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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe
Before classic chocolate cream pie with chocolate pudding in a flaky crust topped with whipped cream became the standard, there was chocolate meringue pie. This old-fashioned dessert features the same rich chocolate pudding filling, but topped with a fluffy toasted meringue. Every bit as delicious as its modern counterpart, chocolate meringue pie is a retro twist on a beloved classic.
What is Chocolate Meringue Pie?
A chocolate meringue pie is just like a chocolate cream pie, but topped with a toasted meringue rather than whipped cream. It’s an old-fashioned recipe from a time when meringue-topped cream pies were the norm. This recipe features a fully blind-baked pastry crust filled with rich, homemade chocolate pudding and topped with a fluffy toasted meringue.
Extra Easy Chocolate Cream Pie for Beginners
If you’re a beginner baker, the homemade chocolate pudding in both this chocolate meringue pie recipe and my classic chocolate cream pie recipe may be challenging. However, chocolate cream pie can easily be adapted for bakers who are just starting out, with easy progressions to a fully homemade version. It’s also a fun project for baking with kids, since each part can be adjusted based on age or experience level.
See my adapted Beginner Bakers’ Chocolate Cream Pie recipe for an easier pie made with simplified steps for beginners in the kitchen.
History of Chocolate Meringue Pie
The history of chocolate meringue pie and the history of chocolate cream pie are intertwined. For all intents and purposes, all early chocolate cream pies were chocolate meringue pies. Up until home refrigeration became commonplace in the 1950s and 1960s, meringue was the more economical choice for topping cream pies for two reasons: many pudding recipes (although not this one) use egg yolks but not egg whites, and cream was an expensive luxury ingredient.
Before homogenized milk became standard, to get heavy whipping cream, households had to skim the cream from the top of non-homogenized milk after it had naturally separated. That means that for every gallon of milk a household purchased, they’d only get about a half cup of heavy whipping cream. This was the only way to obtain heavy whipping cream in the early 1900s and before. Not to mention, even if you bought a few gallons of milk to get a full cup of cream to whip, you were left with the task of consuming the rest before it went bad without refrigeration. You can read a more detailed dive into cream as a luxury ingredient in my post on flapper pie here.
Additionally, without refrigeration, if a baker separated egg whites from egg yolks to make pudding and only used the egg yolks, now there was nowhere to store the egg whites. Rather than obtain enough heavy whipping cream to top the pie with cream and throw out the leftover egg whites, it simply made more sense to whip up the egg whites into a meringue.
The earliest recipe I can find for chocolate cream pie was published in 1886 in The Unrivalled Cook-Book and Housekeeper’s Guide. It shows just how luxurious and costly the pie was in its day, calling for “half a cake of the finest vanilla chocolate” (likely about four ounces), four eggs, and only three tablespoons of milk. The eggs were really stretching the filling. By comparison, this chocolate meringue pie recipe uses a single egg and more than two cups of milk and cream for a softer, creamier texture.
As grocery stores became better stocked and home refrigeration became commonplace in the mid-1900s, classic chocolate cream pies topped with whipped cream slowly overtook the more old-fashioned version topped with meringue. Once refrigeration became more common and the ingredients became more affordable, making a quick batch of whipped cream became much faster and easier than taking the time to make and toast meringue.
Step-by-Step Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe
Crust:
For a classic, old-fashioned chocolate meringue pie, prepare one fully-baked pie shell. However, more modern twists on chocolate meringue pie can also be made with a graham cracker crust, biscoff crust, or any number of crumb crusts. If you want an extra chocolatey pie, try one in an Oreo crust.
Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1⅓c Whole Milk
- 1c Heavy Whipping Cream
- 10T Granulated Sugar (125g)
- 2½T Cornstarch (20g)
- ¼c Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder (20g)
- ¼t Salt
- 1 Egg
- 2½oz Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
- 2t Vanilla Extract
- 2T Unsalted Butter, cubed (1oz)
1.
In a pot over medium heat, combine the milk and cream and bring them to just below a boil.
2.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly mixed.
3.
Add the egg and whisk lightly, just enough to break it up. There’s too much dry mixture to fully combine yet.
4.
