Chocolate Cream Pie

Rich, decadent chocolate custard topped with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings inside a crushed Oreo cookie crust make this Chocolate Cream Pie a creamy, cool dessert that is guaranteed to please!

1. Why you’ll love this Recipe
2. What You’ll Need
3. How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie
4. Recipe Tips
5. How to serve Chocolate Cream Pie
6. Recipe FAQs
7. More Pie Recipes
8. Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe Recipe

If you grew up with chocolate pudding pie made from a box of chocolate pudding mix, you probably don’t know what you have really been missing out on all these years.

Our homemade chocolate cream pie recipe is made entirely from scratch with real chocolate for the ultimate in chocolatey bliss. This is a signature recipe that you will be asked to make for every holiday, party, or potluck forever after if you make it because people love it that much.

Why you’ll love this Recipe

• The chocolate flavor comes through with much, much deeper, richer tones thanks to the combination of bittersweet AND semi-sweet chocolate
• The balance of sweetness in a homemade chocolate custard is much better than just a packet of pudding
• This is a great no-bake chocolate cream pie recipe if you don’t bother to bake the crust for 8-10 minutes in the oven. I like my crust a little crunchy, but that step is totally optional.

What You’ll Need

• Egg yolks: The recipe calls for eight egg yolks, which is what makes the filling so rich and wonderful! So balance things out by making an egg white omelette the next day. Or don’t balance it out and use those egg whites to make macarons or divinity !
• Chocolate: You can use either semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe. Semi-sweet chocolate has 60% cacao and is slightly sweeter while bittersweet chocolate is 70% cacao and has a deeper chocolate flavor that is less sweet.
• Oreo cookies
• Butter
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy whipping cream
• Milk – We prefer whole milk for this recipe.
• Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Salt

How to Make an Oreo Pie Crust

1. First, really pulverize those Oreos. You want fine crumbs and the best way to get them is by using a food processor (affiliate link) or blender. But a plastic bag and good old rolling pin will do the trick as well. Leave the cream filling because it actually helps bind the crust together.
2. Mix in some melted butter. I just drizzle it in while the food processor is running so it gets evenly distributed.
3. Press into the sides and bottom of a pie pan using a flat-bottomed measuring cup or a drinking glass.
4. I like to bake my Oreo crusts for 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven just to firm it up a bit and make it a teensy-bit crunchy, but you could just chill it, then fill it and have an easy no-bake chocolate cream pie if you like.

How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie

1. Combine the milk and heavy cream in a saucepan with half of the sugar and bring just to a simmer.
2. While the milk is heating, whisk the remaining sugar together with the egg yolks and cornstarch in a large bowl.
3. Temper the egg yolks by whisking some of the hot liquid into the egg mixture.
4. Pour the tempered egg yolks into the pan with the rest of the hot milk and cream and whisk, reducing the heat to medium and cooking just until the custard thickens, which should only take a minute or two.

1. Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla until the chocolate and butter has melted and the filling is smooth.

1. Pour the chocolate pie filling into the prepared Oreo pie crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the chocolate cream pie filling to prevent it from forming a skin while cooling.
2. Chill for 4 hours in the fridge, then remove the plastic wrap covering. Top the finished pie with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings!

Recipe Tips

• You could pipe the whipped cream onto the pie instead of just spreading it. Not that I ever bother. But you COULD do it. Do I condone using cans of Reddi-Whip or thawed whipped topping in place of real homemade whipped cream ? No. But will I judge you? Yes. No, not really. But yes, okay, maybe a little. I will just cover my eyes and pretend I don’t see.
• Use a large bar of chocolate and a vegetable peeler to make chocolate shavings instead of curls. Or just sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the pie.
• Use a large, sharp knife to cut the piece into slices for serving and wipe the knife between each slice for cleaner servings. But no matter what you do, that first slice isn’t going to come out pretty. Just embrace that less than perfect slice and enjoy it!

How to serve Chocolate Cream Pie

For clean slices, run a large sharp knife under hot water between each slice and wipe it clean on a paper towel before slicing. Serve on plates with some chocolate shavings or a few fresh berries for contrast like raspberries or strawberries that have been cut in half.

French Silk Pie and Chocolate Satin Pie are essentially the same thing by a different name. Both are typically made with a traditional pastry crust and a filling of chocolate mousse consisting of eggs, cream, chocolate, sugar, and butter. They don’t use a thickener like cornstarch but instead are lightened either by a long period of beating or by folding in whipped cream. Chocolate cream pie, on the other hand, is more of a pudding pie made with a cooked custard or pudding filing that is thickened with cornstarch or sometimes flour.

This pie should be kept refrigerated until ready to serve. It can sit out at room temperature for up to 2 hours, but otherwise should be returned to the fridge. It’s best eaten within 4-5 days.

Yes, you can freeze this pie for up to 2 months as long as you haven’t already topped it with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Instead, wrap the pie tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight and on the counter for 1 hour before topping with whipped cream and chocolate curls to serve.

