The best part, though, is how dang easy it is to make. You literally mix all the ingredients together and pour them into a prepared pie crust.
Now, when it comes to the crust, I like to use the pre-made, rolled-up pie crusts that you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store over by the canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls. It allows me to use my own pie plate but doesn’t have me making a homemade crust – which I appreciate. That said, the preformed frozen crusts work just as well. And all you overachievers can make a crust from scratch if you have some extra time. 🙂
Just note that some of the store bought crusts in the aluminum pans can be a little flimsy. Put the crust on a small baking pan before filling it and just pop it in the oven on the pan to make it easier.
Regardless of what kind of crust you bake it in, this pie is destined to be a new family favorite. My folks just love it – and always have. It’s one of those classic southern recipes that has been around for ages. In fact, the original recipe I have made two pies – like many old pie recipes do – so I just cut everything in half to make one. As a result, this doubles beautifully if you need two pies. 🙂 And, I mean, who DOESN’T need two pies? Ha! Y’all enjoy!
Chocolate Chess Pie
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust* (homemade or store-bought is fine) (see note)
- whipped cream, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, and corn starch. Add in the beaten egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell being cautious not to over-fill. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a crust has formed completely across the top of the pie and is mostly set. There will still be some jiggle to the pie. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. This will allow it to set even more.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.  Â
Notes
- If using a frozen, store-bought, pre-formed crust in the aluminum pan, be sure to use a deep dish crust.
Deanna MCK says
This looks like a winner to me…. I think I’ll make it this week. Thanks for your recipes. I’ve saved quite a few of them. All delicious!
Stacey says
Love hearing that!! Thanks, Deanna!
Brooks Finch says
Hello. I followed the recipe 100%. I did use a frozen deep dish crust, but mine did not set up. Even over night in the fridge, it was a cold mess. Any suggestions??
Stacey says
With 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, I just can’t imagine why it didn’t set up.
Lindsay says
I attempted this pie last night and followed the recipe exactly. Mine also didn’t set.
Stacey says
At all or just in the middle?
Dawn Wetterman says
Reading the comments, i wonder if the pies that didnt set up ended up with a whole can of evaporated milk?
Natalie Aguirre says
I made this pie last night and the actual steps were pretty easy but somewhere I went wrong! The center of my pie never set. I used 5 oz of evaporated milk and cooked it at 325° for about 50 minutes when the crust was fully formed. The outside edge is perfect! Really delicious! The center has raw crust and filling the consistency of ganache. I put it in the fridge overnight to set up and it didn’t help. Tips??
Stacey says
I’m struggling because I’ve had a few folks complain about their pies not setting, but for the life of me, can’t get that problem to happen when I make this. It always turns out perfectly cooked. In your case, I think maybe some more time in the oven would have fixed it. Oven temps can vary a bit and since you only cooked it for 50 minutes, I’m guessing it could have stood 10 to 15 minutes more. It’s just so hard to say since I can’t be there in the kitchen with you.
Natalie says
I’ll try that. I still have a pie crust left in my fridge! Thank you!!(:
Kristina says
OOooh! I can’t wait to make this for my family for Valentine’s Day! Happy Hearts Day!
Stacey says
Sure hope they’ll love it!
Kristina says
Everyone DID love it, Stacey. You rocked our Valentine’s dessert! I just mistakenly added a whole 11 ounce can of Evaporated Milk instead of 5 ounce. I had to bake it a bit longer, but the flavor was milk chocolate goodness!
Stacey says
Awesome!! So glad y’all enjoyed it!!!
WWZ says
Did you really mean a 5 ounce can of evaporated milk or should it be 15 ounces?
Stacey says
No, it’s a 5 ounce can.
Emily says
As good as this pie is, you will probably need the rest of that can of evaporated milk to make more!
Stacey says
Love that idea!!
Dani says
I didn’t have evaporated milk on hand so I used half heavy cream and half 2% milk. Also increased the cornstarch to 4 level tablespoons and baked for one full hour. It set up perfectly.
Stacey says
Glad to hear it!
Teena says
Hey y’all, can you make this without the crust? Just bake it in the pie shell? Has anybody tried that?
Stacey says
I can’t say I’ve ever tried it that way. Is there a particular reason you want to bake it that way?
Lynn Rickman says
Oh my goodness, this sounds like one everyone’s gonna have to try and love! Thanks for sharing!
Stacey says
Sure hope you’ll enjoy!!
Debbie dowell says
I made this last week was Delicious. Made two more tonight for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Stacey says
Wonderful! So glad you’ve enjoyed this one! I just made two as well!
Janice Nebgen says
Do you have to use unsalted butter?
