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.
This recipe was amazing! I did it for my family for Christmas and they loved it. It was so delicious and the consistency was perfect. I would recommend to use a little bit less butter because the flavor is a little strong and to let it sit overnight so the flavors incorporate together perfectly. But the recipe is really good and I will definitely do it again ❤
So happy the recipe was such a hit, thanks for the feedback!
This is soooooo good! I made the pie exactly as is, using Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking bars. Made the pie the night before to make things easier.
Since I was traveling to a small work Christmas party and couldn’t make the whipped topping immediately before serving, I instead used a stabilized whipped cream recipe (using gelatin) and that was perfect. Topped the pie with the stabilized whipped cream and crumbled Oreos (personal preference) and refrigerated a few hours ahead of the party, brought it in a cooler.
For anyone wondering, it was a huge, HUGE hit! I of course directed everyone to this recipe.
I will make this again and again and again, thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!!! Thank you!!
Wonderful! So happy to hear it was such a hit 🙂
So smooth and delicious!
Great stuff! My 12 yr old made this solo last year for Xmas, it flew outta the pie dish…this year she’s tripling the order by high demand with large family in attendance for the holidays!
Wow, that’s amazing! So awesome to hear how much your daughter loves baking, happy it was such a hit!
Thanks! I decided against it because I want it to look like a pie, so I’ll just make it work with my pie plate. Merry Christmas!!
I make this pie exactly as directed and it was perfect! By far the very best french silk pie I have ever had! Thanks for the simple and amazing delicious recipe!
Wonderful! Glad you loved it!
Hi There,
I can only find dark chocolate bakers bar, can I use this instead? And should I cut out some of the sugar?
Thank you so much!
Hi Jenn! We haven’t tried this recipe with milk or dark chocolate, only swapped in semisweet for the bittersweet to make it more mild, so I can’t say for sure. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi! Can I make this in a springform pan?? I don’t have a deep pie dish (just a standard one). It looks high so i thought maybe a spring form pan might work.
Hi Lisa! We haven’t tried that! Other than the crust, this recipe doesn’t require any baking, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but obviously the appearance will be a bit different using a different type of pan. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
Absolutely delicious! A little time consuming, but worth it. I’d suggest having all ingredients prepped and measured out before making. It kept my sister and I busy together to make it. Also double the whipped topping—made a nicer presentation. Thx for the delicious recipe! Making again for Xmas Eve.
Absolutely delicious! A little time consuming, but worth it. I’d suggest having all ingredients prepped and measured out before making. It kept my sister and I busy together to make it. Also double the whipped topping—made a nicer presentation. Thx for the delicious recipe! Making again for Xmas Eve.
Such a fun recipe to make with your sister, glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Hi I was wondering how many days this would keep in the fridge if I were to make ahead of time.
Hi Erika! Yes, this pie will keep up to 2 days in the fridge, just make sure it’s properly covered so it doesn’t collect any food odors! You’ll want to top the pie with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings the day of eating. Let us know what you think of this recipe!
I’ve been looking for a recipe, that would be similar to a “French Silk Pie”, I ate as a kid at Plush Pippin. This is very close. I forgot to take a photo, but it looked very similar to the recipe photo (minus the curled chocolate). I shaved dark chocolate on top. The crust is so good that my kids have asked me to make an ice cream pie with this crust. Thanks for posting!
So happy to hear it was such a hit!