The best way I’ve found for making these large gorgeous curls is to melt chocolate (semisweet, dark, milk – doesn’t matter), then spread it in a thin layer on the clean bottom of a baking sheet that has been turned upside down. Stick it in the freezer for 2-3 minutes, then use a thin metal spatula or bench scraper to scrape up the chocolate. If it’s too hard, it will break into shards. If it’s too soft, it won’t curl up. So it takes some trial and error to get it just the right temperature, but you can always stick it back in the freezer for a few seconds if you need to.

More Pie Recipes

• Easy Coconut Cream Pie From Scratch
• Easy Blueberry Custard Pie
• Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
• Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie

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Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Equipment

• 9-inch Pie Plate

Ingredients123

Crust

• ▢ 24 Oreos crushed into fine crumbs in a food processor (affiliate link)
• ▢ 1/4 cup salted butter melted

Filling

• ▢ 2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ 8 Tablespoons salted butter cut into chunks
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup cornstarch
• ▢ 9 egg yolks
• ▢ 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• ▢ 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream chilled
• ▢ 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Grated dark chocolate for garnishing

Instructions

Crust

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor (affiliate link) until coarsely ground, about 15 pulses, then continue to process another 15 seconds until they turn into fine, even crumbs. Drizzle the melted butter over the Oreo crumbs and pulse to combine. 24 Oreos, ¼ cup salted butter
• Transfer the cookie crumb mixture to a pie plate (affiliate link) and press into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides, using the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely before filling.

Filling

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, cream, ¼ cup of the sugar, and salt to a simmer, stirring occasionally. 2 cups whole milk, 1 ½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup granulated sugar divided, ¼ teaspoon salt
• While the milk mixture heats, whisk together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth and creamy. ¼ cup cornstarch, 9 egg yolks
• When the milk mixture is hot, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot liquid into the egg mixture, whisking to temper the egg yolks. Then slowly whisk the tempered yolks back into the saucepan of simmering milk and cream. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and large bubbles start to burst on top, about 30 seconds.
• Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the cubed butter and chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then pour into the prepared pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing into the surface of the filling so a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate for 4 hours until the filling is set and chilled. 8 Tablespoons salted butter, 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

• Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form, anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Spread over the top of the chilled and set pie, then sprinkle with chocolate shavings and serve. 1 ½ cups heavy cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, Grated dark chocolate

Notes

• 3 ½ cups of half-and-half can be used in place of the whole milk and cream.
• Update 11/2021: I recently changed the recipe slightly to only require 8 instead of 9 egg yolks and leaving out the 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, just to simplify things a bit. I think the difference is negligible, but received immediate and decisive feedback from more than one loyal reader that they loved the original recipe as written, so I have changed it back. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! I have the best readers. But if you want to use one less egg yolk and not bother with a partial bar of bittersweet chocolate, I think you can totally get away with it.

Nutrition

This post was originally published in April, 2018. The photos and content were updated in November, 2021.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe

Equipment

• 9-inch Pie Plate

Ingredients

Crust

• 24 Oreos crushed into fine crumbs in a food processor
• 1/4 cup salted butter melted

Filling

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons salted butter cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 9 egg yolks
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream chilled
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Grated dark chocolate for garnishing

Instructions

Crust

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Pulse the Oreo cookies in a food processor until coarsely ground, about 15 pulses, then continue to process another 15 seconds until they turn into fine, even crumbs. Drizzle the melted butter over the Oreo crumbs and pulse to combine. 24 Oreos, 1/4 cup salted butter
• Transfer the cookie crumb mixture to a pie plate and press into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides, using the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely before filling.

Filling

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, cream, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and salt to a simmer, stirring occasionally. 2 cups whole milk, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided, 1/4 teaspoon salt
• While the milk mixture heats, whisk together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth and creamy. 1/4 cup cornstarch, 9 egg yolks
• When the milk mixture is hot, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot liquid into the egg mixture, whisking to temper the egg yolks. Then slowly whisk the tempered yolks back into the saucepan of simmering milk and cream. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and large bubbles start to burst on top, about 30 seconds.
• Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the cubed butter and chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then pour into the prepared pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing into the surface of the filling so a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate for 4 hours until the filling is set and chilled. 8 Tablespoons salted butter, 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

• Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form, anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Spread over the top of the chilled and set pie, then sprinkle with chocolate shavings and serve. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, Grated dark chocolate

Notes

• 3 1/2 cups of half-and-half can be used in place of the whole milk and cream.
• Update 11/2021: I recently changed the recipe slightly to only require 8 instead of 9 egg yolks and leaving out the 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, just to simplify things a bit. I think the difference is negligible, but received immediate and decisive feedback from more than one loyal reader that they loved the original recipe as written, so I have changed it back. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! I have the best readers. But if you want to use one less egg yolk and not bother with a partial bar of bittersweet chocolate, I think you can totally get away with it.

Nutrition

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