Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (2024)

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I love a good Chocolate Cream Pie, don’t you? Luscious, creamy and chocolatey… All my favorite things combined! This Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe is surprisingly easy to make and after you’ve tasted it, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this might be the best Chocolate Pie Ever. (Thanks, Granny for the amazing recipe!)

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (1)

The Best Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

My husband’s birthday is just around the corner, but instead of a cake this year, I made him one of his favorite childhood desserts, a Chocolate Cream Pie.

OK, I actually made several pies… This chocolate pie for the blog (his pre-birthday pie) and 2 more for the family celebration. (One chocolate and one other specialty pie, which I’ll be posting at a later date.)

He informed me later, that he prefers a graham cracker crust… Oh well, that just means next time it will be perfect!

**Update** The other pie was this lemon cheesecake pie. It was AMAZING!!! Definitely check it out.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (2)

Other than needing to work on my chocolate curling skills, (these are just a bit sad looking, lol) everything else about this pie was perfect.

The filling was perfect. Velvety, decadently rich and with the best chocolate flavor.

Oh, yes… It was soo good!

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (3)

How to Make a Chocolate Cream Pie:

So you might think making a Chocolate Cream Pie from scratch is difficult, but it’s really not!The recipe is fairly simple; just be aware that the filling in this chocolate cream pie needs at least 8 hours to set, so you will need to plan just a little bit ahead.

If you put the pie together in the morning, there will be plenty of time for it to set up before dinner. (As long as you are not eating dinner before 3pm that is!)

To make the pie, you are basically just making a from-scratch, double chocolate pudding, which takes about 10 minutes or so. The hardest part of the entire recipe is just waiting for the chocolate cream pie to fully chill and set up!

One of the biggest questions I get about the pie recipe is why didn’t my pie set up? I’v got a couple of tips to help you achieve perfect pudding consistancy for your Chocolate Cream Pie.

Cooking Tips for this Chocolate Cream Pie.

  • The most important step in this recipe is to stir almost constantly and bring the pudding to a boil, then reduce heat a bit and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, but gently(with your whisk) to keep the mixture from burning or curdling.
  • Now here is the tricky part: once the mixture reaches the boiling point, the cornstarch activates and only needs to cook another minute or so to thicken. Cooking for too long or stirring too intensely could cause the starch to break down. (Read more interesting info about cornstarch here.)
  • Lower fat milk can be subbed, but it will result in a less firm pie. (Which is perfectly ok, it is just slightly harder to serve)
  • The pie needs about 8 hours to fully set up. (Even better is to let it set up overnight.) You can (and I have) serve it sooner, but it will be a bit less firm.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (4)

What kind of crust is best for a chocolate cream pie?

When it comes to choosing a crust for your chocolate cream pie, there are so many choices! If you don’t mind a little extra work, a homemade pastry pie crust is very good. (Although I used a frozen pre-made pie crust that I needed to pre-bake for today’s pie.)

You can, of course, make your own graham cracker style crust using chocolate cookies, chocolate graham crackers or regular graham crackers. Even better you can purchase a premade graham cracker crust as well. (You can even find the premade ones made with chocolate cookies!)

One tip if using a store-bought crust… Hopefully, you already know to prick the bottom of the pie crust to prevent the crust from bubbling, but I also recommend piercing the sides in a few spots as well. Otherwise, it will look like this. The good news is, the chocolate filling hides any pie crust imperfections!

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (5)

Can I Substitute Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips for the Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate?

Yes, you can sub semi-sweet chocolate chips for the semi-sweet baking chocolate.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate squares are basically the same things, just in different forms.

In my opinion, baking chocolate is easier to use since it comes in a premeasured form. If you do sub chocolate chips you might want to use a weight scale to measure out the ounces. (I use an old postal/digital scale and a paper plate to do my measuring.)

Can This Pie be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make a Chocolate Cream Pie about 1-2 days ahead of time. Store covered in the refrigerator.

