This is the ultimate chocolate pie recipe for the chocolate lovers in your life. The filling is rich, creamy, and luxurious, making for a delightful addition to any occasion. You won’t believe how easy it is to make this chocolate pie recipe without any box mixes or pre-made ingredients. This entire pie is also made from scratch, from the pie crust to the filling.
It’s a dreamy dessert that will satisfy your craving for chocolate and it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert as the filling needs at least four hours to set up before serving. That means there’s one less thing on your to-do list on the day of your gathering, making for a stress-free event! If you want another easy chocolate dessert, then try my chocolate bundt cake recipe, chocolate mousse recipe, or flourless chocolate cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Pie crust — you can use a store-bought pie shell, but I recommend using my homemade pie crust recipe! It’s buttery, flaky, and so easy to make. I find store-bought pie crusts are not as thick, and you want a sturdy base to hold up the chocolate filling.
Sugar — the chocolate filling sets in the fridge, so it’s important not to skimp on the sugar. When the sugar melts, it helps thicken the pie and adds to its silky smooth texture.
Cocoa powder — any type of unsweetened cocoa powder will work in this recipe. For a dark chocolate pie, use Dutch-processed or black cocoa powder.
Milk — for the milk in the filling, you can use whole milk or evaporated milk. I do not recommend using skim milk as it won’t give you a filling as rich and thick.
Egg yolks — using egg yolks add more flavor and less moisture to the chocolate filling, making it taste richer and velvety. The eggs also add structure and stability to the filling. Don’t toss the egg whites, though! Save the whites for my meringue cookies recipe by storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Flour — flour helps thicken the filling.
Butter — adding butter to the chocolate mixture at the end gives you a glossy finish and smooth texture.
How to Make Chocolate Pie
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder.
2. Slowly whisk in 1½ cups of milk until well combined. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Meanwhile, in a large heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of milk, egg yolks, flour, and salt until well combined.
4. When the milk comes to a simmer, slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbling.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until melted and completely combined.
6. Pour the pudding into a baked pie shell. Refrigerate (uncovered) for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing. Serve the chocolate pie with whipped cream, if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Be very careful when adding the simmered milk mixture to the egg mixture. The slower, the better. If you add the milk too quickly, the yolks will curdle, and you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
- Cold egg yolks are easier to separate from the egg whites. Room temperature yolks are more likely to break than cold ones.
- To make slicing the chocolate pie easier, warm the knife under hot water. Wipe the knife clean between each slice with a warm, wet paper towel.
- If you want to make this a no-bake chocolate pie, you can swap the pie crust for my flavorful graham cracker crust or substitute the graham crackers with Oreo cookies!
- For a more decorative topping, you can add some chocolate shavings or chocolate chips on top of the fresh whipped cream or even make a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the pie.
- If you use a store-bought pie crust, keep in mind that they’re usually on the thinner side, so they’ll bake faster. I recommend following the directions on the package if using a frozen store-bought crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you were rushing the cooking process, the chocolate pie filling could end up runny. When making the milk mixture, take your time mixing to ensure the sugar has fully melted. You also cannot rush the chilling process. You need to budget enough time for the chocolate pie to set in the fridge.
If you are not ready to enjoy the pie yet, keep it in the fridge. If you have leftover chocolate pie, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
This recipe is freezer-friendly. Simply wrap the chocolate pie tightly with plastic and then a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this easy Chocolate Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Pie
Video
Equipment
- 9″ deep-dish pie pan
- Pie weights or dried beans
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (50g)
- 2 cups milk* (480ml)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cubed (57g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line a 9-inch pie pan with pie crust and crimp as desired. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and continue baking until the edges and bottom are golden and appear dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder. Slowly whisk in 1½ cups of milk until well combined. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Meanwhile, in a large heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of milk, egg yolks, flour, and salt until well combined. When the milk comes to a simmer, slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour back into the saucepan.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until melted and completely combined. Pour the pudding into the baked pie shell. (For an extra velvety filling, run the pudding through a fine mesh sieve before filling the pie.) Refrigerate (uncovered) for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes
- * For the milk in the filling, you can use whole milk or evaporated milk.
- Be very careful when adding the simmered milk mixture to the egg mixture. The slower, the better. If you add the milk too quickly, the yolks will curdle, and you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
- Cold egg yolks are easier to separate from the egg whites. Room temperature yolks are more likely to break than cold ones.
- To make slicing the chocolate pie easier, warm the knife under hot water. Wipe the knife clean between each slice with a warm, wet paper towel.
- If you want to make this a no-bake chocolate pie, you can swap the pie crust for my flavorful graham cracker crust or substitute the graham crackers with Oreo cookies!
- For a more decorative topping, you can add some shaved chocolate on top of the whipped cream or even make a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the pie.
- If you use a store-bought pie crust, keep in mind that they’re usually on the thinner side, so they’ll bake faster. I recommend following the directions on the package if using a frozen store-bought crust.
