Homemade Old Fashioned Stovetop Chocolate Pie Recipe
Homemade old-fashioned chocolate pie is a creamy, chocolatey, and wonderfully traditional chocolate pudding dessert recipe topped with a light and fluffy meringue. Cream pies are a favorite dessert at potlucks and family gatherings, plus, this one is easy to make and has a rich chocolate flavor.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- Sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Flour
- Cream of tartar (for the meringue)
Wet Ingredients
- Butter
- Egg yolks
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Egg whites (for the meringue)
Crust
- 9-inch pie crust (frozen, refrigerated, or store-bought)
Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
A Classic Dessert
This chocolate pie recipe has always been a classic dessert all over the country. It’s perfect for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays or for any occasion. As kids, we would travel to Tennessee each summer to stay with my grandparents, and my grandmother would always have a chocolate pie ready for us when we arrived. Of course, we were only allowed to have a slice after we’d eaten our dinner.
But I can remember sneaking into the kitchen and shaving off little tiny slices to eat, hoping no one would notice. I’m sure that by the time dinner arrived, I’d shaven off about half of the pie because it was just so good and I couldn’t resist. Chocolate pie is not only a classic and traditional pie, but one of my favorite things because it sure brings back a lot of memories.
How To Make Chocolate Pie – Step-By-Step Instructions
Pick your pie crust (choose 1):
- Fastest: Store-bought 9-inch pie crust (poke holes and bake before adding filling)
- Classic: Homemade baked pie crust (for flaky crust; pre-bake + cool)
- No-bake option: Graham cracker crust (no oven/no need to poke holes in the crust)
If baking a crust: Dock (poke holes) + bake per your crust instructions; cool completely before adding hot filling.
Combine sugar, unsweetened cocoa, and flour in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk, trying to get rid of any lumps.
Pour the milk into the bowl.
Next, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat. Be sure to save the egg whites in a separate bowl to use for the meringue.
Add the butter to a large saucepan on medium heat.
Next, pour the milk mixture into the saucepan and stir occasionally as it cooks. Cook until thick, stirring often.
TIP: Stay close to the pan because once it starts to thicken, it happens fast.
Chocolate pie will be done when the filling begins to thicken in the pan. Once it starts to thicken, let it cook a little more, and then remove it from the pan. It will thicken a little more as it cools.
Pour the chocolate pie filling back into a clean bowl and beat one more time to get rid of any lumps.
Make sure you add it back to a bowl that can handle heat because it’s a very hot mixture.
TIP: The chocolate pie filling actually makes delicious pudding, as well. You can forgo the pie crust and scoop the pudding into a pudding cup, and top it with some whipped cream for another delicious dessert.
Pour the creamy chocolate filling into the baked pie shell and set aside while you prepare the meringue.
How To Make Homemade Meringue
When making meringue, make sure the bowl is good and dry and that the beaters are dry, as well. If you have any water or a touch of egg yolk in the bowl, the meringue won’t fluff up like it’s supposed to.
The first step is to take the egg whites that you set aside earlier and add one more egg white to the bowl. Sprinkle the cream of tartar into the bowl and beat egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Cream of tartar is not required, but it will help to get a little more oomph out of your meringue.
Once you get stiff peaks, add the sugar and beat again until the meringue is shiny.
Spread the meringue on the top and bake the pie in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is golden brown. Allow the pie to set up for at least one hour before serving.
Be sure to refrigerate the pie in an airtight container. I would not cover it with plastic wrap because it will ruin the meringue. I use a pie carrier so the pie won’t get squished in the fridge.
Don’t be too intimidated by the meringue. As kids, our first attempt at meringue turned out like styrofoam! But if you follow the steps outlined, you should be just fine.
Why Was My Chocolate Pie Runny?
You most likely didn’t cook the pie long enough. Make sure you measure the correct amount of flour to add to the pie, as well.
Variations for Chocolate Pie
Deeper chocolate flavor: add 2 ounces (about ⅓ cup) of chopped semisweet chocolate after the pie filling is done cooking, so it melts.
“Old-school” mocha: Add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients before adding the milk. This gives the pie a bakery-style flavor.
Peanut butter Southern twist: add 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter to the cooked filling, while it’s hot.
More Delicious Pie Recipes
- Chocolate pecan pie – with the addition of chocolate chips, this is one amazingly delicious pie. You can also use dark chocolate chips for an even deeper flavor.
- This copycat Baker’s Square French silk pie is rich, creamy, and perfect for chocolate lovers.
