German Chocolate Pie

This no-bake German chocolate pie is rich, fudgy, and not here to play nice. It’s got all the coconut-pecan goodness of the classic cake, but in a pie that takes zero effort and still gets all the applause. Warning: may cause sudden bouts of hoarding and recipe requests. Proceed with fork in hand and attitude fully loaded.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

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Originally published March 2019. Last updated April 29, 2025, for editorial improvements.

Rich? Absolutely. Over-the-top? You bet your bundt it is. This no-bake German chocolate pie is what happens when the cake ditches the layers and gets a Southern upgrade. Fudgy filling, gooey coconut-pecan topping, chocolate crust... it’s a fork-flirting situationship.

Fancy enough for the holidays, easy enough for a Tuesday meltdown, and dangerous enough you’ll hide a slice in the back of the fridge like it’s your retirement fund. One bite and you’re the hero of the potluck—no sweat, no oven, no shame.

🧾 Ingredients

German sweet chocolate is available pretty much everywhere but if you can't find it go ahead and use real chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet).

Once I used chopped macadamia nuts instead of pecans and it was absolutely amazing - walnuts work, too. AND, don't forget, you can change the crumb crust to anything you prefer.

🔪 Step-by-step guide: How to Make German Chocolate Pie

Heat cream and stir in chocolate until melted. Add butter and stir until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture into crust and chill overnight.

Combine shredded coconut and other topping ingredients and simmer.

Spoon the topping over the chilled chocolate. Be sure to cover the entire pie. Top with chocolate curls.

🥥 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.

🌰 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!

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Chop pecans -You don't always have to chop the pecans before toasting, but for this recipe, it's necessary. Just chop them coarsely while the oven is preheating.
3. Toast pecans - Add the pecans to a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
4. Stir the pecans well about halfway through. This allows all the surfaces to get toasted.
5. Watch the pecans carefully. When they start to get aromatic remove them from the oven. It takes about 5 minutes.

📖 Recipe

German Chocolate Pie Recipe

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This no-bake German chocolate pie is rich, fudgy, and not here to play nice. It’s got all the coconut-pecan goodness of the classic cake, but in a pie that takes zero effort and still gets all the applause. Warning: may cause sudden bouts of hoarding and recipe requests. Proceed with fork in hand and attitude fully loaded.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American - Vintage

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings:8

Calories:890

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Crumb crust

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

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

Storage:

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

How to Toast Pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. 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.
3. Toast Pecans - Add the pecans to a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
4. Stir the pecans well about halfway through. This allows all the surfaces to get toasted.
5. 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.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 87g | Saturated Fat: 52g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 251mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1680IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 10.6mg

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.

💭 Insider tips: things to know

1. Make sure you choose a good quality chocolate - it will be creamier and more flavorful.
2. Put the pie crust in the freezer while you are working on the filling - it just works better.
3. Make sure the pie is well chilled before cutting, and dip your knife in boiling water before each cut. This will help it cut more evenly and smoothly.
4. 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.

👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love

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 rich chocolate ganache and peanut butter mousse. It's another one of my super easy recipes!!
• Millionaire Pie is the same creamy, tropical pie that we used to get after church at Furr's! Full of Maraschino cherries and pineapple.

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