This chocolate mousse pie is the ultimate decadent dessert. With a rich chocolate filling and a buttery flaky crust, it’s perfect for any occasion. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just craving a sweet treat, this easy recipe will wow your taste buds!
Welcome to Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Desserts! On Day 1, there were cake balls and sprinkles. On Day 2, we mousse!
It’s baking season! But even for someone who loves baking, I’ll admit: it can sometimes feel daunting or stressful. The good news is it doesn’t have to! Rome wasn’t built in a day, and if you’re not in a rush, your chocolate mousse pie doesn’t have to be either.
The beautiful thing about this easy chocolate mousse pie is that it can be built over several days. One small, manageable step at a time.
In fact, this homemade pie is all about simplicity: the crust is a classic all-butter flaky dough, made with staple ingredients like flour, butter, and water. The filling is the simplest version of chocolate mousse, using just cream, milk, and chocolate.
As with every simple dish, understanding the basics is key to a great final product. Let’s briefly go over the details of this homemade chocolate mousse pie so you can make it perfectly, every time.
Chocolate Mousse Pie – Why You’ll Love This Recipe
As I’ve mentioned before, this pie is about keeping things simple. But it’s not about compromising on taste and quality.
The dough I used for this recipe is Claire Saffitz’s all-butter pie crust. A butter pie crust is something of a baking miracle: the fact that a handful of staple ingredients thrown together can turn into the most buttery, flakiest pie crust is almost unbelievable.
Read through the recipe and you’ll see how easy it is to make, and it’ll become your go-to pie crust recipe too!
The dough can be made ahead of time and be stored in the fridge for up to three days before baking. Just make sure it’s tightly wrapped in plastic. You can also store it in the freezer for up to three months! I like keeping one in the freezer just in case, because this dough is versatile — you can use it for a multitude of recipes.
Since the chocolate filling for this chocolate mousse pie is a no-bake situation, it needs a little time to set. You can make it a few hours ahead of serving, or even the day before — whatever fits your schedule.
And lastly, all it really needs is a generous topping of whipped cream and chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa powder.
For the whipped cream, the recipe calls for crème fraîche, which adds a nice tangy element to pie. If you’re using dark chocolate, you might not need the extra sharpness, but if you’re using milk chocolate, the crème fraîche offers a really lovely balance to the sweetness of the filling.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To make the best chocolate mousse pie, make sure to get good quality butter – your entire crust depends on it!! This post on this all-butter flaky crust goes into all the details and tips on how to make the best pie dough. Make sure to check it out.
As mentioned, you can bake the dough ahead of time and store it in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to three days.
You can make the filling on the day you’re serving or the day before. It needs at least three hours to set in the fridge, but it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare. All you need to do is chop the chocolate, heat the milk and cream, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, and then fold it into the chocolate mixture.
While the milk and cream come to a gentle simmer, finely chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Pour the warm milk mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
The warm milk mixture will melt the chocolate, and then all you have to do is blend it until smooth.
In the meantime, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. This will be rather quickly, you want the consistency to be quite loose. So don’t overbeat it!
In order to keep your mousse light and aerated, whisk the cream in thirds into the chocolate, gently whisking each time in a folding motion.
You’ll end up with a loose mixture, but don’t worry, it’ll properly set in the fridge.
Variations and Substitutions
There’s not much going on here: you have a crust, a filling, and a topping. Pretty straightforward, but there’s plenty of room for variations!
Want to make things more interesting? Add a caramel layer to the bottom.
Don’t like 70% chocolate? Use milk chocolate instead — or even a mix of both.
Find whipped cream boring and predictable? For this recipe, I like adding a little Greek yogurt and crème fraîche to the whipped cream, which adds a tart flavor and balances the overall taste of the pie, especially if you’re using milk chocolate.
Of course, you can also use only crème fraîche, or add mascarpone to the whipped cream. Finish it off with chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa powder for a beautifully presented pie.
If you make this rich and creamy chocolate mousse pie, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you and about your favorite pie recipes.
You Might Also Like…
Chocolate Tahini Tart: Nutty, rich, and just the right touch of chocolatey sophistication.
Chocolate Pots de Crème: Silky, decadent, and perfect for an elegant dessert night.
No-Bake French Silk Pie: Creamy, chocolatey, and so easy you’ll make it again and again.
Homemade Peanut Butter Twix Bars: Sweet, crunchy, and peanut buttery perfection in every bite.
And that’s day 2 is in the books! Come back tomorrow for the next sweet chapter.
Chocolate Mousse Pie
1 9-inch
pie40
minutes5
minutes2 + 3
hours45
minutesIngredients
- For the crust:
Flaky All-Butter Pie Dough, fully baked in a 9-inch pie plate and fully cooled
60g (2 oz) dark chocolate, melted
- For the filling:
300g (1 ¼ cups) heavy cream, divided
80g (⅓ cup) whole milk
113g (4 oz) chocolate, finely chopped (I used 70%)
flaky sea salt
- For the topping:
½ cup (120 g) heavy cream, cold
¼ cup (60 g) crème fraîche or Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnishing
Directions
Make the crust: Fully bake the pie crust until golden brown. Allow it to cool completely. Brush or using a spoon, spread a thin layer of the melted chocolate over the bottom of the crust and a little up the sides. Chill for 10–15 minutes, until the chocolate is firm. Set aside.
Make the chocolate mousse: add half the heavy cream (150g) and the milk to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, add the chopped chocolate to a heatproof medium bowl. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Using a hand blender or a whisk, blend until smooth.
Add the remaining cream to a separate bowl. Using a whisk or a hand mixer, whisk until soft peaks form. Do not over whisk, you want the consistency to be quite loose.
Add the whipped cream in thirds into the chocolate mixture, gently folding to combine after each addition. Add a small pinch of sea salt flakes at the end. You should end up with a smooth and loose chocolate mousse mixture.
Pour the chocolate mousse into the cooled pie crust. Chill the pie for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Make the topping: using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat the heavy cream until medium peaks form. Add the crème fraîche and vanilla and mix until combined. Remove pie from the refrigerator and spread whipped cream on top. Top with chocolate shavings or a dust of cocoa powder. Serve.
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