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Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie

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Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won't want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won’t want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie.  A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.  

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won't want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.

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Do you have a signature dish?  You know, the one thing that people request that you make again and again?  I’m not quite sure what mine is as I’m always trying new dishes but I could tell you without a doubt what my mother-in-law’s signature dish is.  At least in my book.  This Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie is definitely it.  It’s one of those foods that I could eat forever and never tire of it.  Never ever.

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won't want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.

I’ve loved this pie from the moment I had my first bite, years ago when I was visiting Andy’s family for the first time when we were dating.  To this day, I’ll request it.  My mother-in-law knows the key to my heart and it’s most definitely this pie.  I’ve never turned down her offer to make one for us when she visits.  Instead, I’d rather that she make two – one just for me and one for everyone else to enjoy.  Yes, it’s that good!   (She also happens to be the brains behind this Hot Fudge Ice Cream Pie and Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie so she kind of knows what’s up!)

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won't want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.

A deep dish pie crust – feel free to make your own but I’m partial to the frozen variety found at Aldi and always stock up when I spy them in the freezer case! – is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding.  The pudding recipe is actually attributed to Andy’s grandmother and is absolutely divine.  It makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever as it’s just as easy to create something out of this world from scratch.  And then of course there are the billowy clouds of whipped cream on top that are showered with chocolate shavings.  Can you see why I don’t like to share?

Print Recipe
4.2 from 15 votes

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won’t want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.  
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 368kcal
Author: Melanie Bauer

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen deep dish pie crust
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 6 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa
  • 6 cups whole milk
  • whipped cream and chocolate shavings for garnish

Instructions

  • Prepare the frozen pie crust according to package instructions. You're simply baking it to prepare it for the filling. Allow to cool completely.
  • In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and cocoa. Whisk in milk and stir continuously over medium heat until mixture thickens and is bubbling.
  • Let mixture cool for 3-5 minutes and then pour into prepared pie crust. Allow to cool at room temperature for one hour and then transfer to refrigerator to cool completely.
  • Prior to serving, top pie with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.

Notes

Do NOT try to make this recipe with lowfat or skim milk as you'll end up with pudding soup instead of a pie filling. Still delicious, but definitely not what you're looking for! Also, be sure that you let the pudding mixture come to a complete boil before removing it from the heat so that it will thicken completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 121mg | Sugar: 45g

Topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream and showered with chocolate shavings, you won't want to share a single slice of this Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie. A deep dish crust is filled with the most decadently delicious homemade pudding that makes instant pudding from a box seem like the most ridiculous idea ever.

Although I refuse to share this pie with my children, I don’t leave them completely out in the cold.  The filling for this pie usually makes enough to have a cup or two leftover so I simply divide it into four ramekins for them.  Served with the same garnish of whipped cream and chocolate shavings, they have yet to figure out what their missing from not getting a piece of my Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie.

And I plan on keeping it that way.

 

Looking for more great pie recipes?

Hot Fudge Ice Cream Pie | Melanie Makes

Brownie Batter Chocolate Tart | Melanie Makes

 

German Chocolate Pecan Pie | Melanie Makes

More great pie recipes from fellow food bloggers:

Oreo and Chocolate Silk Pie | Bakers Royale
Easy Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie | The Cookie Rookie
Peach Crumb Pie | Neighborfood

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This recipe first appeared in my monthly contributor post at Rachel Cooks, here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MA says

    Just posted a comment but realized I stirred instead of using a whisk because I only have a wire whisk and didn't want to mess up my pan.. I think this is why it took me longer. I'm going to buy a different whisk so I can make this recipe over and over. It was absolutely delicious!!!!! Thank you so much!!!
    Reply

  2. MA says

    Thank you so much for the recipe! It was a big hit at Thanksgiving yesterday...sooooo yummy!!! Thr only issue I had was that it took me over an hour of stirring continuously over medium heat. Does it normally take this long?
    Reply

  3. Nikki says

    I made this today and it Turned out great! My advice to folks thinking of making this is to remember you are making homemade pudding and not instant. .. be patient, the pudding takes about 15ish minutes on the stovetop to get to the point of full boil. (During this time continue to whisk- you will gradually feel the mixture getting thicker) Thank you Melanie for sharing this yummy recipe, it’s perfect!
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      Nikki, this is the best comment ever on this recipe! So appreciate the confirmation and ecstatic you love it as much as our family does!
      Reply

