Meme’s Famous Chocolate Pie
by This post may contain affiliate links.
My grandma Meme’s famous Chocolate Pie recipe is the absolute best! It’s made with a sweet graham cracker crust, rich, chocolate filling and homemade whipped cream. It’s easy to make and a favorite for everything from summer BBQ’s to holiday meals!
Every summer, my grandma would make two pies for every family function, her Pink Lemonade Pie and this No-Bake Chocolate Pie. One is fruity and zesty, the other is rich and chocolatey. You literally can’t go wrong with either!
Her lemonade pie was one of the first recipes I published on the blog in 2012. It wasn’t until a Christmas trip back to my parents house that I found her chocolate pie recipe in a “cookbook” of hand-written recipes by my grandma. I immediately knew that I had to share her famous chocolate pie recipe on the blog!
My grandma passed all her pie-making skills on to my Mom, so on a recent trip to California, I asked my Mom to teach me how to make the pie, just like Meme did. I’m excited to pass down her recipe, tips and tricks today!
The pie is easy to prep in just about 30 minutes. After it sets in the refrigerator for 4 hours, top it with homemade whipped cream and serve up the best chocolate pie ever! It has a rich chocolate flavor and is perfect for everything from Summer BBQ’s, to Thanksgiving dinner, to birthday desserts.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- For the graham cracker crust
- Graham cracker crumbs – these are usually easy to find on the baking aisle at most major grocery stores. If you can’t find the crumbs, simply purchase whole graham crackers and place them in a large zipper bag. Use a rolling pin to crush them into crumbs. You can also place whole graham crackers in a food processor and pulse them until they turn into a fine crumb mixture.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- For the chocolate filling
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Eggs
- Milk – we use 2% for this recipe, but you could also use whole milk.
- For the whipped cream topping – this is optional, but highly recommended! You can also purchase pre-made whipped cream topping at the grocery store.
- Heavy cream – or heavy whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: prepare the graham cracker crust by combining graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
Step 2: bake the pie crust at 350°F for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside while you prepare the pie filling.
Step 3: combine sugar, cocoa and flour in a saucepan.
Step 4: whisk four egg yolks together in a bowl. Add them to the saucepan, along with the milk.
Step 5: turn the stove on to medium heat. Stir the chocolate pie filling consistently until it begins to thicken, this will take approximately 20-25 minutes.
Step 6: when the pie filling is thick and creamy and appears the consistency of the image above, turn the heat on the stove off. Stir in a pinch of salt and your pie filling is ready!
Step 7: pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared graham cracker pie crust.
Step 8: place the pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, so the filling can set up.
How to make whipped cream
If you’d like to make homemade whipped cream to top the pie, follow these two simple steps.
- Add one cup heavy cream and two tablespoons granulated sugar to a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Use the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, or a hand mixer, to whip the cream and sugar for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed, or until medium peaks form.
You can spread the whipped cream over the whole pie, or serve it on the side for people to spoon onto each slice of pie. You can also use a grater to grate chocolate on top of the pie, or add a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips, for a lovely finish!
Tips and tricks
- If your chocolate pie filling is runny, it will not set up properly. Be sure to spend the time to cook down the filling on the stove until it’s thick and creamy. This should take about 20-25 minutes of consistent stirring. I recommend grabbing a stool and putting on your favorite Spotify playlist!
- The pie does need at least 4 hours to chill in the refrigerator to set up properly. If you try to slice into it before that, the pie will sink in and you won’t be able to easily remove slices from the pie. It will still taste delicious, it just won’t look pretty!
- Always make sure you do a good job of separating the egg yolks from the whites. This was one of my Moms main tips when we made this recipe together. She said that if you get egg whites in the chocolate pie filling, they will cook and could make the filling lumpy.
- To make this pie quicker and easier, you can purchase a pre-made graham cracker crust and store bought whipped cream. Don’t worry, I won’t tell my Mom!
