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.
Amazing recipe! I followed it to a T and it came out perfectly!
I have returned from my holiday party and would like to report that this recipe is foolproof. As in, I was the fool, and it did not fail me.
1) My first time constantly whisking eggs and sugar over heat. My arm felt like it was going to fall off. My pan was too short for my cheap thermometer to clip onto, so I had to hold it the whole time. Still managed to get 160F without making scrambled eggs.
2) I ran out of granulated sugar and had to use half powdered sugar for the chocolate filling. Did not affect taste or texture.
3) Also did not have vanilla (where was my head? I don’t know. I’ve been baking cookies, brownies, and cakes for half my life). Filling still tasted delicious.
4) Had to use gluten-free Oreos, just added a bit more butter to hold them together. Also did not bake the crust, but decided to chill. Crust was still fab and held together perfectly.
5) Ran out of bowls (and patience) when it came to whipping the heavy cream and powdered sugar (and obviously vanilla that we established I did not have), so I just dumped it into the whipped chocolate mixture and beat it on high for probably 3x as long. Filling was still perfectly light and set after sitting in the fridge.
6) Wanted to make mini pies instead, used muffin cups that I coated lightly with baking spray (oil+flour kind). With a tiny bit of wiggling with a knife, they popped right out and still held their shape.
7) Used store-bought whipped cream instead of whipping my own, half because I was just done and half because I expected them to not set correctly (spoiler: they did) due to my shortcuts and missing ingredients. Still tasted fab.
This recipe is amazing and delicious and 100% my new go-to pie recipe. Thank you!!
Wow, Alex! You had quite the adventure making this recipe!! So glad it still tasted delicious and worked out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
This is so scrumptious – perfectly smooth, creamy, and rich but not overly so.
Absolutely decadent! Loved it – and the leftovers were great 2 days out, knowing that I’ll definitely make it ahead of time!
My daughter and I made this for Thanksgiving. WOW!! Best pie I have ever had. Thank you for this recipe!!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that, Linda!!
Soooo delicious!!! Better after two days in frig even! YUM!
Everyone loved this at Thanksgiving, and I was thrilled! My chocolate didn’t curl like Katie’s in the video, but it did well enough – a neat little trick. Plus, a little dusting with cocoa and no one notices.
Absolutely no complaints on this recipe, but I do wonder what folks would think of a little cinnamon. Perhaps in the crust or filling, or just dusted on top. I find the added flavor intriguing, but the French may be a little particular.
OMG! Made this for our Thanksgiving and it’s a new favorite
Yay! So glad to hear this was a hit, Dayna!
creamy. rich. just the right amount of bitterness in the chocolate. everyone loved it!
Simply the best French Silk Pie recipe out there. This will be my new go-to pie recipe. I made this and a couple other pies for a thanksgiving get-together and this was by far the crowd favorite! 10/10.
I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it. I have a question though – it took me almost 2 hours to make because it took 1.5 hours for the egg/sugar/chocolate mixture to cool enough to the point that I could add it to the butter. Next time, could I put it in the fridge for a little bit to speed up the cooling process? I didn’t want to try because I didn’t want to screw anything up. I definitely want to make it again so I hope that’s an option. Thanks!
Hi Ann! You could probably pop the bowl in the fridge to assist with quicker cooling, but we haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure. I definitely recommend removing the mixture from the saucepan you heated the sugar/eggs in, and placing it in a metal bowl (glass will retain the heat) and stir occasionally until cooled. I hope that helps 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was delicious !! It was a little bit of work but I would do it again and again! So worth it. Thank you!