Fudge Pie Recipe

Name: Fudge Pie Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup cocoa; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 large eggs; 1 9- inch unbaked pie shell

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!
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!
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Slice of chocolate fudge pie on a light blue plate, placed on a blue cloth, with a fork in the background.

Ingredient notes
How we tested the pie crust
How to make fudge pie
Fudge Pie Recipe Recipe
Tips and questions

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.

Person with shoulder-length blond hair and blue glasses smiling indoors in front of a red brick wall.

I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!

A chocolate pie in a clear glass pie dish with a slice missing, revealing a dark, rich filling and a flaky crust. Cracks are visible on the pie's surface.

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.

A fudge pie with a cracked top sits on a metal baking tray.

A chocolate pie with a cracked top sits in a foil pie pan on a baking sheet, placed on a stovetop.

A homemade chocolate pie with a thick, slightly cracked top crust sits on a cooling rack over a granite countertop.

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.

A homemade fudge pie with a cracked top sits in a metal pie pan on a baking sheet.

A chocolate pie with a cracked, slightly risen top in a metal pie tin on a baking sheet.

A fudge pie with a cracked, uneven top rests on a wire rack over a speckled countertop.

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.

A freshly baked chocolate pie with a golden crust sits in a glass pie dish on a kitchen counter.

A fudge pie with a light brown filling and golden crust in a clear glass pie dish is sitting on a metal tray in an oven.

A chocolate fudge pie in a glass pie dish rests on a wooden trivet atop a marble surface.

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.

A glass bowl with melted butter being whisked. Nearby are eggs in a carton, flour, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract on a marble countertop.

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!

A glass bowl filled with chocolate cake batter next to a pink spatula and an empty pie crust on a marble countertop.

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.

Unbaked chocolate pie with a fluted crust in a glass pie dish on a marble surface.

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.

A chocolate pie in a glass dish on a marble surface with one slice removed. A blue cloth napkin and a white plate with a fork are nearby.

A fork cutting into a slice of fudge pie with a flaky crust on a white plate.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!

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4.61 from 154 votes

A simple fudge pie made with basic ingredients. Gooey in the center with a crisp top.

Prep: 10

Cook: 35

Total: 45

Servings: 8 servings

Save This Recipe

A slice of fudge pie on a stack of two plates, with a golden flaky crust and rich, creamy filling, set on a marble surface. A blue cloth is in the background.

Equipment

Ingredients

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

Tips for Making the Best Fudge Pie:

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.

Adapted from Southern Living’s Fudge Pie in Quick and Easy Recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 8servings, Calories: 464kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 5g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 315mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 37g

Course: Pies

Cuisine: American

Calories: 464

Keyword: fudge pie, Southern Living fudge pie

Leave a comment and ★★★★★ rating below!

Tips and questions

If using a frozen crust, allow it to thaw before baking.

Do you need to blind bake the crust?

You don’t need to par-bake or blind bake the crust for this pie.

Can you make the filling in advance?

Yes, you can make the fudge pie filling a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.

Fudge Pie Recipe