A classic creamy chocolate pie, made completely from scratch! This recipe is a deliciously simple staple for every home baker, served over a simple homemade pie crust and topped with from-scratch whipped cream!
Fall is baking season, it’s pie and pumpkin season, made for apples and salted caramel and kitchens warmed by 350 degree ovens — all things cozy and delicious. Since tomorrow is the first official day of Fall (!!!) I thought a pie recipe would be appropriate.
I teased you on Monday that I wouldn’t offer you my easy pie crust recipe without giving you something to fill it with, so I hope you saved that recipe because you’re going to need it today! One pre-baked pie crust is the first ingredient for today’s homemade chocolate pie (see why I went into all the details about blind baking?!).
Remember how I mentioned that my pie crust recipe is extremely easy to make? Well that’s the hardest part of this whole chocolate pie because the filling is a simple chocolate pudding that is a breeze to make.
Making pudding that didn’t come out of a tiny powder filled Jell-o box was always intimidating to me, but now that I’ve been making it for so long I don’t know what it was that was so scary about it. Pudding, or in this case, chocolate pie filling, only requires a few ingredients to make.
We start with sugar, egg yolks (you can save the whites for an Angel Food cake or Funfetti cake!), cornstarch (to help firm up the chocolate pie and make it sliceable rather than soupy!), salt, milk, and heavy cream. I’ve made chocolate pies before using solely milk and no cream, but I like the richness of the cream and decided it worked best with this recipe, so I definitely recommend it.
Once these ingredients have cooked and come to a boil (make sure you’re whisking almost constantly!), then you’ll add your chocolate, your butter, your vanilla extract. The heat of your pudding mixture will melt your chocolate and butter and it will all come together as a silky chocolate filling right beneath your whisk.
I recommend running your pie filling through a fine mesh sieve before pouring it into your pie crust, this will eliminate any clumps that may have formed while your pie is cooking. I just place my sieve over a glass bowl, then pour the chocolate pie filling from the saucepan into the bowl through the sieve, using a spoon or spatula to gently help work the filling through.
You want your pie crust to be cooled and you want to let the chocolate filling cool a bit before you pour it into the pie crust. I recommend letting it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding it to your pie shell — just be sure to stir it every so often to prevent a layer or skin from forming on the surface (if you do notice a skin starting to form, just whisk it very well and it will dissolve).
For this very same reason, after you’ve poured your chocolate layer you’ll want to cover it with cling wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is pressed flush against the surface of the pie — this will keep a thick, unappetizing skin from forming over the surface.
Then there’s the whipped cream…
As I’ve mentioned before, I nearly always whip my own because it’s simple and because ever since the first time I let my family members taste homemade whipped cream they demand it over any sort of store bought variety (I’m looking at you, Cool Whip).
3 ingredients, 5 minutes, and just one dirty bowl, it’s definitely worth it.
I like to pipe the whipped cream around the outside of the pie near the crust (and sometime I lose all control and end up decorating the whole pie, did you see my Instagram story? 😳), but if you’re feeling impatient you can just slap it on top with a spoon.
I’m always trying to stay ahead on my recipes and I want to share a few more pies with you between now and Thanksgiving. Any requests for recipes that you’d like to see here?
Oh, and I hope you’ll tune in to my Facebook page at 12:00 EST today and say hi! I’ll be making my Dirty Brownies, live!
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1 prepared (baked) 9" pie crust click link for my homemade recipe
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp cornstarch (40g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 2/3 cup whole milk (630ml)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (118ml)
- 6 oz dark chocolate bar¹ finely chopped (170g)
- 4 Tablespoons butter cut into pieces (56.5)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (175ml)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (30g)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- Add egg yolks, milk, and heavy cream and transfer to stovetop over medium heat and whisk ingredients together.
- Whisk ingredients frequently until ingredients begin to thicken (this will take several minutes, do not crank up the heat or your filling may not thicken properly).
- Once mixture has thickened² (it should be like a pudding consistency) whisk constantly, the mixture will come to a boil and continue to whisk for 60 seconds before removing from heat (still whisking constantly).
- Immediately add chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk until ingredients are smooth and chocolate and butter are completely melted.
- Pour your pie filling through a fine mesh sieve into a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming.
- Pour filling over prepared pie crust and cover surface with clear wrap, making sure that the clear wrap is pressed against the surface of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate at least 6 hours to allow chocolate pie to firm up and set.
Homemade Whipped Cream
- Prepare Whipped Cream shortly before serving pie.
- Combine 3/4 cup heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a clean medium-sized bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to stir on low-speed. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe (I used a Wilton 2D tip) or dollop whipped cream topping over pie just before serving.
Notes
Ideas for Your Leftover Egg Whites
You can use them to make meringue cookies, white cake, or coconut macaroons.Nutrition
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James A Henderson says
I have made this pie twice during the pandemic. My wife and I both love it and we are not big dessert eaters. I did cut the sugar a little and used 70% because of us not having a sweet tooth. If you follow the recipe, it is FLAWLESS.
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, James! 🙂
Tara Fitzwilliam says
Hello,
Is it possible to put the pie in the freezer to help it to set faster? Or will that affect the consistency of the pie?
Thank you so much for your help!
TF
Sam says
Hi Tara! For best results and texture it’s best to keep it in the refrigerator. Freezing it runs the risk of altering the consistency.
Tami Brazee says
This is the second year I’ve made this pie for my sisters birthday. It’s so easy and what a beautiful pie!
I want to express my gratitude for all your hard work creating this website. It is my new “Go to” site. I’m learning to bake from scratch for the first time and I’m 61 years old. The videos make it so easy. And I love that you supply both the weights and measures for all your recipes.
Thank you,
Tami
Sam says
Thank you so much, Tami! I’m glad you enjoy everything. It’s nice to hear that the videos are so helpful. 🙂
Michala Sandoval says
This filling has a lovely texture. I used dark chocolate chips and I think that made it too sweet. I also only had 2% milk and it still thickened perfectly. I would probably cut the sugar down to just 1 cup in the future for us. But I’m not sure if it was just too sweet because of the chocolate chips instead of bakers chocolate bar.
Sam says
Hmmm I wonder if your chocolate did add a little extra sweetness here. Dark chocolate chips tend to run a little light than the bars I use.
Liz says
Just made this tonight- two issues. My filling looks really dark and dense while yours looks lighter and fluffier. Did i do something wrong? Yours looks “moussie” lol! If that makes sense.
Also mine seems to have little pools of oil, from butter i guess but what did i do wrong there? Rigjt now its in cooling stage.
Thanks for recipe. 🙂
Sam says
Hi Liz! Hmm what kind of chocolate did you use, if you used a different kind then maybe that could cause it to be darker? If there’s some butter pooling that could happen if the butter isn’t thoroughly mixed. If it’s just a little bit I think you’ll be fine, though!
Liz says
You are the sweetest for responding so quickly. Thank you. I used Ghirardeli bar 72%. I mean yeah, thats pretty dark. Well we loved it anyway. It spent the nigh in the fridge and the little pools of oil solidified but nothing a little time on top of the stove didnt fix. I was excited that this was our first time making pudding from scratch. Loved it! Gonna try this one again! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Sam says
I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it. 🙂
Stephanie Overton says
I tried this recipe twice and both times it did not thicken. What am i doing wrong?
Sam says
Hi Stephanie! Just want to check that no substitutions were made? If not then it just needs to be cooked longer (conversely, as noted in the recipe if you heat the mixture too fast that can also keep it from thickening). Different stoves vary and it might simply take more time on your stovetop.
Casie says
This pie was so amazing! The entire family was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it. 🙂
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Casie! 🙂
Amy says
How far in advance could I put whipped cream on the pie? I’m taking this to my parent’s house for dinner. Could I put whipped cream on right before I leave my house for dinner? It would be a few hours until the pie is eaten. I can’t really take all of the whipped cream ingredients and piping stuff with me. Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Amy! A few hours in advance will be totally fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Ashley says
I tend to keep cacao powder (not chocolate bars) on hand; would this work with cacao powder? If so, what measurements and when would you add it? Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Ashley! It would require several alterations to be made and without having tried it I can’t say for sure exactly what they would need to be. 🙁
Werner N. says
Love this pie, amazing!
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Werner! 🙂
James H. says
I made this pie last week and followed the recipe exactly as written. It was magnificent! All of my family in Texas want me to make it for them when I visit. My wife and I are not sweet eaters, so I made it with 70% cacao and will probably cut the sugar to 1 1/4 cup when making it for us, but leave it as is when sharing. Didn’t have a piping bag and didn’t really want to take the time to cut a baggy, so just used a spoon to apply the whipped cream. Dollops work great!! Thanks for the recipe!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, James! 🙂
Jeff S. says
Great!!!!