Chocolate Cream Pie is the dessert that disappears first from every holiday table. This version has a crisp Oreo crust, a silky chocolate filling made from scratch with real chopped chocolate, and a big cloud of fresh whipped cream on top.
The pie filling cooks on the stovetop like a rich chocolate pudding (you may also hear this pie called chocolate pudding pie), so there is no instant mix and no oven time for the filling. I make it the day before, since it needs at least 8 hours in the fridge to set, which makes it one of the easiest desserts to get ahead on.
Whip the cream right before serving, scatter some chocolate flakes over the top, and slice. If you loved this chocolate pie recipe, try our S'mores Pie or Turtle Cheesecake with Caramel, Chocolate, and Pecans next.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Rich, silky chocolate filling. It is made from scratch with real chopped chocolate, egg yolks, and cream, so you get deep chocolate flavor and a texture like the best chocolate pudding you have ever had.
- Crunchy Oreo crust. It takes just two ingredients and a food processor, with no rolling pin or pie dough.
- Make-ahead friendly. The pie chills for at least 8 hours, so it is done the day before. Just whip the cream when it is time to serve.
- Simple stovetop custard. There is no oven for the filling, no water bath, and no instant pudding mix.
- A true crowd pleaser. Piled with whipped cream and chocolate flakes, it is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this silky Chocolate Cream Pie, you will need the following ingredients (see recipe card below for quantities):
- Oreo cookies - Use whole Oreos with the cream filling left in, since the filling helps hold the crust together. Other chocolate sandwich cookies work too.
- Unsalted butter - It's used twice, melted for the crust and cold and cubed for the filling. Melt the crust butter in the microwave in 20-second bursts, and use unsalted butter so you control the salt.
- Egg yolks - Five large egg yolks give the filling its rich, custardy body. Save the whites for an omelet or meringue cookies.
- Cornstarch - It thickens the filling into a pudding-like texture.
- Whole milk - Whole milk makes the creamiest filling.
- Heavy cream - Also called heavy whipping cream, it's used in both the filling and the whipped topping. Keep the cream for the topping very cold so it whips well.
- White sugar - Granulated sugar sweetens the filling.
- Semi sweet chocolate - Use a baking bar, finely chopped, so it melts quickly and smoothly. Bittersweet chocolate makes a deeper, less sweet pie.
- Vanilla extract - It's used in both the filling and the whipped cream.
- Salt - A pinch balances the sweetness.
- Confectioners sugar - It sweetens the whipped cream and helps it hold its shape.
- Chocolate flakes, swirls, or chopped chocolate - These are for garnish. Use a vegetable peeler on a chocolate bar to make your own chocolate shavings.
Equipment
You will need a food processor, a 9-inch pie dish, a measuring cup, a medium pot, a whisk, plastic wrap, and an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
Instructions
- Make the Oreo crust. Add the Oreos to a food processor and grind until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined.
- Bake the crust. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan, using a measuring cup to compact them. Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 12 minutes. If the crust comes out slightly puffed, press it down again with the measuring cup while it's still hot. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Start the filling. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, cream, and sugar until very smooth, making sure the dry ingredients are fully dissolved with no lumps. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to steam and thicken slightly, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep stirring constantly.
- Thicken the filling. When the mixture thickens like hot pudding and starts to bubble, meaning it has come to a gentle boil (you will have to stop whisking briefly to see the bubbles), cook for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat immediately.
- Add the chocolate. Immediately add the butter, chocolate, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until the butter and chocolate are fully melted and the chocolate mixture is smooth.
- Chill the pie. Pour the hot pie filling over the cooled crust, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
- Whip the cream. When the filling is cold and set, whip the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla with a whisk or electric hand mixer until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Garnish and serve. Dollop the whipped cream over the pie and sprinkle with the chocolate garnish before serving.
Expert Tip
Cook the Filling Until It Bubbles, Then One More Minute
That bubbling is how you know the cornstarch has fully thickened the filling. If you pull the pot off the heat too early, the pie won't set. Keep whisking the whole time so the bottom doesn't scorch, and stop for just a second to check for bubbles. Once the mixture is thick like hot pudding and bubbling, cook it for 1 more minute and take it off the heat right away.
Recipe Variations
- Use a different crust. Swap the Oreo crust for a baked and cooled graham cracker crust, a blind-baked homemade pie crust, or a premade crust. To blind bake, line the crust with parchment or aluminum foil and fill it with pie weights.
- Make a mocha chocolate cream pie. Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder along with the chocolate.
