What's Thanksgiving without a healthy assortment of delicious pies? Everyone's got a favorite pie when dessert time rolls around: pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie or—if you're like us—a slice of each flavor arranged to create one complete pie!
Fruit pies are a must-have, but there's something deliciously indulgent about an easy pudding pie with smooth, sweet chocolatey flavor. Enter: our simple chocolate pudding pie. Amid the hustle and bustle of holiday meal prep, having extra cook time for other dishes always matters, so our quick no-bake dessert recipe is sure to be a hit.
The best chocolate pies are those that yield rich, velvety results, and while this Thanksgiving pie certainly delivers, it's also notable for its playful shape. That's right—to set our chocolate pie recipe apart, we created a turkey design using candy melts and a dash of creativity. What's more, we strayed from classic Oreo crusts or graham cracker crusts and added crushed Nilla cookies, sugar and melted butter to a pie dish and then topped the resulting mixture with chocolate filling.
To simplify our homemade pie recipe even further, we used instant chocolate pudding pie mix. It only took about 5 minutes and resulted in incredible chocolate flavor, but if you prefer a stronger chocolate taste, opt for a dark chocolate mix or add in black cocoa powder. Either way, your turkey day dessert will be the talk of the flock.
Ready for a no-bake delight that will certainly earn a spot among your collection of Thanksgiving recipe cards for years to come? Let's dig in!
Video: A Playful Pudding Pie for Thanksgiving
Quick Recipe Overview
SERVINGS: One 9-in. pie
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
DECORATING TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
1. Nilla Wafer Pie Crust
Things You'll Need
Food processor
Large mixing bowl
Rubber spatula
1/4 cup sugar or brown sugar
11 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1. Combine Nilla wafers and sugar
In a food processor, blend one 11-oz. box of Nilla wafers until you get a fine crumb. Transfer this to large bowl and mix with 1/4 cup sugar.
Tip
Don’t have a food processor? You can use a large Ziploc bag instead! Add Nilla wafers to the bag, seal it and use a rolling pin to crush cookies.
2. Add melted butter
Stir in 11 Tbsp. of melted butter until combined. The mixture should clump together when squeezed in your hands. If this doesn't happen, add more melted butter 1 Tbsp. at a time.
3. Transfer to pie pan
Add Nilla pie crust to pan, pressing down firmly and making it as even as possible. Pop mixture into freezer for about 15 minutes or until pie crust is firm.
2. Chocolate Pudding Pie Filling
Things You'll Need
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
3 cups whole milk
1. Whisk pudding mix and milk
Tip
We recommend adding 2 1/2 cups of whole milk at first and then letting it set. This prevents pudding from becoming too loose and difficult to serve. If pudding is too thick, whisk in milk one small splash at a time.
In a large mixing bowl, add instant chocolate pudding pie mix. Add 2 1/2 cups whole milk at first and then whisk until smooth and no dry spots remain.
2. Let set
Allow pudding pie mixture to set for about 5 minutes until it thickens and is able to hold its shape. If it is too thick for your liking, add milk one small splash at a time until it reaches desired consistency.
Tip
Is your pie filling clumpy? Pass it through a mesh sieve to get rid of any chunks!
3. Pie Assembly
Things You'll Need
Offset spatula
6 piping bags
Nilla wafer pie crust
Chocolate pudding pie filling
Candy melts (orange, red, green, black, white, pink)
1. Add pudding mix to pie shell
Transfer chocolate mixture onto pie crust. Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate pie filling evenly.
2. Decorate with candy melts
Use piping bags and candy melts to decorate top of pie. Serve chilled with whipped cream, meringue, semisweet chocolate chips, rich chocolate shavings or even nuts...the options are endless!
To store this chocolate cream pie, plastic wrap top of pie plate and keep in fridge for up to two more days. For long-term storage, we recommend slicing pie first, wrapping top and storing in freezer for up to a month.
Happy feasting!