Stacey says
It’s best to control the salt content in the pie, but salted will work just fine.
Pat says
Can you use a deep dish pie crust for 1 pie or do you just need to use the regular pie crust? I’m using frozen ones in the tin pies.
EileenWest says
I just put mine in the oven in a frozen pie crust, and it filled fine, and doesn’t look too skimpy. My question is does a frozen crust need to be parbaked for this pie?
Stacey says
No, there’s not need to par bake, but you can. You just might need to shield the edges with some aluminum foil to keep it from getting too brown when baking the pie.
Stacey says
Deep dish will work, it will just not fill it all the way up.
Pilar says
Would it work the same if you add pecans?
Stacey says
I’m not sure. I’ve not tried that.
Hope says
Have you ever tried it with a graham cracker crust or Oreo crust?
Stacey says
I haven’t, but it sounds like something worth trying!
Shannon Skipworth says
Just cooked one in a graham cracker crust, I think it’s better than a regular crust. I also use graham cracker crust for my regular chocolate pie as well.
Stacey says
I LOVE this idea!! Thanks for sharing!!
L. Almond says
Love this recipe! I made this yesterday and it was a hit with my family.
Stacey says
So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
Elsa Tanner says
Thank you for this recipe. It is the closest anyone has came to my Aunt Bessie’s pie. This is going to be a family favorite and staple for special occasions! Bless you.
Stacey says
Nothing makes me happier than hearing things like that. So glad you enjoyed it!
Judith Fox says
I have printed off some of your recipes that I am going to make, especially the peach chess pie. Looks really good. Your chocolate pie recipe looks like the one I make, so I dug out my recipe. It’s exactly the same except for the corn starch. My pie is one I’ve made many times for church dinners and funerals and I never bring home any left overs. I wonder why you use corn starch? Also I bake mine at 350 instead of 325. I will try your recipe, will you try yours w/o corn starch?
Stacey says
The corn starch is like an insurance policy to make sure it’s going to thicken up the way it should.
Christopher E Crabtree says
I made this tonight. I did add a pinch of salt. Perfection. Thanks for the great classic.
Stacey says
Awesome! Glad it turned out great for you!
Amy says
Could I use something else instead of corn starch?
Stacey says
You can use flour, but the result may not be quite the same.
Gaye Whittington says
You would need to use self-rising flour if you substitute the corn starch. The corn starch would give it a smoother texture.
Stacey says
I think regular or all purpose should both work in this case – I just much prefer the corn starch.
Jenna Ward says
Hi! So if I want the consistency to be a little thicker and fudgy (is that even a word lol), would I add in a little more corn starch or maybe cook it a little longer? I’ve attempted to make this pie about 10 times now (not this particular recipe, but similar) and every single time it comes out just a little runny. Still good and still edible, but too thin and not completely set. Although I’ve followed the recipes exactly. Any suggestions?
Stacey says
Hi Jenna!
Being that you’ve had trouble with several different recipes, have you checked to ensure your oven is heating to the correct temp?
Jenna Ward says
Hmmm, no I haven’t ever checked that . How would I check that? My pie is in the oven as we speak. Fingers crossed! I didn’t add anything. I followed your recipe exactly!
Stacey says
You can grab an oven thermometer in most big box stores and on Amazon and you can just hang it on one of the racks and compare the temp it reads with the oven set temps to make sure they match. Let me know how it turned out! 🙂
Kathy Williams says
Yum!!!! Yum!!!!! Yum!!!!!!! Such a delicious, delectable, and delightful pie!! Thank you so much for this recipe of perfection!!!!!!!!!
Stacey says
So glad you enjoyed it so!!
Amber says
This was a delicious and super easy pie to make! Fantastic chocolate flavor, and though it is very sweet, easily the best chocolate pie I’ve ever made or eaten. Great texture. I did end up baking the pie longer for the middle to set (still had a slight jiggle-similar to cheesecake)…closer to 60 min. Will be my go to chocolate pie from now on. Thank you so much!
Stacey says
So glad you enjoyed this one so much, Amber! It’s certainly one of my favorites.
Michele Lyons says
Does this pie need to be refrigerated?
Stacey says
If it’s consumed within a day or so, it’s probably fine left out.
Lacey says
Is this calling for 1 and 1/2 sugar or just 1/2 cup off sugar?
Stacey says
1 1/2 cups or 1 + 1/2 cups or 1.5 cups
French says
I made the recipe as is, and it filled completely a deep dish pie shell. When it cooked it came over the edges of the shell, all the way around, not just a little bit; luckily I had the shell on a cookie sheet so it didn’t spill into the oven floor. I don’t bake a lot of pies, so I didn’t recognized that I was probably overfilling it. Thoughts?
