Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
Chocolate mousse cheesecake pie is a glorious combination of chocolate crust, creamy cheesecake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache. It is perfect for holidays, like Thanksgiving, and equally as delicious served any time of the year for everything from summer BBQs to birthday desserts!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OH MY GOSH!! This was sooo good! My friend holds an annual pie party and I made this and won Best Pie. It is THAT good!! -Andrea
How to Make Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
There are four layers to this chocolate mousse cheesecake pie: buttery Oreo crust, creamy cheesecake, easy chocolate mousse, decadent chocolate ganache.
- Combine the crushed Oreos and butter and press into a deep dish 9-inch pie plate or a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
- Mix the simple cheesecake batter together and pour over the crust. Bake until the cheesecake is mostly set (it’s ok if the center is still a tiny big jiggly).
- Let the pie cool completely.
- Make the chocolate mousse by tempering egg yolks, then cooking until thick, adding chocolate chips, and then folding in whipped cream.
- Spread the mousse over the cooled cheesecake layer. Refrigerate while making the ganache.
- Make the ganache by pouring hot cream over chocolate chips and then stirring until smooth and glossy.
- Spread the chocolate ganache over the mousse layer.
- Refrigerate the pie for two hours or up to 24 hours.
FYI: A regular 9-inch pie plate isn’t deep enough for all the layers of this pie, so make sure to use a deep pie plate, a springform pan, or a 9-inch dish with at least 2.5-inch sides.
Key Ingredients Notes
- Oreo Cookies: These are crushed and mixed with butter to form the crust. Any chocolate sandwich-type cookie will work. You can also use chocolate crackers (like chocolate graham crackers, chocolate Teddy Grahams or chocolate Nabisco wafers) – if using a cookie without a creamy filling, like Oreos, increase the butter to 7 to 8 tablespoons.
- Butter: This ingredient is used in the crust and in the ganache. I use salted butter.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese for best results in the cheesecake.
- Granulated Sugar: This type of sugar is used in the cheesecake batter.
- Egg: The cheesecake filling calls for one egg and one egg yolk.
- Egg Yolks: Egg yolks are used in the mousse. They are tempered with hot cream and then cooked until thick (like a homemade pudding).
- Sour Cream: This a key ingredient for the cheesecake layer. It adds tanginess and creaminess to the batter. Full-fat sour cream works best.
- Heavy Cream: This ingredient is used in both the mousse layer and the ganache.
- Chocolate Chips: The recipe works best with semisweet chocolate chips. Bittersweet chocolate chips can be used for a darker, richer chocolate flavor (that is also less sweet). I don’t recommend using milk chocolate chips.
➡️ Powdered sugar is listed as an optional ingredient in the mousse and ganache if you want either of those layers sweeter.
A Few Additional Tips
I’ve been making this chocolate mousse cheesecake pie for over ten years. It is an oft-requested birthday dessert in our household and almost always makes an appearance at Thanksgiving in The Great Pie Lineup, among other holidays.
- The pie can be fully assembled and refrigerated for 24 to 48 hours. The crust will soften a bit the longer it is made ahead, but the other layers hold up very well.
- Some readers have reported that the pie freezes very well. Thaw for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator before serving.
- You can swap out the chocolate crust for an every day graham cracker crust if that is your preference.
If you’re looking for a decadent, showstopper of a pie that checks all the boxes for cheesecake lovers and chocolate lovers, this chocolate mousse cheesecake pie is the one to make!
Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 24 (310 g) Oreos or other chocolate-sandwich cookie, crushed to fine crumbs
- 5 tablespoons (71 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 8 ounces (227 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
Mousse:
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup (29 g) powdered sugar (optional – see note)
Ganache:
- ½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter (see note!)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- For the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together the crushed Oreo cookies and melted butter until evenly combined.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a deep dish 9-inch pie plate or 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- For the filling, with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Add the sour cream and mix until combined.
- Spread the cheesecake filling over the crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is mostly set (it's ok if the very center of the pie jiggles a bit, but most of the filling should be set).
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the mousse, place the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk until lightly combined.
- Heat 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan until just simmering.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly pour a 3 to 4 of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Whisk until well-combined.
- Pour the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining hot cream, whisking the whole time.
- Return the saucepan to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. If you used bittersweet chocolate and/or would like a bit more sweetness, whisk in up to 1/4 cup powdered sugar, to taste.
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally to avoid a skin forming across the top.
- Beat the remaining 1/2 cup cream to stiff peaks and fold the whipped cream into the completely cooled chocolate mixture. Spread the mousse over the top of the cooled cheesecake pie and refrigerate.
- For the ganache, place the 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a small bowl.
- Combine the butter and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter is melted and the mixture is at a simmer.
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until glossy and smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla and powdered sugar, if using (add if you want the ganache a bit sweeter).
- Spread the ganache over the mousse layer and refrigerate the pie for at least an hour or up to 24 hours before serving. Serve chilled.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: crust, filling and ganache from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, mousse adapted from Betty Crocker
Recipe originally posted November 2012; updated May 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.




