This crowd-pleasing chocolate cream pie recipe yields a rich dessert that’s deeply chocolaty—and a touch nostalgic if you grew up frequenting old-school American diners.
For a balanced chocolate pie filling, the recipe calls for two types of chocolate (unsweetened and semi- or bittersweet). You can use a bar or chocolate chips, but look for high-quality chocolate like Guittard or Scharffenberger for the best chocolate flavor. If you can’t get your hands on quality unsweetened chocolate, substitute 6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 2 Tbsp. refined coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature and won’t compromise the pie’s creamy chocolate texture). Once you start making the chocolate custard, don’t walk away—things will move quickly when it begins to thicken. For a lump-free filling, whisk constantly, scraping into the corners of your saucepan so no dry bits go unincorporated.
The chocolate crust recipe was developed with Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers. Unfortunately, the cookies have been discontinued, so you’ll need an alternative. Oreos scraped of their cream work (Nabisco also sells ready-to-use Oreo cookie crumbs), as would chocolate graham crackers or Goya’s Chocolate Maria Cookies. Or you can always pick up a store-bought Oreo crust if you want to skip the homemade pie shell.
We prefer a whipped cream topping for this chocolate pie recipe, but you will have leftover egg whites if you’d like to make a meringue. The pie can be made a day ahead of time, but hold off on the topping until you’re ready to serve. Feeling fancy? Garnish your pie with a few chocolate shavings or more crushed chocolate cookies. For the true diner experience, serve alongside coffee (or espresso) or a tall glass of milk.
Recipe information
Total Time
8 hours (includes cooling and chilling)
Yield
8–10 servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Pie Crust
Chocolate Pie Filling
Topping
Preparation
Chocolate Pie Crust
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F.
Step 2
Stir together 1⅓ cups (161 g) chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, and ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Press on bottom and up sides of a 9” pie plate (1-qt. capacity). Bake crust until crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Chocolate Pie Filling
Step 3
Whisk ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 4 large egg yolks in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan until combined well, then add 3 cups whole milk, room temperature, in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, about 1 minute (filling will be thick).
Step 4
Strain filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in 5 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted, 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap or a buttered round of parchment or wax paper and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
Step 5
Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.
Topping
Step 6
Just before serving, beat ¾ cup chilled heavy cream with 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar in a medium bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie.
Do Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be chilled up to 1 day.
Editor's note: This easy dessert recipe was first printed in the February 2004 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for a peanut butter pie with graham cracker crust (in case you want two dessert options) and more of our favorite pie recipes →
Recipe notes
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