Best Chocolate Pie Recipe

Active Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 30 mins

Yield:

1 (9-inch) pie

This chocolate pie, aka Minny's Chocolate Pie, is the one featured in the movie The Help. Indeed, Lee Ann Flemming made a whopping 53 pies during the movie's filming! It's a simple, cozy recipe that can be dressed up depending on the occasion. You may not bake this as many times as Flemming did, but once you try her chocolate pie recipe, you're definitely going to want to make it again.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

You can prepare your own crust, but Flemming uses packaged to make this recipe for chocolate pie even easier and faster. When you mix the filling together, it's vital to combine everything until it's completely smooth and homogenous. It may help to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately before whisking them together, especially since cocoa powder has a tendency to clump. The goal is not to incorporate air, but to be thorough to avoid eggy bits in your finished pie.

Be sure to make this dessert a few hours in advance of when you want to serve it so the chocolate pie has time to cool to a rich, fudgy texture — don't be tempted to cut into it sooner.

Frequently asked questions

What are chocolate pies made of?

One of the virtues of chocolate pie is that it's made from only a handful of ingredients — and pantry staples for bakers, at that. You'll need a can of evaporated milk and your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder, along with sugar, butter, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract, plus a pre-made pie crust if you're not preparing one from scratch. Don't forget to have some whipped cream on hand for serving.

How do you thicken a chocolate pie filling?

This recipe depends on eggs rather than starch to give the filling body. They're combined with evaporated milk, which is creamier and more viscous than fresh milk because half of the water content has been removed. The pie bakes until the edges appear set and the middle is still jiggly; the filling will continue to thicken as it cools.

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Julia Hartbeck

Gather the ingredients.
Julia Hartbeck

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Julia Hartbeck

Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.
Julia Hartbeck

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth.
Julia Hartbeck

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking to prevent over-browning. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.