Find out why millions of readers over the last 15 years have made and loved this fudge pie. It’s so easy to make with no fancy ingredients. We’ve kept it simple with cocoa powder, butter, eggs, sugar, a touch of flour, and vanilla, all poured into a pie crust. Takes about 45 minutes from start to finish for a company-worthy dessert.
Wish I could give this 10 stars, it’s so deserving!
pat
Best fudge pie hands down! I used a no roll pie crust and it was beyond amazing❣️ A family favorite in my recipe book! Wish I could add a pic, I topped with whipped cream and shaved a dark chocolate bar on top. Was beautiful and SO easy! Thanks for sharing this wonderful. easy dessert!
Table of Contents
If you ask my family what they want for dessert, hands down, every single one of us will say something like chocolate. Chocolate Chess pie, chocolate cake, chocolate something — which doesn’t mean we don’t like other desserts. Give me a good Creme Brulee any day!
But overall, we crave chocolate. Which probably helps explain the preponderance of chocolate recipes on this site and why we love this fudge pie so much!
Testing results for fudge pie
- We tested this pie with baker’s chocolate and with Hershey’s cocoa powder, and our tasters preferred both the taste and the texture of the version with cocoa powder.
- We tested this recipe using a frozen deep-dish crust, a homemade pie crust, and a refrigerated pie crust. Each iteration bakes up slightly differently. I’ve provided more details below that will help you regardless of which crust you use, along with my recommendations.
Why this recipe is amazing
TASTE: This fudge pie is gooey and full of chocolate flavor from the Hershey’s cocoa. It is absolutely divine, and our readers have raved about it for years.
EASY: Pie-making doesn’t get any easier than this! You don’t have to pull out the mixer, although you certainly can. This fudge pie is mixed up in one bowl, and the batter is poured into the crust. That’s it. No fuss, no muss.
I love that this is a chocolate pie with cocoa, so you don’t have to bother with melting chocolate or even remembering to buy chocolate. I may not always have baking chocolate in my pantry, but I ALWAYS have cocoa!
MAKE-AHEAD DESSERT: This pie keeps for days and tastes just as good on day three as it does on day one. If I have to take a dessert somewhere, this pie is in my top five list of things to make because it’s a great make-ahead option and transports easily.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredient notes
The ingredients for this chocolate fudge pie are basic and stuff you likely have in your pantry and fridge right now. After you make this fudge pie once, you’ll probably make sure that you always have these ingredients handy so you can make it again on the spur of the moment! Here are some things to be aware of:
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Pie crust: I have more information in the testing notes below regarding the pie crust, but TL:DR is that we prefer homemade pie crust or refrigerated pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate
Cocoa powder: We use regular Hershey’s cocoa powder almost exclusively in our kitchen, and it works best in this recipe.
How we tested the pie crust
We tested this recipe using a deep-dish frozen pie crust, a regular 9-inch frozen pie crust, a refrigerated pie crust, and a homemade pie crust.
Results of test with frozen deep-dish pie crust:
The fudge pie made in the frozen deep-dish pie crust took longer to bake and didn’t turn out well.
- The filling fits perfectly in the deep-dish pie crust.
- The pie puffs up dramatically and then deflates, leaving cracks in the top, which may cause the top crust to fall off.
- The pie takes longer to bake, so the edges get overbaked.
Conclusion: NOT RECOMMENDED.
Results of regular 9-inch frozen pie crust:
The fudge pie made in the 9-inch frozen pie crust turns out okay, but must be adjusted for size.
- A frozen 9-inch pie crust is actually smaller than a 9-inch pie plate. Since this recipe was designed for a standard 9-inch pie plate, there is too much filling for the frozen pie crust. You can adjust this by removing 1 1/4 cups of fudge pie filling.
- This pie puffed up quite a bit and then deflated, although not as badly as the deep-dish pie.
Conclusion: RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS DUE TO EXTRA FILLING AND PUFFING.
Results of refrigerated pie crust and homemade pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate:
The testing results for the refrigerated pie crust and the homemade pie crust were the same.
