This one is for the chocolate lovers! I love my chocolates and after making my Lemon Meringue Pie, I decided I needed to try this out as a chocolate pie.
This pie recipe is wonderful for any time of the year: celebrations, birthdays, holidays, or simply just wanting chocolate pie (which was my reason).
As mentioned, this was inspired by my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe on this site, and pairs well with my Chocolate Brownie Cookies if you want to go all-in on the chocolate desserts.
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Ingredients Overview
*See recipe card for quantities*
Crust
- all-purpose flour
- cane sugar
- unsalted butter
- salt
- cold water
Egg Wash
- egg
- water
Chocolate Filling
- cane sugar
- cocoa
- all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- vanilla extract
- whole milk
- cayenne pepper
- unsalted butter
- egg yolks
- chocolate morsels
Meringue Topping
- egg whites
- cane sugar
- optional: cream of tartar (to help hold the meringue)
Instructions Overview
Here's what the process will look like!
Combine all crust ingredients and make your dough.
Melt your chocolate and filling ingredients, stir together, and heat to make a pudding-like consistency.
Transfer filling into pie crust
Add meringue topping and fluff it around so it has volume on the pie. Place in oven at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
Hint: sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of the meringue before putting it in the oven to add some sugary glaze to the final meringue topping.
Substitutions
- Gluten Free - instead of regular all-purpose flour, substitute with gluten free flour. Ratio should be 1:1.
- Dairy Free - you can substitute the whole milk with your preferred dairy alternative. For the sake of flavor and consistency, I recommend full-fat coconut milk. Ratio should be 1:1.
- Morsels - you're welcome to use your preferred type of chocolate morsels. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you're welcome to use milk or dark chocolate.
Equipment
I highly suggest using a KitchenAid Standing Mixer for this recipe. However, if you don't have one, you can make the dough by hand and use an electric hand mixer for the meringue. Please note that the prep time may increase.
- 1 KitchenAid Standing Mixer - use whisk attachment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pie Dish - I used a 9" pyrex pie dish
- 1 Small Mixing Bowl
- 1 Basting Brush - you can use a spoon if you don't have a brush!
- 1 Medium Stovetop Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula
You can find some of my favorite equipment here if you need any guidance!
Top tip
Add your meringue topping when pie filling is still very hot! The heat and steam from the filling will help evaporate some of the moisture in the meringue so it doesn't get liquid-y! This is why I suggest making the meringue while the pie filling is still thickening on the stove!
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Equipment
- 1 KitchenAid Standing Mixer use whisk attachment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Pie Dish I used a 9" pyrex pie dish
- 1 Small Mixing Bowl
- 1 Basting Brush you can use a spoon if you don't have a brush!
- 1 Medium Stovetop Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 4 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold water (33℉-50℉)
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 4 tablespoon cocoa
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 splash vanilla extract 2 if ya sexy 😉
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6 large eggs separated, use the yolks here
- 2 cups chocolate morsels I used semi-sweet but do what makes you happy!
Meringue Topping
- 6 large eggs separated, use the eggs whites here
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional, but helpful to hold meringue shape
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
Crust
- Grab your KitchenAid Standing Mixer or large mixing bowl and combine the crust ingredients until well combined and you get a dough.
- With a roller, roll out your pie crust on a flat, floured surface and try to fold outer edges so that you can a circular crust shape.
- Butter or oil your pie dish and then place the crust into your dish and mold to the shape and sides of the dish.
- Wash KitchenAid mixing bowl and dry. Set aside until use for Chocolate Filling.
Egg Wash
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for your egg wash. I just use a fork to whisk the egg and water together. Using a basting brush (or spoon if you don't have the brush), gently brush the egg was across the pie crust surface.
- Then place your pie crust in the oven for 10-15 minutes until very light golden brown. Start to work on your chocolate filling. When crust is done, remove and let cool on flat surface.
