Chocolate Chess Pie is a classic Southern chocolate pie with a creamy middle topped with a crisp topping. Chess pie is easy and so delicious!

Looking for more delicious chocolate recipes? I think you’ll love my Best Chocolate Cake, Best Chocolate Cupcakes, and Grandmother’s Chocolate Cobbler. Yum!

Photo of a slice of chocolate chess pie topped with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chess Pie is seriously one of the best things ever created – especially if you love chocolate like I do.

Creamy, custardy, and oh-so chocolatey on the inside, chocolate chess pies are also crowned with the signature crunchy top crust that you’ll find in really good chess pie recipes. This pie is always a favorite dessert. We especially love it topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.

And really, the simplicity of a chess pie makes it even more special.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious chocolate pie recipe. Every single bite is filled with delicious chocolate flavor.

Easy to make. The hands-on time for making this amazing chocolate pie is less than 10 minutes and it is easy enough for a beginning baker. I learned to make it with my Grandmother when I was a young girl and I haven’t looked back!

Great to make ahead or freeze. Since the cooling time is key to this recipe, it is great to make ahead or to freeze to serve later.

Easy Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe

Photograph of slice of chocolate pie topped with whipped cream and full pie in the background. // addapinch.com

See the inside of that pie?

Oh my goodness!!!

Irresistible!

What is Chess Pie?

Chess Pie is a traditional southern pie recipe with deep roots in England. Chess pie is made from sugar, flour, butter, and eggs and then baked in a pie crust. The combination of the sugar and flour mixed together gives the pie a crispy, crackle finish on the top while leaving a custard-type filling from the eggs. Cocoa powder is also included in this chocolate version of the classic pie.

How To Make Chocolate Chess Pie

To make this pie, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Photo of ingredients used to make chocolate chess pie on a rimmed baking sheet.

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

  • Sugar – I use granulated sugar in this recipe.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I use natural unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe.
  • Flour – a little all-purpose flour is used to thicken the pie filling.
  • Espresso Powder – optional, but recommended to enhance the chocolate flavor in this pie.
  • Salt – just a pinch is used to balance the flavors of the pie.
  • Butter – you’ll use melted and slightly cooled butter for this recipe.
  • Evaporated Milk – I make homemade evaporated milk. You can also use your favorite store-bought.
  • Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors in this sweet pie recipe. Use a high-quality vanilla extract. I love to use my homemade vanilla extract. It is so easy to make and always delicious!
  • Eggs – In this recipe, you’ll use lightly beaten eggs for the pie filling.
  • Pie crust – you’ll need one unbaked pie crust. You can use homemade pie crust or your favorite store-bought in a pinch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together in a glass bowl with a whisk.
Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture in a glass bowl with a whisk
Add vanilla extract to the wet ingredients for pie filling.
Whisk together all of the ingredients for chocolate chess pie filling in a glass bowl.

Mix the pie filling. Whisk together sugar, cocoa, flour, salt, and espresso powder. Pour your melted butter and evaporated milk into the sugar and cocoa mixture and beat on high speed with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla extract and eggs until well combined and continue to mix for about 2 minutes to lighten the batter.

Ingredients poured into a pie crust dough ready to bake.

Pour into the pie crust and bake. Pour the chocolate mixture into a 9-inch, unbaked pie crust. Bake for 55 minutes.

Baked chocolate chess pie on a marble surface.

Cool the pie before slicing. The center of the pie will be a bit soft. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack for an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

Horizontal photograph of chocolate chess pie on a stack of white dessert plates with full pie in the background. // addapinch.com

Storage Tips

To store leftovers. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make ahead. This pie is excellent to make ahead as it is best served cold! Like with the storage instructions, make the pie ahead of time and cool. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator, slice, and serve.

To freeze. You can easily freeze a baked Chocolate Chess Pie. Bake and cool completely. Wrap tightly with freezer-safe wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, that in the refrigerator overnight and then slice and serve.

Baked chocolate chess pie on a white marble surface with a linen napkin.

Here’s my recipe for Chocolate Chess Pie. I hope you love it as much as we do!

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Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe

Robyn Stone
4.83 from 23 votes
Chocolate Chess Pie is a quintessential Southern chocolate pie. Get this family favorite chocolate chess pie recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cup (297 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon (0.58 g) espresso powder, optional
  • pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 5 ounces (141 g) evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
  • 3 large (150 g) eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 (9-inch) pie crust, unbaked

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325º F.
  • Whisk sugar, cocoa, flour, and espresso powder (if using) and salt together. Pour butter and evaporated milk into sugar and cocoa mixture and beat on high speed. Add vanilla and eggs. With mixer speed on high speed, mix for approximately 2-3 minutes to lighten.
  • Pour mixture into 9 inch unbaked pie shell and bake for about 55 minutes. The center of the pie will be a bit soft. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

Notes

Storage, Make Ahead, and Freezer Instructions
To store leftovers. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To make ahead. This pie is excellent to make ahead as it is best served cold! Like with the storage instructions, make the pie ahead of time and cool. Cover the pie loosely with wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator, slice, and serve.
To freeze. You can easily freeze a baked Chocolate Chess Pie. Bake and cool completely. Wrap tightly with freezer-safe wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




102 Comments

  3. 5 stars
    Made this recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. I chose this recipe because of the addition of expresso and man, did it make a difference. It was delicious and decadent and we enjoyed changing it up from our usual pumpkin pie. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you so much for such an easy and yummy recipe!

    Reply

    1. I haven’t added nuts to this recipe, Zoe, but someone else posted that she added 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts to the recipe and it turned out great. So, an equal amount of pecans should turn out the same.

  5. I’ve done something wrong. Mine comes out with like layers. The crust rises there is almost clearish on the bottom and then chocolate on the top. Still tasted good.

    Reply

    1. Marsha, make sure you whisk the eggs in well so they are thoroughly combined with the other ingredients. If your melted butter gets too hot while melting, it will separate and then cause your pie to separate while it is baking. Melt the butter slowly so it is still creamy and not boiling. I hope this helps.

  6. Mine turned out really runny😢 but top was bice and done! What could i do differently, i followed the recipe step for step.

    Reply

    1. Meghan, it sounds like the pie didn’t cook long enough. Shake the pie gently and if the center jiggles only slightly, the pie is done. The center will be soft, not runny when it is done and then will continue to set as it cools.

    2. The mixture just goes into the graham cracker crust… and popped into the oven. Worked out nicely… and it was decadent along with ice cream and berries.

  8. 5 stars
    Whole family loved this pie.
    Used only 1 cup of sugar, and 5 tablespoons of cocoa powder and omitted the espresso powder because I didn’t have any. Used a frozen deep dish pie crust. Cooked it for right at 55 minutes. Middle was set and the top didn’t even crack. Delicious in every way!!!

    Reply

    1. No, you would pour your chocolate mixture into the frozen pie crust then bake as directed in the recipe. Hope you enjoy the pie, Chartrusey.

  10. 5 stars
    Very good! I have made this every Christmas and the whole family loves it : even those who usually don’t like chocolate pie: a winner. Note:: even more delicious to drizzle caramel topping on top!

    Reply

    1. I’m happy even the ones who don’t like chocolate pie love this one, Julie. I bet it is delicious with the caramel sauce.