this pie looks incredible! i have the same concern as Kim above, and only have shallow pie dishes. can you please tell me what the height of the dish you used was? i would really appreciate it, thanks 🙂
Hi Valerie – I’m out of town and can’t measure my pie plate but it is like this one if that helps:
http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Bakeware-2-Inch-Scalloped-Plate/dp/B0000CF3U9
My friend made this for me after I had a baby in February and it was so amazing that I think I ate all but three slices of it myself within two days! I had it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. It probably set me back a whole month on my quest to lose the baby weight! Haha! Totally worth it! I’ve been wanting to make it ever since, but I haven’t done it because I know I’d eat the whole thing again. Luckily, Thanksgiving is tomorrow so I’ll be forced to share! Haha. Seriously. This is amazing. Like my favorite dessert ever.
A friend gave me a recipe from your site a few weeks ago and I’m officially hooked. I’ve never followed a blog before yours, but the recipes and your comments are so fun to look at and try! I made this a week ago and it was SO good! Tonight I made it again but adapted it to be a peppermint cheesecake. I used candy came Oreos in the crust, added Andes peppermint baking chips to the cheesecake layer, added slightly under 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the mousse and used white chocolate instead of dark. I did the ganach as normal, but topped it off with a few more Andes and it was fantastic!! I will be doing it again for thanksgiving and probably Christmas too. Thanks again for the great blog!
Hi Audrey – so glad you found your way here. I’m LOVING your peppermint version of this dessert. Thanks for sharing!
I made this cheesecake for a family birthday dinner for my daughter last night. It was sinful and oh, so over the top! My family was totally amazed and my daughter tentatively asked if I had really brought this cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. Shamefully, I basked in the glory of the moment. My “five minutes of fame” came through a homemade cheesecake as they begged me to make it again soon. 🙂 I credit you, Mel, for these precious, memorable moments of special family time together.
For the crust do you use the whole oreo, or do you scrape off the frosting and just use the cookie part? Can’t wait to make it and eat it!
Hi Katie – I use the whole oreo.
I hosted my grandson’s birthday party this last Saturday & served this delicious dessert along with the birthday cake. It was delicious! Almost everyone (except my grandson who doesn’t eat chocolate) raved how wonderful this dessert is. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
I went ahead and made this whole pie, and since we were travelling 2 hours with it, I just stuck the whole finished product in the freezer. Because it was frozen, I didn’t put it on ice or anything on our trip, and when we got to our destination it was ready to eat, and still chilled. I didn’t have the mousse layer get grainy. The only thing was there was a tiny bit of condensation on the ganache, but I will deal with that any day!
Ah, never mind, I googled how to make an oreo crust and it gave me the answer. All parts of the cookie in use!
This may be a dumb question but do you just use the cookie parts of the oreo cookies or do you use the filling in the crust too? I have some gluten free versions and am not sure whether to just use the cookie part or use everything.
This is to die for. I made it for guests last night and one of them ate 3 slices! Thanks!
P.S. I made it in a store-bought Oreo crust and it worked just fine (twice).
This looks great!! Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it??
Hallie – I think someone else asked the same thing above in the comments. I’ve never frozen it but if I did, I’d freeze it before adding the ganache. Then add the ganachea after the frozen cheesecake has defrosted.
My daughter and I made this together for my birthday today. It was very well received by all, especially this chocoholic birthday girl. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Will definitely make again!
Thanks again Mel! You have once again won over the heart of my teenager. I can not even begin to express how grateful I am for all of your hard work.
This pie was fabulous! It was devoured within ten minutes of me putting it out on Thanksgiving! My husband didn’t even get to try any, and I made it mainly for him since he’s not a regular pie crust lover. So I guess I’ll just have to make it again… yum!
This has been on my mind since you posted it, so I took the day off work today and am making this for dinner tonight. (Don’t worry, I had other reasons to take off work, but this would probably be a good reason even if it was the only one.). 🙂
Thank you for all the delicious recipes you share!
Karen
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Even though I bake quite a bit, I admit that I don’t own a pie pan, nor have a food processor and loose patience trying to make crusts- so I cheated and just bought a pre-made crust. The only problem I encountered was the pie was almost too full – I had to keep wiping ganache that was spilling off the sides.
But overall, this recipe is wonderful and I am already drooling over thinking about the next time I am going to make this!
Hi Susannah – I add the powdered sugar if I use bittersweet chocolate. If it’s semisweet chocolate, I don’t add it (but that’s just my personal preference since I like deep, dark chocolate).
Sooooooooooooo good. I made this for Thanksgiving and two days later my sister stopped by to see if there was any left.
Hi Mel, do you add the powdered sugar to the moose? I know it says optional, but I’m just wondering what you prefer. Thanks!
I made this and everyone loved it. I did it in a spring form and it worked well as is. I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It was delicious! Thanks Mel.
I made this for Thanksgiving since I have a daughter who doesn’t like pumpkin pie. It was to die for. Husband and boys went after it instead of the pumpkin and all agreed it is a keeper. Thank you!!!
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. I do have to say it was one of the best desserts I ever tasted! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rachel – I’m glad it worked out. To be honest, I’m not sure how to modify for a shallow dish so I’m not much help. It sounds like your modifications worked great!
Okay, I have a question (surprised? no. This is me!). I made this delectable little pie for Thanksgiving and heaven help me…SO good!!! However, I could NOT find a DEEP pie dish. So, I had to use just normal ol’ glass pie dishes. I wasn’t sure how much Cheesecake to put in at first to make all the other stuff fit….long story longer…I did 2 pies and used 32 Oreos, 1 recipe of Cheesecake and 2 recipes of mousse and ganache. I was going to do just 1 recipe of mousse, but when it barely covered the cheesecake layer, I decided to do two of them. It still turned out wonderful and everyone loved it, but I want a deep pie dish so I can make it the way it is supposed to be made! Or, to know how to modify correctly for a shallow dish. I’m in love and will make this forever more!
OMG…this pie is AMAZING!!!!! thanks for sharing the recipe! Perfect timing for the holidays!!!!
Oh crap. I need that in my mouth.
I’m making your stuffing recipe for thanksgiving and just noticed that the artisan bread I bought is sourdough…will that make a difference?
ganache is just a beautiful word that oozes right out of the mouth. it doesn’t hurt that it defines a rich and luxurious waterfall of chocolate. 🙂
I decided that one of the things that I would this Thanksgiving week,is say thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers that I follow – so,thank you! 🙂
May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sandra Jensen
Sent from my iPad
Emily – hmmm, that’s a good question! I’d say probably about 2 cups??
Do you by chance know how many cups 25 crushed Oreos make? I would love to make this for Thanksgiving but we have some friends that are gluten-free and can’t eat Oreos, so I’ll need to substitute that with something else. Thanks!
You have me drooling! I must make this ASAP!
Ummmmmmmmmmm, YES!!! Need I say more. 😉 Will be making this for Thanksgiving!!! Thank you for this irresistible looking recipe.
Yum. I will be asking Ashli to make this for me soon. Or have her wait until next fall so she can buy all the ingredients from the new Costco here in Green Bay …. Wait! Have I said too much?? Oops. Miss you guys!
P.S. I am willing to increase my original offer by 50k. I await your reply.
Kim – I actually scaled down the recipe in my head because I decided I wanted to make it in a pie dish instead of a springform. So the short answer is yes, it probably would be ok in a springform but you might need to make some modifications as you go along.
Kim – I’ve been testing out pumpkin cheesecake recipes but just didn’t get one tried-and-true in time! You are right that the cheesecake, crust and ganache will freeze fine. I can’t say 100% sure on the mousse. I’ve frozen another recipe for mousse before and it turned grainy after defrosting. You could definitely freeze the baked cheesecake, though, and top with the mousse and ganache the day of serving.
Good gravy!! I need to make this! Thanks for the recipe Mel! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving in your new home!
Oh. My. Gosh. This looks INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!! I loved your chocolate pie (even though every one else thought it was too rich) so this has my name written ALL over it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OUT OF THE PARK!! So very excited to get this one made (and eaten) for Thanksgiving!! Calories and sugar and all!! WOW–quick question, do you think it would be ok in springform pan? Gonna try it!!
Ok, I know I’m repeating past posts, but my first thoughts were OH. MY. GOSH!! I pulled up my internet at work (and I’m sure like many of your faithful followers, your website is my homepage) I wanted to go instantly to my boss and claim sick, just so I could go home to make this (after stopping at w-mart for neccessary ingredients of course!) This is what I’m making for my husband’s birthday Friday. 🙂
This totally looks like something I would order at the Cheesecake Factory!
I’ve been trying to find a way out of making apple pie (my least favorite thing to bake ever!) and was leaning towards chocolate cream but I think we have a winner now!
Will be giving this one to my granddaughter (she is 17) a avid baker to make for Christmas dessert. Thanksgiving dessert is already planned. I must say Mel, this one does look sinful! Thanks!!
Oh my gosh, that sounds rather delicious. I’m British, so we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but that will definitely be made one day in my house.
If it works, do you mind me placing it on my own baking blog, with a link back to your blog?
OMG. I think I just drooled on my key board. I’m pretty sure I’d make noise eating this dessert..thank you for sharing it with us.
Debbie.
Oh my! I think this pie will be going with us to Thanksgiving Day dinner at my mom’s!
I was just on your site searching for my Thanksgiving Menu (of course you’d be my go-to source!!!) and this recipe popped up this morning…which will also be added to my cooking list. Thanks Mel!
Onto the Thanksgiving day menu this goes.
Oh my gosh, Walker has good taste! I was going to make a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving (I was hoping you would post the recipe you said you had perfected!), but I am going to make this cheesecake instead. Cheesecake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache? Yes, please! 🙂
Melanie- do you think I can make this ahead and freeze it? I know the cheesecake and the ganache will freeze well, but I’m not sure about the chocolate mousse?