Everyday Delicious Kitchen: Baking and Breads

This easy chocolate cream pie is smooth, rich, and decadent, for the perfect old-fashioned chocolate cream pie recipe everyone will love.

I consider myself more of a cook than a baker. Sometimes desserts intimidate me, so if I’m making one, go easy on me, please. This chocolate cream pie recipe is my idea of a classic, easy dessert that’s perfect for non-bakers like myself. This chocolate cream pie can be made with a store-bought frozen crust (pre-cooked and cooled), or you can go the homemade route (pro-tip: I always keep pie dough in my freezer in case the mood strikes) and my no-fail, go-to all-butter pie crust is perfect for this recipe. I recommend using high-quality chocolate and cocoa powder (Dutch) in this recipe, for the best chocolate flavor. The chocolate pudding filling comes together in no time on the stove (you have to allow at least two hours for it to chill and set before eating, but I can assure you it’s worth the wait!). Let’s dig into this classic chocolate cream pie, shall we?

What’s in This Chocolate Cream Pie

I think what makes this chocolate cream pie the best is using milk with a higher fat percentage (I like using whole in this), good quality cocoa powder (Dutch process is best), and high-quality chocolate. Also, homemade whipped cream, forever and always.

Pre-cooked pie shell (this can be frozen store-bought or one you make ahead of time)
Sugar
Cornstarch
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Milk (preferably whole)
Bittersweet chocolate (you could use chips for this, or cut up a bar)
Vanilla extract
Kosher salt (Lauren’s recipe doesn’t call for any salt, but I like adding a pinch to help balance out all of the flavors)
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

Tip: If making your own whipped cream, simply combine 1 ½ cups heavy cream, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and ¾ teaspoon vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until you have soft peaks.

Chocolate Cream Pie on a plate with whip cream foodiecrush.com

How to Make Chocolate Cream Pie

If you’ve never made a chocolate cream pie before, you might be intimidated, but trust me, you shouldn’t be. Lauren uses a pre-made pie shell which helps simplify things, and the homemade chocolate pudding filling comes together quickly and easily on the stove (yep, other than the crust, this is a no-bake pie)! The hardest part is waiting 2 hours for it to chill and set…

Here’s how to make this chocolate cream pie:

Make the filling. In a small saucepan, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder together. Whisk in milk and place over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once hot and thick remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla.
Chill and set. Pour into the pie pan and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly on the filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely chilled and the plastic wrap comes off clean.
Slice and serve. Cut pie into 8 pieces and top with dollops of cream and chocolate curls and serve.
Tip: Use a vegetable peeler on a bar of chocolate to make those chocolate shavings.

Why Did My Chocolate Cream Pie Not Set?

This pie filling is thickened with cornstarch and no eggs or egg yolks. You can make chocolate pudding or chocolate cream pie either way (with or without eggs), but you definitely need a thickening agent like cornstarch or flour. In this case, cornstarch works like a charm because it has a smoother, finer consistency and won’t impart a taste the way flour does. Using cornstarch and cooking it long enough on the stove (so that the pudding is starting to boil and so that it coats the back of a wooden spoon) will ensure your chocolate cream pie filling is nice and set.

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Cream Pie

This easy chocolate cream pie is smooth, rich and decadent, for the perfect old-fashioned chocolate cream pie recipe everyone will love.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

Keywordchocolate cream pie

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Total Time2 10

Servings

Calories241kcal

Ingredients

For the filling

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch , sifted
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder , sifted
2 cups milk
2 oz bittersweet chocolate , chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla
pinch kosher salt , (optional - Lauren's recipe doesn't include any but I like addint just a bit)

toppings

sweetened whipped cream
chocolate shavings

1 9-inch pie shell, cooked and cooled

1 9-inch pie shell, cooked and cooled

Instructions

In a small pot, stir sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder together. Whisk in milk and place over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Once hot and thick remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla. Pour into pie plate and cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly on the filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely chilled and the plastic wrap comes off clean.
Cut pie into 8 pieces and top with dollops of cream and chocolate shavings and serve.

Nutrition

Thanksgiving Recipes

Croissant bread pudding is the perfect breakfast food! Drizzled with a creamy, vanilla sauce, this soft bread pudding is so amazing that you won’t want to stop at just one piece!

