This rich and decadent Dark Chocolate Cream Pie features a creamy homemade chocolate custard atop a buttery graham cracker crust.
If you love creamy and delicious custard pies, you are going to LOVE this chocolate cream pie with a graham cracker crust! Like my Banana Cream Pie and Coconut Cream Tarts, this chocolate pie is made with a completely homemade custard to which a generous amount of dark chocolate is added for deep and delicious dark chocolate flavor.
The chocolate custard is creamy, thick, and rich, and firms up beautifully after only 3 hours in the refrigerator. Egg yolks, cornstarch, and the chocolate itself are what thickens the custard when chilled. For other delightful pie recipes, check out my Key Lime Pie, Oreo Cream Pie, or Fudge Brownie Pecan Pie!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - From the buttery graham cracker crust to the smooth, deep chocolate custard filling, this pie is a decadent chocolate treat!
- Process - Homemade custard is surprisingly easy to make (follow my helpful step-by-step photos and instructions below)! You could also use a pre-made crust to make it even easier.
- Occasion - This pie is great to enjoy anytime but I especially love to serve cream pies at Easter!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this old fashioned chocolate cream pie.
Ingredient Notes
- Graham Cracker Crumbs - I love this pie made with a graham crust but you could steal my super flakey and delicious butter pie crust recipe from my brown sugar vanilla apple pie for this pie instead! Make your own crust with crushed-up graham crackers, a little sugar, and melted butter, or use a premade store-bought graham crust.
- Dark Chocolate - This recipe has been tested using 70% dark chocolate. I use Baker's brand chocolate.
- Egg Yolks - You will need only 4 egg yolks for this custard. Try making chocolate raspberry pavlova or these dulce de leche meringues with the leftover egg whites.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.
Step 2: Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350℉ for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Step 3: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and begin cooking over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil and thicken while whisking constantly.
Step 4: Whisk the egg yolks well in a separate bowl. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and temper the egg yolks by adding about ½ cup of the hot mixture while whisking briskly. Add the tempered egg mixture back to the pot and whisk until combined.
Step 5: Return the mixture to the stove and cook over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and boils. Let boil for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6: Add the chopped chocolate and vanilla to the hot custard immediately.
Step 7: Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth
Step 8: Pour the custard immediately into the prepared and baked graham cracker crust.
Chill the pie for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving with whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.
💡 Top Tip
The custard will begin to form a skin almost immediately after cooking. Work very quickly to pour it into the pie crust as soon as the chocolate is melted and mixed in. If you do not like a skin on the top of the pie, cover the pie with plastic wrap right against the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Chocolate cream pie consists of a homemade chocolate custard made with milk, cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and dark chocolate in a graham cracker or pastry pie crust.
Most of my cream pie recipes are thickened with cornstarch and egg yolks.
Chocolate cream pie can keep for up to 4 days if stored covered in the refrigerator but the crust will begin to get soggy after the first day.
Cornstarch thickens custard or fruit pie filling.
🍫 More Decadent Chocolate Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Chocolate Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Dark Chocolate Cream Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
- medium-size saucepan
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- measuring cups & spoons
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs *
- 2 tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
For the Chocolate Custard:
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped finely (I use Bakers brand)
Instructions
To make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Stir together the graham crumbs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter to combine. Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press firmly onto the bottom and sides of the pan to form a crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly while you make the custard.
To make the Custard:
- Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and whisk until fully incorporated. Place on the stove over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and just starts to boil. Remove from the heat.
- Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding about 1 cup of the hot thickened milk/cornstarch mixture to the bowl while whisking briskly. Add the tempered egg mixture back into the pot while whisking constantly and turn the heat on to medium again and continue whisking just until the mixture begins to boil (when it boils you know the egg yolks are cooked).
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and chopped chocolate just until smooth and fully incorporated. Pour immediately into the slightly cooled crust and smooth out the top quickly and cover closely with plastic wrap before the skin begins to form. Let cool on the counter until no longer hot before covering and refrigerating until fully chilled and firm, at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could steal my super flakey and delicious butter pie crust recipe from my brown sugar vanilla apple pie for this pie instead. Blind bake, let cool, and fill with the custard filling. Or use a premade store-bought graham crust.
- I use Baker's brand 70% dark chocolate
- Try making chocolate raspberry pavlova or dulce de leche meringues with the leftover egg whites.
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