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Chocolate lover? You may also enjoy these recipes:

  • Double Chocolate Pudding Parfaits
  • Microwave Chocolate Molten Lava Cake (In less than 15 Minutes!
  • Chocolate Pots de “Crème” {a lightened up version}
  • Decadent Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
  • Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
  • Decadent Chocolate Mousse Recipe
  • Strawberry Almond Chocolate Bark

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Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (7)

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

★★★★★4.9 from 13 reviews

  • Author: Jamie Sanders (from Betty Crocker)
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 8 hours (+)
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: desserts
  • Method: stove top / fridge
Print Recipe

Description

This Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie is luscious, creamy and chocolatey… The pie is surprisinglyeasy to make and after you’ve tasted it, I’m sure you’ll agreewith me that this might be the best Chocolate Cream pie ever.

Ingredients

Scale

Pie:

  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces (plus a little extra for garnish)
  • (optional: 1 heaping tbsp of Cocoa powder for extra chocolatey-ness)
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • pre-baked 9 inch pie crust

Whipped cream:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 to 3 tbs sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and salt over medium heat.
  2. Whisk continuously until thickened and boiling (about 7 to 8 minutes.) Reduce heat a bit and cook for 2 moreminutes, stirring constantly (with thewhisk.)
  3. Remove from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate and butter until melted and thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour into pre-baked pie crust.
  5. Let cool on the counter for a bit, cover with plastic wrap then transfer to the fridge and chill until firm. (At least 6 to 8 hours, preferably overnight.) You could chill for less, but pie might not be as firm.

Before serving:

  1. Beat 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. (Works best if the cream is very cold and if you can chill the bowl and beaters before using- even better!)
  2. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar over cream; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. (I may have over-beat whipped cream just a smidge… Luckily I caught it before it turned into butter!)
  3. Spread over pie and garnish with chocolate curls (or little pieces.)

Notes

  • The most important step in this recipe is to stir almost constantly and bring the pudding to a boil, then reduce heat a bit and continue cooking for 2 minutes, absolutely STIRRING CONSTANTLY at then point (with your whisk) to keep the mixture from burning or curdling.
  • Lower fat milk can be subbed, but it will result in a less firm pie. (which is perfectly ok, it is just slightly harder to serve)
  • The pie needs about 8 hours to fully set up. You can (and I have) serve it sooner, but it will be a bit less firm.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 th of recipe
  • Calories: 530
  • Fat: 34
  • Carbohydrates: 56
  • Protein: 7

Keywords: chocolate, dessert, chocolate cream pie

Looking for a few more scrumptious desserts? You may also enjoy these:

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (8)

Lemon Curd and Raspberry Cupcakes

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (9)

Tres Leches Cake

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Coconut Rice Pudding

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About the AuthorJamie Sanders is a wife and mom of 2, located in the heart of Texas. She founded Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom in 2011 as a place to share creative ideas and family friendly recipes. Her work has been featured on Martha Stewart, Woman’s World, HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, CNET, Good Housekeeping, Yahoo, Oprah Daily, and Redbook, plus many other publications. To date, she had given away just under a million free pdf sewing patterns.
Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a chocolate cream pie made of? ›

There are a handful of ingredients that are used which include sugar, flour, Hershey's cocoa, salt, milk, egg yolks, butter, vanilla extract, pie crust, heavy whipping cream, Chocolate shavings, are optional.

Why didn t my chocolate cream pie set? ›

Take care, however, because you also don't want to overcook the filling which will make it very dense, and can even make it start to weep and separate. What causes a chocolate pie not to set up? A chocolate pie can not set up if it doesn't have enough cornstarch, egg yolks, or the filling wasn't cooked to 160 degrees.

What thickens a cream pie? ›

All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.

