Easy Possum Pie Recipe Ready in 20 minutes!

I spent six months refusing to make possum pie because I was dead certain it had actual possum meat in it. My friend from Little Rock kept going on about this dessert her grandmother made, and every time she said possum pie I'd find a reason to talk about something else real quick. Finally at a potluck she brought one and I tried a bite to be nice. Turns out I'd been an idiot for half a year. There's no possum. Zero possum anywhere. It's chocolate pudding, cream cheese, whipped cream, and a pecan crust stacked in a pie dish. That's the whole thing. The name's just some weird Southern quirk that nobody can explain right.

A classic Southern layered dessert from Arkansas made with a pecan crust, cream cheese filling, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream. Despite the name, there’s zero Possum Pie—just pure creamy, crunchy, chocolatey goodness that looks fancy but takes under an hour to make.

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Why You'll Love This Possum Pie

I make this southern possum pie recipe at least once a month now, and it's not because I'm on some Southern cooking kick or collecting weird desserts. It's because people completely freak out over it every time I bring it anywhere, and the actual work is maybe thirty minutes tops. Most of that is waiting for cream cheese to get soft and whipping some cream. The crust bakes ten minutes, everything else is just smearing layers in a pan and shoving it in the fridge. No tricky steps, no weird tools, no ingredients you have to hunt down at specialty stores. Just stuff that tastes good stacked on top of each other.

What really got me hooked on this Arkansas possum pie is it looks way harder than it actually is. When you cut into it and people see those four separate layers with the chocolate and cream and that crunchy pecan bottom, they assume you worked on it for hours. Brought one to my sister's birthday and her friend dead serious asked if I'd bought it from some fancy bakery. Nope, made it in my kitchen while liam sat at the counter whining about his math homework. Best part is you make it the day before, so when people show up you're not sweating or dusted in powdered sugar or rushing around whipping stuff last minute.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Possum Pie
• Ingredients For Possum Pie Recipe
• How To Make Possum Pie Step By Step
• Smart Swaps for Possum Pie Recipe
• Possum Pie Recipe Variations
• Equipment
• Storing Your Possum Pie
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• Just Make It Already (Stop Worrying About the Name)
• Related
• Pairing
• Possum Pie

Ingredients For Possum Pie Recipe

For the Pecan Crust:

• Pecans
• All-purpose flour
• Butter
• Sugar
• Salt

For the Cream Cheese Layer:

• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Cool Whip or whipped cream

For the Chocolate Pudding Layer:

• Instant chocolate pudding mix
• Cold milk
• Vanilla extract

For the Topping:

• More Cool Whip or whipped cream
• Chopped pecans for garnish
• Chocolate shavings if you're feeling fancy

See recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Possum Pie Step By Step

I've walked maybe ten people through this possum pie with instant pudding method, and everyone's shocked at how simple it is:

Make the Pecan Crust:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F
• Mix chopped pecans, flour, melted butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl
• Press the mixture into the bottom of your pie pan
• Really press it down hard so it sticks together
• Bake for 10 minutes until it smells toasty
• Let it cool completely before you add anything else

Cream Cheese Layer:

• Beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth
• Add vanilla and beat some more
• Fold in about half a container of Cool Whip gently
• Don't overmix or it'll get runny
• Spread this over your cooled crust
• Smooth it out with a spatula

Chocolate Pudding Layer:

• Whisk instant pudding mix with cold milk
• Beat it for about 2 minutes until it starts getting thick
• Let it sit for 5 minutes to set up properly
• Pour it carefully over the cream cheese layer
• Spread it gently so you don't mix the layers together
• Stick the whole pie in the fridge

Final Topping:

• Let the pie chill for at least 4 hours, overnight is better
• Right before serving, spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top
• Sprinkle with chopped pecans
• Add chocolate shavings if you want to look fancy
• Slice and watch people's faces when they see the layers

Smart Swaps for Possum Pie Recipe

I've tested different versions of this possum pie recipe Pioneer Woman style, and here's what actually works:

Crust Options:

• Pecans → Walnuts (works fine, slightly different taste)
• Pecans → Almonds (also good, less Southern)
• Pecan crust → Graham cracker crust (easier but not traditional)
• Homemade → Store-bought pie crust (lazy but okay)

Cream Cheese Layer:

• Cool Whip → Real whipped cream (tastes better, more work)
• Powdered sugar → Regular sugar (doesn't dissolve as smooth)
• Full-fat cream cheese → Light cream cheese (works but less rich)
• Regular → Neufchatel (slightly tangy, still good)

Pudding Choices:

• Chocolate → Vanilla pudding (makes it "blonde possum pie")
• Instant → Cook and serve pudding (too much work, don't)
• Chocolate → Butterscotch (weird but some people like it)
• Regular → Sugar-free pudding (works fine if that's your thing)

Topping Swaps:

• Cool Whip → Homemade whipped cream (way better)
• Regular → Stabilized whipped cream (lasts longer)
• Plain → Sweetened whipped cream (extra sweet)
• Whipped cream → More pudding layer (not traditional but okay)

Mix-In Ideas:

• Plain chocolate → Add espresso powder to pudding
• Regular → Crushed Oreos in the crust
• Standard → Mini chocolate chips in cream cheese layer
• Classic → Peanut butter swirled in pudding

Possum Pie Recipe Variations

Peanut Butter Chocolate:

• Add peanut butter to cream cheese layer
• Use chocolate pudding like normal
• Top with chopped Reese's cups
• Drizzle with melted peanut butter
• liam requests this version specifically now

Oreo Possum Pie:

• Crush Oreos for the crust instead of pecans
• Keep cream cheese layer plain
• Use cookies and cream pudding
• Top with more crushed Oreos
• Basically cookies and cream pie

Banana Split Style:

• Add sliced bananas on the crust
• Use vanilla pudding instead of chocolate
• Top with strawberries and whipped cream
• Drizzle with chocolate sauce
• Tastes like banana split in pie form

Turtle Version:

• Keep pecan crust
• Drizzle caramel on cream cheese layer
• Use chocolate pudding
• Top with pecans and more caramel
• My sister won't eat any other kind now

Coffee Chocolate:

• Add instant espresso to chocolate pudding
• Mix coffee liqueur in cream cheese (adults only)
• Use chocolate whipped cream on top
• Dust with cocoa powder
• Perfect after-dinner dessert

Mint Chocolate:

• Add peppermint extract to cream cheese
• Use chocolate pudding
• Top with crushed Andes mints
• Only make this around Christmas or it's weird

Equipment

• 9-inch pie pan (glass or ceramic, not disposable aluminum)
• Electric mixer (hand mixer works fine, stand mixer's easier)
• Three mixing bowls (small, medium, large)
• Rubber spatula for spreading
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk for the pudding

Storing Your Possum Pie

Refrigerator Storage (3-4 days):

• Cover tightly with plastic wrap
• Keep it in the fridge the whole time, not the counter
• The cream cheese and pudding need to stay cold
• Add the whipped cream topping right before serving if possible
• Leftovers stay good for about 3 days max

Freezing (Not Really Recommended):

• Technically you can freeze it for a month
• The texture gets weird when it thaws
• Whipped cream turns watery and gross
• Pudding layer gets grainy
• Just make it fresh, honestly

Make-Ahead Tips:

• Make it the night before and let it set overnight
• Don't add the final whipped cream layer until serving
• Crust can be made 2 days ahead and stored covered
• Cream cheese layer stays good in the fridge for 2 days
• Assemble everything the day before your event

Serving at Events:

• Slice it cold, serves easier that way
• Keep it cold in a cooler with ice packs
• Don't let it sit out more than 2 hours
• The pudding and cream cheese can get weird if they warm up

FAQ

Just Make It Already (Stop Worrying About the Name)

You've got everything now - Ashley's grandma's freezer trick that makes those perfect clean layers, why that cream cheese needs to sit out and soften or you'll be picking lumps out forever, how to spread pudding without dragging up the layer underneath. This Possum Pie Recipe went from scaring me off for six months because of the stupid name to being one of my most-requested desserts. It's easy, looks way fancier than it is, uses regular grocery store stuff, and people absolutely flip out over it at dinners and potlucks. Plus you get to watch their faces go from confused to horrified to relieved when you tell them it's called possum pie but there's no actual possum anywhere near it.

Want more stuff that looks way harder than it is? Make our Delicious Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe that dissolve in your mouth and smell like Christmas year-round. Or the Best Snowy Bavarian Bliss Cake Recipe that's so fluffy and light you're basically eating sweet air. And if you want warm sticky dessert that doesn't take forever, Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding in 5 Simple Steps is what I make when I need to look good without actually working hard. All three are like this possum pie - look complicated, taste crazy good, way simpler than they seem.

Share your Possum Pie Recipe! liam thinks it's hilarious watching other people make "the fake possum thing." And if yours doesn't look perfect or the layers blur together, send that disaster pic too. Happens to literally everyone first time. I'll tell you what went wrong so round two works better.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rate this and tell me the truth - did the name freak you out at first or were you brave enough to just go for it? I'm curious how many people are as paranoid as I was thinking there's actual possum meat involved.

Related

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Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Possum Pie Recipe