- No-bake easy chocolate pie – if you liked this homemade old-fashioned pie, you will love this no-bake chocolate cream pie recipe.
Chocolate Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 9 ” pie crust store-bought or homemade
Pie filling
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour heaping
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa heaping
- 1-1/4 cups milk 2-percent or whole milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Poke holes in the crust and bake until lightly golden brown.
Pie Filling
- In a medium-sized bowl add the sugar, flour, and unsweetened cocoa and whisk together.
- Pour in the milk, vanilla extract, and egg yolks (save the whites in another bowl). Beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Add the butter to a skillet on medium heat.
- Next, pour the chocolate pie filling into the pan and cook until thick.
- Pour the pie filling back into a clean (and heat-safe) bowl and beat again to get rid of any lumps.
- Pour the filling into the cooked pie shell.
Meringue
- Grab the bowl with the whites and add one more egg white.
- Add the cream of tartar to the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Pour the sugar into the bowl and beat again until the meringue is shiny.
- Spread the meringue over the pie. Bake at 350-degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.
- Allow the pie to set up for at least one hour before serving.
That looks soooooooooo good right about now. I don’t make many meringue pies, I should really change that!
Thanks, Carlee! We love meringue!
Sounds great. My mom always used pet milk instead of regular milk. Made it very rich and creamy
1
On one section of this recipe it says to bake meringue pie at 325⁰. Another section says to bake meringue pie at 350⁰. The printable recipe card doesn’t have an oven temperature at all.
Hi Christina,
Sorry about that. You should cook it at 350-degrees. I will go fix that!
Hi! Thanks for sharing! This looks great! Can you make the chocolate & pie crust, refrigerate & make the meringue & bake the next day? I haven’t tried this…any advice?
Hi Jan, You can do that! I will taste a little fresher if you can do it the same day, but this will work, too. Enjoy!
If you dont want the meringue do you still need to back the pie for 10-15 mins? I’m a whip cream person lol 😂 sorry to be difficult
Hi Charlotte, you’re not difficult at all! You don’t have to bake the pie if you don’t add the meringue. We will make the chocolate filling and eat it as pudding. And, you can add all the whipped cream you’d like!
I have tried numerous times to make this chocolate meringue style pie! So many recipes and every time it would not work. The pudding wouldn’t sit right or it would be grainy, eggy. The meringue would fall and I’d be devastated
This Mother’s Day I decided to try again
I made the pie crust by hand then I followed this recipe to a T and I am so pleased to say I’ll never have to try another again! It was silky, luscious, smooth. Absolutely everything you’d ever want in a rich decadent chocolate pie. The meringue instructions were simple and it came out glossy and thick and browned the most perfect shade without burning! Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift ! Take care!
Hi Allie D!
Thank you so much. What a huge compliment! My grandmother would’ve been so happy to hear this, as I learned it from her! Have a wonderful day!
This chocolate cream pie is awesome. My first ever chocolate pie and it turned out great. Easy to make. The only caution I would add is to be careful when cooking the pie filling, it thickens up fast.
Hi Rick,
Thanks so much for sharing that! I went in and made a note in the recipe card about it thickening fast. Thanks you!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious!Even my husband liked it a d he doesn’t care for chocolate pie,normally. It reminded me of our family recipe, but it was a whole lot easier. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing! That is great to hear. This is my favorite pie of all time!
This has always been my favorite pie♥️& my granny made it best. She would also make a caramel pie that was my mom’s favorite & same ingredients but no cocoa. Not sure what she used to make it caramel though 😔 I tried to make it for my mom but can’t figure it out. Came close once but just caramelized the sugar, still not the same though.
Hi Jenny! I love this so much! My grandma made a caramel pie, as well. I will have to ask my cousin how she made it, but I think it was with the caramelized sugar–which is an art form I am not sure I am good at. I’ll look in her old church cookbook for a recipe, too!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Ashley, I would use unsalted butter. Most sweets are better with unsalted. I hope you enjoy it!
This pie is really good but next time I’m gonna try using a little less sugar it was a little too sweet for me.. my first time making meringue and it came out perfect the filling jus a tad too sweet for my taste tho…other wise really good…
Hi Brittany,
So glad to hear you liked it! It should still taste great with a little less sugar.