- Leftover pie should always be covered and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. The whipped cream topping will not last that long in the fridge. If you plan to only serve part of the pie right after it’s made, I recommend serving the whipped cream on the side, instead of on top of the pie.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use a traditional pie crust instead? Yes, you can follow my Mom’s homemade pie crust recipe, on this post for her famous Cherry Pie. You could also double up on the chocolate and make an Oreo crust. Simply substitute the graham cracker crumbs for 1 1/4 cups crushed Oreos. Yum!
- Does chocolate pie have to be refrigerated? Yes, for this pie to set up properly, it must be refrigerated.
- How do you thicken chocolate pie? You have to let it cook down on the stove for at least 20 minutes. I promise, it will thicken, just give it time! Do not turn the heat up on the stove. This can scald the chocolate filling and ruin it. Keep the temperature on the stove around medium. If your stove tends to run cooler, like mine, you can turn it up closer to medium-high heat, but consistently watch and stir the filling so that it does not burn. Do not add any other ingredients to try to thicken the filling, or it will ruin the consistency.
- How many servings of pie does this recipe make? This pie serves 8 slices. So 2 for me and 6 for everyone else! 🙂
- What can I do with the egg whites that I separated from the egg yolks? Make an egg white omelette, angel food cake or egg white mayonnaise.
More Bond family recipes
Don’t miss these other delicious recipes passed down through generations of my family!
- Meme’s Cherry Coke Jello Salad
- Dad’s BBQ Baked Beans
- Mom’s Famous Strawberry Pie
- Dad’s Captain Crunch Chicken Tenders
- Dad’s Famous Red Sangria
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Pie Filling
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups 2% milk
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup granulated sugar and melted butter.
- Press the graham cracker crust firmly into a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
Chocolate Pie Filling
- Add the granulated sugar, flour and cocoa to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks together, then add them to the saucepan with the dry ingredients.
- Pour the 2 cups of milk into the saucepan and stir to combine everything.
- Place the saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
- Stir the chocolate pie filling consistently, for about 20-25 minutes, until it is thick and creamy.
- When the pie filling is finished, stir in a pinch of salt before adding it to the crust.
- Pour the chocolate pie filling into the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Place the pie in the refrigerator to 4 hours, to allow the filling to set.
- Before serving, prepare the whipped cream topping, if you'd like.
Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy cream and sugar to a large mixing bowl, or the base of a stand mixer.
- Use the whisk attachment for the stand mixer, or a hand mixer, and whip the cream on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until medium peaks form.
- Spread on top of the chocolate pie, or serve it on the side.
Notes
- Always make sure you do a good job of separating the egg yolks from the whites. This was one of my Moms main tips when we made this recipe together. She said that if you get egg whites in the chocolate pie filling, they will cook and could make the filling lumpy.
- To make this pie quicker and easier, you can purchase a pre-made graham cracker crust and store bought whipped cream.
- Leftover pie should always be covered and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. The whipped cream topping will not last that long in the fridge. If you plan to only serve part of the pie right after it’s made, I recommend serving the whipped cream on the side, instead of on top of the pie.
- You can also serve this chocolate pie in a traditional pie crust or Oreo crust. Follow my Mom’s traditional pie crust recipe, on this post for her homemade Cherry Pie. To make an Oreo cookie crust, simply substitute the graham cracker crumbs for 1 1/4 cups crushed Oreos.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
4 Comments on “Meme’s Famous Chocolate Pie”
Great recipe! I’ve been looking for a good chocolate pie recipe and have tried so many. This one is a keeper!
This looks just like my mom’s chocolate pudding pie, which was a favorite growing up (except for the whipped cream on topping). If you choose not to make the topping do you need to cover the chocolate with something so it does not form a “skin” on the top of it? My mom always did that with her chocolate pudding pie.
Hi Andee, you definitely don’t need to cover it with the whipped cream. My grandma usually served it on the side. I just recommend covering it with a piece of plastic wrap or foil before placing it in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Thanks so much Whitney!