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Home » Recipes » No Bake

Homemade Chocolate Pie Recipe From Scratch

Published: Jan 17, 2023 · Updated: May 1, 2025 by Marye

Easy, homemade chocolate pie recipe has a "from scratch" pudding filling that's rich and creamy. Lots of old fashioned flavor! I suggest using the instructions for cooking in the microwave. It's the easiest technique and there's no chance of scorching.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 20 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Closeup of a slice of chocolate cream pie.
Slice of pie on a plate with text overlay for Pinterest.

First published June 2008. Last updated April 24, 2025 for editorial improvements.

Thick slice of chocolate cream pie with whipped cream and a cherry on top. The pie is on a red transferware plate. Title image.

Table of Contents
  • 🎥 How to make old fashioned chocolate pie
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 💬 Comments

🎥 How to make old fashioned chocolate pie

This homemade chocolate pie is smooth, rich, and scandalously easy—made in the microwave, no scorching, no mixer, no drama. Whip it up in 15 minutes, pour it into a crumb crust, and crown it with a mountain of whipped cream (homemade or Cool Whip—we’re not judging). Once you show up with this piece of old-fashioned perfection, just go ahead and buy a pie carrier, because you’ll be making it for every event from here ‘til kingdom come.

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
Reader Review
Best chocolate pie ever! This is a keeper. Everybody at my Christmas dinner loved it. Thanks!
Julie

📖 Recipe

Closeup of a slice of chocolate cream pie.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

4.61 from 68 votes
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Easy, homemade chocolate pie recipe has a "from scratch" pudding filling that's rich and creamy. Lots of old fashioned flavor! I suggest using the instructions for cooking in the microwave. It's the easiest technique and there's no chance of scorching.
Course Dessert- Pie
Cuisine American - Vintage
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings:8
Calories:256
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 3 cups evaporated milk, , about 1-½ 14.5-ounce cans
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 egg yolks, beaten
  • ⅓ cup dark cocoa powder, the darker the better
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 9-inch pie crust , baked - or use or favorite crumb crust

Instructions

Stove top instructions

  • Combine sugar and milk in a large bowl; whisk until smooth.
  • Mix the flour, salt, and cocoa in a small mixing bowl and then carefully whisk into the milk mixture.
  • Cook over medium low heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
  • Whisk some of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and then quickly stir the egg yolks into the pudding mixture.
  • Heat for approximately one more minute.  Mixture will be quite thick and will coat the back of the spoon.
  • Remove from heat and add the butter.
  • Stir until melted and add the vanilla.

Microwave instructions

  • Mix all of the ingredients together except the egg yolks, butter, and vanilla.
  • Microwave on 100%  for 3 minutes.
  • Stir.
  • Microwave on 50% until the mixture thickens.
  • Whisk some of the hot mixture into the egg yolks then whisk the egg yolks back into the pudding.
  • Microwave on 50% for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and creamy.
  • Stir in the vanilla and butter.

Assembling the pie

  • Pour the hot filling into baked pie shell.
  • Spray plastic wrap with no stick cooking spray and put it carefully, spray side down, over the surface of the filling while it's hot.
  • Chill several hours or overnight.

Notes

Storage:
You can make this easy no bake pie up to 3 days ahead of time, cover it tightly and keep refrigerated. Leftovers will be fine for a day or two after that.
This recipe does not do well in the freezer.
Tips:
  • Do not make this pie with lowfat or skim milk. You'll lose the silky texture.
  • Be sure to bring the eggs up to the same temperature as the milk mixture by mixing in the hot mixture a little at a time (tempering). This will keep them from curdling and turning into scrambled eggs.
  • If you do curdle the eggs slightly you can push the pudding through a strainer to get the lumps out.
  • If you are making this on the stovetop take your time and be patient. Cook over medium low heat in a heavy saucepan or you run the risk of scorching the bottom. Stir slowly and constantly.
  • Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with no-stick cooking spray and lay over the top of the hot pie filling to keep it from forming a skin. The cooking spray keeps the plastic wrap from sticking.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs

Why is my chocolate pie runny?

  • The pie filling can become runny for several reasons:-You didn't use enough flour/cornstarch.-You used cornstarch and cooked it too long so the cornstarch broke down.-You didn't cook it long enough.-You didn't chill it long enough. When your pie filling is done you'll be able to stick a spoon in it and it will cling to the spoon. If you run your finger down the back fo the spoon it will leave a clean "trail".
  • Can you freeze homemade chocolate pie?

    Nope. I don't recommend freezing a homemade cream pie of any kind. The filling is likely to separate and get watery.

    Do you need to refrigerate chocolate cream pie?

    Yes. Let the pie cool on the counter for about 30 minutes then cover and refrigerate promptly.

    Close up of chocolate pie showing the creamy texture.

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    About Marye

    Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

    Comments

      4.61 from 68 votes (65 ratings without comment)

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    1. Jackie Whitlock says

      November 12, 2023 at 3:46 pm

      For those that said their pie didn’t thicken, same thing happened to me first time. I just didn’t cook long enough. For beginners it takes quite a bit of time stirring and cooking to get the pudding thickened. You want it thick not just starting to thicken. This is a great recipe, you just have to be patient and cook until thick.

      Reply
    2. STEPHANI L MARTINEZ says

      July 19, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      Butter never melted in properly even though I followed directions. I chilled it and not only did it have a layer of butter on top when it was cold but I can taste bits of butter in it filling. Not sure why or if I can fix it.

      Reply
      • Marye says

        July 30, 2023 at 7:01 am

        If your pudding was hot the butter would melt so not sure what happened there.

        Reply
    3. Brenda says

      January 31, 2023 at 3:52 pm

      5 stars
      Made this pie twice in 2 days… that’s how much everyone liked it ! Today I made 1/2 inch brownie base chilled it, then crushed a 4 pck of Kit-Kat choc bars finally crushed with 4 TBSP Of commercial Carmel into it and spread it on top of the brownie base . I then added the cooked pie filling over it . I let it set & covered it with whipped cream … Awesome ! ❤️❤️❤️

      Reply
    4. Alison says

      October 16, 2022 at 9:36 am

      Sorry to say, but this did not set for me either. It’s like soup, sadly. I don’t know why either as I followed recipe to a T. 🙁

      Reply
    5. Patty says

      June 05, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      I made this pie exactly as the receipt states on stovetop . My pie never thickened, so disappointed, had company coming for dinner. Made another pie, thought I must have done something incorrectly, same thing terrible!! Ended up using chocolate pudding as I had no more time left. Unbelievable

      Reply
      • Marye says

        June 05, 2022 at 10:18 pm

        I can't imagine a pudding with 4 egg yolks and 1/4 cup flour not thickening properly. It's a standard ratio - I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

        Reply
    6. Janet Holste says

      July 26, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      5 stars
      I have been looking for an old fashion Chocolate Cream Pie. This is it.....a wonderful recipe, my go too....thank you!

      Reply
    7. Julie Biller says

      December 26, 2018 at 11:46 pm

      5 stars
      Best chocolate pie ever! This is a keeper. Everybody at my Christmas dinner loved it. Thanks!

      Reply
    8. Kjasko says

      November 22, 2018 at 1:14 pm

      High hopes for this pie
      Will let you know how it goes

      Reply
    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

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