  4. Chelsea Reeh says

    I also had a bit of an issue with my pie tightening up. After reading the comments I decided to maybe I didn’t keep it on the stove long enough. I pulled it out of the fridge, spooned out the pudding, and put it back on the stove with 1 additional tablespoon of cornstarch. This helped the consistency set perfectly. Although, it could be the case that I didn’t need the additional cornstarch, only heating longer on the first go-round. Will try heating longer next time before I add more cornstarch.On a different note, I’m really wondering about the color. The photos on this recipe show the filling being very dark and rich. My filling turned out much lighter in color. Maybe it could be a difference in the cocoa used? I’m not sure. Would love your thoughts on this.
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      Hey, Chelsea - I think you figured it out! Making sure you keep it on the stove long enough is key to having it set up. As for the darker color, I love the darker cocoa and use Rodelle exclusively. You can find it on their website and even order direct from Amazon - definitely my favorite!
      Reply

  6. abcya says

    A great and new dish from the familiar ingredients. Most importantly, you teach very detailed and easy to understand. Thanks a lot. I will cook for my family.
    Reply

  7. Kara says

    Followed this recipe to a T just like the others - ended up with a runny, inedible mess on Thanksgiving. Please read other comments- I wish I had before wasting all of those ingredients! So disappointing! I tried boiling longer, extra cornstarch, etc. - it never thickened. :(
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      Hey, Kara - Definitely e-mail me, would love to help you! I've made this recipe more times that I can count and it was passed down to me by my mother-in-law who got it from her mother-in-law. In short, it's a family recipe that's been made for almost 100 years. I want you to be able to taste how amazing it is!
      Reply

  8. Missy says

    My pie also did not set (used whole milk and boiled).Maybe you could revise the recipe to include exact time needed to boil for thickening. Eyeballing doesn’t seem too effective in this recipe.Thanks for consideration.
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      Hi, Missy - So sorry your pie didn't set up. Feel free to e-mail me, would love to help you out! I've followed this recipe each and every time I've made it and I only have issues when I use something other than whole milk or don't boil for long enough. The next time I make it, I'll try and add a time estimation.
      Reply

  9. Mary says

    I have a recipe with similar proportions (6 cups milk to 6 T cornstarch). It was not thickening so I googled similar recipes. I ended up mixing up 4 T cornstarch: 2 T milk and whisking it in. This did the trick and the mixture thickened nicely. Half and half contains at least 10.5% milk fat whereas whole milk contains 3.5% (I googled this and read the same thing on several sites).
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      Hi, Mary - thanks for your feedback. As long as I use whole milk, I never have issues with thickening using the noted ratios.
      Reply

  10. Christina says

    First of all, I love the moodiness of your photography for this recipe. Second, I can't wait to make this pie! Third, I can't wait to face plant, in said pie, after I make it! I'm adding you to my RSS feed so I can keep tabs on your cool site. Great job!
    Reply

  11. Sue says

    This recipe is crap. NEVER SET UP. and it WONT because ur proportions are off. I should've trusted my gut and not wasted my time and money on a recipe that calls for too much milk and no egg yolks. Melanie, ur an idiot and the positive reviews I'm sure we're written by u and ur family n friends. Ugh. Thx for the recipe for hot chocolate. Lol. And please don't reply.. " did u use whole milk?" "Did you let it boil long enough"
    Reply

    • Melanie says

      WOW, Sue. I'm going to hope that you've just had a rough day to take to name calling and then calling me a liar. I make this recipe exactly as written about every two weeks when I have too much whole milk in the house and haven't had any issues. The only time I've ever run into any problem is if I do NOT use whole milk or if I do not let it boil long enough. This recipe has been in my husband's family for 50+ years and I'll continue making it because we love it so much, as obviously others do as well. I'm sorry you didn't have success.
      Reply

      • Sue says

        Not a bad day at all. Calling it as I see it. I don't like wasting money on a badly written recipe. Lesson learned.
        Reply

    • Melanie says

      Hi, Jude - I've used both so it's definitely a personal preference. When using Cool Whip, I use the entire 8 ounce tub. :)
      Reply

