or Oreo crust (store-bought or homemade)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
- Softened cream cheese
- Dulce de leche (at room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cool Whip (regular, light or fat-free all work!)
I’ve made this pie with graham cracker crust and an Oreo crust and I love them both equally. So, choose your favorite!
How to make a Black Bottom Pie
Caramel + chocolate go really well together, so instead of just making this a dulce de leche pie, I gave it a black bottom. Black bottom is code for “fill the bottom of the pie with chocolate ganache”. It’s made of semi-sweet chocolate chips and heavy cream and layered on the graham cracker crust. You chill, then top with the fluffy dulce de leche filling.
- Place the chocolate chips and whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat it for 45 seconds on high and then whisk them together until smooth.
- Pour the ganache into the crust and chill until the chocolate is set. I usually let it chill while I make the pie filling.
- Beat the cream cheese, dulce de leche, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip.
- Spread the filling over the top of the black bottom pie crust. Ta-da! That’s it.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- You will want the pie nice and chilled before you serve it so plan to make it at least a few hours in advance, ideally the night before.
- Leftover dulce de leche pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Just keep it in an air-tight container.
- Can you use homemade whipped cream in place of the Cool Whip? My honest answer is: no, I don’t recommend it especially if you are making the pie ahead of time. Cool Whip holds up a lot better than homemade whipped cream. It’s just more stable which is why it’s used a lot in no-bake desserts. Whipped cream is not as stable and the last thing you want is to open your fridge and have a sagging pie with weeping filling. Cool Whip works much better and you can count on it to hold up well.
- For the finishing touch, I like to drizzle some chocolate over the top of the pie. You can use chocolate ganache (just make another batch following the instructions for the pie crust) or you can use store-bought hot fudge sauce.
Other crust options
Dulce de Leche Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pie:
- 1 9-inch graham cracker crust from scratch or from the store
- 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (79ml) heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup dulce de leche room temperature (from scratch or the store)
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 8 ounce container Cool Whip (regular, light, or fat-free)
Topping (optional):
- ⅓ cup hot fudge sauce OR
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Make sure pie crust is chilled and ready to fill.
- Place 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe measuring cup or bowl. Heat for 45 seconds on HIGH, then whisk until smooth. Depending on your microwave you may need to heat it for another 15-30 seconds. Pour this mixture into the pie crust and chill until ready to fill.
- Beat cream cheese, dulce de leche, sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread carefully on top of the black bottom in the crust.
- To top the pie using hot fudge sauce: place gently warmed hot fudge in a small ziploc bag and cut off one tip. Pipe desired design on the top of the pie.
- To top the pie using homemade ganache: melt 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream in 15 second increments on 50% power, stirring in between each, until melted and smooth. Place this mixture in a small ziploc bag and cut off one tip, then pipe desired design on the pie.
- This pie will last up to 5 days in your refrigerator. Make sure it’s sealed in a tupperware container so it doesn’t get funky.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- You will want the pie nice and chilled before you serve it so plan to make it at least a few hours in advance, ideally the night before.
- Leftover dulce de leche pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Just keep it in an air-tight container.
- Can you use homemade whipped cream in place of the Cool Whip? My honest answer is: no, I don’t recommend it especially if you are making the pie ahead of time. Cool Whip holds up a lot better than homemade whipped cream. It’s just more stable which is why it’s used a lot in no-bake desserts. Whipped cream is not as stable and the last thing you want is to open your fridge and have a sagging pie with weeping filling. Cool Whip works much better and you can count on it to hold up well.
- For the finishing touch, I like to drizzle some chocolate over the top of the pie. You can use chocolate ganache (just make another batch following the instructions for the pie crust) or you can use store-bought hot fudge sauce.
I’m going to make this for thanksgiving. Do you think I could drizzle extra Dulce de leche along with the chocolate on top? I’m not sure what to do with the extra.
Yes you totally could do that!
I make the peanut butter no bake pie. I freeze it and it lasts a long time. Can this dulce de leche pie be froze the same way?
Yes!
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