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This microwave chocolate pie is rich, smooth, and wonderfully easy, with a creamy chocolate filling tucked into an Oreo crust. You make the custard in one big glass bowl, whisk it between microwave bursts, melt in the chocolate, and pour it into a cookie crust. You’re going to love how quickly it comes together—and how fast it disappears.
Why You’ll Love It
- Microwave easy — the custard comes together in one large glass bowl with no stovetop stirring.
- Rich chocolate filling — smooth, thick pudding-like custard melts into a dark, glossy pie filling.
- Oreo crust crunch — the cookie crust adds the perfect bit of texture to the creamy filling.
- Make-ahead friendly — once chilled, the pie slices beautifully and is ready when you are.
- Flexible chocolate amount — use four or six squares of baking chocolate depending on what you have.
Ingredient Notes
Use heavy cream here, not half-and-half. The cream is part of what gives the filling that rich, old-fashioned feel, even though we’re making it in a microwave like sensible modern people.
For the milk, regular dairy milk is what I use. I wouldn’t get too fancy with it. This recipe is already doing a lot with very ordinary ingredients, and that’s part of its charm.
You’ll need semisweet baking chocolate—the one-ounce squares, chopped up small so they melt easily into the hot custard. The original amount is six squares, but four is still plenty chocolatey. I usually use four, then act surprised when everyone asks for another piece.
The coffee or Kahlua is optional, truly. It doesn’t make the pie taste like a mocha drink; it just deepens the chocolate a bit. I like strong black coffee in mine because there is nearly always some sitting around in the pot, getting bitter and neglected. If you use Kahlua, that’s lovely too. If you leave it out, nobody will call the dessert police.
For the crust, homemade Oreo crust is easy as pie—well, easier than pie crust, anyway. Crush the Oreos finely and mix them with melted Butter. You can use a premade chocolate or Oreo cookie crust if you’re short on time or simply not in the mood to press crumbs into a pie plate. Some days you make the crust. Some days you buy the crust and sit down for five minutes while it’s still quiet.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 4 to 6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons strong black coffee or Kahlua, optional—but nice if you have it
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups finely crushed Oreos, for the homemade crust
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted—that’s half a stick
- Whipped cream or dessert topping, for serving
- 1 premade chocolate or Oreo cookie crust, if you’d rather skip the homemade crust
Instructions
Start by chopping your semisweet baking chocolate into small pieces with a sharp knife. Set it aside nearby. Don’t leave it across the kitchen, because once that custard is hot and ready, you’ll want the chocolate close at hand. I’ve done the little frantic kitchen shuffle looking for something while the microwave beeps at me. Not my finest hour.
In a large microwave-safe glass bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk it until it looks smooth and well blended. Take a minute here to get those yolks fully mixed in—nobody wants little eggy bits in a chocolate pie. That is not a charming rustic touch. That is a mistake.
Microwave the mixture on high for 3 minutes. This timing is based on a 1000-watt microwave, so yours may be a little different. Mine now has more buttons than an airplane cockpit, and I still only use “time cook.”
Take the bowl out carefully—it may be warm—and whisk the mixture well. Then microwave it in 1-minute increments, whisking after every single minute, until it thickens like pudding. It may take up to 6 additional minutes, depending on your microwave. Do not wander off to fold laundry or answer the door. I mean, you can, but that’s how you end up with a strange thick ring around the edge and a bad attitude.
Once the custard is thick, stir in the vanilla extract. At this point, before you add chocolate, you actually have a lovely Vanilla Custard. You could serve it just as it is or use it as the base for another custard dessert. I have every intention of doing that one day. I have also had every intention of organizing the hall closet.
Add the chopped chocolate to the hot custard and stir until every bit is melted and the filling is smooth, dark, and glossy. Stir in the coffee or Kahlua now, if you’re using it. The smell at this point is enough to make a person forget they were ever trying to eat less sugar.
If making the homemade Oreo crust, mix the finely crushed Oreos with the melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into a pie plate, across the bottom and up the sides. Firmly matters. The first time I made a crumb crust, I sort of patted it in lazily and the whole thing crumbled when sliced.
Pour the hot chocolate filling into your homemade crust or a premade chocolate or Oreo cookie crust. Refrigerate until chilled and set. Serve with whipped cream or dessert topping over the top. A little extra Never hurt anybody. That’s not medically accurate, probably, but you understand.
Variations
If you want a slightly darker, deeper chocolate flavor, use all six squares of semisweet chocolate and add the strong coffee. It’s rich. Not bitter, just more serious somehow. The four-square version is still plenty good, though, and frankly I prefer being able to make two pies from one box of chocolate.
I once tried making the crust with a different chocolate cookie because the store was out of Oreos, or perhaps I was just too stubborn to go to another store. It was fine. Fine is not the same as good. The Oreo crust has that particular cocoa flavor and texture that really belongs here. Sometimes substitutions are clever; sometimes they’re just a reminder to buy Oreos next time.
Storage & Reheating
Keep leftover pie covered in the refrigerator. It’s best within a few days, though “leftover pie” is a phrase that does not come up much around here. The filling stays nice and creamy cold.
There’s no reheating needed—please don’t microwave a slice of this pie. It is meant to be chilled, cool and silky against that crumbly crust. If the whipped cream has started looking a little droopy after a day, just add a fresh dollop when you serve it. Nobody will know, and if they do, they’re being awfully picky for someone receiving chocolate pie.
I usually store slices right in the pie plate with foil loosely over the top.
Final Notes
There’s something almost ridiculous about how much comfort can come from a cold slice of chocolate pie. It’s eggs, milk, sugar, chocolate, crumbs. Nothing earth-shattering. Yet it has a way of making a regular Tuesday feel less like a Tuesday.
I think that’s why I keep coming back to recipes like this one. They don’t ask for much. A bowl, a whisk, a microwave, a little patience between those one-minute bursts. And then there it is—smooth chocolate filling, Oreo crust, whipped cream softening around the edges.
Make two if you can. I know that sounds excessive, and I’m usually the person telling everyone we do not need another dessert in the refrigerator. But this pie goes fast. One is for dinner, supposedly, and the other is for the next day when somebody opens the fridge, sees it sitting there, and says, “Well… we can’t just let it go to waste.”
Microwave Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 4 to 6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons strong black coffee or Kahlua optional
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups finely crushed Oreos for the homemade crust
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- whipped cream or dessert topping for serving
- 1 premade chocolate or Oreo cookie crust optional, if skipping the homemade crust
Instructions
- Chop the semisweet baking chocolate into small pieces with a sharp knife and set it aside nearby.
- In a large microwave-safe glass bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and well blended.
- Microwave the mixture on high for 3 minutes, using a 1000-watt microwave as the timing guide.
- Carefully remove the warm bowl and whisk well, then microwave in 1-minute increments, whisking after every minute, until the custard thickens like pudding, up to 6 additional minutes.
- Once the custard is thick, stir in the vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Add the chopped chocolate to the hot custard and stir until completely melted and the filling is smooth, dark, and glossy, then stir in the coffee or Kahlua if using.
- If making the homemade Oreo crust, mix the finely crushed Oreos with the melted butter and press the mixture firmly into a pie plate across the bottom and up the sides.
- Pour the hot chocolate filling into the homemade crust or a premade chocolate or Oreo cookie crust, then refrigerate until chilled and set.
- Serve the chilled pie with whipped cream or dessert topping over the top.