Peanut Butter Trifle – A No Bake Apple Cheesecake Salad

This is a recipe of two names. Serve it up in a trifle bowl for a Peanut Butter Trifle Recipe. Or, use a 13 x 9 inch baking dish to make this a No Bake Apple Cheesecake Salad.

Either way, this six layer, no bake dessert features a list of the best dessert ingredients: peanut butter, graham crackers, apple pie filling, whipped topping, and cream cheese. This easy fluff recipe will be a hit at your next party or get-together.

No Bake Apple Cheesecake Salad Recipe

Are you looking for an easy, no bake dessert for your next get-together or pitch in? Look no farther than this Autumn Fluff Salad featuring apple pie filling and peanut butter as the main flavors. Did I mention whipped topping? This dessert pretty much has all my favorite things.

I found this recipe in the 1988 version of the Shelby County Extension Homemakers Cookbook, and I knew it was special and unique as soon as I read the ingredients. Imagine your favorite dessert ingredients layered up and served as a no bake salad or a as a peanut butter trifle.

Apple Cheesecake Salad is a winner with kids, men and women. Case-in-point, I whipped it up for a gathering of college friends, and all my girlfriends were asking for the recipe, and their husbands were going back for seconds.

Peanut Butter Trifle Ingredient List

• Peanut Butter, chunky-style
• Brown Sugar
• Graham crackers, crushed
• Butter, melted
• Cream Cheese, softened
• Sugar
• Whipped Topping (Cool Whip)
• Apple Pie Filling
• Ground Cinnamon
• Powdered Sugar

Cheesecake Trifle with Cream Cheese Recipe

Let me break down all six layers of this easy no bake cheesecake trifle recipe:

1. A graham cracker, butter, brown sugar and crunchy peanut butter crust
2.  Cream cheese and whipped topping layer
3. Apple Pie Filling sprinkled with ground cinnamon
4. Crumbles of peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar
5. Additional cream cheese and whipped topping layer
6. More graham cracker, butter, brown sugar and crunchy peanut butter crumbles

That’s six layers of awesomeness, deliciousness, delightful fluff.

Serve it up as a trifle in a trifle bowl or large clear bowl or layer it as a cheesecake salad in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

How to Make Cheesecake Apple Salad

Step by Step Instructions

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, butter and crunchy peanut butter until crumbly. Divide mixture into three equal parts. Spread two parts in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan (or a trifle bowl) to form a crust.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Divide into two equal parts. Spread one over the crust in pan.
3. For the third layer, spread apple pie filling over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
4. Combine powdered sugar and crunchy peanut butter and sprinkle over top.
5. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture for the next layer.
6. Top with reserved graham cracker-peanut butter mix from step 1.
7. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

For the full recipe for no bake cheesecake trifle, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Recipe FAQs

• This is a no bake cheesecake salad recipe; no need to turn on the oven.
• Let your cream cheese sit out at room temperature before beating to prevent clumps in this no bake apple cheesecake salad.
• Whipped topping is another name for Cool Whip. Use fat free Cool Whip if desired.
• Apple Pie Filling is easy to find at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, find it here.
• Be sure to tightly cover this apple cheesecake fluff with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours to let all the flavors develop.
• I love no bake desserts. Some of my favorites are Grandma’s Cherry Fluff and Salted Nut Squares.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our pantry essentials and favorite kitchen items.

Can you make a trifle without a trifle bowl?

Yes, you most certainly can.

If you are lacking a traditional trifle dish, do not fret. Use any large bowl you have on hand. Start layering exactly how the recipe calls for. A clear bowl is better so that you can see the layers, but it is not necessary.

You could also use a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. As long as you can make layers in a dish, it is still a trifle.

Recipe Variations

• Use creamy peanut butter instead of chunky.
• Stir in chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups or other bits of your favorite candy if you want to add chocolate.
• Instead of using whipped topping, make homemade whipped cream and use that instead.
• Use some leftover brownies or crushed cookies, and add them to one of the layers or use as a garnish.

How far ahead can you assemble a trifle?

To save yourself some time, most trifles can be made ahead of time up to 48 hours prior to serving. Be sure to cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Potluck Recipe Ideas

No Bake Apple Salad with Cool Whip and Cream Cheese is the perfect pitch in dessert. Here are some more of our favorite pitch-in recipes:

Old Fashioned Pea Salad

Mom’s Cucumbers and Onions

Cauliflower Ranch Salad

Black Bean Caviar

Frito Corn Salad