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This festive gingerbread pie has a warmly spiced no bake cheesecake filling, and an easy cookie crumb crust. We use Biscoff cookie butter in the filling and Biscoff cookies in the crust, but gingersnaps or gingerbread men also work well!
How about a new pie for the holidays? I love fruity pie fillings of all kinds (especially mincemeat for Christmas!), but sometimes you just need something a little bit different.
This gingerbread pie recipe is more like a gingerbread cream pie or a no bake gingerbread cheesecake than anything else. To make it, I tweaked my no bake peanut butter pie recipe, swapping out the peanut butter for Biscoff cookie butter and adding in a generous dose of warm spices, and voila! Cheesecake meets gingerbread in pie form for a dessert that’s as festive as it is easy to make.
When I was first brainstorming this recipe, I envisioned little gingerbread man cookies on the fluffy rosettes of whipped cream. But I have had a heck of a time finding gingerbread men cookies this year! So I improvised.
If you don’t have trouble finding gingerbread man cookies, go ahead and use them instead of Biscoff cookies if you prefer. Or if you have the time and want to go the extra step, you can make homemade gingerbread cookies for the top. You can also use homemade gingerbread cookies for the cookie crumb crust, just make sure the cookies are crisp with a texture similar to Biscoff.
When I realized gingerbread man cookies weren’t an option, I thought of using Biscoff cookies for the crust because I knew I wanted to use Biscoff cookie butter in the filling. However, gingersnap cookies are another great option for the cookie crumb crust and decorating the top! Store-bought gingersnaps or homemade gingersnap cookies will work well.
Also, speculaas cookies will work perfectly for a cookie crumb crust!
Gingerbread Pie Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Biscoff Pie Crust (or Gingerbread Cookie Pie Crust) Ingredients
For the quick and easy version, use a store-bought graham cracker crust instead!
- Biscoff cookies – for this pie crust, you’ll need 1 8.8-ounce package of Biscoff cookies (or you can use about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of crushed gingersnap cookies or gingerbread man cookies)
- Salted butter – we use salted butter here for simplicity’s sake; you can substitute with unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt
No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake Pie (Gingerbread Cream Pie) Filling Ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream – don’t skimp and try to use light cream here; we need heavy whipping cream because it helps our pie thicken and set properly
- Cream cheese – make sure it’s at room temperature; I don’t recommend softening the cream cheese because if you accidentally heat it up, it will make the pie take quite a big longer to set
- Biscoff creamy cookie butter – this is the secret ingredient in this no bake gingerbread cheesecake pie
- Powdered sugar – adds sweet flavor and helps our pie set
- Molasses – molasses adds rich, complex flavor and a touch of sweetness, and it’s a classic gingerbread ingredient
- Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper – these warm spices make up our gingerbread spice blend; black pepper might sound odd, but it’s a classic spice in gingerbread, and a little bit goes a long way
Sweetened Whipped Cream Ingredients
No worries if you don’t want to take the time to make your own whipped cream! You can use Cool Whip or store-bought canned whipped cream instead.
- Heavy whipping cream – this is the base; you need to use heavy whipping cream because light cream won’t whip up the same
- Powdered sugar – this sweetens the cream and helps make it a little more stable
- Vanilla extract – for flavor and aroma
Decorative Toppings
- Biscoff cookies – we top the pie with some cookie crumbs; you can use whatever type of cookie you used for the cookie crumb crust to decorate the top
- Festive sprinkles or sanding sugar – I used white and gold sanding sugar
Instructions
How to Make a Gingerbread Cookie Pie Crust
- Add the cookies to a food processor and process until they form fine crumbs. Add the butter and process until well-combined.
- Press this mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a standard 9-inch pie plate. For a crisper crust that holds together better when sliced, bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350F, and then cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
How to Make No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake Pie
- Add all ingredients for the no bake gingerbread cheesecake filling to a large bowl.
- Use a hand-held electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.
- Pour this mixture into the cooled crust. Refrigerate at least 8 hours so the pie has time to set.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with whatever tip you like and pipe rosettes on top of the pie. Top decoratively with the cookie crumbs and sprinkles.
