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Double Chocolate Mocha Pudding Pie…the pie to make this Thanksgiving. It’s chocolate pudding pie all done up with notes of espresso, vanilla, and double layers of sweet creamy chocolate. Delicious when served with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream and chocolate curls on top. It’s the perfect Thanksgiving pie that requires no time in the oven.
Our first Thanksgiving pie is here! I spent a while on this pie guys, but man I am so happy with how it turned out. It’s SO GOOD!
Some of you might recall last year’s pie, the molten chocolate crackle pie. It is without a doubt one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever shared, it’s delicious. Think warm, with a molten center, notes of vanilla, a crackly top, and a homemade crust. If you haven’t made it, add it to this year’s Thanksgiving menu, it’s always a hit.
This year I had a big pie problem, how could I actually top last year’s pie? What could be better than that molten chocolate crackle pie?
Honestly, it stumped me for a while, and I tried a few other pies before landing on this recipe. But guys, this pie!!
I would never say it’s better than the molten pie, BUT it’s just as delicious in its own special way.
It’s true chocolate pie perfection…roll your eyes back delicious as we like to say over here.
The details – make that crust
The crust is simple, chocolate wafer cookies, toasted hazelnuts, and butter. The hazelnuts add a special hint of holiday flavor that I love. You don’t have to use them, but personally, I think they really make this crust.
Blend everything in a food processor until the cookies and nuts are fine crumbs, then press the mix into a pie plate and chill.
The pudding
My favorite combination of sweet flavors is anything chocolate and coffee. It’s not even that you taste the coffee, it’s more that the chocolate highlights the rich flavors of the chocolate.
So we’re making a mocha pudding with a bit of espresso, lots of chocolate, vanilla, and creamy coconut milk. If you don’t love coconut milk, you can use a mix of milk and heavy cream instead.
First, mix cornstarch with cocoa powder and a little milk to dissolve the cornstarch before cooking.
Then simmer the remaining milk on the stove with a touch of sugar. Next, add the cornstarch/chocolate milk mix and gently boil until the mix thickens into a creamy pudding. Be sure to add in plenty 0f chopped chocolate and vanilla too.
Pour the pudding into the crust…
Now the chocolate cream
I really wanted a double layer of creamy chocolate, so I whipped some cream with cocoa powder and added a splash of Kahlua. It’s so light and airy, almost like a mousse.
Spread the chocolate cream over the pudding, then chill the pie until ready to serve.
Serve it up
Just before serving, whip up a little cream and top off the pie. Add chocolate curls if you’d like, slice, and enjoy!
It’s like your favorite mocha, but creamier, and with a bit of a crunch from that sweet crust.
Yep, roll your eyes back, go for that second slice, and finish the pie in one sitting kind if good!
Thankfully, this pie recipe has no rolling out of crusts, no oven, and nothin fancy! Making it really great for your holiday table!
See ya tomorrow for our first Thanksgiving cocktail!
Looking for other Thanksgiving desserts? Here are my favorites:
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Frosting
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Lastly, if you make this Double Chocolate Mocha Pudding Pie, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch our how-to video:
Double Chocolate Mocha Pudding Pie
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 666 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 sleeve chocolate wafer cookies
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (or additional cookies)
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Pudding
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso
- 3 1/2 cups canned coconut milk (or 2 1/2 cups milk + 1 cup cream)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces 70-90% dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kahlúa (or brewed espresso)
Vanilla Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoom vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. In a food processor, pulse the cookies and nuts into fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Chill.2. To make the pudding. In bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and the espresso powder. Stir in 1 cup milk. 3. In a medium pot, combine the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk and the sugar over medium heat. Gently boil until the sugar dissolves, then add the chocolate milk mix. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and is pudding-like, 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate, then the vanilla and butter.4. Pour the pudding into the prepared crust. 5. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and Kahlúa until soft peaks form. Spread the chocolate cream over the pudding. Cover the pie and chill 4 hours or up to 5 days. 6. When ready to serve, make the vanilla cream. Whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread the cream over the pie. If desired, top with chocolate curls. Slice and enjoy!