- This fudge pie works best when made with the 9-inch pie crust placed in a 9-inch pie plate. We like a standard glass pie plate like this one.
- The amount of pie filling is perfect for a standard 9-inch pie crust.
- The refrigerated and homemade crusts don’t release as much moisture as the frozen crusts, and the pie does not puff up as much.
Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
How to make fudge pie
This pie is so easy that even kids can make it almost all by themselves. My grandkids have been making this pie for years.
Melt butter.
Start by melting 3/4 cup of unsalted butter in a large bowl in the microwave. Let that cool for a few minutes, then stir in 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar.
Whisk sugar into butter.
Use a hand mixer or whisk to dissolve the sugar, and keep in mind the sugar won’t dissolve completely until baking. The mixture will feel slightly grainy, which is perfectly fine.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3. Add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and three eggs to the sugar. Beat or whisk all together until batter is smooth.
I prefer to use a hand mixer, but I have used a whisk at times as well. This old-fashioned fudge pie recipe is a KISS pie — you know what that means!
Bake the pie.
Pour the batter into an unbaked 9-inch pie crust and bake at 350° for about 40 minutes or until the center is almost set. Your tester should show wet crumbs but not wet batter coating it.
Remove and cool completely before slicing.
Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. The top should have a slight crust, and there may be a few cracks here and there.
Note: While we do not have the willpower to wait a whole day before digging into this pie, our testing has shown that 24 hours can make a big difference in how well the pie sets up for cleaner slices.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Fudge Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 9- inch unbaked pie shell
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Melt butter in large, microwave safe bowl. Add sugar to melted butter and use a hand mixer or whisk to combine until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add additional ingredients and beat or whisk until well blended.
- Pour into pie crust and bake about 40 minutes, or until center is set and toothpick has gooey wet crumbs. Make sure you don't overbake.
Video
Notes
- Use a hand mixer for best results.
- Use a refrigerated pie crust or homemade.
- If using a frozen pie shell, only pour the filling to the inside top edge or the pie will overflow. Or use a deep-dish pie shell and adjust baking time accordingly. Note: We only recommend a homemade or refrigerated pie crust in a standard 9-inch pie plate, not a frozen one. See our testing notes for details.
Nutrition
Tips and questions
If using a frozen crust, allow it to thaw before baking.
You don’t need to par-bake or blind bake the crust for this pie.
Yes, you can make the fudge pie filling a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
Love stories from the kitchen and your sister in law sounds like a hoot!! Sorry for your loss but so glad you have a funny reminder of her in your kitchen !
To me food has the best memories
It seems that nearly everything I cook brings memories of old friends and strangely enough, cooking helps me draw on fond memories of friends turned “no longer friends”. The kitchen is my happy place because it brings warmth and smiles to my loved ones faces.
I cannot wait to mAke this ( I have to use coconut oil instead of butter , I’ll let u know how it turns out?
Love stories from the kitchen and your sister in law sounds like a hoot!! Sorry for your loss but so glad you have a funny reminder of her in your kitchen !
To me food has the best memories
It seems that nearly everything I cook brings memories of old friends and strangely enough, cooking helps me draw on fond memories of friends turned “no longer friends”. The kitchen is my happy place because it brings warmth and smiles to my loved ones faces.
I cannot wait to mAke this ( I have to use coconut oil instead of butter , I’ll let u know how it turns out?
I need to make this for my daughter’s teacher. However I will need to do it the night before.. Would I need to refrigerate (and how does it taste cold) or leave it out for room temperature? Or is this delicious looking pie great only when hot out of oven? 🙂
It is delicious at room temperature. I never refrigerate it so I think you will be fine.
My grandmother used to serve it with Cool Whip and the tastes together are just wonderful. 🙂
Do you use a frozen pre-made crust? If so should the crust defrost first?
I don’t typically use a frozen pie crust but I would follow the instructions on the pie crust package as to whether to thaw or not. Note – if you do use frozen, I discovered they are actually smaller than my 9-inch glass pie plate so don’t pour all of the batter into the frozen pie crust or it will overflow and make a chocolate mess!
