Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe

a close up shot of a slice of Chocolate Meringue Pie on a white plate

5 from 2 votes

For this old fashioned chocolate meringue pie, the fluffy meringue topping contrasts perfectly with the rich chocolate filling, making every bite absolutely irresistible.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 1291kcal

Ingredients

Pie Filling

9 inch pre-baked pie crust
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 egg yolks, reserve whites for meringue
2½ cups milk, whole or 2% preferred
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Meringue

4 egg whites, room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

Pre-bake pie crust according to the package or recipe instructions.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together all of the pie filling ingredients before placing the pan on the stovetop.
Once the ingredients are combined, turn on the heat to medium and heat the mixture until it comes to a low boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, whisking constantly or scraping with a silicone spatula to ensure none of the mixture burns on the bottom of the pan.
While the mixture is cooking, whisk egg whites using a standing mixer until foamy/soft peaks form. Sprinkle ⅓ cup sugar and the cream of tartar over the egg whites and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust.
Immediately top with the meringue, using a clean spatula to spread the meringue and seal down to the crust all around the pie. Make little swoops in the meringue to form pretty peaks.
Bake the pie for approximately 5 minutes or until the meringue is toasted brown. Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool and set for at least 4 hours before slicing into it.

Notes

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your pie crust as the suggested baking time approaches.
As long as you mix all of your filling ingredients before heating, you can make the filling all in one step and do not have to temper the eggs or dissolve the cornstarch. If you want, you can whisk together the dry ingredients and combine the wet ingredients, and then pour them together, but I like to reduce dishes and do it all in one pan!
The sugar and cream of tartar help the egg whites to hold their stiffness, and the sugar also adds a light sweetness.
Seal the meringue all the way to the edges of the crust to ensure that it doesn’t pull away from the crust or crack when cooling. Mounding the meringue over the hot chocolate filling also helps the meringue to start cooking from the bottom up and prevents weeping/sweating.

Nutrition