Easy French Silk Pie (No Bake Crust)

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A rich and creamy chocolate French silk pie made with a chocolate cookie crust, a smooth and airy filling, and topped with cream. The eggs in the filling are gently heated so they are safe to consume.

You might also like my banana cream slab pie, homemade cream puffs, or chocolate brownie trifle.

My children do not share my absolute love of fruit pies, such as apple slab pie, cherry pie, or peach pie. That doesn't stop me from making one or two for Thanksgiving, but I always make sure to have a cream pie that I know the whole family will love. We are huge fans of Marie Callender's chocolate satin pie, which you can buy in the freezer section at the grocery store. I finally bit the bullet and created a homemade version that is even better. One truly worthy to be served at a holiday dinner. It is actually a French silk pie, and while it takes a few steps, it is easy to make and absolutely to-die-for.

Why I Like This Recipe

No-bake crust. If you don't like making pie crust, this recipe is for you. You can totally use a baked buttermilk pie crust for this pie, but I prefer a chocolate crust using Oreos. It's a no-bake crust that is rich and full of chocolate flavor. It comes together in less than 10 minutes, with no rolling or pastry-cutting involved.
Rich chocolate flavor. The richness and burst of chocolate flavor come from using unsweetened chocolate. No need to buy name-brand or fancy chocolate; I always use store-brand baking chocolate. A 4-ounce bar provides the pie with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor, and the sweetness comes from the sugar in the cream and filling. You can use a semi-sweet chocolate bar, if you prefer, but I highly recommend using unsweetened chocolate.
Simplified process. French silk pies are notorious for their many steps. My version eliminates a few steps, simplifying the process. I use a no-bake crust, which is a breeze to assemble. No need to bake, no need to roll out. I also make one batch of whipped cream vs. two. I use half in the pie and half on top. Many recipes call for making two separate batches. You don't need to do that.
Minimal chilling. My chocolate French silk pie sets up quickly and only needs to chill for 2 hours before serving. You can, of course, chill it for up to 3 days, making it a wonderful make-ahead dessert.

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Why I Like This Recipe
Tips and Tricks
Ingredients
How To Make Chocolate French Silk Pie
French Silk Pie FAQs
More No Bake Recipes To Make
Easy French Silk Pie

Slice of French silk pie on a white plate with a forkful of pie next to it.

Tips and Tricks

Heat the eggs. French silk pies start with a mixture of sugar and eggs. Traditional pies call for raw eggs, but I took inspiration from Betty Crocker and heated my eggs. We are NOT cooking the eggs; we are simply heating them to a low 160 degrees, which makes them safe to consume. It's a super simple process that doesn't require anything fancy. Just a saucepan and a digital thermometer. If you have a double boiler, I recommend using it, but you don't need one.
Homemade whipped cream. If you prefer to quicken the process and use Cool Whip, you can. You'll need 3-4 cups of Cool Whip for this French silk pie. However, homemade whipped cream is easy to make and comes together quickly using basic ingredients. It also has an amazing flavor.
Add whipped cream before serving. I prefer to add whipped cream to the top of my pie after it has had a chance to chill, rather than topping it with whipped cream immediately after pouring the room temperature filling into the crust, but it's a personal preference.
How to store a French silk pie. This chocolate French silk pie should be stored in the refrigerator and will stay fresh for 3-5 days. Once set up, you can wrap it in plastic.

Ingredients

Unsweetened bar of chocolate, bowl of chocolate cookies, bowls of sugar and powdered sugar, 3 eggs, 2 sticks of butter, bowl of vanilla and cup of whipping cream.

