Go Back
–+ servings
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Dulce de Leche Cream Pie with Pecan-Graham Crumble

This Dulce de Leche Cream Pie is a really impressive Thanksgiving (or anytime) dessert you can make with very little effort! It is so easy and is a huge crowd pleaser. Who can say no to sweet caramel-like filling and mountains of whipped cream? And don't forget the crunchy Pecan-Graham Crumble on top!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chill Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 893kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the dulce de leche

  • 2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk*
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt fleur de sel

For the crust

  • 2 & 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs**
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt any kind
  • 7 tablespoons butter melted

For the Pecan-Graham Crumble

  • 6 full sheets graham cracker
  • 3/4 cup pecans
  • 1/4 cup butter melted (half stick)

For the whipped cream

  • 2 cups heavy cream very cold
  • 2-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • more dulce de leche to drizzle* (or salted caramel topping), optional

Instructions

  • Make Homemade Dulce de Leche (click here) from the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk. I have an entire post dedicated to how to do this! It's so easy. You can do it in 40 minutes in the Instant Pot, 3 hours on the stovetop, or 8 hours in the slow cooker. OR, if you live in a place where you can find pre-made canned Dulce de Leche in the store (usually sold right next to the sweetened condensed milk) you can use two cans of that.
  • Open your 2 cans of dulce de leche and scrape it all into a bowl. Stir out any lumps with a whisk. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or add salt to taste. Set aside if your graham cracker crust is not done.
  • Meanwhile, make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Crush 13.5 full size sheets of graham crackers in a large food processor until fine, to make 2 and 1/4 cups. (You can also add the graham crackers to a ziplock and crush with a rolling pin.)
  • Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the food processor (or add it all to a bowl and combine)
  • Add 7 tablespoons melted butter to the food processor and pulse to combine throughly, scraping the sides. (or add butter to the bowl and combine.)
  • Press the graham mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. I like to use a glass or a measuring cup to press the graham mixture into the corners. Make sure the crust around the edge goes up at least 1 inch.
  • Bake the crust at 350 for 10 minutes. (Leave the oven on to make the Pecan-Graham Crumble) Let cool completely. After it's cooled at least 10-15 minutes from the oven, you can put it in the fridge or freezer to chill if you are in a hurry.
  • Pour the salted dulce de leche into your cooled graham cracker pie crust and smooth out the top. Cover the pie tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-4 hours until completely chilled. (If your dulce de leche was warm when you put it into your pie crust, your pie will obviously take longer to chill!)
  • Meanwhile, prepare the Pecan Graham Crumble. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F if it's not already on. Add 6 full-size sheets of graham cracker to a large ziplock, along with 3/4 cup pecans. Use a rolling pin or something else heavy to roughly crush the grahams and pecans. See photos, but really how coarse you crush them is up to you and how you will like it on your pie.
  • Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a medium bowl. Add the pecan and graham cracker crumbles and stir together so that it's all coated in butter.
  • Spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Leave it in for a total of 9-12 minutes, or until it is as crispy and browned and you like it. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn! Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  • Make the whipped cream. When your pie is chilled and you are ready to serve it, add 2 cups of cream to a large bowl or stand mixer.
  • Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
  • Beat on high for 2-5 minutes until soft peaks form. The more powerful your mixer, the shorter amount of time it will take. Taste it and add a little more powdered sugar if you like, keeping in mind that you are pairing it with very sweet dulce de leche.
  • Pour all the whipped cream on top of the dulce de leche.
  • Sprinkle with the Pecan-Graham crumble. Reserve some for topping individual slices, if you want.
  • Drizzle with salted caramel, or additional dulce de leche from a 3rd can. (To get a nice drizzling consistency, warm about 1/2 cup of dulce de leche in the microwave until it is smooth, and then stir in 1 tablespoon  of cream or milk at a time until it is a consistency you like.)
  • Store this pie in the fridge! See notes for make ahead instructions.

Notes

*You need 2 cans of dulce de leche just to go in the pie. I drizzled extra dulce de leche (warmed and thinned with cream) to the top of my pie. This is optional. You will need to turn 3 cans of sweetened condensed milk into dulce de leche if you want a drizzle for the top. OR you can just drizzle the pie with salted caramel topping. 
**This is exactly one and a half packages, or 13.5 full graham cracker sheets from a 14 ounce box. No need to measure; add one full package (9 full sheets), then open another package, break it in half and toss it in. (I recently bought the family size pack and found out that those graham crackers are a completely different size (a bit smaller). So you will have to measure out the crumbs if you buy a family size pack.)
Make ahead instructions: This pie can be made in advance. Follow instructions through step 12. Cover the pie well and chill for up to 3 days. Store the Pecan Graham Crumble covered on the counter for up to 5 days. 
I prefer to wait until the last minute to add the whipped cream since it takes hardly any time to put together, but if you are taking the pie to an event or something, you can add the whipped cream a few hours ahead of time. Whipped cream tends to deflate after a while, so the closer you can whip it to serving time, the better. Do not add the Pecan Graham Crumble until just before serving, or it will get soggy. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 893kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 1628IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 359mg | Iron: 2mg