Stacey says
Check the size of the deep dish. I made two today and they worked fine as written. So glad you had them on the cookie sheet, but hate you had a little trouble.
Olivia says
Hi, how long should I cook this at a higher altitude?
Stacey says
I can’t say for sure, but I’d add about 5 minutes.
Miss D says
I made my first pie exactly according to the recipe and it was awesome and I just made another pie identical except I put less sugar because on top of the pie I shaved white chocolate and dark chocolate and walnuts on top of it and it was awesome as well thank you for such a good recipe and an easy one at that!!
Stacey says
That sounds amazing! So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe!!
Dorthy Stem says
I have been making this pie for a while my family just loves it, however the last few times I made it, it cracked across the top and never set. What am I doing or not doing?
Stacey says
This pie does often crack, but I find it’s just part of the character. As to it not setting, is the entire pie not set or just the center?
Dawn Wetterman says
Reading the comments, i wonder if the pies that didnt set up ended up with a whole 10oz can of evaporated milk?
Stacey says
That’s actually a really great point! I do wonder that now.
Michael says
I love this pie so much! I am a major chocolate fiend. The first time I ever had a chocolate chess pie was on vacation, visiting my wife’s family in the South. We had dinner at Golden Corral and I spotted the pie as part of the dessert buffet. I thought it was just a chocolate pudding pie. Boy, was I wrong! I was so much better! It is thicker, richer, and fudgier than a pudding pie. I started searching the internet trying to figure out exactly what that little slice of heaven was. Once I learned it was a chocolate chess pie, I went on a mission to try as many recipes as I could find. This recipe is my favorite one so far, and it is incredibly easy to throw together. I love it!
Stacey says
Awesome! Thanks so much, Michael! I’m so happy to hear this one has been your favorite! It’s certainly a favorite of mine as well!
jodi says
do you think this could be frozen? I am catering a party and would like to make the desserts a few days in advance to get them out of the way. Refrigerating for a couple of days would be OK too, but if it could be frozen, I would make it the weekend before.
Stacey says
Freezing pies can be tricky. I think it would work, but I’ve not tried it myself.
Diane J. says
O…M..GEEEEEE! THANK YOU! Yes, I just had to yell that out. I see myself as a pretty good cook and have made regular chess pies, buttermilk pies and cobblers. For some reason I wanted a nibble of chess pie. Nooooo, not an ordinary chess pie; not even a lemon would do. I wanted a taste of chocolate. After sifting through several blogs and recipes I chose this recipe. I didn’t have cornstarch or evaporated milk so I had to take a scientific chance and make some exchanges. I used 2% milk and all-purpose flour. All I can say is that I’m THRILLED with the outcome. It turned out to be a nice, sort of fluffy custard. Im pleased and will make this again. I’m going to go through your recipes to see what else I can “cook up to take a bite out of”. Thanks again.
Stacey says
Sweet! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave me this glowing review!!
Doris coker says
Im about to make this pie. Sure hope 325°works as i usually use 350°
Stacey says
Yep. It works just fine. Just make sure you use a 5-ounce can of evap milk. Apparently some folks are using a 10-ounce.
Annette Pasquarella says
I have made this pie for years and it is always a hit. I usually put whole pecan halves on top and just gently dip or push them in the liquid so they get wet and then bake. It is a good version. This time I just made it without and it turned out great. But I have a question – do you know the nutritional content and for 1 piece out of what total slices of pie? Thanks!
Stacey says
Hi Annette! That sounds amazing! I don’t calculate the nutritional content, but a site like myfitnesspal.com will allow you to input the ingredients and calculate it that way.
VirginiaT says
So I know this recipe is fantastic because I made it last year. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, but my pies aren’t setting right, and I was wondering if anyone would know a solution.
Stacey says
Often times, folks are using the wrong size can of evap milk. Are you sure that you’re using the small (5-ounce) can?
Summer says
I just took this pie out of the oven. It has a beautiful crusty top and smells heavenly. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow for thanksgiving. Thank you for the recipe!
Stacey says
I can smell it now! Sure hope y’all enjoyed it!
Emily Johnson says
I try and follow this recipe to a tee. 5 and 6 year olds measure the ingredients but I watch like a hawk. It is the BEST ever. It’s my go-to, most requested, most loved. Thank you!
Stacey says
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! And I love hearing about little ones getting in the kitchen, too!
Trish Foster says
I made this recipe exactly as written. It was delicious!! I let my pie crust come to room temperature also. This pie was fudgy goodness!!
Stacey says
Wonderful! I’m so glad it turned out great for you!