We love when fall rolls around because we can officially bring back our Pumpkin Pie Recipe! We love this pie so much! Not only is the pumpkin filling smooth, delicious and packed with pumpkin goodness, but our variation with the chocolate cookie crust is just the BEST! Seriously, pumpkin and chocolate go surprisingly well together and we can’t get enough of it!
Our pumpkin pie is so easy to make and can be made up to 3 days in advance. So if you plan on making this for thanksgiving, you can whip it up days ahead of time and focus on other dishes the day of the big dinner!
How to Make Pumpkin Pie
Process
CRUST
- In a large bowl mix combine chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter until fully mixed together.
- Place a 9” pie dish or tart shell onto a baking sheet and pour in wafer mixture. Press mixture both evenly and firmly on the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate crust until ready to use.
FILLING
- Combine all filling ingredients into a large bowl.
- Whisk together until fully incorporated and no lumps remain.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and carefully transfer into the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 55 to 70 minutes or until the filling has set, but is slightly loose in the middle. Remove from oven and allow pie to cool completely, about 2 hours.
TOPPING
- Pour cream, sugar and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl.
- Beat together using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Generously top pie with whipped cream and finish with chocolate shavings.
Why This is the BEST Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- The chocolate cookie crust really takes this amazing pie over the top in the best way possible. The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is truly delicious.
- The pumpkin filling is silky smooth, has a strong pumpkin flavor and isn’t overwhelmed with spices.
- It’s so easy to make! All the filling ingredients just get mixed up together and the chocolate cookie crust is much more low maintenance than a dough crust.
- It can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy!
- It freezes very well and can be frozen for up to 2 months (either whole or in individual pieces)!
- We use canned pumpkin puree which makes this recipe super easy! The quality of pumpkin puree is wonderful and you don’t really miss out on much vs using a fresh pumpkin, except for the labor.
Our Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe Tips
- Remove the pie when the center is still wobbly. This will ensure a silky smooth and moist pie that isn’t over baked. You can tell if the pie has been over baked because the top with will crack as it cools.
- Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes before filling to help prevent crumbs from getting into the filling.
- Definitely bake the pie with a rimmed sheet pan underneath it, especially if using a tart shell with a removable bottom. The removable bottom will allow some of the butter from the crust to leak through shell (which is perfectly fine!), so you want to make sure you have something to catch any excess butter.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make Ahead
Our pumpkin pie recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Just cool the pie completely before placing in the refrigerator loosely covered with plastic wrap or foil.
Freezing and Thawing
To freeze the pie whole, just cool completely before placing in the freezer, uncovered. Once the pie is frozen (about 1 to 2 hours) tightly wrap in plastic wrap followed by foil and return to the freezer for up to 2 months. If freezing individual pieces, use the same instructions, but tightly wrap each individual piece separately before transferring to a large, resealable bag and then back into the freezer.
To thaw the pumpkin pie, just transfer it to the refrigerator and thaw overnight, unwrap and enjoy. Alternatively, you can unwrap the pie completely and thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes You Will Love
Pumpkin Pie Recipe (with a Chocolate Crust)
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
crust
- 14 ounces chocolate wafers, finely ground
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
filling
- 30 ounces canned pumpkin puree OR 2 1/2 cups fresh roasted pumpkin puree
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 3 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
sweetened whipped cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
garnish
- 1/2 ounce shaved milk chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Crust
- In a large bowl mix combine chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter until fully mixed together.
- Place a 9” pie dish or tart shell onto a baking sheet and pour in wafer mixture. Press mixture both evenly and firmly on the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate crust until ready to use.
Filling
- Combine all filling ingredients into a large bowl.
- Whisk together until fully incorporated and no lumps remain.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and carefully transfer into the lowest rack of the oven.
- Bake for 55 to 70 minutes or until the filling has set, but is slightly loose in the middle. Remove from oven and allow pie to cool completely, about 2 hours.
Topping
- Pour cream, sugar and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl and beat together using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Generously top pie with whipped cream and finish with chocolate shavings.
NOTES
- Remove the pie when the center is still wobbly. This will ensure a silky smooth and moist pie that isn’t over baked. You can tell if the pie has been over baked because the top with will crack as it cools.
- Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes before filling to help prevent crumbs from getting into the filling.