Made this pie yesterday for Thanksgiving.
This is a great recipe, but my family likes things a bit sweeter, so just note that although it may look kind of like French Silk in the photos, this is a very dark chocolate pie.
If you like it a little sweeter, modify slightly:
– I agree with the hazelnuts, they’re worth adding to the crust, but I recommend adding a few TBL’s of sugar as well (again, only if you like a touch more of that sweet/salty taste)
– The dark chocolate pudding filling is great and easy to make. I used 70% chocolate for this part. I’d probably lower the chocolate to a Bittersweet ~50% next time.
– The mocha whipped cream topping and Vanilla topping on top of that is so good! This really helps to balance out the dark chocolate flavor of the pudding filling and is a nice accompaniment.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hello! First I will say this pie is VERY good and easy to make. A couple of feedback points to help with some confusing parts of this recipe:
1) The metrics for milk above don’t add up properly. The recipe indicates you need 1 cup of milk for the cornstarch mix and 2.5 cups of milk + 1 cup of cream for the pudding (if choosing not to use coconut milk). 3.5 cups of milk/cream to replace 2.5 cups of coconut milk doesn’t seem correct- and perhaps is why people are having issues getting their pies to set properly. I ended up using 1.25 cups of milk and 1 cup cream for the pudding and it turned out beautifully. Adding another 1.25 cups of milk would definitely make it runny.
2) You need to add a step to chill the pie in between the pudding layer and the Kahlua cream layer. My pudding layer was still pretty warm when I spread the Kahlua layer on top, and a lot of the whipped cream deflated.
3) I don’t see why adding the 2 tablespoons of butter to the pudding is necessary. I agree with others that it makes the pudding very gloppy and oily. I kind of wish I hand mixed it before pouring into the crust, but wanted to follow this part of the recipe exactly.
Hi Erin,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Thanks for sharing your feedback. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
My pie never set and was like soup taste was there but i was beyond watery:(
Hi Rona,
So sorry to hear this. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
Made this for thanksgiving and it was a hit. I didn’t have Kahlua so I subbed Patron XO cafe. About half a shot and the flavor came through significantly. It was great and set well. Seeing the three layers was a nice touch.
Hey Elizabeth,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Decided to make this pie for my mom since she loves chocolate pudding pies. I used a different recipe for the crust. Overall super easy recipe to follow to make the chocolate filling! First time making chocolate pudding
Hi Geraldine,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Every layer tasted great; I had to bake my own chocolate wafers for the crust; no issue with the butter into the pudding mix. I am a home cook, but learned from my mom and have been making pudding and pastry cream for a long time.
Will see how well it comes out of the pie plate! That’s the true test!
Hi Julie,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Okay, for those of us that don’t stay home and cook or bake all day, your are going to have to be a little more detailed in your steps. I made the pudding and put it into the crust like you said. Next step whip the cream and Kailua mix on top of the pudding, only for it to entirely melt and then drip all over in my fridge. You are a very talented girl, but go way to fast than the average home cook. Step after step doesn’t necessarily mean great Hopefully it will taste okay! Thank goodness I have other desserts.
Hi Carla,
So sorry for any confusion, I hope everything turns out okay. xTieghan
The butter did not incorporate into the chocolate pudding mixture so now I have an oily gloppy consistency and I do not think I should put it into the nice chocolate crust. Is there a fix for this or an explanation? I followed directions exactly.
Thx!
Debra
I had the same problem. I had to throw it into the mixer on high to get it to incorporate. Looks and tastes much better now.
Hey Deborah I don’t know if I’m too late to help you out or not but… I noticed the same thing when I added the butter. I pulled out one of my solid wire whisk and I whisked it really well and it actually incorporated back into it perfectly and it looks like the original pudding. It just took a little bit of elbow grease. I hope that helps!
Hi Debra,
So sorry for any confusion here, you really need to gently and fulling incorporate the butter into the pudding mixture. It may take a few minutes for this to happen. I hope this helps for next time, please let me know how the pie turns out! xTieghan
You say there is no butter in the pudding, but Step 3 says:
Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate, then the vanilla and butter.