Biscoff Pie Variation (aka Speculoos Cookie Butter Pie)
This pie is perfect all year if you make it a cookie butter pie instead of gingerbread! And it’s really easy to do.
For speculoos cookie butter pie:
- Omit the molasses, cloves, and black pepper
- Keep everything else the same!
Storage
You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you know you’ll have leftovers, I recommend piping or dolloping the whipped cream on each slice as you serve it (so the whipped cream doesn’t get runny).
Gingerbread Pie FAQs
Do I Have to Bake the Crust?
No, you really don’t have to bake this crust!
Similar to using graham cracker crumbs to make pie crust, you don’t have to bake Biscoff pie crust. The cookies are already baked and they’re perfectly safe to eat; all we’re doing is mixing the crumbs with butter.
However, the reason you might want to bake the crust is two-fold:
- Baking the crust develops the flavor, and gives it a subtle toasted nut flavor and aroma.
- It results in a crisper crust, which holds its shape a little better when you slice the pie.
What Types of Cookies Can I Use For the Crust?
Just about any type of hard, crisp cookie will work great for a cookie crumb crust like this. (And remember, you don’t even have to pre-bake the crust if you don’t want to!)
If you’re wondering about the ratio of cookie crumbs to butter for a cookie crumb crust, I find that about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of crumbs and 6 tablespoons of butter is about right. Of course, this can depend on just how crispy your cookies are, and how finely you crush or grind them. I like to use a food processor to get the cookies crushed as evenly as possible.
Here are a few other types of cookies that work well for a no bake cookie crumb crust:
- Graham crackers
- Shortbread cookies
- Gingersnaps
- Speculaas cookies
- Gingerbread men cookies
- Oreos
- Pecan sandies
- Or even Ritz crackers or pretzels!
How Long Does No Bake Cheesecake Take to Set?
Most recipes require no bake cheesecake to chill for at least 2 to 4 hours in the fridge, or up to 12 hours. The purpose of a long chill time is to let the filling set, and also allow the flavors to develop.
For this gingerbread pie (which is similar to a no-bake gingerbread cheesecake or gingerbread cream pie), I recommend letting it chill for at least 8 hours in the fridge before slicing.
You’ll be rewarded with the best flavor and and texture if you plan ahead and give this pie the chill time it needs!
More Holiday Pie Recipes to Make
- Mincemeat Tarts
- Cranberry Pie
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Gingerbread Pie Recipe
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Ingredients
Crust:
- 32 Biscoff cookies 1 8.8-ounce package
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
Gingerbread Filling:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup Biscoff creamy cookie butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- 2 Biscoff cookies crumbled
- White and gold sanding sugar or any festive sprinkles you like
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the cookies to a food processor and process until they form fine crumbs. Add the butter and process until well-combined. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a standard 9-inch pie plate.
- Bake for 10 minutes, and then cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
For the Gingerbread Filling:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and use a hand-held electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture into the cooled crust. Refrigerate at least 8 hours so the pie has time to set.
For the Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Use a hand-held electric mixer to beat until the cream forms stiff peaks.
To Decorate:
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with whatever tip you like and pipe it on top of the pie. Top decoratively with the crumbled cookie and sprinkles.
Video
Notes
- Storage: You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you know you’ll have leftovers, I recommend piping or dolloping the whipped cream on each slice as you serve it (so the whipped cream doesn’t get runny).
- Cookie Options for the Crust: You don’t have to use Biscoff cookies for the crust. You can also use graham crackers, gingersnaps, speculaas cookies, or crunchy gingerbread man cookies.
- Baking the Crust is Optional: Similar to using graham cracker crumbs to make pie crust, you don’t have to bake Biscoff pie crust. The cookies are already baked and they’re perfectly safe to eat; all we’re doing is mixing the crumbs with butter. However, note that baking the crust results in a crisper crust, which holds its shape a little better when you slice the pie. (Note that if you skip baking the crust, you will cut down on the chill time by 1 hour!)
- Quick (and Even Easier) Version: Use a store-bought graham cracker crust and Cool Whip for topping.
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 1 standard 9-inch pie. It’s rich, so I cut it into 12 slices for serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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