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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
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:
how far in advance can I make this?
I find it is best the day it is made but holds up a couple more.
The pie can be stored in the fridge up to 2 days ahead of time!
Hey just made this pie for thanksgiving and was wondering a couple things.. will it last in the fridge until then? Or should I freeze it? & another thing is.. I didn’t have a cooking thermometer for the eggs but they looked cooked and were warm. & the texture for my pie looks perfect! Do you think it’s still safe right?
Hi Kayla! The pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days ahead of time. The most accurate way to tell if the eggs are cooked is by using a thermometer so I can’t say 100% for sure, but if your pie looks good, it should most likely be safe!
Can I do half bittersweet and half milk or dark chocolate for the filling?
If you’d prefer something more mild, feel free to swap in semisweet chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate! I haven’t tested this recipe with milk or dark chocolate.
This is seriously the best pie I’ve ever made!! While it was a little complex and I needed an extra set of hands to help me keep up with the timing of putting things together, it was 100% worth it!! Made it last year and will make it again this year for Thanksgiving.
Hooray! So glad this recipe has become a Thanksgiving classic for you!
Can this pie be frozen?
Made a pre-Thanksgiving test pie….ya know, just to be sure… NOT so I’d have an excuse to have pie…nooooo, I’d never do that 😉 Turned our just perfect. I opted for a traditional crust because we didnt have any oreos on hand…still sinfully chocolatey. Welcome to Thanksgiving dessert status!
Woohoo! So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this French silk chocolate pie. It was absolutely wonderful! Everyone loved it. The filling was perfect, the crust was perfect, the topping was wonderful as well. My curls weren’t the best but hey they did the job! I even sprinkled a little cocoa powder on top for extra decoration. Five stars no doubt!
Thank you for this terrific recipe! I made it for our son’s birthday and he loved it.
Do you have a printable version of the recipe?
This is the best silk pie I have ever made! I make it often and get asked for the recipe. I call this the “Oh My” pie. Thank you for this recipe!
This pie was excellent. I hosted dinner so I made the pie the night before. That way, it was chilled properly to serve the next day. I added fresh berries on the side and everyone could not believe it wasnt from a restaurant or bakery. The chocolate was smooth and rich, but not heavy. Truly on another level of dessert making and worth every effort you put into it.
Hi there!
I would like to make this tomorrow, but with a flaky pie crust (at the request of my hubby). Would I change anything for the chocolate and sugar, since the crustvwont be as decadent as the oreo one you use?
Can’t wait to make it!!!
I wouldn’t change the filling at all even with regular pie crust. It will be delicious!