Chocolate meringue pie is an easy chocolate dessert with a no-bake filling. Traditional sweet pie crust gets filled with a luscious chocolate pudding and topped with a dreamy chocolate-swirled Swiss meringue. This chocolate cream pie is rich, creamy, and silky, with a little crunch from the crust! It is the perfect dessert to impress your guests or when that chocolate craving hits.
This recipe is reminiscent of a classic diner chocolate pudding pie but amped up several notches! The homemade sweet pie crust is simple to make and adds the right amount of texture to support the filling and topping. And because of the added sugar in the crust, it doesn't stale in the fridge and stays crispy.
The filling is a homemade chocolate pudding that is much more flavorful and has better texture than the store-bought, instant mix thanks to semisweet chocolate instead of cocoa powder for more intense flavor.
And the true star of this chocolate pie is the Swiss meringue that's piled on top. It's thick and marshmallowy with melted chocolate rippled through. I first saw this idea of swirls on this flourless chocolate meringue cake and knew it was the perfect design method to top this chocolate pie.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy Crust - This homemade sweet pie crust is super simple to make and comes together in just a few minutes. It does need to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before rolling out and baking, so make sure to plan for this!
No-Bake Filling - This luscious, rich chocolate pudding is made all on the stove. It starts as a liquid and with some heat and whisking, a thick and delicious pudding is formed.
Swiss Meringue Topping - The star of this pie is this thick and marshmallowy meringue. The egg whites and sugar cook on a double boiler first and then get whipped into billowy, cloud-like meringue. Unlike the grainy, watery meringue you may be used to, this meringue stays thick and creamy (with no weeping)!
Ingredients
- Sugar. Granulated sugar is the only type of sugar needed. This gets used in the crust, chocolate pie filling, and meringue topping.
- Butter. Unsalted butter is used in the pie crust and the chocolate pudding.
- Cornstarch. This is the main ingredients to help thicken the filling and allow it to set up properly.
- Milk. Whole milk should be used and can be at any temperature since it will get heated.
- Eggs. The eggs get separated and the yolks are used for the pudding and the whites for the Swiss meringue.
- Semi-sweet chocolate. A chocolate bar (60-70% cacao) is used in both the chocolate filling and folded into the meringue. Be sure to use a chocolate bar and not chocolate chips (chips have additives to prevent a good melt).
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add orange or peppermint extract to the chocolate filling to amp up the flavor.
- Use store-bought crust and bake at 400℉ for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Add 2 tablespoons of espresso powder for a chocolate coffee filling.
- Omit the chocolate from the meringue for a traditional meringue topping, or fully fold the melted chocolate in for an all-chocolate meringue.
Swiss Meringue for Chocolate Pie
What makes this Swiss meringue is the method that is used. You cook the egg whites and sugar together over a double boiler before whipping them into a meringue. This method helps create structure and absorbs the liquid so there is no weeping.
The meringue gets very glossy with stiff peaks and tastes like marshmallow. Unlike the classic "grandma's meringue," this tastes and looks much better. And as an added bonus, melted chocolate gets folded in for extra flavor.
Making Foolproof Meringue
There a few tips to help make a foolproof meringue. First, make sure there is absolutely no egg yolk in with the whites. The fat from the yolks prevents the whites from whipping up.
Second, the bowl you are whipping the whites in needs to be very clean. Finally, start whipping the egg whites on medium speed first for a few minutes, then turn up the speed to high and watch until glossy, stiff peaks form.
How to Make This Recipe
Before beginning, you'll need to make the sweet pie crust. The crust takes only 5 minutes to make, but needs to rest for about 2 hours in the fridge to hydrate, then gets baked for 30 minutes after rolling it out.
Use the sweet pie crust recipe for instructions and details to make, roll out, and fully blind-bake the base.
One: Make, roll out, and fully blind bake the sweet pie crust.
Two: When done, it should have no moist spots and be slightly golden brown. Cool completely.
Chocolate Pie Filling From Scratch
Three: Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a pot until mostly combined.
Four: Add in some of the milk and whisk until incorporated.
Five: Turn on the heat and add the remaining milk and chocolate and whisk.
Six: Continue whisking every once in a while to help the chocolate melt and the sugar dissolve.
Seven: Whisk constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens significantly.
Eight: Pass the pudding through a fine mesh sieve to remove any chunks and cooked egg pieces.
