German Chocolate Pie

You’ll fall in love with this German Chocolate Pie filled with velvety warm German chocolate, sweetened flaked coconut and chopped pecans. It features the same flavor combination we all love in classic German Chocolate Cake. Serve  this decadent pie for a special occasion or “just because” you want to show the dessert love to the special people in your life. It’s a bonafide treat every single time its served.

Ingredients to Make German Chocolate Pie Recipe

This amazingly delicious chocolate pie is a spinoff of the famous German Chocolate Cake. So suffice it to say, if you love the cake, you’ll fall in love with the pie, too! Serve this pie for dessert anytime of year when entertaining friends and family, for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations. You can also serve it for birthdays and anniversaries. Ingredients to make homemade German Chocolate Pie: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

• Pie Shell: One 9-inch deep dish pie shell frozen, refrigerated or homemade.
• German Chocolate: One 4 ounce package of German Baking Chocolate found on the baking aisle.
• Pecans: One cup pecans, roughly chopped for texture.
• Coconut: Sweetened flaked coconut (shredded coconut).
• Butter: 1/4 cup salted butter for a rich filling.
• Milk: One 12 ounce can evaporated milk, not condensed milk.
• Sugar: One cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar.
• Large Eggs: Eggs bind the filling.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch adds body and thickens the chocolate filling.
• Flavoring: One teaspoon vanilla extract adds creamy floral notes.
• Salt: Salt balances the sweet and brings it altogether.

How to Make the BEST German Chocolate Pie Recipe

What is German chocolate? Well, for starters, it’s not from Germany. It’s named after its inventor whose name was Samuel German. He developed a baking chocolate for Baker’s Chocolate Company to be used for baking. This is what we now know as German chocolate and its appeal spans decades it remains as popular as ever!

• Heat Oven and Prepare Pie Shell – Fit crust into a 9-inch deep dish dish pie plate. If using a frozen crust you can bake it in the pan.
• Melted Chocolate Mixture – In a small saucepan on the stovetop melt together the German chocolate and butter. Once melted, add the milk and stir to combine.
• Large Eggs – In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract.
• Combine – Whisk egg mixture into the melted chocolate.
• Assemble the Pie – Sprinkle pecans and coconut on the bottom of the pie shell then pour the chocolate mixture evenly into the crust.
• Oven – Bake in a preheated 350°F oven per the cook time in the recipe until set.
• Serve – Cool the pie in the pan on a wire rack then slice and enjoy.

Tips for Making German Chocolate Pie

• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: A deep dish pie pan, medium bowl, small saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, wire rack, a nut chopper and rubber spatula or spoon for stirring everything together for the filling.
• Cornstarch Stabilizes the Filling: Please note: When researching and developing this recipe, I’ve seen some similar chocolate pie recipes that use flour and corn syrup in the filling. I’ve made this pie several ways, but for me this pie works best using cornstarch to bind the filling. Corn syrup lends more of a pecan pie texture to the filling. That’s not a bad thing, but not quite what we’re going for with this pie. You can see my Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe here.
• A Combination of Sugar Gives Depth of Flavor: As with the coconut-pecan icing I use for my German Chocolate Cake recipe I love mixing granulated sugar and brown sugar together for the depth of flavor it lends to the pie filling. It turns out velvety smooth.
• Do You Need to Pre-Bake the Crust? I used a refrigerator crust and didn’t parbake it. They’re a thinner pastry crust and the baking time is ample for baking through. Should you choose to use a thicker homemade crust, you should dock the bottom with a fork then cover with a piece of parchment paper and weigh it down with beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the weights and proceed with the recipe.
• How to Serve German Chocolate Pie: Serve this pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or while still warm with a drizzle of chocolate and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Variations

• Nuts: German Chocolate desserts are made using chopped pecans. That said, if you want you could adapt this recipe using walnuts.
• Chocolate: Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate is classic for making this pie. You could use an alternate dark baking chocolate in the same amount or one cup of semisweet chocolate chips. I don’t recommend using cocoa powder for this recipe.
• Cornstarch: You could use 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour in place of cornstarch for binding the pie filling.
• Crust: If you use a frozen pie crust, there’s no need to parbake or thaw it prior to filling and baking.
• Homemade Crust: See how to make your own pie dough using my Flaky Pie Crust recipe.
• German Chocolate Cake: You may also like to try my German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Icing.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: Store baked German Chocolate Pie covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Reheating: You can reheat single pieces of pie in the microwave or enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
• Freezer: You can bake, cool and freeze this pie wrapped with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. It will store frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.

More Easy Pie Recipes to Make

Our family has three favorite pies. Chilled, room temperature or warm. More family favorite pie  recipes you may also like to try:

• Classic Southern Pecan Pie is a winning dessert choice for any occasion.
• Serve a big piece of Apple Crumb Pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie is like enjoying a bite of sunshine.
• Southern Buttermilk Pie remains an all time favorite in kitchen all over the South.
• Chocolate Chess Pie is impossible to resist.
• Mile High Banana Cream Pie is proof that no skimpy pie is ever allowed in my kitchen.
• Scratch made Blueberry Pie topped with a pretty lattice crust.
• Rhubarb Pie from House of Nash Eats.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Deep Dish Pie Pan
• Pie Server
• Measuring Set
• Mixing Bowls