This Chocolate Cream Pie is luscious, rich and chocolatey — made from scratch with a chocolate pudding filling and a flaky pie crust, topped with homemade whipped cream!
See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.
Are you a chocolate lover? Try my easy French Silk Pie recipe, my Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie or my Chocolate Lasagna next!
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This post was generously sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Manitoba and I was compensated for my time in creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting those that make The Recipe Rebel possible!
If you’ve been coming around here for a while, you might know I am a little particular about my pie.
This Chocolate Cream Pie has everything I love:
- A perfect flaky crust (the same one I use for this Banana Cream Pie and this Coconut Cream Pie!)
- A smooth and luscious chocolate filling that is thick enough to be sliced but also light and silky
- Homemade whipped cream — only the real deal will do!
It’s also one of our favorite treats to enjoy made with 100% Canadian Dairy — which gives it that fresh and creamy texture!
Buying Canadian dairy products is a great way to support your local farmers and thank them for all they do for us!
I know our local dairy farmers pour their hearts into producing high-quality milk.
Here are some extra tips and tricks to get you the best results!
If you love a creamy, chocolatey pie, try this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie next!
Chocolate Cream Pie ingredients and substitutions:
- The crust: I have included my favorite homemade pie crust in this chocolate pie recipe, but you can swap for a store bought variety if you’re in a pinch, or a graham cracker or Oreo crust if you feel like mixing it up!
- Milk: Whole milk will give the creamiest texture and richest flavor, but you can use 2% or even 1% if you want to. It will still set up fine, it just won’t be quite as luxurious.
- Whipping cream: I added a touch of cream to my chocolate filling to give it that extra special, extra creamy consistency. I definitely don’t recommend skipping it!
- Eggs: I use whole eggs in my chocolate custard filling because I don’t like waste, and I don’t like having little bits left over that I don’t have a use for. I have found that whole eggs work just as well, and the texture is still smooth and creamy. You can strain your custard through a sieve for a silky smooth finish, or swap the whole eggs for twice the amount of yolks.
- Corn Starch: Corn starch helps to ensure that our filling will be thick and slice easily without running all over.
- Cocoa: For a rich and chocolate flavor!
- Sugar: For sweetness! You can substitute another dry sweetener, but avoid honey, agave, or liquid sweeteners.
- Chocolate: I love melting some chocolate in my warm custard for extra chocolatey flavor, and it helps to ensure that my pie slices nicely (since chocolate is firm when chilled, the same thing happens when you chill the custard!). You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
- Homemade whipped cream: don’t even mention that other stuff around here! Check out my post on How to Make Whipped Cream for more tips and flavor variations.
How to make Chocolate Cream Pie:
- Start with your crust: preparing homemade pie pastry is not hard, but does require a few extra steps like chilling the dough, then blind baking (baking the pie crust without anything in it), letting it cool, and then chilling the pie. I like to prep my pie one day before we will eat it so that I have adequate time.
- While your crust bakes, prepare your filling: the crust doesn’t need to cool for long before filling, so I like to take this time to make my homemade chocolate pie filling. While it is simple to whisk up (no tempering of eggs, which saves us a step!), it does take some time (and constant stirring) to cook gradually until thickened.
- Fill your pre-baked pie crust: pour the warm chocolate custard into the pie crust, smooth the top, and press a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap onto the top to prevent a skin from forming while it cools.
- Chill: the hardest part! Yes this is important, and if you rush it, you can end up with chocolate soup instead of chocolate pie. I prefer to let my pie chill overnight in the fridge, but a good 6-8 hours is minimum. We want it completely set.
Variations on this Chocolate Pie recipe:
- Swap out the crust: as I mentioned, you can swap the crust for a graham cracker or Oreo crust for fun! You can also substitute for a gluten-free pie crust to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Add some extracts to your chocolate custard after it has thickened — try mint, almond, or coconut for a fun twist!
- Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter to your chocolate filling after it has thickened.
- Stir a couple of sliced bananas into your custard before pouring it into your crust for a chocolate banana cream pie.
More pie recipes you’ll love!
Plenty more ways to enjoy Manitoba Dairy!
Chocolate Cream Pie
written by Ashley Fehr
This Chocolate Cream Pie is luscious, rich and chocolatey — made from scratch with a chocolate pudding filling and a flaky pie crust, topped with homemade whipped cream!
