Chocolate Cream Pie
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With a cookie crust, silky chocolate pudding center and pillowy whipped cream topping, this pie is a chocolate lover’s dream.
My dad was a serious chocoholic. This chocolate cream pie was his all-time favorite dessert, and I used to make it for him every year on Father’s Day. My 19-year-old son, Zach, took after my dad in the dessert department, and has requested this pie for his birthday since he was a little boy. Needless to say, the pie is a family favorite and shows up in a lot of our family photos! With its chocolate cookie crust, silky chocolate pudding center, and pillowy whipped cream topping, it is truly a chocolate lover’s dream. The crust is made with Nabisco chocolate wafers, which aren’t always easy to find. Oreo thins make a great substitute (and there’s no need to remove the filling). Be sure to plan ahead because the filling needs at least eight hours to set up before serving.
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Cream Pie
Step-by-step Instructions
Begin by making the crust. Combine the chocolate wafers, sugar and butter in bowl of food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Pulse until the cookies are finely crushed.
Pour the crumbs into a pie pan.
Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan (spread some of the crumbs up the sides first, making the crust just shy of 1/4-inch thick, then press the remaining crumbs onto the bottom; use a the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to even out, if you like). Bake for 10 minutes until crisp.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk gently until combined.
In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk and egg yolks. Add the mixture to the saucepan in a slow and steady stream, whisking until the mixture is smooth.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, 6-8 minutes. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cook — whisking constantly, especially around the edges — for one more minute until thick. (The constant stirring and low heat prevents the eggs from scrambling. Be sure to scrape the whisk against the bottom and edges of the pan where the mixture is more likely to overheat.)
Turn off the heat, then immediately add the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla extract.
Whisk until smooth.
Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Press a piece of saran wrap directly over surface of the filling to prevent a film from forming; chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Up to three hours before serving, place the heavy cream in chilled mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip on medium-low speed until the whisk or beaters begin to leave tracks in the cream. Add the sugar and whip until the cream holds medium, silky peaks. Go slowly towards the end; if it gets grainy or curdled, you’ve gone too far.
Spoon the whipped cream over the filling.
Spread the whipped cream, leaving some of the chocolate filling showing around the edges. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Photo by Our Salty Kitchen
More Pies You Might Like
- Easy Lemon Meringue Pie
- Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Cake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
Chocolate Cream Pie
With a cookie crust, silky chocolate pudding center and pillowy whipped cream topping, this pie is a chocolate lover’s dream.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 28 Nabisco Chocolate Wafers (or 1½ cups finely crushed crumbs)*
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the Filling
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, grated or shaved
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine the chocolate wafers, sugar and butter in bowl of food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until the cookies are finely crushed. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan (spread some of the crumbs up the sides first, making the crust just shy of ¼-inch thick, then press the remaining crumbs onto the bottom; use a the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to even out, if you like). Bake for 10 minutes until crisp.
For the Filling
- Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Whisk gently until combined.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk and egg yolks. Add the milk mixture to the saucepan in a slow and steady stream, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, 6-8 minutes. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cook -- whisking constantly, especially around the edges -- for one more minute until thick. (The constant stirring and low heat prevents the eggs from scrambling. Be sure to scrape the whisk against the bottom and edges of the pan where the mixture is more likely to overheat.) Off the heat, immediately add the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla extract; whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Press a piece of saran wrap directly over surface of the filling to prevent a film from forming; chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
For the Topping
- (Up to 3 hours before serving) Place the heavy cream in chilled mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip on medium-low speed until the whisk or beaters begin to leave tracks in the cream. Add sugar and whip until the cream holds medium, silky peaks. Go slowly towards the end; if it gets grainy or curdled, you’ve gone too far. Spread the whipped cream over the filling, leaving some of the chocolate filling showing around the edges. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- *Nabisco cookies available in the cookie aisle at most major supermarkets. Sometimes they can be hard to spot. At my local Giant, they’re on the top shelf near the Oreos. If you can't find them, crushed Oreo thins make a good substitute.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 663
- Fat: 43 g
- Saturated fat: 24 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Sugar: 49 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 367 mg
- Cholesterol: 172 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen! I have made maybe 100 of your recipes and all are fantastic! My husband and I only use your site. However I have made this chocolate cream pie for the second time now and both times the pie is runny. I followed your recipe to a “T”. I cooked it for maybe 10 minutes instead of 6-8 you recommended so that I’d be sure it’s cooked. Do you put saran wrap on right away and refrigerate? What could I be doing wrong? None of your recipes have ever failed me.
Please help!
Thank you!
