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.
I made this for valentines, and just bought regular pre made pie crust, and it made two thin pies! The best chocolate pie I’ve ever had! Such a smooth texture and not too rich! For the chocolate I used my favorite 70% cocoa Ghirardelli chocolate bars and it was the perfect balance!
So happy to hear how much you loved this recipe!
The pie was delicious however, it did not become as firm as I think it should have. I think I may have caused this problem by changing the chocolate. I used 2 Oz bittersweet, 2 Oz semi-sweet and 6 Oz of milk chocolate instead of 8 Oz bittersweet. Do you think the extra chocolate is what made it a bit softer? I would appreciate your opinion so I can adjust the next time I make it. It really is a wonderful pie recipe. Thank you.
Hi Sandra! It’s definitely possible the additional chocolate affected the outcome of the recipe. I’m assuming yes, but did you use a digital scale to measure the rest of your ingredients? Also, how long did you chill your filled pie for? If you used a digital scale and chilled for minimum 6 hours, I would recommend making this recipe as written the next time you make it to confirm that the chocolate was the issue. Feel free to mix up the chocolate like you did, but just use 8 ounces total instead. And make sure that the sugar/egg/chocolate/vanilla mixture is cooled to just warm prior to adding to the butter. Let me know how it goes!
Omg! I made it with a regular pie crust. But the filling is soooooo good. Worth the effort for sure. I’ll never make a chocolate pudding pie again.
Unless you’re competing on a cooking show, you’ll find it difficult to prep this pie in the 30 minutes this article states. But the prep time isn’t this pie’s downfall, it’s how unbelievably rich this desert is. Unfortunately this recipe won’t leave you wanting a second piece.
Absolutely loved the texture of the pie! It is so silky smooth! Initially I felt it was a little complicated to make but it ended up being easier than I thought! Love the result.
I have a question though.. I am sure I measured everything correctly but I feel it was a little too sweet for me.. I added some extra chocolate and espresso powder in the end to balance out the sweetness..
What could be the reason behind that? Could it be that I used bittersweet Ghirardelli grand chips and not the baking bar?
Hi Kanika! Tessa actually talks about this in the pink tip box above the recipe, try swapping in semisweet baking chocolate in place of the bittersweet next time to see if that helps 🙂
Super simple to make. The texture is amazing – so light and fluffy ! I made peanut butter whipped cream to top it with. Next time I will try bittersweet chocolate because it was just too sweet for me.
WOW! This definitely impressed! The recipe was really easy to follow and everyone raved about the finished product. It was rich and decadent without being too sweet, and the whipped cream really balanced out the chocolate. Will be making again and again!
Wonderful! So happy to hear it was a such a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know, we appreciate it!
Thia is absolutely the Best French Silk Pie I have ever made. Everyone I served it to was just devoured it. Make this pie, you will never be disappointed.
So happy to hear that, yay!!
I made this pie this past Thanksgiving. Uh-mazing! It was so delicious! Everyone raved about the chocolatey, cool, beautiful dessert. It felt like half my kitchen was a mess (especially after figuring out how to make chocolate curls!) but it was a pie that tasted as good as it looked! I truly felt like a professional after this one! Definitely worth all of the effort!
So happy to hear how much you loved this pie!
Made as written and pie was delicious but my husband said it was “too fluffy”. He’s used to my old recipe that doesn’t cook the eggs and ends up much denser and has a deeper chocolate flavor. My son and his family declared it delicious, too.
Excellent pie even the non chocolate lovers raved! I splurged on the chocolate and used the valrona 66% chocolate $9 for 7ou. I also thought I had 4 eggs turns out I only had 3 so I rolled with what I had. I was taking the pie to a friend’s house so I decided to stabilize the whip cream because I wasn’t sure how long it was gonna be before we ate dessert. Came across this really great website that totally explained everything you needed to know about whip cream -veenaazmanov.com .Thanks Tessa for a fabulous recipe to start 2022!!
So happy you loved this recipe, Brenda, and that it was such a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, we appreciate it! 🙂
Nothing short of amazing! Made this for Christmas dinner and it exceeded my expectations. Having never made anything like this before, it seemed a bit intimidating at first — and yes, there are a lot of steps. And yes, you will use a lot of bowls. And appliances. But the recipe is so we’ll written…and it all came together to create a stunning pie. Thank you for a recipe that I’ll turn to again and again when I want to impress everyone at the table!
Wonderful! So glad you loved this recipe, Marsha, and that it was easy to follow!