The Best Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (2024)

Many of you know my dear mother-in-law, Kris. Her influence and reputation on this blog precede her. She is one of the best home cooks I know, and my blog owes a lot to her palate. When she talks, I listen.

The rest of the table, including Eric, who saw me work so hard testing a million pies, protested. “I think the pie tastes great, Karen!”

I know that Kris doesn’t like sugary-sweet desserts, so if she thinks my pie needs more umph, I’m interested. I defend her: “Kris is not an overly-sweet person, so if she thinks it needs more sugar, that’s saying something!” My father-in-law erupts in laughter. “Kris is not an overly-sweet person? You can say that again!”

The next day Kris tried to apologize. She felt bad for being blunt about the pie. I brushed her off. “I’m not offended at allI! I value your opinion; you have a very sharp tongue.” She burst into laughter, “You can say that again!”

You guys! Is my subconscious sending over backhanded compliments because someone thought my pie needed work? What is it with me??

Kris ate some more pie later and tried to back track. “I think I actually do like the pie, just the way it is!” Sure Kris. Sure. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.

I made the pie one last time. And I used more sugar, as Kris suggested. OF COURSE, she was right. It was amazing. We crowded around the counter with forks, with moans of, “This is it,” and “I didn’t think it could get better, but it got better.”

Welp, humble pie going around in every direction over here! It was worth it. Now you know just how much we all owe to Kris and her sharp tongue! 😉

This Easy Chocolate Cream Pie is what dreams are made of

Chocolate Cream pie has a crust, a thick layer of homemade chocolate pudding, and is topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s dreamy beyond belief!

Even if there is a selection of pies at your event, this one will probably get eaten first. It’s the American way. We’re obsessed with chocolate. I read a quote from a chef once, who was talking about choosing what to include on a dessert menu: “You always have to provide a chocolate option. People will riot if you don’t.”

Ingredients for the Best Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Here’s a quick shopping list! All the details are below in the recipe card.

• Oreo cookies or Graham cracker crust
• Kosher salt
• Butter
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Whole milk
• Cocoa powder
• Cornstarch
• Heavy cream (not coffee creamer!)
• Semi sweet chocolate
• Vanilla
• Powdered sugar

The best crust for this Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

You can’t have a good pie without a good crust. You have 3 classic options:

• Oreo cookie crust
• Graham Cracker crumb crust
• Classic pastry pie crust

I took a poll on Instagram the day I made this pie, and Oreo crust beat out Graham cracker crust by a thin margin. It’s just hard to deny chocolate in crunchy buttery cookie form, right? Graham cracker crust is a close second for me, too. I love them both, but the choice is yours.

I didn’t even include regular pastry pie crust in the poll, because in my opinion, it shouldn’t even be on the list. Chocolate pie is SO much better in a crumb crust. I said what I said people. I know that tradition says chocolate pie goes in a regular pie crust, but I’m convinced that tradition was started when Oreos weren’t invented yet.

I like to use a measuring cup and my fingers to press the mixture into the pan. Make sure you bake your crumb crust for about 10 minutes to make sure it gets nice and crispy. No soggy crust, please. We need a foil for our creamy pie.

How to make Chocolate Cream Pie

Here’s the basic run down of this pie, just to get a lay of the land. The full recipe is in the recipe card below!

1. Make the crust
2. Make a homemade pudding and chill for 4 hours
3. Make the chocolate curls
4. Make the whipped cream and put it all together, then devour!

We’ve got our crust, now it’s puddin’ time. The pudding portion of the pie is EASY.

Okay, not as easy as instant pudding. But stay with me here! I’ll walk you through it.

1. First you’re going to need an egg and 4 egg yolks. Egg yolks make the world go round when it comes to puddings and custards. They are full of flavor and creamy goodness.
2. Crack them into a stone cold 3-quart saucepan. Don’t even think about setting it on the stove yet. We’ve got business to take care of before we heat things up.

Here are my dozens of egg whites from my million tests on this recipe. Someday I will come up with an egg white omelette recipe for you all. For now, put them in your fridge and pretend like you will use them later. Ha! Just kidding. I usually add a few whites at a time to my kids scrambled eggs.

3. Add in some sugar and bust out your hand mixer. Beat until the mixture has lightened in color, see below. Using an electric mixture is my secret for this recipe. Can you get the job done with a whisk and some elbow grease? Absolutely! Your final just won’t be as light and fluffy.

4. (See how light the eggs are now?) Add in some cold milk and continue beating. It will get nice and frothy!

5. Add in the dry ingredients: cornstarch, high quality unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt. Beat it together and try not to choke on the cocoa dust cloud that’s about to poof in your face. Scrape down the edges!

6. Meanwhile, heat up some milk and cream in the microwave. Get it really hot! I’m showing you my hack for tempering eggs. Usually with pudding you have to heat milk on the stove, beat your eggs in a separate bowl, pour some of the hot milk into the eggs while beating, then add the egg mixture back into the hot pan. I’m confused even describing it to you. It’s an annoying step.
7. Instead, thanks to the beater, we have ultra-whipped eggs already in our pan (which breaks up their proteins so they don’t bunch up. Bunched up proteins = scrambled eggs, exactly what we are trying to avoid, and the whole purpose of tempering.)

9. Finally, finally, you can now move your pot to the stove. sorry for this terribly grainy photo. It was dark, but I wanted to give you confidence to bring your mixer right onto your stove top.
10. Turn the heat to medium and beat with the mixer one last time as it heats up. Turn off the mixer and switch to a whisk. I like these flat whisks better than the traditional style because they can reach into the corners of the pot better.
11. Keep your heat at medium and don’t walk away. Whisk your mixture every 30 seconds or so, and constantly toward the end. Say no to lumpy pudding. This mixture needs to be on the stove for 7-10 minutes. You are looking for a gradual thickening and a small pop of a bubble or two at the very end, no more.

12. When you can drag your whisk across the top of the pudding and it leaves marks, you’re done. Remove from the heat immediately, don’t stop whisking whenever you can, as you bustle around adding the next ingredients.

13. Immediately add 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, a bit of unsalted butter, and some vanilla. Don’t use chocolate chips if you can help it! Buy a nice bar of semi sweet chocolate, I prefer Ghirardelli. It’s higher quality and will melt more smoothly.

15. Immediately pour the hot pudding into your prepared pie crust. Don’t wait around. If pudding sits still for any amount of time, it forms a skin on top, and then when you mix it in, that skin makes your pudding less creamy. Not the end of the world, but we want to avoid it if we can. Move quickly.

You might think there is too much pudding and it won’t fit in the pie pan. Just keep adding it a little at a time, you will be surprised. If you absolutely cannot fit more, scrape the rest into a small bowl for yourself and don’t tell anyone else about it. That’s an order. You made this pie, Little Red Hen, it’s yours.

16. Cover the pie with plastic as soon as you can, pressing it right onto the pudding. This is to avoid that skin or film that forms on top. Then toss it in the fridge for 4 hours at the very least, 8 hours or overnight is even better! It’s the perfect make-ahead pie.

Curling chocolate for Chocolate Cream Pie

While your pie chills, make some chocolate curls. They are super easy, but if you can’t handle one more thing, see recipe notes for a hack using a vegetable peeler and a bar of nice chocolate.

1. Melt chocolate chips and a bit of shortening (or butter, or oil)
2. Spread the chocolate onto a baking sheet
3. Freeze or refrigerate a few minutes
4. Let it rest at room temperature to get to the perfect temperature
5. Use a metal spatula to scrape the chocolate into curls

Melt the chocolate in increments in the microwave, stirring in between. When it is smooth, use an offset spatula to spread it onto a baking sheet.

Freeze for just a couple minutes, it hardens very fast. Take it out and let it rest a few minutes. If you try to scrape the chocolate now, it will come off in shards. Stick around and try again in one minute.

Keep trying until you get curls when you scrape with an upside down spatula. You can use the full length of the spatula to get tightly rolled curls, or use just the edge to get these spiral curls.