- Add a peanut butter layer. Spread a thin layer of smooth peanut butter over the cooled crust before adding the filling.
- Add a salted caramel layer. Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the cooled crust before adding the filling.
- Use dark chocolate. Use bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate for a deeper, less sweet pie.
- Extra chocolatey. Whisk 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in with the cornstarch and sugar for even more chocolate flavor.
- Make it mint chocolate. Add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract with the vanilla. It's strong, so start small.
- Top with fresh berries. Top the whipped cream with raspberries or sliced strawberries.
- Add extra Oreo crunch. Garnish with crushed Oreos along with the chocolate flakes.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Cream Pie
- Chop the chocolate finely. Small pieces melt quickly and smoothly into the hot filling.
- Whisk constantly. Constant whisking keeps the custard smooth and keeps the yolks from scrambling or scorching.
- Strain out any lumps. If you spot any lumps in the hot filling, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve before filling the crust.
- Press the crust down while it's hot. If it puffs in the oven, a measuring cup flattens it right back.
- Cool the crust completely. Add the filling only once the crust is at room temperature.
- Let it chill overnight. At least 8 hours gives you a firm filling, and a fully chilled pie slices much more cleanly.
- Start with very cold cream. Cold cream whips faster and holds its peaks.
- Whip the cream at the last minute. It looks and tastes best the day you serve it.
Storage
Make Ahead
Make the pie through the chilling step up to 1 day ahead, and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Whip the cream and add the topping just before serving.
How to Store
Cover leftover pie loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Serve
Serve this pie cold, straight from the fridge, with plenty of whipped cream. It's a make-ahead showstopper for holiday dessert tables, birthdays, and any day you need a chocolate fix.
These are my favorite things to serve with it:
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FAQ
The filling most likely needed a little more time on the stove. It should thicken like hot pudding and bubble, then cook for 1 more minute before you take it off the heat. Also make sure the pie chills for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
A chopped baking bar melts more smoothly into the hot filling, so I recommend it. Chocolate chips can work in a pinch, but the filling may be slightly less smooth.
Use them in an egg white omelet, scrambled eggs, meringue cookies, or royal icing. They keep in the refrigerator for a few days, or you can freeze them.
Yes, and you should. The pie needs at least 8 hours to set, so make it the day before and add the whipped cream just before serving.
Covered and refrigerated, it keeps for up to 3 days.
I don't recommend it. The custard filling can turn watery and the whipped cream loses its texture after thawing.
They're very close. Both have a cooked chocolate custard filling in a crust, topped with whipped cream. This recipe uses a from-scratch chocolate pudding filling.
Yes. A baked and cooled graham cracker crust or a blind-baked pie crust both work. Make sure the crust is completely cool before you pour in the warm filling.
More Pie Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Chocolate Cream Pie
- Total Time: 8 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A crisp Oreo crust filled with silky homemade chocolate custard and topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate flakes. Make it a day ahead for the best slices.
Ingredients
For the Oreo crust:
- 25 oreo cookies
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the chocolate filling:
- 5 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons (23 grams) cornstarch
- 2 cups (480 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
- ½ cup (100 grams) white sugar
- ¼ cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 8 ounces (227 grams) semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the whipped cream topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream, very cold
- 3 tablespoons (23 grams) confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate flakes, swirls, or chopped chocolate (for garnish)
Instructions
Make the Oreo crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the Oreos to a food processor and grind until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish, using a measuring cup to compact them. Bake for 12 minutes. If the crust comes out slightly puffed, press it down again with the measuring cup while it's still hot.
- Let the crust cool to room temperature.
Make the chocolate filling:
- In a medium pot, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, cream, and sugar until very smooth. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to steam and thicken slightly, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep stirring constantly.
- When the mixture thickens like hot pudding and starts to bubble (you will have to stop whisking briefly to see the bubbles), cook for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat immediately.
- Immediately add the butter, chocolate, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until the butter and chocolate are fully melted and the filling is smooth.
- Pour the hot filling over the cooled crust. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
Whip the cream and serve:
- When the filling is cold and set, whip the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla with a whisk or electric hand mixer until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Dollop the whipped cream over the pie and sprinkle with the chocolate garnish before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Cover leftover pie and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To make ahead, prepare the pie through the chilling step up to 1 day ahead and add the whipped cream just before serving.
- Chill time: The pie needs at least 8 hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, to set.
- Substitutions: Use bittersweet chocolate for a deeper, less sweet pie. A baked and cooled graham cracker or pie crust can replace the Oreo crust.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake/Stovetop/Chill
- Cuisine: American
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