This rich and creamy no bake chocolate pie with a crunchy cookie crust will satisfy any chocolate craving. Crunchy, creamy, rich, decadent, and beautiful enough to bring to your next gathering!
This decadent recipe is for all of my fellow chocolate lovers.
If you’ve never made a cream pie before, this is a straightforward recipe to start with. Most cream pies have three separate components and this one is no different: a crust, filling (or pudding), and whipped topping.
The rich OREO chocolate cookie crust pairs perfectly with the creamy pudding filling, and the coarse sea salt sprinkled on top not only prevents the pie from being too sweet, but deepens the flavor of the overall chocolate.
For another no-bake pie idea, try my no-bake black forest pie!
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⭐️ Why This Pie Is The Best
- Rich and creamy filling with a crunchy chocolaty crust
- Perfect for chocolate lovers, just like my chocolate orange cake and chocolate old-fashioned donuts
- No bake and no special equipment needed
- Prep it up to 24 hours ahead of time, and make the whipped cream right before serving.
- Makes a beautiful presentation for a special occasion
🍫 Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate wafer crumbs - You can use chocolate wafer cookies or whole OREOS with the filling and all!
- Cornstarch - This is key to help thicken our chocolate filling.
- Whole milk - This is a pretty forgiving recipe - I've made the filling using ½ almond milk and ½ heavy cream and it's turned out great.
- Bittersweet chocolate - If you only have semi-sweet or milk chocolate on hand, I would recommend adjusting the sugar to ½ cup.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Add your favorite liqueur: Add 1 tablespoon of brandy or amaretto to the filling or crust to give it more complexity.
- Peppermint: Garnish your pie with chopped peppermint bark for a minty chocolate pie.
- Add complexity: Add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder to the filling or crust to give it a deeper chocolate flavor.
- Make it gluten-free: Substitute gluten-free cookies in the crust.
- Mexican chocolate: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to make a Mexican chocolate pie.
- Almond whipped cream: Substitute 1 teaspoon of almond extract in your whipped cream.
- Coconut: Garnish your pie with crumbled chocolate chip coconut macaroons for a chocolate-coconut extravaganza!
🔪 How To Make It
Stir together crumbs, butter, sugar and salt and press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Chill until ready to fill (at least 30 minutes).
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks in a large saucepan until combined well, then slowly add milk, whisking continuously. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, continue whisking, then reduce heat and simmer (continuing to whisk) for one minute. Filling will be thick.
Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolate, butter and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap and cool completely, about 2 hours.
Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, beat cream with sugar and vanilla in a bowl using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie. Sprinkle chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or cocoa powder over whipped cream as garnish.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- How to store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap individual slices in foil and place in a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Be patient when you cook the custard filling. You will see and feel when it becomes thick all of a sudden.
- Place plastic wrap directly onto pudding filling when refrigerating. This prevents it from developing a skin.
- Use a food processor to turn your chocolate cookies into crumbs. Pulse for 1-2 minutes, until crumbs are formed.
- Make ahead: The pie can be made and refrigerated (without the whipped cream) for up to 1 day ahead of time.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
In this recipe, we use egg yolks and cornstarch to thicken our pie filling.
This no bake chocolate pie will last up to 4 days (covered) in the refrigerator.
Most likely, you didn't cook your chocolate filling long enough for it to thicken and become viscous. Just be patient, and you will notice when it becomes nice and thick.
🥧 Related Recipes
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No Bake Chocolate Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For crust
- 2 ½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs (I scraped out the filling of OREOs and used the wafer cookies)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
For filling
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 cups whole milk
- 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For topping
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Stir together crumbs, butter, sugar and salt and press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Chill until ready to fill (at least 30 minutes).
- Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks in a large saucepan until combined well, then slowly add milk, whisking continuously. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, continue whisking, then reduce heat and simmer (continuing to whisk) for one minute. Filling will be thick.
- Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolate, butter and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap and cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, beat cream with sugar and vanilla in a bowl using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie. Sprinkle chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or cocoa powder over whipped cream as garnish.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt over pie (optional).
Notes
- How to store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap individual slices in foil and place in a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Be patient when you cook the custard filling. You will see and feel when it becomes thick all of a sudden.
- Place plastic wrap directly onto pudding filling when refrigerating. This prevents it from developing a skin.
- Use a food processor to turn your chocolate cookies into crumbs. Pulse for 1-2 minutes, until crumbs are formed.
- Make ahead: The pie can be made and refrigerated (without the whipped cream) for up to 1 day ahead of time.
Jeri
I love this pie! I have had chocolate pie before with chocolate pudding, but never with homemade chocolate filling! It was so good! I will definitely be making this again!
Gastronotherapy
Thanks so much, Jeri! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Beth
My two chocolate lovers absolutely love this pie! Excited to make this again. Such a huge hit here and very delicious!
Gastronotherapy
Fantastic, Beth! Yes - this pie is made for chocolate lovers!
Jessie
Yum! This chocolate filling sounds so good. This is going on the must try list.
Gastronotherapy
Hooray, Jessie! If you like chocolate, you will love this pie.
Dionne
It's been a while I made a decent chocolate pie, so your recipe is really timely. Can't wait to try it!
Gastronotherapy
Let me know how it turns out, Dionne!
Gina
As a self proclaimed chocolate lover, this is my kinda pie! The amaretto in the crust suggestion is DELICIOUS!
Gastronotherapy
Yay! And yes - you can't go wrong with amaretto and chocolate. 🙂
Barb Haner
A great recipe for this hot weather we are having. The pics look scrumptious!
MaryAnne
Thank you! This is a great no bake pie for summer weather! 😍