I am obsessed with this pie lol. Making it again tomorrow for my Mom’s birthday!! She used to make a fudge pie years ago but lost the receipe. Thanks for sharing we are in Chocolate Heaven!!
I made this pie for my brother and only got a small piece. Then I tried some others, this one is by FAR the best one!! Thanks!!!
Thank you, Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie. It’s one of our family favorites.
I made this pie for my brother and only got a small piece. Then I tried some others, this one is by FAR the best one!! Thanks!!!
My pies are in the oven i learned to bake pies by my great uncle he was famous for his fudge pie and i was the only one who carried his recipe in the family so when he passed i continued the tradition well it has been a few years since i last made one and two kids,later my mind got a little fuzzy i could remember a few things so when i got asked to bake the famous pies i was too embarrassed to say i forgot considering im the only one who knew but after seeing this recipe it brought it all back to me thank you for helping me keep my great uncles famous pies alive today!
That’s so great…I hope your pies turned out fantastic!
My pies are in the oven i learned to bake pies by my great uncle he was famous for his fudge pie and i was the only one who carried his recipe in the family so when he passed i continued the tradition well it has been a few years since i last made one and two kids,later my mind got a little fuzzy i could remember a few things so when i got asked to bake the famous pies i was too embarrassed to say i forgot considering im the only one who knew but after seeing this recipe it brought it all back to me thank you for helping me keep my great uncles famous pies alive today!
I did exactly what the recipe said but mine just turned into a brownie on the inside 🙁 do you know why that happened?
Lindsey, I’m sorry that happened! I don’t know why unless maybe it cooked too long. Ovens can have different calibration so yours could be hotter. Hope it still tastes good!
It just taste like brownie so I guess it’s fine. Just not what I was looking forward to xD I’m going to have to try again and just watch it closely or turn the heat down. I thought that was probably the problem.
Be sure to use all purpose and not self rising flour or it will be brownies.
Hi Bob,
The recipe does specify all-purpose. Thanks!
I worked for a catering company and we did a lot of funcitons in a victorian home in the nw area of arkansas, and my boss made these. He always made sure he made me one of my own, and i asked for the recipe for years and he wouldn’t give it up. So now with the computer age i was able to find it and WOW it’s funny how something like this can bring back such awesome memories. My friend is now deceased and i think of him often. Just wanted to share that!!!
Food is all about memories. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I worked for a catering company and we did a lot of funcitons in a victorian home in the nw area of arkansas, and my boss made these. He always made sure he made me one of my own, and i asked for the recipe for years and he wouldn’t give it up. So now with the computer age i was able to find it and WOW it’s funny how something like this can bring back such awesome memories. My friend is now deceased and i think of him often. Just wanted to share that!!!
Just curious if you have ever tried this with a graham cracker crust?
Hi Rick,
I have not but I’m sure it would be delicious!
I often use graham cracker crust with pies, and they are always better to me and my family.
Can I substitute chocolate syrup for cocoa powder ??
No, I don’t think that would work. Chocolate syrup would dilute the flavor and change the texture.
LUCY,I Love your story! My mother-in-law always made this for me and it was my favorite! She always made one for my wife and kids and one just for me that no one else was allowed to touch! The old stories about hating your mother-in-law is definitely not true in my case. She lived with us for 10 years and I loved her and her chocolate pie!
Eric,
Love that you were close to your mother-in-law. Food is such a huge part of family lore and family life. Thanks so much for visiting In a Southern Kitchen!
I am headed to grocery. I need to make this ASAP!!!
You will love it! So easy and so yummy.
Is this chess pie? I’ve never had it, but always wanted to. This looks fantastic.
Karen
Hi Karen,
This is not chess pie, although there is a chocolate chess pie. The texture of this pie is different from chess pie. It’s delicious so give it a try and let me know what you think.
Don’t wait til Thanksgiving to try this pie! You will love it.
I’m sure that this pie and your caramelized banana ice cream will be on my Thanksgiving menu! I can’t wait 🙂