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.
If I make this two days before, should i loosely wrap it in the fridge. I will add whipped cream the day of serving.
Hi Tracy! Yes, we would recommend wrapping the pie in plastic wrap or storing in an airtight container, to avoid the pie filling from drying out – then simply remove to finish with the whipped cream before serving 🙂 Happy baking!
this is the very best chocolate pie-period! my guests rave about this.
So glad to hear that, Rick!!
I just made this and oh my is this decadent. The filling is so fluffy and flavorful. This was so easy to make & I followed the directions exactly. This recipe makes a lot of filling and I used every bit and piled high. I used a 9” deep pie dish. So pretty and makes a wonderful presentation.
Yay! So happy to hear that you enjoyed this so much, Janie!
How do you think powdered egg substitute would work in this? I really want to make it for Thanksgiving and have 2 grandsons with egg allergy and love of chocolate.
Thanks
Lynn
Hi Lynn! We haven’t tried that, and we don’t test our recipes with egg-free substitutes, so I can’t say for sure, sorry! Eggs are so important for the structure of this pie, so I fear it would not work – but feel free to experiment and give it a try! Let us know if you do!
So I made this for our Thanksgiving using powdered egg substitute. It was fantastic! I wasn’t expecting much but did exactly the recipe just with that substitution. It was a pleasant surprise being light and quite delicious! I have to try it some time using egg so I have something to compare it to!
Lynn
So glad to hear that worked so well for you, Lynn!
I would Love to make this a day before we have to drive to my in-laws. It’s a couple hour drive. Do you recommend freezing and storing in a cooler for our drive down? I would make at their house but they are in a small apartment with minimal baking tools.
Hi Kyle! The filling in this pie sets up nice and sturdy, so I would recommend just keeping it in a cooler with some ice packs for your drive, and then making the whipped cream topping once you arrive, to avoid that seeping and/or making a mess on the way. You won’t need to bring too many tools to whip up the topping last-minute (or maybe they even have an electric mixer you can borrow). You can also try freezing the pie, if you prefer, but as we haven’t tried that out ourselves, I can’t easily recommend that option! Let us know what you think once you have given this pie a try 🙂
This sounds ANAZING!! Just wondering if it can be made with milk chocolate? Not really a fan of dark or semi sweet!
Thank you!
Hi Elise! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work – the pie just might seem a little sweeter overall. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! 🙂
I cannot wait to try this! Could I possibly skip using the stove and use the microwave instead? And just melt until it coats the back of the spoon? (Baking with little ones and we try to avoid the stove.) Thanks!
Hi Jessica! We haven’t tried that, but it should work – especially if you have an instant-read thermometer to help verify when the mixture is thick enough. If you don’t heat it quite long enough, the mixture may not set, so be cautious of that! Be sure to read all of Tessa’s brilliant tips and tricks in the pink tip box, above the recipe, before you begin. Let us know what you think once you have given this pie a try! Happy baking 🙂
If I don’t have semisweet baking squares – can you recommend using cocoa powder w/ butter instead?
Hi Shea! No, that won’t work, unfortunately. This recipe needs melted chocolate for the deliciously chocolate flavor. You should be able to find these in the baking aisle of the supermarket, near the chocolate chips. Let us know what you think once you have given this pie a try!
I actually did use without baking chocolate! I used cocoa and butter and just replaced in the recipient for the squares. It was amazing and my 98 year old grandpa approved! 🙂
Glad to hear it still worked out for you, Shea!!
Wow. This was spectacular. It was the best chocolate silk pie I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing. I highly recommend making this.
This pie was amazing! I was a little intimidated by all the steps, but it really wasn’t bad. Just takes a little patience. Worth it for this delicious pie though!!
Can you freeze this pie?
Hi Mavis! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I recommend freezing it inside an airtight container, or wrapped well in several layers of plastic wrap, to prevent freezer burn, and then thawing overnight in the fridge before serving. I also recommend topping with whipped cream shortly before serving, for best presentation and flavor. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I made this filling and topping in a regular pie crust and oh my goodness, it was delicious! I did use semi-sweet chocolate because that’s what my family prefers, but I have no doubt that it would have been amazing with the bittersweet and on the oreo crust. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!!