Once the milk is hot and steaming, transfer it to a heatproof measuring cup. Very slowly pour it into the mixture from step 3 while whisking constantly and vigorously. This gradual process tempers the egg and keeps the mixture smooth. (See section above on tempering eggs).
5.
When all of the liquid has been added, pour the entire mixture back into the pot.
6.
Place the pot over low heat and whisk continuously until the pudding thickens and just begins to bubble.
7.
As soon as the mixture begins to boil, whisk vigorously for 30-60 seconds.
8.
Immediately strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean mixing bowl to remove any lumps or bits of cooked egg.
9.
Whisk the chocolate and butter into the chocolate pudding until both have melted completely.
10.
Pour the warm pudding directly into your prepared, fully baked pie shell, spreading it evenly.
11.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
12.
Chill the pie for at least 3 hours, or until the filling is fully set and cool to the touch.
Meringue Topping for Chocolate Meringue Pie
Note: For a deep dive into the science and history behind meringue along with a detailed guide on how to make meringue, see my post here.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- ¼t cream of tartar (optional)
Note: Adding ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar helps stabilize the meringue even further. Swiss meringue is already quite stable on its own, so this ingredient is optional and you can still achieve excellent results without it.
1.
Set up a double boiler by filling a pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and placing a heatproof bowl on top. The bowl should be slightly larger than the pot, with its bottom hovering just above the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
2.
In the heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and optional cream of tartar. Keep the bowl over the double boiler and whisk gently until the mixture reaches 160°F (71°C), using a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
3.
Immediately transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
4.
Spread the meringue evenly over the chilled vanilla pudding, making sure to seal the edges where the meringue meets the crust.
5.
Toast the meringue:
- Torch Method (recommended): Use a kitchen torch to brown the peaks of the meringue quickly and evenly.
- Broiler Method: Place the pie under the broiler, watching carefully, until the meringue begins to turn a golden brown (3-5 minutes).
- Baking Method: Bake the pie at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until the meringue begins to brown.
Choosing Chocolate for Chocolate Meringue Pie
The biggest difference between a good chocolate pudding and a great one comes down to the quality of the chocolate. The flavor, texture, and richness of your filling depend entirely on what you start with. The good news is that the best baking chocolate brands also make excellent cocoa powder, so you can often rely on one company for both. These are the brands I personally trust for professional and home baking alike.
- Valrhona: Founded in 1922 in Ardèche, France, Valrhona is known worldwide for its consistency and depth of flavor. It’s one of the most respected names in pastry kitchens.
- Callebaut: A Belgian chocolate company established in 1911, Callebaut is a go-to brand for pastry chefs. It offers a wide range of couverture chocolates with balanced flavors and smooth texture.
- Guittard: Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Guittard has been crafting chocolate since 1868. They offer both professional and home-baking lines, with excellent options for chocolate ganache.
- Tcho: A newer company founded in 2007 in Berkeley, California, by a former NASA engineer and the creators of Wired Magazine. Despite its youth, Tcho has earned awards for innovative, high-quality chocolate.
If these brands aren’t available, don’t worry, any good-quality baking chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder will still make a delicious pie. Higher-end brands simply bring out more depth and smoothness in the final flavor. For a deeper dive, see my full guide on understanding and choosing chocolate for baking.
Tempering Eggs: Making Foolproof Curds, Puddings, and Pastry Creams
Tempering eggs is one of the most important techniques in custard-style desserts like curds, puddings, and pastry creams. These recipes all rely on gentle, even cooking to turn eggs into a smooth, thickened filling instead of a lumpy, overcooked one. Tempering is the step that keeps everything silky and stable, preventing your mixture from turning into chocolate scrambled eggs along the way (unless that’s your thing – no judgment). For a full breakdown on the science and methods for tempering eggs, see this post here.
What is Meringue:
Meringue is simply egg whites whipped with sugar. When egg whites are whipped long enough, they form a stable foam that can be piped, spread, or folded into desserts to add lightness, such as mousse and chiffon pies.
Although egg whites can be whipped into a foam on their own, without sugar they will not develop meringue’s characteristic glossy appearance, and the foam will be far less stable. When piped and baked on its own, meringue is a dessert in its own right. It is also the primary component of the cookie shells used to make macarons.
