Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie
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This easy gluten-free chocolate pie recipe is made with an easy chocolate cookie crust, decadent chocolate filling, and fluffy whipped cream. It’s a classic dessert that’s always a winner!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I’m VERY excited for baking pies! Whether it’s Key Lime Pie Bars, an incredible Banana Cream Pie, or something more traditional, like Pumpkin Pie or Pecan Pie, I can’t get enough this time of year!
That’s why I’m so excited to share this homemade Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie recipe. It’s a winner through and through, and it makes all kinds of special occasions a little bit sweeter. It’s my go-to dessert when I’m asked to bring a pie, since it’s loved by kids and grown-ups (for good reason!).
Whether this is your first time baking a gluten-free pie, or you’re a seasoned gluten-free baking pro, this classic dessert recipe is always a hit! My nieces and nephews always say it’s their favorite part of Thanksgiving, and it’s always one of the first pies to disappear.
And even if you’re not a pie-baking pro, this easy gluten-free chocolate pie recipe is simple enough to try this year. Here’s all you need to get started…
Our Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie Recipe, At A Glance:
Simple Ingredients For Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie
One thing to love about this recipe: we make our gluten-free chocolate pie WITHOUT eggs. No separating egg yolks, tempering raw eggs, or dealing with egg allergies here! So what *is* in this pie? Let’s take a look:
- Our Easy Gluten-Free Oreo Pie Crust. I love to play up the chocolate notes in this pie by making our gluten-free chocolate pie with Oreo crust. It’s the easiest gluten-free pie crust ever! You literally just need 2-ingredients (Gluten-Free Oreos and butter!) to make it!
- Cornstarch. This helps the chocolate cream pie filling set up so it’s easy to slice.
- Cocoa Powder. Just like in our Gluten-Free Chocolate pudding, I recommend natural cocoa powder (like Hershey or Ghirardelli) here, rather than Dutch-processed cocoa. The flavor is more classic!
- Sugar. You don’t need much granulated sugar, since we’ll be added chocolate later.
- Whole Milk. Don’t try to substitute low-fat milk or nonfat milk, as the pie won’t set up the same.
- Chocolate or Chocolate Chips. Adding some chopped chocolate or chocolate chips at the end helps thicken the creamy pie filling more, and gives each bite delicious chocolate flavor.
- Butter. A tiny little flavor trick that also gives this creamy chocolate pie filling amazing texture.
- Vanilla Extract. Always! You’ll use some to round out the filling ingredients, and some for the whipped cream at the end.
- Heavy Cream. Finishing this gluten-free chocolate pie with pillowy dollops of whipped cream is delicious AND beautiful!
- Powdered Sugar. To sweeten and stabilize the whipped cream. (Adding powdered sugar helps the whipped cream hold its shape–don’t skip it!)
- A Few Fun Garnishes. More on this in a minute!
Ingredient Check: Use Gluten-Free Oreos!
If you’re gluten-free, have Celiac disease, or you’re baking for someone who does, it’s crucial that you ONLY use Gluten-Free Oreos (white package), as regular Oreos (blue package) are NOT gluten-free. You can also choose from one of these brands of gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies if your grocery store doesn’t carry gluten-free Oreos!
Decorating Ideas For Chocolate Cream Pie
Let’s make your gluten-free chocolate cream pie extra pretty with a few little garnishes! Here are a few of our favorite toppings for this amazing pie:
- Whipped Cream. I love adding dollops of homemade whipped cream at the end. Since we stabilize the whipped cream. You can also pipe it into designs, like we do for our Gluten-Free Oreo Cheesecake. If you need an easy shortcut, you can also absolutely use something like Cool Whip instead.
- Chocolate Curls. I love how pretty chocolate curls are! They add such a beautiful touch to gluten-free chocolate cream pie.
- Shaved Chocolate. If you don’t have the time or interest in making big chocolate curls, you can also use a vegetable peeler to shave the side of a chocolate bar. Or you can use a large knife to cut larger chocolate shavings/chocolate shards.
- Oreo Crumbs. I love adding a sprinkle of Oreo crumbs to play up the Oreo crust!
- Sprinkles. Serving this gluten-free chocolate pie for a birthday or holiday? Top slices with some colorful sprinkles right before serving! Jimmies or Quins work best for this, but check out our Sprinkles 101 post for more info!
- Chopped Nuts. For a nutty crunch, try sprinkling the pie with chopped toasted pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds. It’s delicious!
- Toffee Bits. Or, go for toffee bits! The caramel-y crunch is lovely with dollops of whipped cream, and the luscious chocolate filling.
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie
Can I Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie With Graham Cracker Crust Instead?
Absolutely! We’ve got a delicious Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust recipe that’s delicious with this chocolate cream filling.
Can You Freeze Chocolate Pudding Pie?
Technically, yes. You can freeze chocolate pudding pie (without the whipped cream), up to 2 months. But keep in mind that the texture can change a bit upon thawing. When possible, I really recommend making it fresh (it can be made a day in advance!) for best results.
Make-Ahead Tips
One thing I LOVE about making Gluten Free Chocolate Cream Pie is that you can prep it in advance! You can prep individual components ahead of time (the gluten-free chocolate cookie crust and whipped cream can both be made a day in advance!), or you can make and chill the pie filling in the crust up to a day in advance. For best results, I recommend adding the whipped cream on the day you plan to serve the pie, but you can make it and store it in a separate container to add the next day!