Chocolate Filling
- In your medium stovetop pot, add all ingredients except for the egg yolks and chocolate morsels. Place pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is completely melted and everything is mixed together.
- Then add in your egg yolks and stir them in until completely mixed. Add in your chocolate morsels and stir until morsels are completely melted.
- Turn down heat to medium low, and leave on stove to heat until it thickens up a bit. *While you wait for it to thicken, now would be a good time to make your Meringue topping* You want the filling to have a thick consistency, like jell-o or pudding. The process took me about 15-20 minutes. If you shake the pot and you see it jiggle, you're on the right track!
- Pour the contents of the filling into your pie crust.
Meringue Topping
- In your KitchenAid Standing Mixer, combine the egg whites from the 6 eggs you used for the filling. Beat the egg whites on medium speed. Slowly add in your sugar and cream of tartar (if using). Once all ingredients are in, increase speed to high and let blend until you start to get a whipped cream consistency.
- Once chocolate filling is in the pie crust (you want it to be piping hot), you want to use a spatula to dollop your meringue across the surface of the entire pie. It should look like a mountain of shaving cream. Fluff it up across the pie with your spatula like you'd fluff your hair ya'll! Sprinkle the top with some sugar.
- Place the entire pie in the oven for 30 minutes. When it's done, it should have a golden brown tint across the meringue! Let cool and serve!
Video
Storage
- Cooling: Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature before attempting to store it. This prevents condensation from forming inside the container, which could make the meringue soggy.
- Refrigeration: Once cooled, cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil to protect it from drying out, but ensure that the covering does not touch the meringue. You can also use an airtight sealed container. Then, place in the refrigerator. Homemade chocolate meringue pie can typically be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Avoid Freezing: Meringue doesn't freeze well as it tends to weep and lose its texture upon thawing. Therefore, it's best not to freeze chocolate meringue pie.
FAQ
A common problem with meringue pies is that they can often become runny and not hold very well due to the nature of the meringue being liquid based. To avoid a runny pie, prep the meringue and the filling at the same time and place the meringue on top of the pie immediately after you've inserted the filling. The steam from the filling will help remove water from the meringue so it holds better.
After you've baked your meringue pie, if you still want more of a golden brown tint to your topping, place pie back in oven on broil for 2-3 minutes.
Megan
I just made this with our three year old and it was one of the most fun things to have him help with and OH MY GOD is it good! Thank you for this, we love following you 😊
Ashley Sweet
I'm planning to make this tonight because it looks so good! Question though...my family doesn't love merengue. If I choose to leave it off, do I still make it?
lilyloutay
whatever you want to do! You don't have to make the meringue if you don't like it. The pie alone is delicious!
Mary
Y'all make sure to spread that meringue ALL THE WAY to the crust to seal the fluff to the crust. If not, the cooked meringue will begin shrinking while it cooks or during the cooling process. Then it's just a dense marshmallow on top of a delicious chocolate pie. Sigh.
Peace & laughter,
Mary
Erin
Just made this! It looks divine, and we are impatiently waiting for it to cool!
Suzy
If I omit the meringue and I’m also using Graham cracker pie crust per their request, do I still place it in the oven at all? Thank you 🙂
lilyloutay
Yes! You want the chocolate to harden a bit and be warm!
Sara
I made this a couple weeks ago with the cayenne but it was too spicy, so this time we omitted it. Just delish! Thank you
kailey
I thought this pie turned out to be great! The only thing is the video says a whole stick of butter, and the written recipe says 4 tablespoons. The cayenne pepper turned out a bit too spicy and will leave it out next time. Thank you for sharing!
Nicole
This looks delicious!! If I make this the day before will it be ok? I was thinking of making this for Easter.
lilyloutay
yes! Just refrigerate!
Angela
Just to add a note if you decide not to make the meringue put a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the hot chocolate filling. It prevents a film from forming on top of the filling. I learned that from an old recipe for this. I never make the meringue. Just a helpful tip for anyone needing it.