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? Absolutely!
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Growing up, it wasn’t a holiday without a French Silk Pie with those chocolate curls on top.
Whether it was Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, we always had to have something chocolate. 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.
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.
I hope it becomes a family favorite and maybe even a holiday tradition in your home as well!
How to Make French Silk Pie
The 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 SOOO worth it. I’d 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).
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, the pie pan material doesn’t matter as much as it would for a baked pie – but if you choose instead to make a pastry pie crust, 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 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 Chocolate Pie Recipes:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- No Bake Frozen Chocolate Raspberry Pie
French Silk Pie
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 teaspoon 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. Cool to just warm, 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 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.
This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
December 2020 Baking Challenge
This recipe was the December 2020 pick for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s pies:
I have to make this every year but I use a springform pan and it decorate with chocolate shavings and whip cream. Smae result but a little more elegant.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a huge hit! Thank you for the great recipe. Have you ever added a raspberry sauce or layer to it? Was wondering if i could add a layer in between the crust and choc filling… or could make a raspberry sauce and pour over i suppose.
Hi Kate! We haven’t tried that, but my guess would be that it would work just fine! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
I made this for my sons birthday, French silk is the favorite with the men in my family! It was amazing! I am a cook and not really a baker but I do like making cheesecakes. This recipe was tedious but worth every minute! My boys said best pie ever! I did try one thing. Instead of the whipped cream topping I made a chocolate ganache and then added whipped cream dollups to the pie! Huge success! I am making this again fo Christmas Eve!
Rave reviews by family the first time I made this pie. It turned out perfectly!! So silky smooth and delicious. Definitely use the Oreo crust,
Amazing
Full disclosure. I’m a foodie.
There so many great recipes out there, that I rarely make the same recipe twice. This gem of a chocolate lover’s dream is a definite exception. I’ve already it 3 time in the last year. The only tweak I make to this recipe is I doubling the whipped topping.
My question, I’m planning making this in a 13 x 9″ pan and serving it in squares for a potluck at work. Do you think the recipe doubled will set up okay overnight? I know there is a difference in square inch conversation between a 9″ pie pan and a 13×9″ cake pan (10.18″), so the chocolate layer would be a tad taller. I’m fine with that unless it prevents the center firming up. Considering the high protein and fat content, it’s probably fine, but I was curious if you’ve tried this and if so, how it worked for you.
Hi Judy! So happy to hear that you enjoy this pie so much! We haven’t tried making this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work and set up as it normally does. As a note, though, doubling will make your stand mixer bowl almost full to the top, so just be sure that everything is mixed well and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl frequently to ensure this. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Also made for thanksgiving 2023. This was amazing, I was worried that I didn’t have the correct pie pan, just a regular 9 inch and it was still perfect! Made the cookie crust, didn’t add extra sugar to the whipping cream that’s folded in, I think it’s plenty sweet, and did 1/2 the powder sugar in the topping.
Big hit, only problem was that I couldn’t stop eating it
This pie can seem intimidating to make but I’ve made it twice now (once last year and again this year) and twice it has come out perfect! It’s very delicious!
Can you use dark chocolate in place of the bittersweet?
Hi Charity! Tessa talks about this in the pink tip box (above the recipe). Check out the answer to your question, along with countless other great baking tips for this recipe, there! Let us know what you think of this pie once you give it a try! 🙂
I just made this pie for Thanksgiving, 2023 & everyone loved it!! Nice to have along side the fruit pies. One great nephew (age 5) loved it so much he asked his Mom to make it for his upcoming birthday (next week) instead of cake!! Will definitely be making again!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!
Made this for dinner this weekend and when I brought it to the table everyone’s mouths dropped and then there was gasps and squeals.
No one had ever heard of French silk pie before the dinner but it is now a family favourite and was requested to be made again before everyone was done eating it
I have never reviewed a recipe in my life, but I had to review this one because it is the best pie we have ever made! Great recipe and instructions, the pie turned out just like the picture.