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A dreamy cloud of chocolate filling nestled in a graham cracker crust make this Easy Chocolate Cream Pie an unforgettable dessert! Your first bite of this luscious dessert will make you swoon. Guaranteed. Once it’s gone, your family will be begging you to make it again! It’s just that tasty.

Made from scratch with my Cool Whip substitution, this Chocolate Pie Recipe is suitable for any occasion, from a dinner party to a casual summer gathering. But make it even easier by using a tub of whipped topping!

Chocolate Cream Pie in a white ceramic pie plate
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make
4 Expert Tips
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 More Pie Recipes You’ll Love:
7 Chocolate Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • We had company over for dinner one weekend last month, and that always calls for a special dessert. Chocolate seems to be universally loved so I filled a graham cracker crust with a no-bake filling of cream cheese, powdered sugar, semi-sweet chocolate, and cream. To say they were swooning is an understatement.
  • The combination of the silky, rich chocolate filling and the sweet, buttery graham cracker crust can’t be beat.
  • Plus, it’s even easier to make if you skip the homemade graham cracker crust and purchase a ready-made crust. And if you’re not opposed to Cool-Whip, it’s a simple substitute for the cream cheese and whipped cream combo in the recipe, but I recommend trying my filling first!
Graham cracker crust ingredients with labels on a sheet pan.
Chocolate Cream Pie Filling Ingredients with labels on a metal sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples – Powered Sugar (sifted to remove small lumps)
  •  9-inch Graham Cracker Crust – Store bought or homemade with Graham Cracker Crumbs, Sugar, Melted Butter
  •  Cream Cheese – At room temperature for easy blending
  •  Semisweet Chocolate Chips – I used Ghirardelli brand
  •  Heavy Cream – 36% butterfat

How to Make

Step 1 mixing crust ingredients.
Mix crust ingredients together.
Step 2 bake and cool crust.
Bake and cool.
Cream cheese and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl
Mix cream cheese with vanilla and powered sugar.
Well whipped cream.
Whip Cream to stiff peaks.
Softened cream cheese added to whipped cream.
Add cream cheese mixture to cream.
Cream cheese mixture blended with whipped cream.
Mix until combined.
Chocolate chips with heavy cream in a bowl.
Melt chocolate with cream.
Ganache in a bowl.
Sir until smooth. Set aside.
Ganache added to whipped cream mixture.
Fold in chocolate.
Mixed until smooth.
Mix until smooth.
Filling added to crust, then garnish and serve.
Add to pie crust and smooth the top.
Chocolate Cream Pie | A dreamy, rich chocolate filling nestled in a graham cracker crust!
Chill, garnish and serve!

Expert Tips

  • PRO-Tip: Chill this chocolate pie for 4 hours or more to allow it to firm up for easier slicing.
  • Buy or make chocolate curls to garnish. My method can be found on this post for Triple Chocolate Cheesecake.
  • I used The Pampered Chef Easy Accent® Decorator (Amazon affiliate link) to make my whipped cream stars. Makes piping a no-brainer and turns a homey recipe into a masterpiece!
  • I try not to ever use Cool Whip as all the artificial ingredients give me a headache. Instead, use the Homemade Cool Whip Recipe which is listed in the recipe. Of course, if you love Cool Whip, it’s a super easy substitute.
  • Using a ready-made graham cracker crust from the grocery store is always an option if you’re short on time. But I prefer the taste of a homemade crust.
  • PRO-Tip: Make your crust with boxed graham cracker crumbs or you can process about 10 full-sized graham crackers to make your own crumbs.
  • If you take that shortcut, drop the pre-made crust into a ceramic pie plate to help camouflage the foil pie plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Make a Chocolate Cream Pie?

1. If needed, prebake the pie shell according to package directions.
2. Make the filling and pour into the cooled crust.
3. Chill, then garnish as desired.

How Do You Make Chocolate Cream Pie Filling?

Recipes will vary as some use pudding, some use Cool Whip, and some use real whipping cream. To make this filling, chocolate is melted with cream then cooled so it won’t seize up when it’s mixed into the cool, sweetened cream cheese mixture or storebought whipped topping.

Can Chocolate Cream Pie Be Frozen?

A chocolate cream pie will freeze nicely for 2-3 months as long as it’s wrapped well so that it’s airtight. My rule of thumb is that if you see a similar version in the frozen foods section, it most likely is freezable.
To defrost, place it in the refrigerator overnight or allow 6-8 hours before you want to indulge. Wait to add any garnishes until after you defrost.

How Long Does Chocolate Cream Pie Last in the Refrigerator?

It will stay fresh for 3-4 days covered loosely with plastic wrap.

More Pie Recipes You’ll Love:

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Chocolate Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
The Recipe:

Chocolate Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Yield 8 servings

A dreamy chocolate filling nestled in a graham cracker crust. Recipe adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate and more via Hugs & Cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 graham cracker crust (homemade version in notes)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream

Cool Whip Substitute:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Instructions

  1. To make a Cool Whip substitute, beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla, then fold in whipped cream.
  2. If needed, prebake the pie shell according to the package directions.
  3. Melt chocolate and cream in the microwave gently and stir until smooth.
  4. In a mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add chocolate ganache and beat gently until combined.
  5. On low, beat in the cream cheese mixture (or Cool Whip if preferred).
  6. Pour filling into the crust.
  7. Chill for 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls and serve!

Notes

To make your own graham cracker crust: Combine 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Mix and pat in pie plate. Bake at 350º for 8 minutes and cool before filling)

The Cool Whip replacement will make a tastier pie, but using 8 ounces of Cool Whip is a quick substitution if you're short on time.

*if you use Cool Whip in your pie, you will not need the last 4 ingredients in the recipe since those are for a Cool Whip substitute.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 617Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 260mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 6g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Pies