Dr Pepper pie is usually a no-bake freezer pie: 3/4 cup of cold Dr Pepper, 3/4 cup of milk and a box of instant vanilla pudding whisked until thick, folded into whipped topping, spread in a graham cracker crust and frozen for at least 4 hours. It slices like an ice cream pie and tastes like a Dr Pepper float.
This is written up from Bagels and Lasagna's no-bake Dr Pepper pie, with an optional flavor boost from The Domestic Rebel's Frosty Dr Pepper Float Pie. I have not taken this through my own kitchen yet, so the card notes what I changed and what comes straight from the sources.
How do you make Dr Pepper pie taste more like Dr Pepper?
Use a concentrate as well as the soda. Three-quarters of a cup of Dr Pepper is not much against a box of pudding and a tub of whipped topping, and The Domestic Rebel says plainly that without concentrate the pie "will only faintly taste of Dr. Pepper." Her fix is 3 tablespoons of SodaStream's Dr. Pete concentrate whisked in with the pudding. I have listed it as optional because not everyone has a bottle, but if you want the pie to taste unmistakably of Dr Pepper, it is the ingredient to buy.
Is there a baked Dr Pepper pie?
Yes. Taste of Home's Dr Pepper pie is a baked custard pie: cream cheese, 3 egg yolks, two cans of sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 cup of Dr. Pete concentrate in a graham crust, baked at 325°F for 22 to 25 minutes until the center is almost set, then chilled for at least 3 hours and topped with whipped cream. Taste of Home says not to freeze that one, because a frozen custard filling weeps and separates when it thaws. The no-bake version on this page is the one most home cooks make, and it needs no oven.
Should Dr Pepper pie go in the freezer or the fridge?
For this ratio, the freezer. Bagels and Lasagna freezes it for 4 hours or overnight and The Domestic Rebel for at least 8 hours. Cooking in the Yard's version is a fridge pie instead, but it uses 1 1/2 cups of milk and only 1/2 cup of Dr Pepper, so the pudding sets firmer, and it chills for at least 4 hours. If you want a softer, fridge-set pie, follow that ratio rather than chilling this one.
More Dr Pepper desserts
If you like the float flavor, the original is my Dr Pepper float. For a bake, try the Dr Pepper chocolate cake, and for another make-ahead potluck dish, the retro Dr Pepper Jello salad. Everything else is in the Dr Pepper recipes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Dr Pepper pie need to set?
At least 4 hours in the freezer, and overnight is easier to slice. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before cutting if it is too hard.
Can I use Diet Dr Pepper?
Bagels and Lasagna suggests a lighter version with Diet Dr Pepper, sugar-free pudding and monk fruit sweetener. I have not tried that swap, so I cannot say how it sets.
Can I use a store-bought crust?
Yes. A ready-made 9-inch graham cracker crust replaces the crumb, sugar and butter step, and both The Domestic Rebel and Cooking in the Yard use one.
How long does it keep?
Bagels and Lasagna says up to 30 days in the freezer in an airtight container. Add the whipped cream and cherries only when you serve it.
