German Chocolate Pie: Easy, No Bake Recipe

Next time try our favorite chocolate cream pie recipe or this old fashioned southern pecan pie recipe!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

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 cookie crust. It can be frozen for up to 3 months so it's make-ahead simple!

It's one of my favorite homemade pies for summer parties and potlucks!

🧾 Ingredients

For this recipe you'll need:

• Prepared crumb crust - graham or chocolate
• German's Sweet Chocolate
• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Sugar
• Brown sugar - I prefer the light brown sugar for this but either is fine.
• Evaporated milk - make sure you get evaporated and not sweetened condensed!
• Egg - I use large eggs
• Vanilla
• Pecans
• Sweetened flaked coconut

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. Bring the cream to a simmer and stir in the chocolate.
2. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is completely melted.
3. Whisk in butter.
4. Pour into prepared pie crust.
5. Chill for 3 hours, minimum. You may refrigerate it up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
6. Mix the sugars, evaporated milk, and butter in a saucepan. Cooking, stirring, until the butter is melted and mixture boils. Remove from heat and whisk in egg. Cook 2 minutes.
7. Stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut.
8. Spread on cooled pie.
9. Chill thoroughly before slicing and serving.

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 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.

🥫 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.

💭 Tips for success

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.

📚 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.

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...

📖 Recipe

4.74 from 46 votes

No-Bake German Chocolate Pie

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This super easy, no-bake German Chocolate pie recipe has everything you love about the cake in a creamy, rich pie. It goes together quickly because of an easy crumb crust and after just a few hours in the fridge it's ready to wow your family, impress your guests, or give you serious brownie points at the next church potluck.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American - Vintage

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Chilling Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings:8

Calories:890

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

• ▢
  Pie Pan

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 Crumb crust

German Chocolate Filling

• ▢ 16 ounces German's 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 brown sugar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 ½ cups coconut, shredded sweetened - toasted
• ▢ ⅔ cup pecans, chopped and toasted
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 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 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 pecans.
• Spoon over the chilled filling .
• Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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.

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.

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

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Originally published in March 2019. Last updated December 27, 2020 to improve information and readability.