Rich and silky smooth, this soft croissant bread pudding has quickly become a favorite of mine! It is absolutely delicious. If you want to create the perfect brunch then make this Monkey Bread, Coconut Banana Bread, and these amazing Egg Muffins to go with it!

Croissant Bread Pudding

If you love bread pudding as much as I do then making them with croissants will blow you away! It brings in the best taste and texture and you won’t want to make this any other way again! The croissants really add to the bread pudding by soaking in all of the delicious flavors. And when you add in that vanilla sauce on top, well, it just takes this to a whole new level! Plus, you can change it up by topping it with some Homemade Blueberry Syrup, or Homemade Imitation Maple Syrup instead!

Croissant bread pudding is a delicious take on traditional bread pudding. Using croissants instead of bread really makes this recipe a lot lighter in texture. This means that you can eat more, which I always consider a good thing! I also love that I can use my stale croissants to make this recipe. They don’t need to be fresh and then the ones that I already have don’t have to go to waste! It’s the perfect solution. It makes an excellent hot and sweet breakfast or brunch option! Go ahead and try it, I know that you will love it!

Ingredients in Croissant Bread Pudding

Made from ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, this croissant bread pudding is so easy! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.

Whole milk: You can use 1% or 2% but the whole milk will really give it an excellent taste and texture.
Heavy cream: This ingredient makes it thick and easy to soak up into the croissants.
Eggs: Make sure that you use eggs that are at room temperature so that they mix in better!
Granulated sugar: The sugar brings in a delicous and sweet taste.
Vanilla extract: This will add a flavor to the sweetness of the sugar!
Salt: Salt enhances the flavors of all of the other ingredients!
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a must in this dish! It adds so much to the flavor.
Croissants: Make sure that when you are cutting up the croissants that they are cut into 1 inch cubes.

Vanilla Sauce

Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
Granulated sugar: Using granulated sugar will really create a yummy taste and thicker texture in this sauce.
Heavy cream: It makes the sauce thick and creamy!
Vanilla Bean Paste: Using a vanilla bean paste will really bring an amazing and distinct flavor. But, if you don’t have the paste you can use vanilla extract instead!

Let’s Start Baking!

This croissant bread pudding is so delicious and simple! It takes about an hour and a half from start to finish and most of that time is spent soaking and baking.

Preheat and spray: Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk, add croissants and soak: In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon. Add the croissant cubes and mix together until the croissants are fully coated in the cream mixture. Let it sit for 25-30 minutes, stirring about 15 minutes in.

Bake: Once the croissants have soaked pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the custard is set and the croissants are starting to brown. While the bread pudding is baking prepare the vanilla sauce.
Make vanilla sauce: In a medium saucepan combine the butter, sugar and cream. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coast the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Let bread putting sit and then add sauce: Allow the bread pudding to sit for least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with warm vanilla sauce.

4 images showing how to make croissant bread pudding.

Tips For Croissant Bread Pudding

Croissant bread pudding is so easy and amazingly delicious! Use these tips to make the BEST bread pudding you’ve ever had!

Stale croissants: Croissants are a huge hit for breakfast in my house, but they tend to lose their appeal after a few days. Once they begin to get stale (usually by day 3) they are perfect for this recipe! Acting as buttery sponges for the custard base of this bread pudding, they soak everything in making the taste and the flavor absolutely delightful!
Milk and cream: Using both milk and heavy cream for the custard base will give your bread pudding a silky, rich texture. You can use 4 cups of milk and no cream if you would prefer it a little bit lighter.
Let the bread soak: Giving your croissants time to soak in the custard mixture before baking will give it time to really absorb the liquid. If you don’t allow it to soak long enough you may end up with dry pieces throughout your pudding.

Vanilla sauce being drizzled on croissant bread pudding.

How to Store Leftovers

You can totally make this ahead or store your leftovers so that you can enjoy them later! Follow these tips and you can have croissant bread pudding for days!

Refrigerator: Once your bread pudding has cooled, store it in an airtight container or cover it with foil. Then, you can store it in your frige for up to 3 days.
Reheating: You can reheat an individual piece by putting it in the microwave for 45 seconds or until it’s warm! Or, you can reheat the entire pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cook it (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes until it is heated through.

A pan of croissant bread pudding with a piece taken out of the pan.

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Why Did My Chocolate Cream Pie Not Set?