Have you ever wondered how to make chocolate pie at home? Let’s learn how to make an easy no bake chocolate pie with chocolate Jell-o pudding to thicken. ohsweetbasil.com

Have you ever wondered how to make chocolate pie at home? Let’s learn how to make an easy no-bake chocolate pie with chocolate Jell-o pudding to thicken.

slice of no bake chocolate pie on white plate

Easy Chocolate Pie Recipe

Today we want to talk about classic chocolate pie. You can make chocolate pie at home totally from scratch (we’ll tackle that recipe soon enough), but today we’re starting out simple for all of our friends who want to make their first chocolate pie or who just want a quick and easy no-bake pie recipe. 

For the base of this pie, I used my mom’s magic pie crust because it turns out perfectly flaky every time and it isn’t hard to work with. It’s especially great for beginner pie crust makers! The recipe I’ve linked to makes two pie crusts, so I recommend freezing the leftover pie dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and inside of a zip-top bag. When you take it out of the freezer, just let it rest in the fridge to become workable.

For the no-bake chocolate pie filling, we used instant Jell-O pudding. And to prevent this Jell-O pudding pie from tasting like straight up boxed pudding mix, we also added in some sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese. Both of these ingredients help to thicken the chocolate pie filling, so you don’t have to worry about something not setting up right in the fridge. 

To top this easy chocolate pie, we made a stabilized whipped cream using unflavored gelatin. I like making stabilized whipped cream because I can decorate this Jell-O chocolate pudding pie a whole day ahead and it stays beautiful. 

This Jell-O pudding pie really is such a cinch to make and it’s a beautiful pie that guests will never guess you took shortcuts with. We hope you love it!

slice of no bake chocolate pie on white plate

No-Bake Chocolate Pie Ingredients

This Jell-O chocolate pudding pie requires a little extra time to assemble, but the ingredients list is simple. Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade chocolate pie: 

  • Pie crust
  • Whole milk
  • Chocolate milk
  • Cream cheese
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Cool Whip
  • Chocolate bar
  • Unflavored gelatin
  • Cold water
  • Heavy cream
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract 

jello chocolate pudding pie and slice on white plate

How to Make Chocolate Pie

This easy chocolate pie recipe takes just over half an hour to prep. Here’s the basic rundown of how to make this delicious no-bake dessert:

  1. Roll out and blind bake the pie crust (see our lemon meringue pie post for details on blind baking). Once baked, set aside to cool.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding and milk. 
  3. In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. 
  4. Stir the pudding into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. 
  5. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and chill for at least an hour before serving. 
  6. Once the chocolate pie has fully set, make the stabilized whipped cream and pipe it onto the pie. 
  7. Garnish the chocolate pudding pie with chocolate shavings, slice, and serve.  

jello pudding pie in pie plate next to slice on white plate

How to Store No-Bake Chocolate Pie

Freshly made chocolate pie will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. To store the pie, refrigerate it covered loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Note that chocolate pie left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be discarded. 

Can I Prep This Pie in Advance? 

Yes, because this easy chocolate pie recipe uses stabilized whipped cream you can prep and decorate the entire pie a day before you plan on serving it. Just be extra careful when covering the pie with plastic wrap as you don’t want to ruin your beautiful decorations! 

Can You Freeze No-Bake Chocolate Pie?

Jell-O pudding pie does not freeze well, so you’ll want to enjoy it within 3 to 4 days of making it. 

slice of easy chocolate pie on white plate with fork

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Pie

To make this an entirely no-bake pie recipe, you’re welcome to make a graham cracker crust instead of a regular pie crust (you can also buy pre-made graham cracker crusts at the store). Chocolate graham crackers or even vanilla wafers would make a great crust too! 

Also note that you need to use instant pudding for this Jell-O pudding pie recipe. If you buy the type of pudding that needs to be cooked on the stove, your chocolate pie won’t set up right. 

And finally, a few notes on the stabilized whipped cream. If you’ve been searching for how to make stabilized whipped cream using gelatin, you’ll find a lot of different recipes out there. Unfortunately, a lot of the stabilized whipped creams turn out lumpy, gross, or don’t stiffen up. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest is that the user let the gelatin sit for too long or let it warm up in the microwave for too long. Follow the directions in the recipe card below exactly as I’ve written them, and make sure you very slowly drizzle the gelatin in when it’s time.

More No-Bake Pie Recipes: 

Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pie

4.28 from 37 votes
Servings: 8 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Description

Have you ever wondered how to make chocolate pie at home? Let’s learn how to make an easy no bake chocolate pie with chocolate Jell-o pudding to thicken.

Ingredients 

  • 1 [Pie Crust], blind baked (see note)
  • 2 packages chocolate fudge pudding, 3.4oz packages, instant
  • 1 Cup whole milk
  • 1 Cup chocolate milk
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4½ Cups Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream
  • 1 chocolate bar, for garnish

For the stabilized whipped cream

  • 1 Teaspoon unflavored gelatin, found by the jell-o
  • 4 Teaspoons cold water
  • 1 Cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 Cup powdered sugar, less if you prefer it less sweet
  • 1/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the pie crust:

  • Prepare the crust as directed.
  • Place one disc in plastic wrap and in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for another time.
  • Roll out the second dough in the pie plate, crimp the edges and dock, or in other words, poke with a fork all over the inside and bake for 15-20 minutes.
  • Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the pudding and milk.
  • Set aside to thicken.
  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sweetened condensed milk.
  • Beat until smooth and scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
  • Stir the pudding into the cream cheese mixture and fold in half of the whipped cream and then the remaining whipped cream.
  • Fill the pie crust.
  • Place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour before serving.
  • Pipe the whipped cream and using a peeler, shave chocolate all over the top.

For the whipped cream:

  • Place cold water in small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it.
  • Let the gelatin sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
  • Once the gelatin is set, place bowl in microwave and heat until gelatin turns to liquid, about 10 seconds.
  • Meanwhile, quickly place heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer.
  • Beat the cream until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and then with the mixer on high, very slowly in a small steady stream, drizzle in the gelatin.
  • Continue beating the cream until stiff peaks form.
  • Pipe the whipped cream around the edges.

Notes

We prefer to make a homemade crust and dock it, or poke it with a fork all over inside, add parchment and pie weights and bake, but purely docking the crust will work too.
Pie should be kept in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 406kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 222mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 898IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 1mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 500+ Best Dessert Recipes

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A piece of the best homemade chocolate pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top