Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Tons of deep chocolate flavor without any cloying artificial sweetness like the pre-made frozen silk pies from the store.
Texture: The filling is so rich, creamy, and decadent and pairs perfectly with the slightly crunchy crust and ultra-light whipped cream.
Ease: This recipe does make a bit of a mess, but the good news is that it’s made ahead of time so it’s perfect for entertaining or bringing to a party.
Pros: A classic recipe without any raw eggs that your family will request for every holiday.
Cons: A bit involved and messy to make, but one bite of the final pie will convince you it was all worth it.
Would I make this again? Every Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and Christmas!
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Growing up, it wasn’t a holiday without a French Silk Pie with those chocolate curls on top.
You see, I come from a long line of chocoholics. My dad and my grandma love chocolate and sweets just as much as I do.
However neither of them bake, so we always got those frozen silk pies from the grocery store.
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A few years ago, I decided to finally make a chocolate French silk pie from scratch for Thanksgiving and it was the most popular pie of the evening! So I knew I had to share the recipe with you ASAP.
It’s now a yearly tradition. No Thanksgiving is complete without this pie, my decadent Caramel Apple Streusel Pie, and my creamy No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie.
This silk pie is perfect for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion! I hope it becomes a tradition in your home as well!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make French Silk Pie
The Pie Crust
I love an Oreo crust for this recipe! It’s so much easier than traditional pie dough and adds an extra dose of chocolate! Use regular-stuff Oreos with the filling intact.
If you’d prefer to use a pastry crust, check out my Best Ever Pie Crust recipe here and follow the directions for pre-baking.
French Silk Pie Filling
Since this recipe doesn’t use raw eggs, it’s safe to serve to everyone.
However, there are a few extra steps and bowls you will dirty while making this recipe – but it’s so worth it. I highly recommend reading the recipe through completely before you get started. You’ll need an electric mixer (handheld or stand) and an instant-read thermometer for best results.
What Type of Chocolate Will I Need?
I love using bittersweet chocolate in this French Silk Pie recipe. It brings an intensely rich chocolate flavor. Use high-quality chocolate baking bars, not chocolate chips, for best results. If you’d prefer something more mild, feel free to use semisweet chocolate instead (1:1 ratio). Learn more about Chocolate in Baking here.
Whipped Cream Topping for French Silk Pie
- Be sure to top the pie with the whipped cream no more than a few hours before serving, so it looks its best.
- The whipped cream will begin to deflate and weep if topped too far in advance.
- Garnish with chocolate curls (see just below) or a sprinkling of cocoa powder for a pretty presentation.
How to Make Chocolate Curls
Taking the time to make chocolate curls, instead of just shaving a block of chocolate or garnishing with a dusting of cocoa powder, really makes this French Silk Pie look gourmet. Here’s a super helpful step-by-step video on how to make chocolate curls.
What Type of Pie Pan Should I Use?
- This recipe was designed for a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, like this one.
- If you don’t have a deep-dish pie pan, you may have some filling leftover (hellooo, little snack for you!)
- Because this pie doesn’t go in the oven for long (just a few minutes for the crust to set), the pie pan material doesn’t matter as much as it would for a baked pie. If you choose instead to make a pastry pie crust, however, I recommend checking out my Best Pie Pan article for more information and tips.
Can I Make French Silk Pie Ahead of Time?
Yes! This pie actually needs to be chilled for 6 hours before serving, so it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert! You can make it up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep covered in the fridge, then top with whipped cream shortly before serving.
Can I Freeze French Silk Pie?
We haven’t tested freezing this French Silk pie, but some of our wonderful readers have done so with success. Just note that freezing may slightly alter the texture after thawing. Place inside an airtight container and freeze for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
French Silk Pie
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Ingredients
For the crust
- 20 Oreo (230 grams) cookies (regular-stuffed, keep filling intact)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 1/3 cups (266 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet baking chocolate, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream, cold
- 4 teaspoons powdered sugar
For the topping
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnish if desired
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.
- Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the filling:
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs. Set over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature (around 75°F), stirring occasionally.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add in the cooled chocolate mixture then beat on high speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- In a separate clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the pan, smoothing evenly. The pie will be tall with filling. Chill for 6 hours. At this point, the pie can be stored for up to 2 days ahead of time.
Make the topping:
- Use an electric mixer to beat the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa powder.
Recipe Notes
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This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi Tessa, can you let us know which pie plate you used?
Hi Hina! The pie plate is actually our photographer’s, and we’re not sure where she got it from! Tessa’s favorite aluminum pie pan is linked HERE, ceramic pie pan linked HERE, and her favorite glass pie pan linked HERE. Hope that helps!
Thank you Emily!
Sounds divine!!!
My question: why do you say to stir with a metal spoon till leaves a trail on back??? Why metal???
I’ve never used metal for this but wooden spoon.
Thanks so much!
Best, Margaret Nanni
Hi Margaret! We recommend a metal spoon as it’s easier to see the coating and easier to clean 🙂
Made this recipe exactly and two teaspoons of vanilla for the filling is too much. It overpowers the chocolate and dulls the flavor. If I remade this pie, I would try one teaspoon or maybe even half.
Thanks for your feedback, Amina 🙂
I made as directed except I had enough heavy whipping cream to make more topping. My family loves whipped cream and it added even more height to this gorgeous pie.
I found the filling a little denser than I remember French Silk Pie to be nevertheless it was a delicious chocolate pie. My niece said it was like eating Godiva chocolates.
I will make again at Christmas time because it’s a beautiful presentation and I must have a standout chocolate dessert on the Christmas buffet.
The more whipped cream, the better, YUM!! So happy you all enjoyed this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Only wish I could give this recipe more stars than 5. I made this pie for my Dad’s retirement party and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was. Dad said it was the best French Silk Pie he’s ever had and Tessa’s awesome instructions made executing this recipe super straightforward. I had to make two pies to accommodate the number of guests and both pies came out exactly the same, perfect consistency. Loved it!
So happy to hear this, Joanie! We love hearing that you used this recipe to celebrate with and that it was such a hit!
I made this for a pie competition this weekend and won third prize!! It was fantastic. I followed your recipe to the letter! I piped the cream on and grated chocolate on top. It was a huge hit, thank you so much!!
Amazing!! Congratulations!!
How could I make a white chocolate version of this?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! If you end up experimenting with it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
This recipe was amazing!! I’ve had some in the past fail to set and this pie over and over again, came through as thick and lucious! The flavor is right on point and I will NEVER make another french silk pie without using this recipe. *Mic drop*
omg YAY!! You just made my day with your sweet comment, Crystal! I’m absolutely thrilled you love this recipe 🙂
I enjoy being in the kitchen and delivering memorable and satisfying dishes and desserts. This recipe hits it out of the park! SO smooth and decadent…worth every step and then some! I made with a graham cracker crust a few days ahead of our Father’s Day celebration and froze it once it had chilled for the 6 hours.
Wonderful to hear, Carolyn! I’m so pleased you loved this recipe 🙂
Do I need to grease the pie pan before putting in the crust?
Yes, that is in the directions 🙂
Thank you. It said place in prepared dish so I just wanted to make sure. Can’t wait to get your magazine!!
It’s actually right after first line of directions where it says to Preheat the oven to 350°. I noticed on my computer at least that there’s an ad between that line of directions and the next, so that might be why you missed it! 🙂 Excited for you to enjoy the magazine!
This was my first time making French silk pie and it turned out so well! My family loved it and said the texture was spot on. I used semi sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate. Very rich, but very tasty!
So happy your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this today! It was so delicious. Sweet but not overly sweet! I received a lot of attention from my friends on IG when I posted the final result on my story. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
So happy to hear you loved this pie! 🙂