  14. Sarah says

    Hi Melanie!We just tried to make this pie for thanksgiving - it looked great in the recipe, but unfortunately we also ended up with a bit of a running mess.It started to boil and thicken a bit, so we removed it and followed the instructions to a T, (including use of 6 cups of WHOLE milk!) so I'm not sure where we went wrong. It was definitely boiling but I'm wondering if it was a bit too much milk? It seemed like it just had a hard time thickening up enough even after being refrigerated for a few hours.We were going to try the recipe again this weekend, but are obviously hoping for less of a running mess. Looking for tips!Best,Sarah
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hey, Sarah - You'll want to make sure that it's boiling and just let it boil for a bit. Then go ahead and pour it into your crust - you'll have some leftover to snack on by itself - and let it sit at room temp for a bit before putting in the fridge. That should help! Hope you enjoy!
      Reply

  15. Erin Worrall says

    Just whipped this up for Father's Day and it looks FABULOUS. I definitely have enough for two pies (poured the extra into a glass mixing bowl and there's exactly 3 cups), but my guess is that our crusts are just not the same size, which is fine. It's called "deep dish," but as I'm looking at it, I think Kroger took some creative liberties with naming :)Anyway, thanks for a big hit!
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hey, Melissa! You definitely can make this in advance as you'll want to make sure it's completely set up in the fridge prior to serving. I'd say making it 4-6 hours in advance works perfect as if you make it too far in advance you run the risk of a soggy crust. Hope that helps!
      Reply

    • melanie says

      So love hearing when people try my recipes, Valentina - thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! So glad you and your family enjoyed it!
      Reply

  20. Amber says

    I, too, am having issues with the mixture tightening up. I for-sure used whole milk. Is there a certain amount of time that the mixture has to boil for? As per the directions, I let it come to a boil, then removed it from heat so that it could cool enough to pour into the pie crust. It made so much filling, however, that I probably could have filled two deep-dish crusts. Is that normal?
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hey, Amber! Whole milk? Check! :)Was the pudding beginning to thicken when you took it off the heat? It should be thickened and bubbling when you remove it. Then you can let it cool a bit before pouring it into the pie crust if you'd like.There will likely be a bit leftover - I always pour it in some ramekins for my menagerie to enjoy! - but definitely not enough for two pies.You can definitely try to save the pudding by putting it back on the heat to boil and thicken and worse case scenario, adding additional corn starch if necessary. If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to ask!
      Reply

      • Amber says

        Okay, so I put the filling back in a pot (even after it had been chilling in the fridge for a little while), and added a slurry of about 3 tbsp of cornstarch, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp cocoa, and 1 tbsp sugar (just to make sure I didn't dilute the flavors). I let it come to a boil and let it go for about 4-5 minutes before removing it from the heat. It thickened up quite nicely and I think it will turn out just fine this one around. :-)
        Reply

  21. Tia says

    This recipe is not correct. I was really concerned when I started making it, and should have went with my gut. For starters, this is one of a few chocolate pudding recipes I have seen that does not call for egg yolks. Secondly, 6 cups of milk? I followed the recipe to the letter (even omitting some of the milk), and I'm left with what looks like hot chocolate. I'm going to try and salvage this by tempering...bc I certainly don't want to throw out this batch made with organic milk. I should note I'm not a beginner pie baker. I have successfully turned out 12 pie crusts today and filled all but 2 (those I was going to fill with this recipe bc it looked so yummy!). Epic fail.
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hi Tia! I'm so sorry this recipe didn't work for you. This gets made in our house about once a month and I find if I'm not using whole milk, the pudding will never set up. Just wanted to check that that is what you used?I'd be happy to continue to troubleshoot with you so we can figure out what went wrong.Best, Melanie
      Reply

    • Summer says

      I tried this making pie for the first time on Thanksgiving...it was a huge success! So much so, that I'm currently making another one for an additional dinner tomorrow! The consistency was great and the flavor was delicious! My family thought I went to so much trouble, they had no idea how easy it really was! Thanks for the simple, but sweet recipe!
      Reply

      • melanie says

        Summer, thank you so much for sharing your kind words! I'm thrilled that the pie was such a success and that your family enjoyed it as much as our does. Thank you for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed it!
        Reply