- Definitely bake the pie with a rimmed sheet pan underneath it, especially if using a tart shell with a removable bottom. The removable bottom will allow some of the butter from the crust to leak through shell (which is perfectly fine!), so you want to make sure you have something to catch any excess butter.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Aimee
I’m a bit afraid of the sweetened condensed milk- it’s never been my favorite. I see that the sugar has been adjusted down, (from the Libby’s recipe of 3/4 cup or so that uses plain evaporated milk) to account for the sugar. Will I notice the taste of the sweetened condensed milk? I know this is a strange comment. But I really want to try this pie!
Jenny Park
Hi! You can’t notice the taste at all!
S
This pie is perfect, exactly what I was looking for – the cookie crust is perfect and much better than a regular butter crust in my opinion! The only hitch is that I wasn’t sure of the best way to get the wafers ground down really finely. Still turned out really delicious! Will be making again!
Julie
I feel ridiculous asking this but what chocolate wafer cookies did you use?
Jenny Park
No, not ridiculous at all! I used Nabisco’s “Famous Chocolate Wafers”
Mary
I can’t seem to find regular chocolate wafers anywhere. Will Oreos or something similar work for the crust?
Jenny Park
Oreos will work, although I recommend removing the cream filling
Patty
I am going to try to make this pie. Can I make it two days before this Thanksgiving. This pie looks so good. I need to try and make it.
Jenny Park
Yes! I would just wait to top it with whipped cream or meringue until right before you serve it!
Aisling
Hi there! Would love to make this for Thanksgiving on Thursday! 2 questions: Do you think I could make this in a springform pan to make it a little easier to serve? And how long can I make this ahead of time?
Thanks so much!
Jenny Park
You can totally make it in a springform pan + you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time (and just refresh it in the oven for about 10 minutes before serving)! :)
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Izzy
My son randomly asked for a pumpkin pie with chocolate. When I googled just that I found this recipe. It turned out amazing! A great twist on a holiday favorite. So much creamier than your typical pumpkin pie and the chocolate adds a lot to the flavors. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy
I’ve made this three times but for Thanksgiving last year I made it with a different crust. Using Trader Joe’s ginger wafers and vanilla wafers. Same concept, different wafers. Microplane some fresh nutmeg on top of the whipped cream. Yum!
In the words of my best friend, he declared it to be “slap yo momma, good!” For that reason I’ll be making it again this Thanksgiving.
Fredda
I really really want to make this in the traditional size tart pan with removeable bottom. Can I use these measurements or do I have to increase them. It is my mission to bake this. My favorite combination of flavors!
Mink
Thank you! This is perfect for my Thanksgiving desert, I am going to sprinkle candied pecan pieces on top!
Georgie Valenti
oh, it’s only after digging a bit more around your website I realize that I don’t deserve “the pie Expert” title that I like to reward myself with…
hundreds of pies and not once did I thought of making a chocolate crust
I am reporting back after my first attempt on making this, probably one of the following Sundays…
Caryn Crasnick-Maloney
I have made this dessert twice – once with the chocolate crust and once with a gingerbread crust – either way, it is absolutely delicious. The custard is to die for!
MT
Is it possible to do this in a regular pie pan? If so, will the recipe change? Thanks guys!
Jenny Park
You should cut the filling recipe down by 1/2 and the crust recipe down by 1/3.
Jenny
Quick question – should I remove the crust from the tart pan before or after baking the filling? I’m reading your directions as bake crust, remove crust from tart pan, pour in filling, bake on sheet. Is that correct?
Sarah
This looks really yum! I was wondering if you put the pie and baking sheet into the oven for baking?
Kathy
Has anyone tried sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. I prefer that to pumpkin?
Jenny Park
We have a recipe for sweet potato pie too! It’s in our recipe index under “candied yam pie”
Kathy
thanks…
Rebecca
This looks like a real winner and I plan to make it for Thanksgiving. How far in advance can I make it? I only have one oven! Thanks.
LunaCafe
This looks so elegant. And pumpkin and chocolate are beautiful flavor partners. Plus, what a gorgeous color combo.
Amy
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I am very much excited to be making this decadence for Thanksgiving! I am going to be ambitious and try to attempt to make mine look as good as yours! If I may ask, where is your tart shell pan from? Also, how many servings will this particular recipe make?
Jenny Park
I actually got the tart pan from target! And depending in how big or small your pieces are, you can probably serve 12-16 people with this pie!
Talia
Did anybody else have too much filling? I used a standard 9″ tart shell and had leftover filling after I pushed the absolute limit on what I could pour in…
Sheila
Saw your comment before starting. I ended up using both a large and regular sized 9″ tart pan. I had enough crust mixture and filling for both.
Mondo
awesome! I love the shot with the row of wafers. your post has inspired me to do the same kind of pie. perhaps, with a salted caramel topping? cheers!