Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Deep chocolate flavor without the artificial sweetness of store-bought frozen pies.
Texture: Ultra smooth, mousse-like filling with a slightly crunchy Oreo crust and cloudy whipped cream.
Ease: A few bowls and steps, but totally manageable. The 6-hour chill time makes it ideal for entertaining.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: It’ll become your most-requested holiday and special occassion dessert (don’t say I didn’t warn you!).
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Growing up, French silk pie meant the frozen grocery store version with chocolate curls on top. It was tradition!
I didn’t realize how much better a homemade version would be until I first made it myself.
I set out to create my own recipe that kept everything I loved, the silky filling, the mile-high whipped cream, but with better chocolate flavor and a cooking method so it’s safe for everyone to eat (no raw eggs!).
After many tests in the kitchen, this recipe is now perfection. I have to make at least two each Thanksgiving and Christmas or my family will revolt.
This pie is actually my all-time most popular Thanksgiving recipe. It’s been made by THOUSANDS of you! I hope it becomes a tradition in your home as well!
Reader Love
This pie is the absolute best! So creamy! My husband tells me we have to find a holiday to celebrate in every single month so we can make this. Yum! We love it!
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Reader Love
Everyone should run to the store, buy all the ingredients and make this! Unbelievable! My family asks for it every year it is that good.
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Sprinkle of Science
Ingredient Notes
Oreo Cookies: Use standard regular-stuffed Oreos with the filling intact. The filling helps bind the crust and adds structure.
Bittersweet Chocolate: For best results, use high-quality baking bars, not chocolate chips. Chips contain stabilizers that prevent smooth melting. Bittersweet provides depth and prevents the filling from tasting overly sweet. You can use the same amount of semisweet chocolate if you prefer a milder chocolate flavor.
Eggs: The eggs are gently cooked with sugar to 160°F to eliminate any food safety concerns. An instant-read thermometer ensures accuracy.
Unsalted Butter: Butter is whipped to create the signature light yet rich texture. It must be properly softened — around 67°F. Too cold and it won’t aerate; too warm and the filling becomes greasy. Feel free to use salted butter if you prefer.
Heavy Cream: Whipped cream is folded into the filling for lightness and structure. The cream must be very cold to whip properly. I recommend a cream with at least 36% milk fat for stability.
For more on selecting chocolate, see my full Chocolate in Baking guide.
How to Make French Silk Pie (Step-by-Step)
I recommend watching the video at the bottom of the recipe card to see me make this recipe first!
1. Make the Oreo Crust
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
Pulse 20 Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until evenly moistened — it should resemble wet sand. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to compact it tightly.
Bake 10 minutes until fragrant. The crust will look set and matte, not shiny. Cool completely.
2. Cook the Eggs and Sugar
In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar and eggs. I like a flat whisk here.
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 5–7 minutes.
Do not rush this step! Too high heat will scramble the eggs. Remove from heat and immediately stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
Cool to about 75°F before proceeding. This can take a while so you can speed it up by removing the mixture to a stainless steel bowl so it cools faster. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
3. Whip the Butter
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat room-temperature butter for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy. It should look lighter in color and creamy.
Gradually add the cooled chocolate mixture (if it’s too warm, it’ll melt the butter, so be careful here).
Beat on high speed for a full 5 minutes. The mixture will transform from dense to visibly lighter in color and texture. This aeration is what gives French silk pie its signature texture.
4. Fold in Whipped Cream
In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. I like to use an immersion blender with the whisk attachment + its paired measuring cup for ultra fast and easy whipping.
Gently fold into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions. The filling should look fluffy and mousse-like, not runny.
5. Chill
Spread into cooled crust. The pie will look tall — that’s correct. It’s best to use your deepest pie pan. If you have too much filling, you can always layer it with Oreo crumbs in mason jars for a chef’s sample later on 😉
Refrigerate at least 6 hours, until fully set. The center should feel firm but still creamy when sliced.
6. Top and Garnish
Whip cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks.
Spread or pipe over chilled pie. Add chocolate curls or a light dusting of cocoa powder (make sure you’re not near a draft or fan). Top no more than a few hours before serving for best appearance.
How to Make Chocolate Curls
I’ll admit, this is a tedious step, but it really makes this pie look gorgeous. Here’s a super helpful step-by-step video on how to make chocolate curls.
Storage & Make Ahead
This French silk pie must chill at least 6 hours before serving.
You can make it up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.
Add whipped cream shortly before serving for best texture.
FAQs
Can I freeze French Silk Pie?
I haven’t tested freezing this French Silk pie, but some of my 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.
Does French Silk Pie contain raw eggs?
Traditional versions do, but my recipe doesn’t. The eggs are cooked to 160°F, making it safe to serve.
What’s the difference between French silk pie and chocolate cream pie?
French silk pie is richer even though it has a lighter mousse-like texture. Chocolate cream pie is custard-based (like pudding) .