Denise Smith
I’m so flattered that you use my site for all your recipes! 💗 And I’m sorry you’ve had a problem with this (twice!). Are you using whole milk for the filling?
Hi Jen!
Yes I used whole milk. I have no idea why this recipe doesn’t “set “ for me. I let it come to a boil and it seemed to thicken. Do you put saran wrap on after it’s done or should you wait till it cools? I have no idea why this has happened twice? Any other help?
Denise
Yes, you do put the saran wrap on when the mixture is still hot. You mentioned increasing the cooking time to 8 to 10 minutes. Did you do that the first time around? If so, that’s likely the problem as cornstarch will start to break down if cooked too long. If you try this again, as soon as the mixture begins to bubble, immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 more minute. Hope that helps and that the third time’s a charm!
Delicious dessert! Made crust and filling 2 days ahead. Followed recipe steps and added crushed candy canes on top for Christmas.
Next time I’ll crush the wafers in a ziplock bag and mix with melted butter and sugar to avoid food processor (heavy and stored above refrigerator).
Rather than having extra of both bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, could one type of Ghirardelli chocolate be used and adjust sugar?
So glad you enjoyed it! You can use all bittersweet chocolate. While not completely necessary, you could reduce the sugar in the whipped topping by 1 tablespoon.
how long will this pie keep in the frig? I won’t cover with whipping cream till Christmas Eve. I made the pie yesterday so will be on its 3rd day on Saturday.
bad wintery roads are delaying our guests and i was serving it tonight.
thank you!!! the pie turned out really well!
Hi Cheryl, it should keep nicely for about 4 days. Happy holidays!
good to hear! otherwise, I might need a midnight snack!
I’d love to try this for my Christmas dessert. Can you think of a way to make it more festive? Maybe crushed candy canes on top or someone suggested peppermint wafers from trader Joe’s. Do you think the flavor would go well with mint?
Hi Tai, the peppermint flavor would work well here and I think either of the options you suggested would be nice!
Hi Jen,
I don’t have a pie pan – is it possible to use a springform pan instead and make it like the pumpkin streusel torte (which btw was amazing – made it twice already!)? Thank you!
Hi Patrick, I wouldn’t recommend it – sorry!
I ate more of this pie than anything else for Thanksgiving! You are my “go-to” chef.
Does this recipe cook the eggs enough for food safety, or should I use pasteurized eggs?
Yep!
Hi! I am 14 and making this for thanksgiving! What is the easiest way to make it? I have never made a pie! I am wondering what the easiest way to make it is?
Hi Joseph, I’d just follow the directions very carefully and you should be good — very impressive that you’re making it at 14! 🙂
Can I use an 11”, ceramic tart pan (solid, not like a springform pan) for this recipe? If so, should I double the recipe or perhaps just 1.5 the amounts? Many thanks!
Hi Maureen, Yes, you can use it but I think you’d only need to make 1.5 times the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
OPPS!! Oh my! My mistake! 🙁 I see now that your photo of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar says “Unsweetened, 100% Cacao” … not Bittersweet! That clears things up, thank goodness.
I apologize for not checking that tiny print more carefully. Now, at last, I can begin working on your recipe … really looking forward to yummy results!! Thank you, Jen!
Hi Jen! I’m about to make your Chocolate Cream Pie as a gift for a chocolate-loving friend who is recovering from surgery. I know that I can count on a delicious result since all your recipes are real winners! But I need HELP!! I have encountered a problem! After rounding up all the ingredients, I am puzzled — the photo on your website shows a Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar, Bittersweet, with 100% Cacao. I’m quite dismayed to see that I have the exact same Ghirardelli Premium Bar, Bittersweet, but it is labelled as 60% Cacao — how is such a difference possible under the same Bittersweet title? Surely that will make a big difference! Have they changed their product? Should I go back to the store to find something that says 100% Cacao? I want to make the pie but I am now delayed & have stopped before beginning. I would truly appreciate your help. Thank you!
Hi Toni, The recipe calls for two different types of chocolate – bittersweet and unsweetened. Underneath the unsweetened 100% cacao bar you see in the photo is the bittersweet bar with 60%. Hope that helps!
Unfortunately this was a bit disappointing. Turned out way to solid and heavy on the chocolate flavor(overpowering). Not creamy at all. Followed directions exactly. Had high expectations.
OMG.
Jen, I just cannot decide which is better, your Peanut Chocolate Tart, Coconut Cream Pie & now this!
This is such a decadent tart, very light not heavy at all (unless you’re having 2 slices!)
Jen, thank you for your wonderful recipes that put all of us ‘cooks’ in a good light as ‘chefs’!
