Rich, creamy and silky, this Chocolate Cream Pie is a chocolate lovers dream! A creamy chocolate filling is topped with whipped cream in this easy, crowd pleasing pie.
If you love a good chocolate dessert, also check out this Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, or this Chocolate Bundt Cake.
My Favorite Chocolate Pie
I am officially declaring it pie season.
But really, I have waxed poetic about my love of pie here on Taste and Tell. And while Thanksgiving is really all about the pie, there are still plenty of occasions for pie all year long. Not that we need a special occasion. Any day is a good day for pie.
I’ve said it before, but while I do like chocolate, it is not usually the first choice on my list. I tend to go for something fruity or lemony. So I’m glad that she chose this pie to switch things up for me!
This Chocolate Cream Pie is definitely a chocolate lover’s dream come true. It is very rich and chocolatey, and smooth and creamy. It really is dreamy!!
Everyone needs a good chocolate pie in their arsenal, and I’ve found mine!
Ingredients
Sugar – Use regular, granulated sugar.
Cornstarch – This is what will help to thicken up the mixture.
Salt – Always to enhance the flavors.
Milk – I use 2% and it works just fine. Whole milk would work as well. I would not suggest using 1% or skim milk.
Chocolate Chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips. Milk chocolate would probably work, although I have not tested the recipe using them.
Egg Yolks – You only need the egg yolks for this recipe. Save the whites to make some Meringue Cookies.
Cream Cheese – I have only tested this using regular, full fat cream cheese.
Heavy Whipping Cream – You’ll need heavy whipping cream for both the filling and the topping.
Vanilla Extract – I always suggest using real vanilla extract.
Pie Crust – You pie crust needs to be fully baked, so plan on doing that beforehand so that it is cool and ready when you need it.
How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie
Start by making the chocolate filling
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- Whisk in the milk.
- Add the chocolate chips and egg yolks.
- Turn on the heat and start cooking until it starts to thicken, stirring it constantly.
- Once it’s thick, whisk in the cream cheese.
- Once it’s all incorporated, cover with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate until it has cooled completely.
Lighten the filling with cream
- Once the filling is cooled, whip the cream with vanilla until you have soft peaks.
- Now you are going to fold the whipped cream into the filling. I think this is easiest if you take about 1/4 of the whipped cream and stir that into the chocolate filling. Then the filling will be lightened up a bit. Then add the rest of the cream, and gently fold it in until it is all combined.
- Take the filling and spread it into your pie crust.
- Back into the refrigerator it goes – cover the pie with plastic wrap. I like to put it right onto the filling.
Top the pie
Once your pie is completely chilled, it’s time to top it with whipped cream!
- Place your remaining cream and vanilla in a bowl.
- Beat until you have stiff peaks.
- Remove your pie from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.
- Take your cream and spread it evenly over the top.
- If you want, you can sprinkle cocoa powder over the top. I like to use a sifter to make sure it’s not in clumps.
Tips and Tricks
- I use my favorite Pie Crust Recipe for this pie.
- The key to this pie is patience. It’s an easy pie to make, but it does take some time. Make sure you give yourself enough time to cool down the filling, then the pie needs to hang out in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. This means it’s a great pie to make the night before a holiday, though, which frees you up on the day you need it!
- The whipped cream on top is not sweetened, but I think that it doesn’t need it since the pie is sweet. But if you’d rather go with sweetened, feel free to add some powdered sugar into the whipped cream on the top.
- Even with the whipped cream on the top, this pie will hold up for leftovers as well. Covered, it should be good for a few days. I just cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
Runny Filling:
I have made this pie probably a dozen times and have never had a problem with it setting up, but I’ve had others who have had issues. So I tested it to see if I could figure out the issues. You’ll see a couple different things in this post. If you look at the photos above, the chocolate filling is very thick and set up before the cream is added. And in the video (posted both above and below), you’ll see that the chocolate filling is looser. If you are having problems with the pie setting up or are worried about this, thicken the chocolate mixture until it looks like the photos above. You will just need to cook the filling a little bit longer.
Cream Cheese Not Dissolving:
Another issue I’ve seen people running into is the cream cheese not fully dissolving into the filling. This will most likely happen if your filling isn’t warm enough when you add the cream cheese. There are a few things you can do. A commenter here said she used a hand held blender to fully incorporate it. Even just whisking longer will sometimes help. And the filling will taste the same, even if there are small dots of the cream cheese. By the time the cream is folded in and the filling is refrigerated, they will most likely disappear so that you won’t see them anymore.
More Favorite Pie Recipes
Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Coconut Meringue
Lemon Meringue Pie
Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Key Lime Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie Video
Tools I Used
Any standard pie dish should work for this recipe.
A whisk is really important as you want to make sure everything gets fully combined.
I love to use my KitchenAid hand mixer to beat the cream.
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Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
- 1 fully baked pie crust cooled
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk. Add the chocolate chips and egg yolks. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cream cheese. Whisk until the cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated.
- Cover the surface of the mixture with a piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate just until cooled, about 1 hour.
- Once the filling is cooled, place 1 1/4 cups of the cream in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Beat until soft peaks form.
- Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate filling.
- Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve the pie, combine the remaining 3/4 cup cream and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.
- If desired, sprinkle the top of the pie with cocoa powder, add shaved chocolate, or just leave it as is!
RaquelF says
Thanks so much for this easy to follow recipe! Especially the video. I’ve always been intimidated to make my own pie. I made one for thanksgiving and I just made 2 for Christmas Eve tomorrow.
Laurel Lown says
Wow. This is an incredible delightful creme pie. So pleased with my results, I refused to share a taste with my sweet neighbor! Okay, I’ll share when I make same (your design) pie in 2 weeks!!!!
Thank you for sharing your talents w baking. It really was delicious.