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 8 servings
Calories 487cal
Ingredients
Pie pastry
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (162 grams)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (112 grams)
- 3-4 tablespoons cold water
Chocolate pie filling
- 2 cups whole 3.25% milk (500 ml)
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (125 ml)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (20 grams)
- 2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (100 grams)
Whipped cream
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (125 ml)
- 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings, optional
Instructions
Pie pastry
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fork until you see pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
- Gradually add in cold water, stirring each time until you can press it together.
- Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Roll out so that it is slightly larger than a 9″ pie plate.
- Press into the pie plate and up the sides. Try to get as high up the sides as you can as the pie crust may shrink when it bakes. Fold the excess pastry over and tuck it underneath to form a thick edge, crimping or decorating as desired.
- Poke the bottom and the sides with a fork all over to help prevent puffing. Place a piece of parchment into the pie crust and weigh down with pie weights or dried beans — this will prevent shrinking.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. If desired, remove pie weights and bake until the bottom of the crust is light golden brown, 5-6 minutes.
- Set aside to cool while you make the filling (let cool at least 10 minutes).
Chocolate pie filling:
- In a large skillet (off the heat), whisk together milk, cream, sugar, eggs, corn starch, and cocoa powder until smooth.
- Cook filling, whisking constantly, on medium heat until very thick, scraping the sides as necessary to ensure there are no lumps.
- Stir in chocolate until completely melted.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and strain chocolate filling to remove any lumps.
- Pour into prepared pie crust. Place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap on top of the filling, pressing it to stick, to prevent a film from forming.
- Let chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.
Whipped cream
- Combine cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer (or whisk by hand) until stiff peaks form — there is a step by step video here if you need help knowing when it's ready!
- Remove wax paper and spread whipped cream over chilled pie. Top with chocolate shavings as desired.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 150grams | Calories: 487cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 981IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 2mg
Keywords chocolate cream pie, chocolate pie
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Pam says
Loved it! Was perfect, I primarily made it for my grandson who can’t have red dye. For whatever reason the all the packaged puddings I looked at did! This was so much better and not anymore difficult to make. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear Pam, thank you!
Michelle says
Would merengue work well instead of the whipped cream? If so, do you hand a fail proof merengue recipe?
Rebecca says
Hi! I’m making this tomorrow. I usually buy large eggs so do I need an extra whole egg or maybe just an extra yolk?
Kathy says
I’ve made this pie three times. Added 4 Tbsps cornstarch instead of three. 2 whole eggs and two egg yokes instead of 3 whole eggs . It was perfect each and every time.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hailey says
Hi Ashley! I was wondering if you could mix dark chocolate with milk chocolate (for the added in chocolate). I was worried using all dark chocolate it would taste bitter. What do you recommend?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Hailey, I love the flavor of this pie with the dark chocolate, but you could use a mix.
Mary says
Can I use unsweetened chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate?
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely
Julie says
Omgosh!!!!!! Perfection!!!! Love this recipe!!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Julie, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Marilyn sheronovich says
Ashley I have made ur pie twice. Unfortunately both times it came out runny. I used 1/3 c. Cornstarch. The flavor is so good. What can I do to fix it?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Marilyn! I’m sorry to hear that. I’m going to make one this weekend to make sure the recipe is the best it can be. The only reasons I could think that it would come out that way would be a low fat milk or cream used, smaller eggs, or no chocolate added. Could any of these be the issue?
Marilyn Sheronovich says
Ashely I used whole milk, extra large eggs and Hershey cocoa powder.
Ashley Fehr says
Can you tell me what kind of chocolate you used?
Marilyn Sheronovich says
Hershey’s cocoa powder
Ashley Fehr says
Yes but there is also chocolate in the recipe which is important for the setting of the pie. I did retest this recipe on the weekend and found that it worked flawlessly, but I do have some tips for you. I think the only thing that could go wrong if the recipe is followed is that the filling isn’t cooked long enough. Be sure to cook it, always stirring, until it is very thick, then add in the chocolate to melt.
Larry says
Hi…Your links for French Silk Pie and Peanut Butter Pie come up with Coconut Pie recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for letting me know!