Decadent Chocolate Cream Pie

Forget everything you think you know about chocolate pie—this one takes it to the next level! This dreamy dessert satisfies both a sweet tooth and a chocolate craving. It’s basically a two-for-one! We love how the light, airy whipped cream pairs with the rich chocolate filling and crunchy crust. Trust us, you’ll love it too. Just remember to play fair and share… although it won’t be easy!

Want more chocolate pies in your life? Try our s’mores pie or our peanut butter hot fudge pie.

When it comes to chocolate cream pie nothing beats a decadent homemade custard topped with freshly whipped cream. This is the ultimate chocolate pie for chocolate lovers! This chocolate pie is dark, decadent, and delicious. Your taste buds squeal with ecstasy and before you know it half the pie is gone and you have to explain why there isn’t enough for everyone else to get their own piece. You try and direct people towards a fruit pie, but you realize that everyone else knows that chocolate is the real dessert here.

Ingredient Notes

• Prepared Pie Crust: We use our favorite homemade graham cracker crust—it’s easy to make! But you can also use a pre-made store-bought crust if preferred.
• Butter: Either salted or unsalted butter works, but salted works best here to act as a flavor enhancer for the chocolate.
• Unsweetened Chocolate: Unsweetened baking chocolate (typically found in the baking aisle) is ideal for this recipe. A quality brand will shine through.
• Chocolate Chips: We used milk chocolate chips, but semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips work well too.
• Cornstarch: Essential for thickening the filling—don’t skip it!
• Heavy Cream: Either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work here.
• Egg Yolks: Temper the egg yolks before adding them to the chocolate filling.
• Unflavored Gelatin: Often sold in packets in the baking aisle (Knox is a common brand).

Crust Options

The graham cracker crust in this recipe is super simple to make, but if you prefer, you can always opt for a store-bought, prepared variety. Alternately, you can use a pastry crust, a chocolate graham cracker crust (you just use the chocolate graham crackers), or even an Oreo crust.

Whipped Cream

Stabilized whipped cream is whipped with a bit of gelatin to help it hold its shape for several days, making it our preferred topping for this pie.

If you use canned whipped cream or Cool Whip, we recommend adding it to individual slices as you serve them. These types of cream don’t hold up well in the fridge and can lead to a soggy, messy-looking pie.

Tempering Egg Yolks

Tempering egg yolks ensures that the yolks won’t curdle and cook (making scrambled egg chunks) when being added to the chocolate mixture. To temper your egg yolks, simply add a scoop (about 1/2 cup) of the chocolate mixture into the bowl of your egg yolks. Give it a quick and light stir and then quickly add that entire egg yolk chocolate mixture into your hot pan while stirring quickly but gently.