Hello,
I’m not sure what I did wrong 🙁 my meringue came out perfectly but the chocolate pie itself was very runny, measurements were the same in not sure what I did wrong. How can I fix my runny pie if I’ve already baked it for 12 minutes? It’s been in the fridge for two hours and still runny
Hi Lizeth,
Did you cook it long enough? Sometimes it will have a tiny bit of liquid, but it’s usually the sugar. Did you use fat free milk or margarine?
Hi, I’ve never had/made a chocolate pie before, but as the go to baker for friends and family I recently received a request for one. I have a go to pie crust and a go to meringue recipe, however I prefer to use a torch to toast my meringue. Is the baking of the filling plus the merengue topping meant to prevent weeping, or can I skip the baking all together and just use the torch?
I would cook the meringue for a little bit because it will cook the inside of the meringue, as well. You can take it out a little early and then use the torch. That will look wonderful!
@Julie Pollitt, Perfect, thank you!
It came out better than it tasted in the bowl hehe. My only question is – does it need to set or stay in the fridge? I got it to the right consistency, baked it, came out looking amazing! Sat for an hour on the stove, then I cut into it and it was very wet… smudgy with liquid running throughout almost like excess oil? I cut a slice and moved the rest to the fridge (that’s how I know the taste is top notch!) I’m gonna make another but should it go in the fridge immediately?
Should I be setting this in the fridge? It came out tasting amazing but very wet and not the fluffy texture it looks like it is. Almost like there’s excess oil or something. Should it be a cold pie? What did I do wrong?
Did you mix it up enough or cook it until it was thick? We always left it out for the day, so it shouldn’t be oily.
@Julie Pollitt, I did make it pretty thick, like chunky pudding texture but I can cook it longer next time. (The chocolate filling by itself I mean) then afterwards, it was really smooth but I beat it anyways following the instructions. Maybe I could’ve done without that since it didn’t have any lumps. As for the merengue, I’ve never made it before and it did get fluffy but not as fluffy as your picture. Should I be beating it for a long time?
The meringue might have been the issue. It might have created the oily-looking issue. If you have even one drop of water in the bowl, or anything else, the meringue won’t fluff up right. Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and perfectly dry before you beat the whites. If you even get a drop of yolk in there, it will not fluff up right. Meringue is a drama queen. If you do have a dry bowl and beaters, just beat it until they are fluffy and then stop. Sometimes if you beat them too long they will fall. I’ve had days where mine didn’t fluff up quite as much, but it still tastes great.
I hope that helps!
Can I use cacoa instead of cocoa?
I haven’t tried that before but I bet it would work out good.
I am not sure what I did wrong! It was my first time Thanksgiving without my mom and decided to try my hand at making chocolate pie. She didn’t have a recipe that I remember but this one was very similar. However, my chocolate pie filling turned out like soup. What did I do wrong?
On a good note my meringue was amazing!
Hi Cat,
Did you cook it long enough? I’m sorry it came out soupy. But, glad you had great meringue! Blessings to you. I miss my mom on these days, too. (((hugs)))
@Julie Pollitt, I thought I cooked it long enough. It said to cook it till it gets thick. Is thick like pudding thick?
Hi Cat,
Yes, like pudding thick. Very thick. And it will get a little thicker as it cools. I hope that helps!
Made this for Thanksgiving this week. Tonight my son asked me to make another one. The first was gone as fast as I could cut it.
Forced exactly as shown. FABULOUS!
I love to hear that! This is really my all-time favorite pie.
The meringue and pie filling instructions were quite good. I would rather more exact measurements for the flour and cocoa — what exactly is 2 “heaping” tablespoons? I think my pudding was just a tad too thin.
The suggestion about putting meringue on warm pie filling was completely new to me — I thought the opposite was true. Probably why I’ve had failures with meringue in the past.
I don’t eat sweet desserts often and the pudding was way too sweet for my taste. Maybe start by cutting the sugar down to 1 cup.
Glad the instructions worked well. Heaping are usually just piled up over the edge. It can vary, so you can make it with just two tablespoons and that will be fine. Hope that helps!
Way to sweet for my family — will decrease sugar by half to start if I make this one again. But I may find another recipe because I’d like a little more filling for a deep-dish pie.
The comments explaining exactly how to make the pudding and meringue were quite helpful though. I was not aware that it was good to add the meringue to a very warm filling.
I found your recipe when I was in Louisiana with my daughter who just had a baby. She wanted me to make my grandmother’s chocolate pie recipe! I remembered most of the recipe put needed one of the measurements. So I tried to find a similar recipe! Yours is the SAME recipe. But this story gets better because my grandmother always had a chocolate pie ready for us too when we came to visit her in West Tennessee! Trenton Tennessee! Such a great coincidence!!! Small world!
