Easy Chocolate Pie Recipe with Cocoa Powder

Grandma’s chocolate pie always seemed like something you had to be born knowing how to make. This one is a stovetop cocoa filling, thick and glossy and pudding smooth, poured into a baked crust and chilled until it slices clean. Cocoa powder does the work here instead of melting chocolate, so the flavor is deeper than any boxed pudding mix and the ingredients are already in your pantry. The filling comes together in about fifteen minutes on the stove, which makes it an easy dessert to start the morning of a holiday dinner.

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Homemade Chocolate Pie

This recipe is part of my learn to cook series, where I work through the home economics cookbook I kept from junior high in Pueblo, Colorado. Recipes from that era were written for beginners, and it shows. There is no double boiler, no chocolate to chop, and no candy thermometer.

The filling is a cooked cocoa custard. Milk goes into a saucepan, a dry mixture of sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa gets whisked in, and the whole thing thickens on the stove. Egg yolks go in at the end for richness and body.

The crust is the only part that sees the oven, and a refrigerated store-bought crust works fine. Bake it and let it cool completely before the filling goes in.

Why this recipe works

Cocoa powder carries more chocolate flavor per spoonful than melted chocolate does, because the cocoa butter has already been pressed out. What you taste is concentrated chocolate solids rather than fat, which is why a few tablespoons read as a full bodied chocolate pie.

The flour is what sets the chocolate filling. Starch granules swell and burst as the milk heats, trapping liquid in a network that firms up as it cools. That is also why the filling has to be cooked for a full two minutes after it thickens. Undercooked flour tastes pasty and never sets properly.

Tempering the yolks matters for the same reason. Egg proteins seize into curds above roughly 180°F, so warming them gradually with hot milk before they hit the pot keeps the filling smooth instead of scrambled.

Chocolate Pie Filling Recipe Ingredients

• Whole Milk – Forms the base of the custard and carries the cocoa flavor. Whole milk gives the richest result.
• Sugar – Sweetens the filling and balances the natural bitterness of the cocoa.
• Salt – Sharpens the chocolate flavor so the filling does not taste flat.
• Cocoa powder – Provides all of the chocolate flavor and color without any melting or chopping.
• All-purpose flour – Thickens the filling so it holds a clean edge when sliced.
• Egg yolks – Add richness and help the custard set firm as it chills.
• Vanilla extract – Rounds out the chocolate and adds warmth. Stir it in off the heat so it does not cook away.
• Baked pie shell – Holds the filling. Bake and cool it completely before filling.
• Whipped cream or whipped topping – Cuts the richness of the chocolate and finishes the pie.

Ingredient Notes

You can use frozen or refrigerated pie crusts. I am a fan of the refrigerated pie crusts.

How to Make Chocolate Pie

Here are the recipe steps. There’s a printable recipe card below with full ingredient measurements and instructions.

1. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, place the sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa.
3. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the dry mixture to the milk and cook it until thickened, stirring constantly.
5. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl. Use a fork to beat them until smooth.
6. Temper the egg yolks by adding a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks and stir.
7. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly while pouring them in.
8. Cook the filling for at least two minutes, or until thickened.
9. Stir in the vanilla and pour the filling into the pie shell.
10. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for several hours. You can press plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming.
11. After the filling has cooled, you can top it with Cool Whip or whipped cream, either dollops or spread to cover the filling. Use an electric mixer on high speed to whip the heavy cream with a little sugar until stiff peaks form.

Chocolate Pie Toppings

You have many options when it comes to topping your pie. Whipped topping is the most popular. You can use Cool Whip or make some whipped cream. Or you could even get fancy and make a meringue.

You could also sprinkle some chocolate shavings or chocolate chips on top of the whipped topping if you desire. Your imagination is the only thing that will limit you.

Recipe Variations

Instead of the pastry crust, you can either make a crust with graham cracker crumbs or use a pre-made graham cracker crust.

You can also use an Oreo crust instead of the pastry crust.

Serving Suggestions & Pairings

Serve slices cold, straight from the refrigerator, with the whipped cream added just before the pie goes to the table. A cup of strong black coffee is the classic partner and cuts the richness better than anything else.

For a holiday dessert table, set this alongside a fruit pie and a nut pie so guests have a range. If you want a beverage pairing beyond coffee, a tawny port or a glass of cold milk both work. Skip dry red wine, which turns metallic against cocoa.

How to Store Chocolate Pie

Chocolate pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Cream pies will last between three and five days when left in the refrigerator. Cover the pie lightly with plastic wrap so it does not absorb odors and flavors from other foods in your refrigerator.

Do You Love Pies? Check Out These Recipes

• Baskin Robbins Pie
• Best Texas Pecan Pie Recipe
• Black Bottom Pie
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
• Easy Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie
• How to Make Kool Aid Pie
• Layered Pumpkin Pie
• Old Fashioned Apple Pie Recipe with Brown Sugar
• Pumpkin Pie for Diabetics
• Ritz Cracker Mock Apple Pie
• Toll House Pie

Easy Chocolate Treats

• Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Chocolate Melting Cake
• Homemade Truffles

Find more of the easy pie recipes and best Thanksgiving desserts here on CopyKat!

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Easy Chocolate Pie with Cocoa Powder

A stovetop chocolate pie filling made with cocoa powder, poured into a baked crust and chilled until it slices clean. Finish with whipped cream.

Author: Stephanie Manley

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4.95 from 18 votes

Servings : 8

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Cook Time15 minutes minutes

Total Time25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 baked pie shell
• Cool Whip or whipped cream

Instructions

1. Heat the milk in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa.
3. Add the dry mixture to the milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
4. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks and stir. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly.
5. Cook the pudding for at least two minutes.
6. Stir in the vanilla and pour the pudding into the pie shell.
7. When the chocolate base cools, you can top with Cool Whip or whipped cream.

Video

Notes

Blind Baking the Crust and Tempering the Yolks

Two steps in this recipe assume knowledge a first time pie baker may not have.

Blind baking the crust. The filling is never baked, so the crust has to be fully baked and cooled before it is filled. Fit the crust into the pie pan, prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork, and line it with parchment weighted down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes, remove the parchment and weights, and bake another 5 to 8 minutes until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. Cool it completely on a rack. A warm crust will turn soggy under warm filling.

Tempering the yolks. Tempering means raising the temperature of the yolks slowly so they do not scramble. Beat the yolks smooth first, then dribble in a ladle of the hot cocoa mixture while whisking constantly. The yolks should feel warm to the touch before they go back into the pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American