Made with layers of crispy chocolate cookie crust, chocolate pastry cream, and chocolate whipped cream, these triple chocolate pie bars are perfect for chocolate lovers! (And, they’re easier than pie!)

gluten-free chocolate pie bars with chocolate whipped cream

Three Layers of Chocolatey Goodness That Are Easier Than Pie!

These gluten-free chocolate pudding bars are a total crowd pleaser for Thanksgiving, birthdays, and special occasions. (And NO ONE will guess this decadent dessert is gluten-free!) There’s so much to love about these!

They’re EASY: While there is some stirring and mixing, these easy chocolate pie bars skip the fuss of traditional pie crust. Plus, they’re made with simple ingredients that are easy to find. Win-win!
They’re DELICIOUS: Crisp gluten-free Oreo crust, thick chocolate filling, and a fluffy chocolate whipped cream on top are a flavor and texture match made in heaven!
They’re GREAT TO PREP IN ADVANCE: If you need a make-ahead gluten-free dessert for Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day or a party, these pie bars are PERFECT, since they keep well and can easily be made the day ahead of time.

Happy baking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Ingredients for gluten-free chocolate pie bars

Gluten-Free Oreos. Regular Oreos are NOT gluten-free, so make sure to buy Gluten-Free Oreos for this Oreo crust. If you can’t find Oreo brand, you can use one of these other brands of gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies. We like Glutino & Goodie Girl!
Butter. You’ll need a bit of melted butter for the cookie crust, then we’ll finish the chocolate pastry cream filling with a little butter.
Sugar & Powdered Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the chocolate pie filling, then powdered sugar helps sweeten and stabilize the whipped cream so it holds its shape.
Heavy Cream & Milk. Using a mix of cream and whole milk in the filling gives us a rich, luxurious texture, then we use a little more heavy whipping cream to make the cocoa whipped cream topping. Yum!
Egg Yolks. The key to a thick chocolate filling. We’re actually making chocolate creme patisserie (chocolate pastry cream), which is thick enough to hold its shape and set up well enough to slice through.
Cocoa Powder & Chopped Chocolate. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder (like Hershey’s!) adds flavor to the filling and the chocolate whipped cream, while some chopped chocolate adds rich chocolate flavor and body to the filling,.
Vanilla Extract & Salt. Two flavor boosters that make a big difference!

How To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie Bars, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making gluten-free chocolate pie bars, step by step

First, Make The Crust. Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor, crush cookies until you reach fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine until the cookie crumbs are evenly coated in butter.
Shape & Bake The Crust. Pour the cookie crumbs out into the prepared baking pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to pat the crust out into an even layer. Bake 5-8 minutes, or until fragrant, then set the crust aside on a wire cooling rack to cool while you make the pastry cream.
Start The Pastry Cream. In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until no clumps remain, then add heavy cream. Stir to combine well, then add the whole milk, and egg yolks. Mix well so no clumps of egg yolk remain.

Cook The Pastry Cream. Next, cook the pastry cream over medium low heat stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes, until it’s thick enough to see the trail of the whisk in the pudding. Once the mixture starts bubbling, stir for only 5-10 seconds, then remove from the heat.
Stir In Chocolate, Butter, & Vanilla. Add the chopped chocolate, remaining butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir until the chocolate and butter is fully melted. At this point the mixture should look smooth and glossy. If you have any lumps, you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or use an immersion blender to puree until the pastry cream is completely smooth. Set the chocolate custard aside to cool 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally as it cools.

Layer. Pour the chocolate pudding mixture over the cooled cookie crust and smooth into an even layer. (An offset spatula works great for this!) Chill the pie bars in the fridge for 1-1.5 hours until cool. Do NOT top with whipped cream until the chocolate filling has cooled!
Make The Chocolate Whipped Cream. When the pastry cream has cooled, start the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch salt. Beat on low speed with the whisk attachment for 30-60 seconds until the cocoa powder has mixed into the cream. Then increase the speed to high and mix 4-5 minutes, or until the whipped cream holds its shape. (This is also known as stiff peaks.)
Top & Garnish The Bars. Spoon the chocolate whipped cream on top of the cooled chocolate layer and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. I like to make a few swirls here with the spatula. Sprinkle with more chopped chocolate or chocolate curls, if desired.
Chill, Serve & Store. If possible, chill the bars for an additional 30-60 minutes before cutting into slices and serving. To store leftover bars, cover the whole pan with plastic wrap or store individual bars in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days.

Cutting into a gluten-free chocolate cream pie bar with a fork

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Chocolate Pie Bars

Garnish & Extra Toppings To Try. I love to add chocolate shavings, chopped chocolate or chocolate curls to complement the deep flavor of the chocolate, but you can also use chopped pecans, chocolate sprinkles, or toffee bits instead. They all add great flavor!

