This easy chocolate pudding pie with a graham cracker crust is just like the diner classic but made from scratch! I've topped this chocolate pie with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to prep the pudding filling and you can let it chill overnight.
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As much as I love a fruit pie, there is nothing better to me than a chocolatey slice of pie! If you're looking for a peanut butter version of this pie, check out my peanut butter cup pie. Chocolate pie has to be one of my favorite desserts!
The chocolate pudding filling is made on the stove and then poured into a baked graham cracker crust. I topped this delicious chocolate pudding pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream, but you could also leave that out. This is sure to be a family favorite!
Want a pumpkin pudding instead? Try my pumpkin pie cups!
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Tell me about this recipe!
- Graham cracker crust - this recipe features a baked homemade graham cracker crust. This is so simple to make and takes just a few minutes to prepare before putting in the oven!
- Can be made in advance - the chocolate pudding will need to set overnight, so this recipe is perfect to make ahead of time!
- All from scratch - this whole recipe is made from scratch, but if you want you can use a ready made graham cracker pie crust (I won't tell!)
Ingredient Notes
Graham Crackers: if you don't have graham crackers then you can use digestive biscuits instead! I also think it would be delicious using Oreos for an Oreo crust.
Egg Yolks: you'll just be using the yolks for the pudding filling.
Cornstarch: this will help thicken up the pudding.
Chocolate: I used chocolate that was 51% cocoa, you'll want to use the same or a semisweet chocolate.
Milk: I tested this recipe using whole milk.
Step by Step Instructions
Step One: start off by making the graham cracker crust. Crush the crackers in a food processor or blender until you have fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter, salt and sugar over the graham cracker crumbs. Combine everything until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Step Two: Pour the crumbs into a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom and the sides. Bake at 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius for 6-8 minutes. Let it cool.
Step Three: In a large jug, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until smooth. It will be quite thick! Set aside. In a medium saucepan, pour in the heavy cream and milk. Heat it on medium heat until it begins to simmer.
Step Four: Once the milk mixture is simmering, add your chopped chocolate. Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate has completely melted.
Step Five: Take out about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture and slowly pour it into your egg yolk mixture, while whisking the yolk mixture constantly. This is called tempering the eggs. Pour this mixture now back into the saucepan, while stirring with your rubber spatula. Keep stirring over medium-low heat until it thickens and you have large bubbles in the centre. This takes about 3-4 minutes.
Step Six: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and butter. Once combined, place a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the pudding mixture into the sieve to strain the pudding and make sure it is perfectly smooth! Let the pudding mixture cool completely in the bowl, making sure you cover the top with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming. Once cool, pour into your graham cracker crust. Cover the top of the pudding again with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight so it can set.
Cover the top of the pie with whipped cream and chocolate curls! This pie is sure to be a huge hit for the whole family.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Measuring Ingredients - I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- Room Temperature - make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start making the pudding filling.
- Let the Pie Set - Ideally you should let it set overnight in the fridge to give you the cleanest slice! To get extra clean slices, clean your knife after every slice you make.
- How to make chocolate shavings - take a potato peeler and peel the sides of a chocolate bar while standing over your finished pie to make chocolate shavings. I also think it would be delicious topped with fresh berries!
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure you used the right amount of egg yolks and cornstarch! You also want to make sure you've cooked it long enough over the stove, it should become thick and when you stop stirring there should be large bubbles at the surface. Finally, make sure you let it chill completely in the fridge overnight.
Yes, you can use a ready made graham cracker pie crust or an Oreo cookie crust.
Yes! Make the pie up to 1 day ahead of time, but I recommend only topping it with whipped cream right when you're about to serve it.
Feel free to use cool whip, any other whipped topping or fresh fruit!
Storage & Freezing
Store the pie in the fridge when you aren't eating it for up to 2 days. I don't recommend freezing this pie.
Try these pie recipes next!
Have you made this recipe? Please rate the recipe below! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @alpineella and Pinterest!
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- 9 inch deep dish pie plate
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ½ cup (150 grams) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter melted
Chocolate Pudding
- 7 oz (200 grams) semisweet dark chocolate chopped
- 1 ½ cups (340 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (118 grams) heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons (86 hrams) sugar
- 4 egg yolks room temperature
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175° Celsius.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the salt, sugar and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Pour the mixture into your 9 inch deep dish pie plate and use the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes. Take out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Chocolate Pudding
- In a large jug, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch. It will be quite thick!
- Take a medium saucepan and pour in the milk and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once it is simmering, add your chocolate. Stir using a rubber spatula until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Scoop out about 1 cup of the hot chocolate mixture and slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking the yolks constantly to temper the eggs. Once completely added, pour this mixture back into the saucepan, stirring with a rubber spatula.
- Heat over medium-low, constantly stirring and making sure you scrape the bottom and the sides, until it becomes very thick and there are large bubbles in the middle.
- Take the pudding off the heat. Add in the vanilla and butter, stirring until it is all combined. Place a fine meshed sieve over a large bowl and strain the pudding to get rid of any lumps. Once strained, place plastic wrap on the surface on the pudding and let it come to room temperature.
- Once at room temperature, pour the pudding into the graham cracker crust. Again place plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding so it doesn't form a skin and place in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight!
Whipped Cream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, whisk the heavy cream and sugar together until you have stiff peaks.
Assembly
- Take the chilled pie out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Topped with homemade whipped cream and if you wish, chocolate curls!
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Liz says
I followed this recipe pretty much exactly as indicated. For the chocolate, I used Guittard Akoma Extra Semisweet Chips (55% cacao). Once I was cooking the pudding atop the stove, I added in a bit of ground cardamom. While I am very experienced in how to properly temper egg yolks (for a pudding recipe, such as this one), I noticed that at a certain point in the cooking process, the mixture was suddenly looking lumpy - as if something was happening with the egg yolks...even though I'd already mixed in half the pudding with the yolks, OUTSIDE of the saucepan...OFF of the stovetop... Regardless, I'd never had this happen before when making a pudding, so I immediately began to whisk the mixture, feverishly. I then decided to take the pudding OFF of the stove, and since it did seem to be more or less thick enough. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end, and once I pressed all the pudding through a fine metal sieve, there wasn't all that much 'curdled' pudding leftover, after all. The pudding came out excellent (and the cardamom almost added a bit of 'butterscotch' flavor, to the chocolate). So I'm not sure what was going on when the pudding appeared to curdle, but again, it all was fine, in the end. This pie was such a big hit that some people asked for 'seconds'. 😉
Lisa says
Love this recipe! I actually used 3oz Ghirardelli60% cocoa and 4oz Ghirardelli’s semi sweet chocolate. It’s not as sweet which is what I like! Thank you for sharing your recipe, it was a hit!!!!