Your recipes are amazing. Jacqui
💗
I think this is probably the best dessert recipe out of all your dessert recipes and your dessert recipes are outstanding! The chocolate cream is so decadent, rich, creamy and smooth. The whipped cream is a delicate treat on top and that cookie crust is insane! My family enjoyed every bite and it was finished on the same day. Thanks so much for these recipes!
Hi Jen,
Making the chocolate pie for friend’s birthday.
Question: Can the choc. wafer crust be made more like graham cracker crust texture so it is easier to cut through?
Thanks so much, Rose
Hi Rose, you could press the crust down a bit less firmly if you’d like. Also, if you’d like to use a graham cracker crust, that’s fine too. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
Took your suggestion about not packing the crust too much and it came out perfect!!!
Thanks so much, Rose
This was far and away the best chocolate pie that I’ve ever tasted (much less made). As Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate bars come in a 4 oz. size, I ‘borrowed’ 1 oz. left over from the unsweetened chocolate bar used in the recipe. Every single recipe I’ve made from your site and your books has been superlative, and this one was no exception. Thanks for making us all look so good in the kitchen, Jenn.
Jen! We won 2nd place at the Northwest Montana Fair Great American Pie Baking Contest with this chocolate pie recipe. First place went to a young girl who added huckleberry sauce to top her pie- so it was an interpretation situation. I’m sure if the contest had been strictly classic chocolate pie that we would have come in 1st. This is my 12th year entering pies to this contest and this is the best I have ever placed. When I collected my prize (a $200 gift certificate at local restaurant), the fair director asked my secret and I said “food blogger, Jen Segal.” He just stared at me. I don’t think he was expecting an answer like that. Lol! Thank you for being my secret weapon for years and making me look like a rockstar with each and every perfected recipe I try. Making your recipes is so fun and rewarding. You are truly a master.
💗
Love all your recipes, Jen
This pie was incredible!!!
Used 4 instead of 5 ounces bittersweet, delicious
Hi Jenn –
I’ve made both the chocolate cream pie and the key lime pie and they’re both absolutely amazing!
I noticed that the whipped topping for the key lime pie calls for confectioner’s sugar and the one for the chocolate pie calls for regular sugar. Just curious – if there’s a reason behind it? Again, they’re both absolutely delicious; just wondering. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Karen, So glad you like both pies! No, there’s no scientific reason for the different kinds of sugar — either one will work in either recipe.
How much sugar is needed? The the quantity box Is marked with an X “cup”
Hi Theresa, I’m sorry — I will have my developer fix it! You’ll need 1/3 cup of sugar for the crust and 2/3 cup of sugar for the filling. Hope you enjoy!
Can I freeze the pie without the topping?
Hi Celeste, I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
I made this for a pie tutorial night and it was a hit. It tastes so much better than other chocolate cream pies……in Idaho you can find the chocolate wafers at Fred Meyers and Albertsons.
Hi Jenn I forgot to ask is there a reason you make the crust with softened not melted butter?
Thanks
Hi Chris, you can go either way here; either softened or melted butter will work.
My glass Pyrex pie dish is 9.5 inches. Do you think I need to increase the crust amount? I feel the filling will be enough but not sure.
Hi Chris, I think you should be fine with the recipe as-is. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
I just made this and I couldn’t get it to thicken at all on the stove top-it was really runny when I put it in the fridge just now. Wondering if I whisked too much? I didn’t forget the corn starch but I did use a slightly thinner whole milk from our local creamery.
Hi Cathy, I don’t think whisking would cause the problem. Did it bubble up? You do need whole milk for it to thicken properly, but I’m surprised that it didn’t thicken at all, even with the lighter milk. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Hi Jenn
I have made this delicious pie a couple years ago with the wafers. Unfortunately, this time my store only had the oreo thins. Is there any adjustments to the crust ingredients when using the oreo’s and also, do i remove the oreo filling?
Thank you
Hi Nicole, No worries – it will be delicious with Oreo thins. It’s not necessary to remove the filling; I would just reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup.
Perfect and so easy!
Well Jenna: I tried this at my grand daughter request. So I figure give it a whirl after the two great successes ( NY Cheesecake & strawberry short cake) how can I go wrong. Everybody grand daughter included thought it was great. Thanks My next challenge is the chocolate mousse
I made this for Christmas Eve dessert 2021. It was just heaven. It was so incredibly smooth and rich.
I used Scharffen Berger unsweetened chocolate and Godiva bittersweet chocolate chips. Served with more whipped cream than the recipe suggests and delicious fresh raspberries. Swoon worthy!