Grandma’s Chocolate Pie 🍫🥧
This is the old-fashioned, from-scratch chocolate pie—rich, smooth chocolate filling in a flaky crust, topped with whipped cream or meringue. Simple ingredients, big comfort-food flavor.
Classic Grandma’s Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
Chocolate Filling
- 1½ cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping (choose one)
- Whipped cream
- OR classic baked meringue
Instructions
- Bake crust
- Bake pie crust at 375°F (190°C) until lightly golden. Let cool.
- Make filling
- In a saucepan, whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.
- Slowly whisk in milk.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbling.
- Add egg yolks
- Whisk a little hot mixture into yolks, then return all to the pan.
- Cook 1–2 minutes more until smooth and thick.
- Finish
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
- Pour into baked crust.
- Cool
- Let cool at room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours.
- Top & serve
- Add whipped cream or meringue just before serving.
Grandma-Style Tips 💡
- Stir constantly—this keeps it silky and lump-free
- Whole milk gives the best texture
- Let it chill fully so slices hold their shape
- Sprinkle a little cocoa powder on top for that old-school look
Variations
- Extra rich: Use half milk, half cream
- Chocolate lover’s pie: Add 2 oz melted dark chocolate
- No-bake shortcut: Use a pre-baked crust and instant pudding (less traditional, still tasty)
If you want, I can give you:
- The Southern meringue version
- A no-egg recipe
- Or a church-potluck large-batch version