Chocolate Cookies: I use chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos). You don't need to scrape the filling off the cookies; you can just use the entire cookie.
Butter: Melted butter is used for the crust, and softened butter for the filling.
Eggs: Room temperature or chilled eggs, it doesn't matter.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar is used for the filling.
Chocolate: Unsweetened baking chocolate, finely chopped, melts down beautifully for making French silk pie. You can use a bar of semisweet chocolate if you'd prefer, but the chocolate flavor will not be as rich.
Heavy Whipping Cream: You'll whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to create a homemade whipped cream. Half is folded into the filling and the other half is spread over the chilled pie.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Chocolate French Silk Pie

Bar of unsweetened chocolate chopped finely.

Step 1: Finely chop one bar of unsweetened chocolate. Set aside.

Step 2: Add cookies to a food processor or blender and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Mix in melted butter.

Step 3: Press cookie crumb mixture into a 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Use the back of a spoon to evenly press the mixture up the sides of the pie pan. Freeze pie crust until ready to fill.

Glass bowl with eggs and sugar whisked together.

Step 4: Combine eggs and granulated sugar in a glass or metal mixing bowl.

Note: if using the double-boiler method, the bowl should snugly fit on top of a saucepan. If not, it doesn't matter what bowl you mix the eggs in.

Hands placing bowl of egg mixture on top of a double boiler.

Step 5: Heat the egg mixture over low to medium heat. Remember, we are not cooking it; we are just making it safe to consume. You can do this with a double boiler (I use a bowl and a saucepan to create a makeshift one) or without one.

Double-boiler method: Add an inch of water to a saucepan and bring to a constant simmer on medium heat. Set the bowl on top, ensuring the bottom of the bowl is 1 to 2 inches above the water level. Stir, scraping the side of the bowl as it heats.

Saucepan method: If not using a double boiler, transfer the egg/sugar mixture to a saucepan and cook over low to medium heat, stirring continuously as it heats.

Digital thermometer inserted into bowl of egg and sugar mixture.

Step 6: Continue stirring until the mixture reads 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat.

Bowl of egg mixture and chopped chocolate being mixed together.

Step 7: Set the hot bowl on a hot pad or heat-resistant surface. Mix in finely chopped chocolate.

Whisk stirring bowl of melted chocolate mixture.

Step 8: Stir until completely melted and smooth.

Whisk mixing butter into chocolate mixture.

Step 9: Mix in softened butter.

Step 10: Let cool for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The mixture should be just warm, almost room temperature.

Step 11: Beat COLD whipping cream with an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. DO NOT OVERMIX.

Red spatulat folding cream into chocolate mixture.

Step 12: Gently fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the chocolate mixture.

Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream to spread over the finished pie later.

Step 13: Pour the chocolate filling into the frozen pie crust and spread it evenly. It will be very full. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2-3 hours.

Note: If making this pie the day before you need it, you can cover it with plastic wrap after it has chilled for 2 hours. At that point, it will be set up.

No bake French silk pie topped with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.

Step 14: Top with remaining whipped cream and garnish with mini chocolate chips before serving.

Leftover pie can be stored for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

The calories are based off of 8 slices/pie, but this pie is rich and can easily be divided into 12 slices.

French Silk Pie FAQs

What is the best chocolate for French silk pie?

This will differ from person to person, but I find that using a store-brand bar of unsweetened chocolate yields fantastic results. Chocolate is so expensive these days, and I haven't seen a reason to buy a more costly or quality version. You can use unsweetened, bittersweet, or semisweet. I prefer unsweetened for a rich chocolate flavor, sweetened by the sugar in the cream and filling.

Do you need to heat the eggs for French silk pie?

French silk pies start with a mixture of sugar and eggs. Traditional pies call for raw eggs, but I took inspiration from Betty Crocker and heated my eggs. We are NOT cooking the eggs; we are simply heating them to a low 160 degrees, which makes them safe to consume. It's a super simple process that doesn't require anything fancy. Just a saucepan and a digital thermometer. If you have a double boiler, even better, but you don't need one.

What size pie pan should I use for silk pie?

I used a 9-inch pie pan, but a 10-inch pie pan or even a 9-inch square baking dish would work.

How do you store French silk pie?

Leftover pie can be stored for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.