If the chocolate gets limp and slumps instead of curls when you push with the spatular, it’s too warm. Stick it back in the fridge or freezer for a minute.

Keep the curls chilled until you’re ready to serve your pie.

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe Easy Whipped Topping

When your pie is completely chilled and the chocolate curls are ready to go, it’s time to make the whipped cream!

If you have the space, take a few minutes to chill your beater and bowl. It makes the whipped cream even more light and fluffy.

Heavy cream is the same as whipping cream and ultra heavy whipping cream. They just have different fat contents. Find the highest fat content available (Costco sells Darigold cream which is 40%, the highest I’ve seen. Anything above 35% is fine. Some brands don’t even have this info available on the packaging, but if you buy anything called cream or heavy cream, you will be fine. (Don’t buy coffee creamer!)

Then pile it on! There’s never too much whipped cream, right?

Sprinkle it with your chocolate curls and voila!

How to serve this Easy Chocolate Cream Pie

Serve this pie in small slices. It is super rich! Or just go all the way and plan to unbutton your pants a little. I’m not judging. I don’t eat pie that’s not worth it. This pie is WORTH IT.

How to store Chocolate Cream Pie

Does chocolate cream pie need to be refrigerated?

YES! Don’t you go leaving this pie out after all your hard work. Pudding is meant to be eaten COLD COLD COLD, so chill it in the fridge as soon as you are done if there are leftovers. That said, if you are bringing your pie to an event, it can definitely sit out for a couple hours at room temp, no problem. I just prefer the flavor and texture when is ultra-chilled.

Try to top your pie with whipped cream at the very last moment before serving, but if you must do it ahead of time, covering it can be an issue. If you have leftovers, cover with plastic wrap and kiss your pretty presentation goodbye. If you are bringing the whole pie to a party, try sticking toothpicks into the top of the whipped cream, then gently covering the whole pie with plastic wrap. Then remove the toothpicks when serving. My grandma taught me this old trick!

Chocolate Cream Pie should last about 3-4 days in the fridge, but the longer you leave it, the soggier the crust will get.

Can you freeze a Chocolate Pie?

Yes! I know because I tried it. Works like a charm. The easiest way is to leave off the whipped topping, wrap in plastic wrap, and then slip the whole thing into a large ziplock freezer bag or wrap well in foil. If you’re worried about the crust getting soggy, you can also freeze the crust and the filling separately and put the filling in the crust once both are thawed. Either way, the pie will be good for about two months in the freezer. To thaw, place on the counter for 2-4 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. Top with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings right before serving.

And that’s a wrap my friends! I’m honestly in love with this pie you guys. Chocolate cream pie is a classic that you must have in your repertoire, and I’m so pleased that I finally have my “One.” I hope it becomes a new family favorite for you too! Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

More pies you’re going to love!

If you plan to make an epic dessert for any holiday, special occasion, or just because, pie is about as good as it gets. Here are some of my favorites!

• The Best Homemade Apple Pie << easily my best, most popular pie recipe
• My Favorite Homemade Banana Cream Pie << The other cream pie of your dreams.
• The Only Blueberry Pie that I Truly Love << I used to hate Blueberry Pie until this recipe… it’s a keeper
• Creme Brulee Pumpkin Pie << like normal Pumpkin Pie but 1000x better because of the crackly brulee top
• Pecan Pie Recipe with Buttery Streusel Topping << you will win many friends with this one
• No Bake Cherry Cream Cheese Pie << made in a snap, and SO good
• THE Chocolate Chip Pie Recipe << super easy and tastes like a warm deep dish cookie
• Peach Apricot Slab Pie << a perfect summer or anytime fruit pie
• The Best Zesty Key Lime Pie Recipe << nice and tart, just the way it should be
• No Bake Peanut Butter Pie with Hot Fudge << smooth and creamy deliciousness
• Cranberry Cherry Pie with Almond Glaze << like classic cherry, but with a nice tart pop from the cranberries
• Marionberry Pie from Life’s Ambrosia
• Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie Recipe from The Soul Food Pot
• Buttermilk Pie from Well Plated