Why did my chocolate pie crack? ›

Sometimes pie dough cracks while you're blind-baking it, which I hope you're doing routinely to get a really crisp bottom crust on your pumpkin pie. This may be because the oven is too hot. A cheap oven thermometer will help you know how hot your oven really is, versus how hot it says it is.

What is cream pie filling made of? ›

A cream pie, crème pie, or creme pie is a type of pie filled with a rich custard or pudding that is made from milk, cream, sugar, wheat flour, and eggs and typically topped with whipped cream. Cream pies are usually what is used for pieing, or throwing a pie in someone's face.

What is the difference between chocolate cream pie and chocolate silk pie? ›

The Crust: Chocolate cream pie traditionally sits on a cookie crumb crust, while French silk pie traditionally sits on a pastry crust. The Filling: Chocolate cream pie filling has a denser, pudding-like consistency, while French silk pie filling has a lighter, airier, more mousse-like consistency.

How do you keep a chocolate pie from getting watery? ›

Cornstarch. Many recipes call for flour to thicken their chocolate pie, but I prefer to use cornstarch, which results in a smoother mouthfeel and better consistency overall. Eggs. You'll need five egg yolks for this recipe.

Why is my chocolate cream pie gritty? ›

Chocolate is very sensitive to heat and melts at just above body temperature. But if it gets too hot then it will turn grainy or lumpy and the fats will start to separate out. Sometimes this can be corrected by adding some cream or water.

What causes a cream pie to get watery? ›

The watery layer between the meringue and the filling (weeping) is usually caused by undercooking. This is where it is important to put your meringue onto hot filling so it can begin cooking right away.

Is flour or cornstarch better for pie filling? ›

Cornstarch as Pie Filling Thickener

Cornstarch is faster-acting than flour and forms a smooth, relatively clear filling. Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.

What do I do if my cream pie is runny? ›

To fix this, you can cook the pudding mixture over low heat until it thickens, or add a thickener such as cornstarch or tapioca flour. Another possible reason for a runny banana cream pie is that the pie filling was not chilled properly before being added to the crust.

Which is better flour or cornstarch? ›

Cornstarch is a pure carbohydrate, but flour has more nutrients. Cornstarch is a common ingredient in a wide variety of foods and beverages. It's used by home cooks and in commercial settings. Cornstarch is not a very nutrient-rich food, though, so it's an open question whether or not cornstarch is bad for you.

How long is chocolate pie good for? ›

How long is chocolate pie good for? It'll stay good for about three days in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap. How do you thicken chocolate pie filling? I add in a little cornstarch to help thicken up the filling.

Why is it no longer called crack pie? ›

The famous Milk Bar "Crack Pie" shall henceforth be known as "Milk Bar Pie," after the name of the pie was slammed in a column published by the "Boston Globe." In a letter published on the Milk Bar website Monday, pastry chef Christina Tosi announced that her company had changed the name of the pie.

What can I add to chocolate to stop it cracking? ›

2 Ways to Prevent Chocolate Coating from Cracking

A good place to start is by adding 1 part of neutral vegetable oil to every 6 parts of chocolate. I.e., for 1 kilogram of chocolate, add 150 grams of vegetable oil such as grape seed or sunflower oil.

What's the difference between custard pie and cream pie? ›

In North America, "custard pie" commonly refers to a plain mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and sometimes nutmeg combined with a pie crust. It is distinctly different from a cream pie, which contains cooked custard poured into a cooled, precooked crust.

What is inside choco pie? ›

A choco pie is a snack cake consisting of two small round layers of cake with marshmallow filling and a chocolate covering. The term originated in America but is now also used widely in South Korea, Japan, and its exports, and many other countries as either a brand name or a generic term.

Why isn't it called crack pie anymore? ›

In the letter addressed both to consumers and employees, Tosi writes that “the old name was getting in the way” of the bakery's core mission “to spread joy and inspire celebration” — essentially making people feel unwelcome. “While change is never easy, we feel this is the right decision,” she writes.

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