Tips For Traveling With This Pie
If you’re bringing our Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie with you on the go (for Thanksgiving, holidays, or celebrations), it will travel best if you bring it covered with the whipped cream and toppings in separate containers on the side. Then, you can assemble it when you arrive. (This helps prevent whipped cream melting, sloshing, or spilling!) I recommend this for other cream pies, too. (Like our Banana Cream Pie)
🌟 Leave a star review below when you try our Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie
- Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy gluten-free chocolate pie recipe is made with an easy chocolate cookie crust, decadent chocolate pudding pie filling, and fluffy whipped cream. It’s probably the most popular gluten-free Thanksgiving pie recipe we ever serve!
Ingredients
For The Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie Crust:
- 24 Gluten-Free Oreos* (leave the filling in)
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
For The Chocolate Pie Filling:
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder*
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk*
- 4 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped (or 2/3 cup chocolate chips)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Serve:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream*
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: chocolate curls, shaved chocolate, chopped nuts, toffee bits, or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
For The Chocolate Cookie Crust:
- Preheat The Oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a 9-inch pie pan
- Crush Oreos. Add gluten-free Oreo cookies to a food processor and pulse to crush to fine crumbs. (Alternatively, you can put the cookies in a gallon-size zip top bag and crush them with a rolling pin)
- Add Butter To Crumbs. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs and pulse or stir to coat the crumbs evenly with butter.
- Pat Out Crust. Transfer the cookie crumb mixture to the pie pan. Use the back of a measuring spoon or flat-bottomed cup to gently pat out the crust into an even layer along the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
- Bake & Cool Crust. Place the crust in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the crust on a wire rack while you make the filling. (Crust can be made a day in advance and stored at room temperature)
Next, Make The Chocolate Pie Filling:
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine well.
- Add Milk & Cook To Thicken. Next, pour in the milk and whisk to combine, stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. At first, it will seem like the cocoa powder mixture isn’t going to blend in, but as the milk heats up, it will dissolve the cocoa until the mixture is smooth. Whisk constantly to avoid lumps. It’s VERY important to get the filling to thicken enough that you can see the tracks the whisk makes in the pudding. If you don’t thicken the pudding at this stage, it will not set up later.
- Finish The Pudding. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Whisk to combine until the mixture is completely smooth and the chocolate has melted. (If you do have any lumps in the chocolate mixture at this point, you can press the pudding through a fine mesh strainer to strain them out.)
- Pour Filling Into Crust. Working quickly (so the pudding doesn’t form a “skin” on the top), pour the warm pudding into the cooled baked crust. Smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Cover And Chill. Cover the pie with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap down onto the pudding (Again, this helps prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pie). Chill at least 2-3 hours, or until chilled through. (You can prep this pie up to a day in advance, if needed.)
Prepare The Whipped Cream & Decorate The Pie.
- Start Beating The Cream. Add heavy cream to a large glass or metal mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Whip the cream with the whisk attachment or a handheld electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to get foamy.
- Stabilize & Finish The Whipped Cream. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then whip the cream on high speed about 4-5 minutes, or until it has doubled in volume and you reach stiff peaks. (The whipped cream will show the path of the beaters as it mixes, and the whipped cream should hold its shape if you dip a spoon into it and rotate it around.) The whipped cream can be chilled up to a day in advance at this point, if needed.
- Decorate The Pie. When you’re ready to serve the pie, remove the plastic wrap from the pie and top with whipped cream. (You can dollop or pipe the whipped cream onto the pie.) Garnish with chocolate curls, shaved chocolate, crumbled cookie crumbs or your favorite garnishes–chopped toasted nuts, toffee bits, etc.
- Serve & Store. Chill the pie until you’re ready to serve, then cut into slices and enjoy. Leftover pie can be covered and stored in the fridge up to 3 days. (This pie does not freeze well.)
Notes
- Gluten-Free Oreos. Regular Oreo cookies (blue package) are NOT gluten-free, so you must only use the gluten-free Oreos (white package) or another brand of gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies, like Goodie Girl, Glutino, or Kinnikinnick.
- Cocoa Powder. I recommend natural cocoa powder, not Dutch processed cocoa powder for this pie recipe. If you only have Dutch-processed cocoa powder, I recommend reducing the cocoa to 2-3 Tablespoons.
- Milk. Do not try to substitute low fat or fat free milk in this pie. They will not be thick enough or set up properly.
- Whipped Cream. If you prefer, you can absolutely top this pie with Cool Whip instead!
- Make-Ahead Notes. You can prep individual components ahead of time (the crust and whipped cream can both be made a day in advance!), or you can make and chill the pie filling in the crust up to a day in advance. For best results, I recommend adding the whipped cream on the day you plan to serve the pie, but you can make it and store it in a separate container to add the next day!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chill Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
WE ♥
You say not to substitute the whole milk for a lesser fat version, but does that also include whole goat milk? I’d like to make this recipe using goat milk, will that work? Thank you! It looks absolutely delicious.
Hi Katrina! I’ve never made it with goat milk, so I’m not sure how that would impact the flavor. If you like the flavor of goat milk, then whole goat milk could likely work here from a fat percentage standpoint. 🙂
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I’m learning! Should the butter be salted or unsalted? THANKS!
Not a dumb question! Either will work for this recipe, since it’s such a small amount. If you’re salt sensitive, you’ll probably prefer unsalted butter.