To learn about the different types of meringue, how to keep meringue stable, troubleshooting meringue, the history of meringue, or how to top pies with meringue, see my guide to meringue topping for pies here.
Other Old-Fashioned Meringue Pies
Apart from the iconic lemon meringue pie and some key lime pies topped with meringue, meringue-topped pies are not quite as popular as they used to be. This isn’t to say there aren’t plenty of meringue pies still in rotation today. But there are some old-fashioned meringue pies that have nearly disappeared that are absolutely delicious and deserve to be kept alive.
- Canadian Flapper Pie: An old-fashioned, nearly extinct pie from the Canadian prairies. Canadian Flapper Pie is vanilla pudding in a graham cracker crust topped with toasted meringue.
- Pumpkin Meringue Pie: To make a classic pumpkin pie more old-school, try topping it with meringue instead of whipped cream. The meringue can be toasted until golden, giving it a dramatic, retro look.
- Irish Apple Amber: An Irish twist on an apple pie, Irish apple amber pie has a filling that’s more akin to applesauce than a traditional apple pie. The filling is topped with a toasted meringue.
- Gooseberry Meringue Pie: More commonly found in the UK and Europe than North America, gooseberry pie pairs sour, tart gooseberries with a sweet meringue topping.
- Grapefruit Meringue Pie: In the same family as lemon meringue pie, grapefruit meringue pie is an old-fashioned pie with a grapefruit curd topped with a toasted meringue.
How to Store Chocolate Meringue Pie
Because chocolate meringue pie is made with a dairy-based pudding filling, it must be kept refrigerated. Although the pudding will last for many days, the meringue topping doesn’t keep very well even though we do our best to stabilize it. If you need to make this chocolate meringue pie in advance, wait to top the pie with meringue until the day that you serve the pie. The chocolate pudding and pie crust will last for up to three days in the refrigerator, but the meringue topping will begin to weep after even just one day. To store the untopped chocolate meringue pie, wrap the pie in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator.
We’d love to see your chocolate meringue pie creations! If you give this recipe a try, tag @doggone_baking on social media so we can share in the baking fun.
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Crust
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- 1⅓ cups Whole Milk (320mL)
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (240mL)
- 10 tbsp Granulated Sugar (125g)
- 2½ tbsp Cornstarch (20g)
- ¼ cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder (20g)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Egg
- 2½ oz Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped (70g)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cubed (30g)
Meringue Topping
- 3 Egg Whites
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (150g)
Instructions
- You'll need to make a prepare one, fully-baked pie shell for this recipe. Crumb crusts like graham cracker crust also work for this recipe.
Make the Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the milk and cream. Heat until steaming and just below a boil.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt until fully combined.
- Add the egg and whisk lightly to break it up. The dries will not all be mixed together with the egg yet at this stage.
- Very slowly pour the hot milk and cream into the bowl while whisking constantly and vigorously to temper the egg and prevent curdling.
- When all of the liquid has been added, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over low heat and whisk continuously until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
- Once the mixture begins to boil, continue whisking vigorously for 30 to 60 seconds to fully activate the cornstarch.
- Remove from heat and immediately strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean mixing bowl to remove any lumps or bits of cooked egg.
- Add the chopped chocolate and butter to the hot pudding. Whisk until both have melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Pour the warm pudding into your prepared, fully baked pie shell, spreading it evenly.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until the filling is fully set and completely cool before topping with whipped cream.
Make the Meringue Topping
- In a mixing bowl set over a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar.
- Continue whisking the mixture slowly until a candy thermometer reads 160°F (70℃).
- Immediately remove the bowl from heat, and whip on high speed with a stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the meringue evenly over the chilled vanilla pudding, making sure to seal the edges where the meringue meets the crust.
- Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue until it is a golden brown. Alternatively, bake the pie at 350℉ (175℃) or put the pie under a broiler until the meringue becomes a golden brown color.
- Slice and serve!
About Me
In 2016, I left my office job and became a professional baker. These days I spend my days testing recipes and baking pies while my two dogs snooze happily nearby.