Can you clarify please.
Thanks!
Sorry, long week:) Please follow the recipe as is! I hope you love the pie!!
Debra! I’m so sorry this happened to you but also your comment about the butter made me question whether I should add it at all and when I read Tieghan’s response that “there isn’t butter in the recipe” (even though under pudding it says 2 Tablespoons of butter and in the directions says to mix that in at the end) I decided to not add it at all and the pudding looked and tasted delicious. In future I think just skip it! Not needed at all though I still find it really weird that it is definitely in the recipe and directions to add it ??♀️
The cream melts from the pudding ???????
Great recipe for seasoned bakers that would know to cool the first pudding layer before adding the next layer of cream… I think all of your recipes are amazing but for beginner cooks they would make many mistakes so I could see the frustration.. simply cool the first layer while making the chocolate cream
Layer…
Hi Kel,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hey Kayla,
So sorry about this! You need to let the pudding cool slightly. xTieghan
I made the pie earlier today & in frig for tomorrow- my only comment is that I think instructions somewhat difficult to follow- when I put layer of chocolate cream, it stuck to pudding & then looked “runny”
Just an FYI for others- my large market chain here in Dallas said there is a supply chain issue w/ chocolate wafers & have been unavailable for months. Whole Foods has a 360 brand of chocolate brownie wafer cookie that is a good substitute. Looking forward to trying tomorrow.
The directions were a little tricky but I figured it out and the pie is sitting overnight to chill. And yes, there is a wafer shortage. I had to go to 2 different stores but found some at our local big chain. I think it’s worth making, just read through steps before you start.
Hi Sarah,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hi Michele,
Thanks for your feedback, I hope the pie is delicious! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I’m having a hard time with the chocolate whipped layer. My family doesn’t like cocounit so I followed the substitution for 2.5 cups milk and 1 cup cream and added that to the additional 1 cup heavy cream that the recipe called for. Did I misunderstand and should not have added the additional 1 cup cream?
The additional one cup of heavy cream is meant for a separate chocolate cream layer (you can sort of see it in the photo above the darker pudding layer). This was not separated in the ingredient list, but she says in the instructions, “Using an electric mixer, whip the cream [this refers to the 1 cup of heavy cream], cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and Kahlúa until soft peaks form. Spread the chocolate cream over the pudding.” The pudding layer has 3.5 cups of milk total. The chocolate cream layer has 1 cup of heavy cream. Hope this helps!
I see why Rachel is confused because there is a separate section of the recipe where 1 cup of cream is used for the Kahlua layer. The section for the pudding calls for 2.5 cups of milk AND 1 cup of cream if forgoing the coconut milk. I mentioned above that I reduced the amount of milk in my pudding so it wasn’t runny and it worked well.
Hey Rachel,
So sorry for any confusion, that extra cup of cream should be used in step 5. Please let me know if this helps! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I am making this for Thanksgiving tomorrow but was wondering if it can be made a day in advance and still taste as yummy?
Thanks so much- we LOVE all of your recipes! Fellow CO girl here as well!
Hey Meaghan,
You bet, just follow the instructions in step 5. I hope you love this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Why does my chocolate cream keep coming out really runny? ☹️☹️☹️☹️
Hi Cleo,
Sorry can you give me more info? For which step? Is there anything you are adjusting? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Could I make the topping cream ahead of time and bag it or should I just pretop it? Going over a family members house for Thanksgiving and don’t want to bring the hand mixer.
Hey Lauren,
You could make it to bring to your relative’s house. I hope you love the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I’d like to replace dairy with non dairy throughout the recipe.
Is this possible. If so, what would you recommend?
Thx and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Joyce,
I have not tested this but you could certainly give it a try with coconut cream. Please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Loved it! Only thing, my crust stuck to the pie pan. Any tips on this? I used a glass pie pan
Hey there,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Hmm the butter should have prevented it from ticking, next time try some non stick spray. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan