If you love chocolate you'll love this decadent dessert!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Homemade German chocolate pie is a creamy and decadent dessert.
- Easy to make, no bake dessert.
- You can make it a few days ahead of time or freeze for up to 3 months.
If you've ever eaten German chocolate cake you've got a pretty good idea of how amazing this easy, no-bake chocolate pie is!
Melt in your mouth chocolate ganache is topped with a classic toasted coconut-pecan topping and chilled in a buttery chocolate cookie crust.
It's one of my favorite homemade pies for summer parties and potlucks!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Heat cream and stir in chocolate until melted. Add butter and stir until smooth.
- Pour chocolate mixture into crust and chill.
- Combine topping ingredients and simmer.
- Spoon the topping over the chilled chocolate. Top with chocolate curls.
🌰 How to toast pecans
Toasting the pecans (and coconut) for this German Chocolate pie topping makes ALL the difference. You can skip this step if you must but... it's SO much better with them toasted!
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Chop Pecans -You don't have to always chop the pecans before toasting but for this recipe it's necessary. Just chop them coarsely while the oven is preheating.
- Toast Pecans - Add the pecans to a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
- Stir the pecans well about halfway through. This allows all the surfaces to get toasted.
- Watch the pecans carefully. When they start to get aromatic remove them from the oven. It takes about 5 minutes.
🥥 How to toast coconut
You'll toast coconut basically the same way as the pecans above but preheat the oven to 325F. Coconut will go from golden brown to crispy black in seconds so you'll need to watch it very carefully.
🥫 Storage
This no-bake German chocolate pie will keep in the refrigerator for about four days. Cover it well with plastic wrap so it doesn't pick up refrigerator smells.
For longer storage you can freeze this recipe for up to three months. Not all homemade German chocolate pies can be frozen - this one has been developed so that it can be.
📖 Variations
- If you can't find the German's Sweet Chocolate you can use real chocolate chips.
- Walnuts can be substituted for pecans.
- You can use any kind of crumb crust you prefer.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: When you heat the cream for the ganache make sure you don't let it come to a boil. Just heat until bubbles start to pop around the edge.
- Make sure you choose a good quality chocolate - it will be creamier and more flavorful.
- You can use any sort of chocolate - bittersweet, dark, milk... whatever you like.
- Put the pie crust in the freezer while you are working on the filling - it just works better.
- Make sure the pie is well chilled before cutting and dip your knife in boiling water before each cut. It will cut more evenly and smoothly.
- It's normal for a crumb crust to crumble a little during cutting and transferring to a plate but the more chilled the pie is the less likely it is to happen.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
German chocolate isn't chocolate from Germany. It's actually German's® Sweet Chocolate, created by Samuel German for Walter Baker & Company in 1852.
He created it with the sugar already in it to be more convenient for bakers - a cutting edge development at the time. It's sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate but also has a dark, rich flavor. If you can't find German chocolate (as we call it) in your store you can substitute dark chocolate.
Most chocolate pies don't freeze well but this German Chocolate Pie freezes beautifully for up to 3 months because it is made with ganache.
If you want your pie to be extra chocolaty make it in a chocolate cookie crumb crust as I have in this recipe! Crumb crusts are super easy, no-bake, and take almost no time at all to make
📚 Related recipes
Here are more homemade pie recipes from our family favorite files!
- Classic southern Chocolate Chess Pie is so fudgy. It tastes like rich brownie batter in a crust... don't worry - mine is made without the ingredient made famous in "The Help".
- Texas Flood Pie - Like Mississippi Mud Pie only BETTER with layers of chocolate ganache and peanut butter mousse.
- Millionaire Pie is the same creamy, tropical pie that we used to get after church at Furr's! Full of Maraschino cherries and pineapple.
Next time try our favorite chocolate cream pie recipe or this old fashioned southern pecan pie recipe!
📞 The last word
This is one of those pie recipes you're going to want to put on your "A" list! So easy, so quick, and SO good. I like to have a couple of them in the freezer for "pie emergencies" like unexpected company or a neighbor who needs a little love. Give it a try and let me know what you think...
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coconut Pecan German Chocolate Pie
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
German Chocolate Filling
- 16 ounces German Sweet Chocolate , may substitute bittersweet chocolate
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
Coconut Pecan Topping
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups coconut, shredded sweetened - toasted
- ⅔ cup pecans, chopped and toasted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
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Instructions
Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- Heat cream in microwave (or on top of the stove) until it is steaming hot.
- Add the chocolate (If the chocolate won't melt all the way you can add it to the microwave and heat it for 20 second increments, stirring in between - just until it is melted and blends with the cream)
- Stir until smooth.
- Add in the butter and stir until well blended.
- Pour into the prepared crust, either cookie or chocolate (or even a traditional pastry that's been pre-baked!)
- Cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours.
Coconut-Pecan Topping
- Toast the coconut and pecans as directed in the notes below.
- Set aside.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl until it's completely blended.
- Set aside.
- Combine the evaporated milk, sugars, and butter in a small heavy saucepan.
- Cook, stirring continually, until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Whisk a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg then add it back to the pan, whisking continually so you don't end up with scrambled eggs.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut, and chopped pecans.
- Spoon over the chilled filling .
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Add chocolate shavings to top for garnish if desired.
Notes
- Make sure you choose a good quality chocolate - it will be creamier and more flavorful.
- You can use any sort of chocolate - bittersweet, dark, milk... whatever you like.
- When you heat the cream for the ganache make sure you don't let it come to a boil. Just heat until bubbles start to pop around the edge.
- Put the pie crust in the freezer while you are working on the filling - it just works better.
- Make sure the pie is well chilled before cutting and dip your knife in boiling water before each cut. It will cut more evenly and smoothly.
- It's normal for a crumb crust to crumble a little during cutting and transferring to a plate but the more chilled the pie is the less likely it will happen.
- You can melt some extra chocolate and drizzle it on top for a nice finish.
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Chop Pecans -You don't have to always chop the pecans before toasting but for this recipe it's necessary. Just chop them coarsely while the oven is preheating.
- Toast Pecans - Add the pecans to a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
- Stir the pecans well about halfway through. This allows all the surfaces to get toasted.
- Watch the pecans carefully. When they start to get aromatic remove them from the oven. It takes about 5 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.Originally published in March 2019. Last updated May 23, 2022 for better images and step by step images.
Frankie
Sounds wonderful!!!
Marye
It's so good! Jumped right to the top of my favorite.