Can I Make These Without Eggs? If you need an egg-free option, you can use our vegan chocolate pudding recipe instead of the chocolate pastry cream. It doesn’t set *quite* as firm, but also works well!

Can I Use Chocolate Chips Instead of Chopped Chocolate. Yes, though you may get slightly different results. Many chocolate chips use stabilizers that help them hold their shape in the oven, which is the opposite of what we want when we’re melting them. High quality brands like Guittard and Enjoy Life don’t use these stabilizers, so they’d work well here!

Need a Shortcut? Swap In Cool Whip! If you want to save time, feel free to top these triple chocolate pie bars with cool whip or pre-made whipped topping instead of making the chocolate whipped cream. They’ll still taste delicious!

gluten-free chocolate pie bars on white dessert plates

More Gluten-Free Pie Bars To Try

Gluten-free pumpkin pie bar with a bite taken out of it

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars

Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie Bars

Gluten-Free Caramel Pecan Pie Bars cut into squares

Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Pecan Pie Bars

Gluten-Free Cranberry Crumble Bars

Recipe Card

🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie Bars recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Tap to Leave a Review

Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Pie Bars

No ratings yet

Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 1

Print Pin Rate

Servings: -12 Bars

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CRUST:

14 Gluten-Free Oreos
2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted (28 grams)

FOR THE CHOCOLATE FILLING:

⅓ cup Granulated Sugar (65 grams)
2 TBSP Cornstarch (16 grams)
2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (12 grams)
½ cup Heavy Cream (120 ml)
1 cup Whole Milk (237 ml)
3 Large Egg Yolks (Save Egg Whites For Another Use)
4 ounces Chopped 70% Chocolate (or 2/3 cup high quality bittersweet or dark chocolate chips)
2 Tablespoons Butter (28 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
⅛ teaspoon Kosher Salt

FOR THE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup COLD Heavy Whipping Cream (240 ml)
¼ cup Powdered Sugar (30 grams)
3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder* (18 grams)
1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
pinch Kosher Salt (less than 1/8 tsp.)

Instructions

First, Make The Crust. Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor, crush cookies until you reach fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine until the cookie crumbs are evenly coated in butter.
Shape & Bake The Crust. Pour the cookie crumbs out into the prepared baking pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to pat the crust out into an even layer. Bake 5-8 minutes, or until fragrant, then set the crust aside on a wire cooling rack to cool while you make the pastry cream.
Start The Pastry Cream. In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until no clumps remain, then add heavy cream. Stir to combine well, then add the whole milk, and egg yolks. Mix well so no clumps of egg yolk remain.
Cook The Pastry Cream. Next, cook the pastry cream over medium low heat stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes, until it's thick enough to see the trail of the whisk in the pudding. Once the mixture starts bubbling, stir for only 5-10 seconds, then remove from the heat.
Stir In Chocolate, Butter, & Vanilla. Add the chopped chocolate, remaining butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir until the chocolate and butter is fully melted. At this point the mixture should look smooth and glossy. If you have any lumps, you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or use an immersion blender to puree until the pastry cream is completely smooth. Set the chocolate custard aside to cool 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally as it cools.
Layer. Pour the chocolate pudding mixture over the cooled cookie crust and smooth into an even layer. (An offset spatula works great for this!) Chill the pie bars in the fridge for 1-1.5 hours until cool. Do NOT top with whipped cream until the chocolate filling has cooled!
Make The Chocolate Whipped Cream. When the pastry cream has cooled, start the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine heavy cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch salt. Beat on low speed with the whisk attachment for 30-60 seconds until the cocoa powder has mixed into the cream. Then increase the speed to high and mix 4-5 minutes, or until the whipped cream holds its shape. (This is also known as stiff peaks.)
Top & Garnish The Bars. Spoon the chocolate whipped cream on top of the cooled chocolate layer and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. I like to make a few swirls here with the spatula. Sprinkle with more chopped chocolate or chocolate curls, if desired.
Chill, Serve & Store. If possible, chill the bars for an additional 30-60 minutes before cutting into slices and serving. To store leftover bars, cover the whole pan with plastic wrap or store individual bars in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days.

Notes

Oreos. Regular Oreos are NOT gluten-free, so make sure to buy Gluten-Free Oreos or chocolate sandwich cookies for this recipe!
Garnish & Extra Toppings To Try. I love to add chocolate shavings, chopped chocolate or chocolate curls to complement the deep flavor of the chocolate, but you can also use chopped pecans, chocolate sprinkles, or toffee bits instead. They all add great flavor!
Make-Ahead Tips. These bars can easily be made a day in advance! Since we’ve stabilized the whipped cream with cocoa and powdered sugar, it should hold its shape beautifully!