This delicious Chocolate Meringue Pie recipe has a creamy chocolate filling and fluffy meringue, baked in a flaky crust. An old fashioned recipe you’ll love!
For another crowd-pleasing pie recipe, try this Banana Cream Pie. If creamy chocolate desserts are your favorite, you’ll also love my Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe.
Chocolate Pie With Meringue Topping
I enjoy a traditional Lemon Meringue Pie, but sometimes I crave a more indulgent version with chocolate. The result? This Chocolate Meringue Pie.
If you imagine lemon meringue pie with a chocolate filling instead of tart lemon, that’s what you get here. It reminds me a little bit of my French Silk Pie Recipe, but with fluffy meringue on top instead of whipped cream!
- This is the kind of dessert that will impress your guests (or family) when you make it. And who wouldn’t appreciate some recognition for their efforts in baking?!
- The filling is rich and decadent, with cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate for double the chocolate flavor.
- If you’d like, you can start with store-bought pie crust to give yourself a little shortcut, but you must make everything else from scratch. No pudding mix used here!
(Do you love meringue? Try these Chocolate Meringue Cookies and my Strawberry Meringues Recipe!)
Important Ingredient Notes
- Eggs – You’ll separate all your eggs. We will use the whites in the meringue and the yolks in the chocolate filling.
- Cream of tartar – This helps the egg whites stiffen.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Be sure to use cocoa powder, not cocoa mix, which has sugar added to it.
- Whole milk – Using whole milk will give you maximum creaminess.
- Semi-sweet chocolate bar – Use a high-quality chocolate for best results.
- Pie crust – I like to use my buttery, flaky Homemade Pie Crust. But a store bought refrigerated pie crust will work great too.
How to Make A Chocolate Meringue Pie
When making an old fashioned chocolate meringue pie, you’ll break it up into several steps. Be sure to scroll all the way down to the printable recipe card for full instructions!
Make the Meringue:
- Whisk the sugar and water for the meringue in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar starts dissolving. As soon as the sugar starts simmering on the edges, stop whisking.
- Add a candy thermometer to the pan and continue to heat until the temperature reaches 240ºF.
- While the syrup is heating, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until the mixture is foamy.
- Once the syrup has reached 240ºF, slowly pour it into egg white mixture. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set it aside.
Make the Chocolate Filling:
- Combine the white sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, be careful not to let it boil. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, temper the eggs by whisking them together and adding about 1/2 cup of the warm cocoa mixture. Add the egg yolk mixture to the remaining cocoa mixture in the saucepan and set the pan over medium heat.
- Stir the salt, vanilla extract, and chopped chocolate until the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth.
- Pour the rich chocolate filling into the baked pie crust.
Assemble, Bake, and Chill:
- Add the meringue over the warm filling. Use a spoon to make some small peaks in the meringue.
- Bake the pie in a 425ºF oven for about 7 minutes, or until the tops of the peaks are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the pie cool completely to room temperature for about an hour.
- Refrigerate for at least 7 hours or up to overnight. Serve chilled.
Tips and Tricks
- Cream of tartar helps egg whites stiffen. If you don’t have any, you can use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice as a substitute.
- You can substitute 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate bar if you have chocolate chips on hand.
- Chill the pie for at least 7 hours for smooth, sliceable results. You can insert toothpicks in the top of the pie to hold up the plastic wrap so it’s not in direct contact with the meringue.
- Store chocolate meringue pie in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After this, the meringue will begin to get weepy.
- A chocolate Oreo pie crust is also delicious, and easier to make than a pastry crust.
- You could use a creme brulee torch instead of the oven, but the oven browns the top more evenly.
More Chocolate Pie Recipes
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Grasshopper Pie
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cream Pie
- Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Pie
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Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe
This delicious Chocolate Meringue Pie recipe has a creamy chocolate filling and fluffy meringue, baked in a flaky crust. An old fashioned recipe you'll love!
Ingredients
For the Meringue
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup room temperature water
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
For the Pie
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 bar (4 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped
- 1 9-inch pie crust, baked
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water for the meringue. Whisk until sugar starts to dissolve.
- As soon as the sugar starts to simmer on the edges, stop whisking (to preven sugar crystals from forming). Add a candy thermometer and heat until temperature reaches 240 degrees F (and the mixture becomes syrupy). This process will take about 15-20 minutes.
- While the mixture is heating, beat egg whites with cream of tartar in a large bowl until foamy (I like to use an electric mixer with whisk attachment for this).
- Once the syrup has reached 240 degrees F, remove from heat immediately and slowly pour into egg white foamy mixture. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks have formed. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and milk. Stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken (but remove it before it begins to boil). Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, temper the eggs by whisking them together and adding about 1/2 cup of the warm cocoa mixture. This prevents them from curdling.
- Add egg yolk mixture to cocoa mixture in saucepan and place over medium heat. When the cocoa custard begins to boil, remove from heat and add in salt, vanilla, and chopped chocolate bars. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Pour chocolate mixture into baked pie crust and immediately add the merignue over the warm filling. Use a spoon to make some small peaks in the meringue, then bake the whole pie for about 7 minutes, until the top of the peaks have lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 7 hours, or overnight. Serve cold.
Notes
- Cream of tartar will help the egg whites stiffen. Don’t skip this ingredient! You could use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice if you don’t have cream of tartar.
- Feel free to swap out the chocolate bar for about 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
- Chill pie for at least 7 hours. Use toothpicks in the top of the pie and cover with pastic wrap gently. Keep in fridge for up to 2 days. Any more than that and the meringue layer gets weepy.
- A chocolate oreo pie crust is also delicious.
- You could use a creme brulee torch instead of the oven, but I feel the oven provides a more even browning on the meringue!
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 291kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 105mg, Sodium: 199mg, Potassium: 198mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 53g, Vitamin A: 229IU, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!