Leigh Ann, STOP IT! That is such a great coincidence! My grandma was in Milan! I love Trenton! I am so excited you found the recipe. Hmmm… maybe they got if from each other! What a wonderful grandma that she had it ready for you, too. Hope your daughter and baby are doing well and getting some sleep. Thank you for coming by and sharing!!
I’ve been making this recipe for years. The measurements you have are a bit off though. Too much sugar, too many eggs. I use;
2/3 cp sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp flour
3 cps milk
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp cocoa
I don’t use mirangue. I’ve always used whipped cream.
Whipped cream is so delicious, too! How thick does the pie get with the flour and cornstarch? I will have to try it that way. I am working on a post right now that is similar to this.
1397 cal/serving?
Definitely need to take that app with a grain of salt.
Waste of time and recourses
I dont see the amounts for each ingredient
Hi Sheila,
Did you scroll to the bottom of the post? There is a recipe card there and it has all of the information you will need.
Do you refrigerate this if you make it the night before?
I usually do refrigerate it if I make it the night before. You can set it on the counter an hour or so before serving it.
Think this is probably the first time I have ever posted a comment after trying a recipe and I’m only doing it now because the pie was perfect! It is just like the chocolate pie my mom used to make and it was wonderful. Made it multiple times and it is consistently delicious.
A few times when I didn’t have time to make a crust – I have put the filling in a coffee mug and topped with the meringue and it makes a cute quick and easy dessert. Serves 3 in a coffee mug.
Hi Mona! I am so glad you came by to share. I love it when recipes remind people of loved ones. I have had the pie as pudding, but never put it in a mug. Such a great idea! We will try that soon.
This old fashioned chocolate pie tastes just like the one my mom makes and I can’t wait to make it again.
I have made 6 pies thus far. I use powdered dry milk, it gives it even more of a Grandma’s old timey taste. It is absolutely a family favorite and I give some away as well, everyone loves this pie, thanks for sharing.
I’ll have to try it with powdered milk. Thanks for sharing!
A tip from my mom: She always replaced a part of the fresh milk in any custard pie with evaporated milk. I start with a full size can of evaporated milk and add fresh milk to finish out the amount called for.
A tip from my Aunt Sue: She makes her custards and lemon curd in the microwave. I make mine in a clear glass bowl. When I see the outer edge darken I take it out and whisk it briefly. It only took me 7 minutes to cook the chocolate pie filling including stir time. Try it once and you will never go back.
A tip from me: My kids never liked meringue nor the wetness it leaves behind when you scrape it off. To prevent a skin from forming on your pie filling or any custard sprinkle it with regular granulated sugar I keep a salt shaker full of sugar. Sprinkle the sugar like you would sprinkle salt on a slice of tomato. It will melt and prevent a crust front forming. It is not noticeable on the pie when it melts. Sprinkle it on as soon as you put the filling in the pie crust.
Hope you try these tips. The first one has been used for 70 years. The third one for 40 years
Hi Margaret! Thank you so much for the tips. I love these and will try them!
This pie is delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you! I am so glad you like it!
You’ll need more than two tablespoons cocoa! Add vanilla to both chocolate mixture and meringue.
I’ve never added vanilla to the meringue. That sounds fantastic. Thanks!
could almond milk be used
Hi Ronda,
I haven’t tried it with almond milk, but you could certainly give it a try. Let me know if you do!
This was the closest I could get to my mom’s recipe and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing. I have my Mom’s recipe but it is locked up in a file cabinet and I can’t find the keys. I am going to compare the ingredients when I get it out. Thanks again! I tried to put five stars but it wouldn’t let me check but four.
Be sure to let me know if it is the same! I am so excited this was so close!
Easiest, best chocolate pie recipe I have ever made! Thank you!
I am so glad to hear that! We love this pie!
Just The best Chocolate Pie ever love love love ❤️ Thanks For Sharing!
Thank you! I have to agree with you. It’s my favorite, too!
this was the best chocolate pie ever!! and it was so easy! I can say this is a no fail recipe as long as you follow it! My husband and I thank you!
Hi Beth and Kenneth,
I am so glad to hear this!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!! It looks just like the pie my Mawmaw would always make at our get togethers. She always made two because everyone loved them! My mom and I have never had much success trying to make it, so I am really excited to try your recipe! Thank you so much for bringing back these fond memories. ❤️
I LOVE to hear when the recipes bring back memories!!