Chocolate Cream Pudding Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
With a super easy graham cracker crust, this is the perfect chocolate cream pudding pie! Simple, decadent, delicious!
Whenever you decide simple and delicious chocolate cream pudding pie needs to be in your life (like, yesterday, hello), this is the one.
This pie is perfect for anyone who might not want to mess with a homemade pie crust (interjecting here to say the chocolate filling would be delicious in a prebaked traditional pie shell in case that is your thing).
And it’s easy enough for bakers of all levels! This pudding pie is rich and creamy and deliciously chocolatey.
If you are concerned about the itty bitty amount of cream cheese in the pudding layer, it doesn’t lend a cheesecake vibe to the pie – it just helps sturdy the pie up a bit and intensifies the creaminess which contributes to the ridiculous yumminess.
FAQs for Chocolate Cream Pudding Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
You want the plastic wrap to lay directly on the surface of the pudding so it doesn’t form a skin on top.
It can be made 1-2 days in advance (the crust will soften the longer it’s refrigerated). I like to add the whipped cream right before serving so it doesn’t get weepy/liquidy
Chocolate Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 13 rectangle graham crackers
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, melted (add a pinch of salt to the mixture if using unsalted butter)
Pudding Layer:
- 3 tablespoons (21 g) cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (159 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (50 g) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk (see note)
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces (85 g) cream cheese, softened
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (29 g) powdered sugar
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (29 g) powdered sugar
Optional Garnishes:
- Chocolate curls, sprinkled toffee bits, dusting of cocoa powder, etc.
Instructions
- For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter until evenly mixed. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Cover with saran wrap until ready to use (this can be made several days in advance if kept well-covered).
- For the pudding layer, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to whisk as the mixture comes to a boil and large bubbles break across the surface and the mixture has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled and set up (2-3 hours).
- In a blender or an electric stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), whip the 3 ounces cream cheese, 2/3 cup cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until thick and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold this mixture into the chilled chocolate pudding until combined.
- Evenly spread the pudding mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days (the crust will get slightly soft if it’s made in advance but it is still delicious) or go ahead and top with the whipped cream mixture and refrigerate for an hour (up to 4 hours) before serving.
- For the whipped cream layer, whip the 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Gently spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and garnish with chocolate curls, sprinkled toffee bits, a dusting of cocoa powder – or whatever your heart desires. Serve chilled.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (pudding adapted from one of my favorite chocolate pudding recipes)
141 Comments on “Chocolate Cream Pudding Pie with Graham Cracker Crust”
Can you freeze this pie?
I haven’t tried freezing this, but I’d worry a bit about the pudding layer and how it would thaw.
Awesome recipe
My boys wife loved it so much they asked can you make more please
Winnipeg canada
Glenn
This pie is so delicious! The recipe is super easy to follow and it came out great! It was a success! Everybody loved it !!
My first time ever making a pie like this and I definitely felt like a rock star. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect! I love that it’s not an overly sweet dessert but still feels rich and indulgent. Thanks for a great recipe and clear instructions!
Pudding never set, crust was disgusting. Worst recipe of the season that we’ve tried
Made this recipe on thxgiving came out amazing .
Made it again today and when I folded the cream cheese mixture into pudding I had white lumps in the mixture that wouldn’t mix in
Also the ingredients for the topping is not accurate as both times I had to use much more confectioners sugar with the heavy cream to get it thick
Pretty rich, but delicious! I just had to comment on the white chunks other commenters complained about. I think it’s from not softening the cream cheese enough. I sifted my powdered sugar, but got lazy with the cream cheese and it wasn’t exactly softened. My cream mixture was chunky. I had extra ingredients on hand, so I thought I’d retry. With well-softened cream cheese, there were no chunks!
It made a lot of crust. I only used about half. But the filling is amazing!
Hi! Cant wait to try this recipe:) How far in advance can you make this pie?
The crust softens a bit if it’s refrigerated longer than 12-18 hours, but it’s still yummy.
Could I double the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan, instead of making 2 pies.
The recipe sounds like a winner…Thanks!!!
I haven’t tried that, but it sounds like a good idea!
Does the cream cheese flavor come through at all in this recipe? I don’t like cream cheese frostings, flavorings, etc. so I just want to make sure.
I’d say you get a very slight flavor of cream cheese, but it isn’t overpowering. It’s mostly there to help with texture (so the pie filling is thick and creamy),
Can you use baker’s choclate instead of chocoalte chips?
Yes
If my husband wants more of a milk chocolate pie do you think I could use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet or should I cut back on the cocoa or semi sweet chips?? Thanks!!
Yes, you can use milk chocolate in place of the semisweet.
I made it exactly like you said (unusual for me, lol) It came out perfect. I was out of semi sweet chocolate chips and used white chips instead, but it worked fine.
I thought this was good but a little heavy -thick/dense. Maybe I should add more cream cheese or?? I am aging myself but always loved the French silk pies at Bakers Square when I was little. It was lighter (i am sure not calorie-wise!!)
I think cream cheese will make it thicker – you can try more milk in the pudding mixture if it’s too dense.
This is one of our family favorites and I always get asked for the recipe. This Christmas we experimented and made this into a Chocolate Peppermint Pie and it was amazing. All I changed was adding peppermint extract instead of vanilla and using an Oreo crust. If you use an Oreo crust, I’d lower the brown sugar to 2T as the Oreo crust makes it pretty sweet otherwise. Then we topped it with a crushed candy cane. (Add it right before serving otherwise the red will bleed on the whipping cream.) It was perfection and sooo delicious!!
One question, my pudding doesn’t seem to firm up so a piece maintains its cut shape. I’ve let it setup for a day and still can’t get it to firm up completely. I’ve made this pie at least 10 times now. Obviously, it’s still delicious and we don’t mind , but any tips?
Thanks for the details on the peppermint version – yum!! What type of milk are you using? Skim, 1%, 2%? Higher fat milk will help, but you could also cut the milk down to 2 1/2 cups and see if that helps.
I typically use whole milk. Next time I’ll try cutting back and see if that helps. Thank you!
Well, followed the recipe exactly and my pie did not set up at all, it was a runny mess. Still tasted great though!
I’m an avid fan! Thank you for sharing your time, talents and resources with all of us. You have made such a difference in so many lives!
Wondering if you have a preference over the chocolate pretzel pie or chocolate cream pudding pie? Thanks Mel!
Thank you! I love both pies, but I probably slightly prefer this one.
Wow, made this for Thanksgiving and my daughter and wife each asked if I’d make it for their birthdays. My sister-in-law, a former high-end baker, also asked for the recipe. I subbed in GF graham crackers, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Well done!
Thank you so much, Tom! Very happy this was a hit!
This pie is delicious! A new Thanksgiving tradition!
After putting the pudding in a bowl to cool, do you place the plastic wrap right on top of the pudding where it’s touching the pudding or just on top of the bowl?
You want the plastic wrap to lay directly on the surface of the pudding so it doesn’t form a skin on top.
yes! i thought it was weird then 3 hours later it peeled right off. cant wait for this one tomorrow!
Hi, I have no cream of tarter, can I use flour to replace it? And the last change I saw for the cocoa powder was .75, is that still correct? Can’t wait to try making this pie, and looking forward to it not being with a box of pudding mix:)) Happy Thanksgiving
There isn’t any cream of tartar in this recipe – did you mean cornstarch?
Oops, sorry, yes I meant cornstarch! Thanks! Is it okay to substitute flour instead?
I haven’t tried that, Elena, but it might work! Sorry I haven’t tried it to know for sure.
My pudding didn’t set up quite enough to cut a slice. More like a “scoop” of pie. Still delicious but how can I improve for next time?
I used whole milk and full fat everything. Thanks!
Hi Andrea, try increasing the cornstarch by another tablespoon – that should help! Also, make sure the cream cheese/whipping cream mixture is fairly thick before folding into the chocolate pudding.
So sorry…I read a little more and think my question really is…if I am putting this together in advance could I just mix the pie filling together and keep it for a few days and then put it into the pie crust on the day of the event and then top with the whip cream?
Yes, you can absolutely do that!
How far ahead could I make this pie and how would I store it? Just in the fridge?
Same question???
Sorry for the delay! It can be made 1-2 days in advance (the crust will soften the longer it’s refrigerated). I like to add the whipped cream right before serving so it doesn’t get weepy/liquidy
I just ran across this recipe and it sounds delicious! I’m wondering, can it be frozen? We are going to the beach soon, taking all our own food, and I think it would be easier to take if frozen.
I haven’t tried freezing this so I’m not entirely sure, Joyce, I’m sorry! Worth a try though!
I have made it several times and my family and I love it! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wow. This pie is absolutely amazing. I followed the recipe exactly and I was blown away at how incredible it was. I spread the process over 2 days, making the crust and pudding on day 1 and making the cream cheese mixture and whipped cream on day 2. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe, definitely a keeper
Is this supposed to be pudding like when done?
The pudding will set up as it cools.
I made this pie today but have to admit I tweaked it just a little bit ( I do that a lot)
I just added a little cocoa powder to the graham cracker crust. I also had to substitute flour in place of the cornstarch, I was out… go figure lol. I also added just a bit more heavy whipping cream, 8 oz. Cream cheese instead of 3, and a bit more powder sugar to even it out… I topped it with chopped semi sweet chocolate chips. I cheated and licked the beaters but haven’t tried the pie yet, it’s still chilling… It tasted great so far, as well as looks delicious .. I as well as the family are waiting patiently to dig in..