    • melanie says

      Hi, Sabrina! I've never tested this recipe with half & half but my guess would be that the pudding wouldn't set up as it wouldn't have enough fat. This pie will NOT work with anything less than whole milk so I'm guessing the result would be similar. Hope that helps!
      Reply

  23. Allyson says

    hi. This looks delicious!! Wondering though if you think I can substitute almond milk. My son has a milk allergy and I am always looking for recipes he would like. Thx
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hi, Allyson! I haven't tried it with almond milk so I can't say for certain but please let me know if you give it a try to let me know how it turns out. Would love to make a note on the recipe if it works for you!
      Reply

  25. Tammy Baker says

    My attempt at this was an epic failure. I followed the receipe exactly as written but the pie/pudding would not set, very runny. It taste good but it doesn't have the consistency of a pie.
    Reply

    • melanie says

      Hi, Tammy -I'm so sorry your pie didn't turn out! Were you using whole milk? I've found if I don't, my pie ends up more like pudding soup - still tasty, but definitely not what I was looking for! I'm more than happy to talk things through with you if you'd like so we can figure out what might've gone wrong.
      Reply

      • Holly says

        I tried this recipe yesterday, after seeing it posted on Facebook. I ended up with enough filling for TWO deep dish pies and my filling never thickened, even after being in the refrigerator all day. Are you sure this is supposed to be 6 cups of milk and not 3? I just did a search to find similar recipes and found one that is very similar and has outstanding reviews but it only calls for 3 cups of milk. I’m thinking that is where the problem is and that is why our pies are not thickening and also why we end up with enough to fill two pie shells. Plus, they don’t end up dark and rich like the picture shows. My family was so upset that we had to throw out the pies. They just never thickened. It seems the 6 cups of milk could be a typo and it should have been 3. Just my thoughts.
        Reply

        • melanie says

          Hey, Holly! I'm so sorry your pies didn't turn out but the recipe is written correctly. Did you use whole milk? Did you let the mixture come to a boil and thicken before removing it from the heat? Those are the common mistakes I've seen with this pie.I usually have a bit leftover that I save for snacking as I've noted in my post but you shouldn't have enough for two pies.Let me know if you have other questions. Would love to help you troubleshoot as this is o E of our favorite recipes!
          Reply

          • Holly says

            Yes, I used whole milk and let it come to a boil. I'm an avid cook and know my way around the kitchen so, this should have been a pretty simple recipe. I saw this recipe on a separate website and there were many reviews stating the same thing about the filling being enough for two pies and not thickening. :/

          • melanie says

            Hey, Holly - Can you let me know what other site you saw my recipe so I can help others as well? You definitely need to make sure it comes to a boil AND thickens before removing it from the heat or it won't set up. If you find that your pudding mixture is still not setting up (before adding it to your pie shell) you can always whisk in additional corn starch.Let me know if I can help with any additional troubleshooting - now I'm craving pie!

  28. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says

    Oh man, this looks decadent! I made some pie crusts from scratch over the weekend and was looking for a chocolate pie of some sort to use with the one. But I couldn't find anything that totally suited me. Luckily, I froze a crust that I can use to make this...hopefully this week!
    Reply

  29. Jocel Banate says

    Hi Melanie! I have already tried this chocolate pudding pie yesterday for Mom's birthday and it turned out really good! Family raved about it LOL! Thank you so much for this simple yet enticing pie! Will definitely look for more dessert recipes here!
    Reply

  30. Kristin says

    MMMMmmmmm. We make chocolate pudding pie for every Thanksgiving but we go the simple route with store bought chocolate pudding. I can't wait to try it out like this!
    Reply

  38. heather @french press says

    my mother in law is famous for her chocolate pie as well :) she always makes the kids an extra one when we visit. I'm not a chocolate person, but I do love homemade pudding, it is one of the best things on earth!! what a seriously gorgeous pie melanie
    Reply

  39. Laura @MotherWouldKnow says

    Can I borrow your mother-in-law? Sure I could make it myself, but how wonderful would it be to have the pie delivered:) I might have to do a pie-off, between this one and my chocolate chess pie. there would be no losers in that contest!
    Reply

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