Can I use a regular pastry pie crust instead of Oreos?
Yes! Use my pie crust recipe and follow the instructions for blind baking.
Why is my filling runny?
The most common causes are:
-Eggs not cooked to 160°F
-Chocolate mixture added while too warm
-Butter not whipped long enough
-Insufficient chill time
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, but cooking and cooling will take MUCH longer. To speed up cooling the chocolate & egg mixture, spread it into two shallow pans before proceeding to the next step.
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, then stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature (around 75°F), stirring occasionally. To speed up cooling, transfer the mixture to a stainless-steel pan with a larger surface area.
- 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
This post was published in 2019 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Has anyone used cacao powder instead of melting chocolate for this recipe? I wasn’t sure it would turn out right with the texture.
Hi Briana! Cacao powder and baking chocolate aren’t proper substitutes for one another—the pie would be much drier in consistency and require additional tweaking to the other ingredients in order to get it to possibly work. I’d recommend sticking with the recipe as written for best results! If you’d like to learn more, Tessa wrote a fantastic Chocolate in Baking article that goes more in depth.
Made this last week and it was delicious! Curious how it would turn out with doubling the recipe to make two pies at once?
Hi! I’m doing that right now 🙂 It’s a straightforward doubling, everything just takes longer (to melt, cool, whip, etc.). But otherwise very doable!
The filling is still quite runny and doesn’t seem to be setting up. Is there something I can do? The taste is fantastic! I did try and double the recipe.
Help!
Hi! The filling should be like the consistency of a slightly loose mousse. Did you have a chance to watch the short video at the bottom of the recipe card to compare? If it’s very runny, the chocolate mixture might not have been cooled enough. You can always serve it frozen to set it up more firmly as a last resort!
The recipe calls for 8oz of bittersweet chocolate. Is that 8oz melted or 8oz before melting?
Thanks
You’ll start with 8 oz of chocolate, but melting won’t change the weight! Chocolate doesn’t evaporate when it melts, but it’s a lot easier to measure it out before melting.
This is the best pie ever! So sweet, rich, and indulgent! I am fifteen and I made this last year for a pie auction and won Grand Prize for the best pie! I make this as often as I can and everybody who tries it raves. (Making it for Thanksgiving tomorrow!!)
Is there a way I could make this as mini French Silk Pies in muffin tins?
Thank you so much!
I love you, HTH!
Hi Emily,
Wondered if this is a pie I can add to my make ahead list? I have a big thanksgiving at my house in two days and I try to prep as much as I can ahead of time.
Do you think this would still be good if I make it now?
Thank you looking forward to this recipe
Absolutely! You can make this pie up to 2 days ahead of time — just wait until shortly before serving to top it with the whipped cream 🙂 Let us know what everyone thinks of the pie!
Has anyone tried to freeze the filling separate from the pie crust ahead of time?
Hi Araceli! Freezing the filling will slightly alter its texture, but other readers have mentioned they still love it! Please see the freezing instructions above the recipe here.
This was a total hit for Thanksgiving last year! Thinking about trying a dairy-free version (using coconut milk or coconut cream) for a couple of lactose intolerant folks – has anyone else tried this?
I make this dairy free just by swapping out the regular heavy cream with a dairy free heavy cream! (Silk makes a great one.) The chocolate can be changed for a darker version that is vegan.
My husband is obsessed with French silk pies. When he found out Sam’s was discontinuing there’s he was devastated. This recipe answered the call. It is incredible. It’s a tiny bit messy and does take a little bit of patience, but well worth it. Definitely get everything you need out before you start, that made the process seamless. 100% will make this again!!
It was excellent! I look forward to making it again!
(It took far longer than 30 minutes of prep, though. More like an hour to an hour and a half to make just the filling. I already had pie crust ready to go. Plan for 2 hours at least if youre making crust and topping.)
100% agree. My first time making this, so I expected it to take a little longer anyway, but I’m an hour and a half into the process and still waiting for the chocolate mixture to cool to 75 degrees so I can mix into the fluffed butter. It also took a good while for the eggs and sugar mixture to get to 160 degrees on low to medium (I bumped to straight medium toward the end because it was starting to stall at 138 degrees). Those two parts alone probably take 45 minutes. And to note: I had my supplies out already and prepared the next step or so while waiting for the other to finish. I wasn’t just doing one at a time. Obviously, I’m not done but I’ll try to remember to come back to comment tomorrow after it chills!
So delicious!
I’m hoping to make some smaller versions for my friends! Do you have a recommended temp and time if I wanted to bake 2 smaller pies at once? 6.5 inches x 1.5 inches, ceramic 🙂
Hi Paige, how fun! Since your two 6.5-inch pans together actually have more surface area than the 9-inch pan in the recipe, each crust will be thinner. Bake them at the same temp (350°F), but I’d start checking around 6 minutes and bake until the crusts are fragrant and the centers are set. Let us know how they turn out!