Nine: Whisk in vanilla and butter until the butter melts and incorporates.
Ten: The finished pudding will be glossy and smooth.
Swiss Meringue Topping
Eleven: Spread the pudding into the baked and cooled pie crust and smooth it out. Chill the pie for a few hours until set.
Twelve: To make the meringue, whisk together egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
Thirteen: Whisk until warm and you can no longer feel granules of sugar when you rub your fingers together in the mixture.
Fourteen: Beat the meringue until stiff peaks form.
Fifteen: Melt chocolate and add it to on side of the bowl.
Sixteen: Fold in the chocolate in 2-3 big folds.
Seventeen: Drop the meringue onto the top of the pie.
Eighteen: Use the back of a spoon to very gently push down and pull up to spread the meringue and create peaks before slicing in.
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Expert Tips
- Cook the chocolate pudding slowly. If it gets too hot, it will cook the eggs and the pudding will get chunky.
- Cool the pie at room temperature before adding to the fridge so there is no condensation or cracking.
- Only fold the chocolate into the meringue 2-3 times to keep streaks.
- Let the meringue drop onto the pie and only spread slightly to keep the streaks defined.
- Add your knife to hot water first to cut cleanly through the pie. Clean off and dip the knife in water again between each slice.
Recipe FAQs
We use a cooked Swiss meringue to prevent the meringue from getting watery. Using a Swiss meringue also produces a very silky, smooth meringue, almost like marshmallow fluff.
These are likely chunks of cooked eggs. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve a couple of times to remove any lumps.
You can use store-bought pie crust, but homemade has the best flavor and texture. If using store-bought dough, bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes until golden.
Storage
Store the chocolate meringue pie uncovered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and press it onto the cut sides of the pie to keep everything in tact and prevent a skin from forming.
To freeze the pie, wrap the chilled pie (before adding the meringue) tightly in a few pieces of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap completely and thaw in the fridge before adding the meringue topping.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
📖Recipe
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Equipment
- 9" pie plate
- Whisk
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 disc sweet pie crust recipe for pie crust
Chocolate Filling
- 3 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cut in tablespoon pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Make the pie dough and allow it to chill in the fridge for two hours.1 disc sweet pie crust
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and rolling pin, then roll out the dough, turning a quarter turn every few rolls to keep it round and even.
- Roll the dough until it’s about ⅛” thick and is at least 2 inches wider than your pie dish. Continue to lightly flour your surface and pin anytime the dough begins to stick.
- Carefully transfer the dough to a pie dish, pressing it into place on the bottom and sides (there will be overhang), and trim the edges with kitchen shears so they’re even and about 1” wider than the dish.
- Fold the sides underneath the crust so the fold meets the edge, then crimp and place in the freezer while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Remove the crust and dock all over the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Add a piece of parchment paper into the pie crust and fill it with pie weights (or dried rice/beans).
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment and pie weights and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes until there are no longer any moist spots on the bottom of the crust. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Chocolate Filling
- Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until mostly combined. Drizzle in about 1 cup of milk while whisking until smooth.3 large egg yolks, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 cups whole milk
- Add the remaining whole milk and chopped chocolate and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently until the mixture starts to get hot.8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- Once hot, whisk constantly until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken significantly. This can take anywhere from 5-8 minutes.
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl then add the chunks of butter and vanilla and whisk until the butter has melted and incorporated.¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the filing into the baked and cooled pie crust, smooth it out, and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator (uncovered) for at least 3 hours to set.
Meringue
- Fill a saucepan with about two inches of water and turn to medium-high heat. Add a heat-proof bowl over top that fits securely. You don’t want any of the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
- To the bowl, add the egg whites, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Continue lightly whisking until the mixture is rather warm and the sugar granules have dissolved. Check this by rubbing your fingers together in the mixture. If you can still feel sugar granules, continue cooking.3 large egg whites, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Remove from the heat and whip the egg whites with a hand mixer (or transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment) and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks form and a ball of meringue forms in the whisk.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave, in :30s increments (stirring in between each) until completely melted.⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate
- Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the chocolate onto one side of the meringue, then use a rubber spatula to do 2-3 big folds, creating a marbled effect (don’t over fold!).
- Carefully scrape the sides and allow the meringue to fall out onto the top of the chilled pie filling. Use the back of a spoon to create a few swoops and peaks. Don’t do too many or the marbled effect will get muddied.
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Notes
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