This homemade French silk pie is rich, creamy and unbelievably smooth, with a decadent chocolate filling, flaky buttery pie crust and fluffy homemade whipped cream. It’s an impressive make-ahead dessert that tastes even better than your favorite restaurant pie, without complicated baking techniques!
If you’ve ever had French silk pie from Village Inn or Baker’s Square, you know exactly why people love it! But OH MY GOODNESS, this homemade version takes it to another level! The chocolate flavor is deeper, the filling is silky and almost cheesecake-like, and that buttery crust makes every bite irresistible.
It’s the kind of pie that deserves a permanent spot on your Thanksgiving dessert table!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: Made with real melted chocolate for a decadent filling that isn’t overly sweet.
- Made Completely from Scratch: A flaky pie crust, luscious chocolate filling and homemade whipped cream. No instant pudding or packaged whipped topping!
- Perfect for Making Ahead: Prepare the pie the day before so dessert is one less thing to worry about on a busy holiday.
- Better Than Restaurant Pie: If you love French silk pie from Village Inn or Baker’s Square, you have to try this homemade version!
What Is French Silk Pie?
French silk pie is a classic American dessert made with a rich, whipped chocolate filling, a flaky pie crust and fluffy whipped cream.
Despite its name, French silk pie isn’t actually French! It’s known for its incredibly smooth, almost mousse-like filling made by whipping butter, sugar, melted chocolate and eggs together.
What’s the Difference Between French Silk Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie?
They might look similar, but the fillings are completely different!
- French Silk Pie: Rich, buttery and almost cheesecake-like, with a whipped chocolate filling that’s smooth and airy.
- Chocolate Cream Pie: Made with a cooked chocolate custard or pudding that’s softer and more pudding-like.
If you love a rich chocolate dessert with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, French silk pie is the one for you!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This homemade French silk pie has three delicious layers: a flaky pie crust, rich chocolate filling and fluffy whipped cream topping. Here’s what you’ll need!
Pie Crust
This chocolate cream pie is rich, creamy and loaded with chocolate flavor! Made with a buttery Oreo cookie crust, fluffy chocolate fudge filling and whipped cream topping, it’s an easy no bake dessert that takes just 20 minutes to prep. No oven, no homemade custard and no complicated steps!
You guys, this pie is a chocolate lover’s DREAM! The secret is using chocolate milk with chocolate fudge pudding, then folding it into a sweet cream cheese filling. And that Oreo crust?! STOP IT. Every bite is creamy, chocolatey and absolutely irresistible! This is a cheater chocolate cream pie where no cooking is required!
QUICK LOOK
- Prep Time: About 20 minutes
- Chill Time: At least 1 hour
- Total Time: About 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cooking Method: No bake!
- Pie Size: 9-inch deep-dish pie plate recommended
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make Ahead: Yes! Perfect for preparing the day before.
- Perfect For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, potlucks, birthdays and chocolate lovers!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cream Pie
- No Baking Required: No oven, no homemade custard and no complicated steps!
- Extra Chocolatey: Chocolate fudge pudding AND chocolate milk give this pie a rich, deep chocolate flavor.
- Thick and Creamy: Cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk create an irresistibly smooth, luscious filling.
- Oreo Cookie Crust: Because chocolate on chocolate is ALWAYS a good idea! The buttery Oreo crust is the perfect contrast to that fluffy filling.
- Perfect Make-Ahead Dessert: Prepare i
This easy pie crust recipe is flaky, tender and made from scratch with simple ingredients, including shortening, egg and vinegar. There’s no chilling required, so you can roll it out right away and no pie weights required for blind baking!!
This recipe has been passed down from my grandma to my mom and now to me, and it’s one of those family recipes I hope my girls will pass down someday, too! We call it Mom’s Fail-Proof Magic Pie Crust, and once you learn a few simple tricks, you’ll see that making homemade pie crust really isn’t as intimidating as it seems!
QUICK LOOK
- Prep Time: Approximately 15 minutes
- Chill Time: None required!
- Yield: 2 single pie crusts or 1 double-crust pie
- Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
- Make Ahead: Freeze the extra dough for up to 3 months
Why You’ll Love This Easy Pie Crust Recipe
- Flaky and tender: Shortening creates a deliciously tender crust that’s perfect for all your favorite pies.
- No chilling required: Mix, roll and shape your dough without waiting for it to rest!
- Simple ingredients: Grandma’s secret additions of egg and vinegar make this old-fashioned recipe extra special.
- Makes two crusts: Use both for a double-crust pie or freeze one for later!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need a few simple ingredients to make Grandma’s homemade pie crust!
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the crust structure while keeping it tender.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the crust.
- Shortening: The secret to a tender, flaky pie crust! Make sure it’s chilled before using. I highly recommend using butter flavored if you have it for even more flavor!
- Egg: Helps bind the dough together and contributes to its texture.
- Vinegar: Grandma’s special addition! Adds acidity to the dough without making the crust taste like vinegar.
- Ice Water: Keeps the shortening cold while bringing the dough together.
PRO TIP: Use cold shortening and ice water! Keeping the fat cold helps create a flaky crust instead of a dense, tough one.
How to Make Homemade Pie Crust
You don’t need any
If you think banoffee pie is just bananas and caramel in a pie crust, you are NOT prepared for what happens when you add this ridiculously creamy Paula Deen inspired banana cream filling.
This easy banoffee pie recipe with Creamy Banana Pudding Filling starts with a buttery graham cracker crust layered with fresh bananas and thick dulce de leche that gets topped with the fluffiest banana pudding-inspired vanilla cream filling. It’s creamy, caramel-y, and one of our absolute FAVORITE pies.
And I mean favorite ever.
Classic banoffee pie is already pretty genius—bananas, toffee and whipped cream—but years ago we took things a little further and added a creamy vanilla pudding layer inspired by Paula Deen’s famous banana pudding.
Ohhhh my goodness.
You still get that unmistakable banana and dulce de leche combination, but the fluffy filling keeps the pie from feeling like you’re eating straight caramel with a fork. Although, let’s be honest, I’ve made worse decisions.
QUICK LOOK
- Flavor: Banana + dulce de leche + vanilla cream
- Crust: Buttery graham cracker
- Prep: About 20 minutes
- Style: Banoffee pie with a creamy banana pudding twist
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make Ahead: Yes
- Best For: Holidays, Thanksgiving, parties
What Is Banoffee Pie?
Banoffee pie is a British dessert traditionally made with bananas, toffee and whipped cream in a crumb or pastry crust. The name “banoffee” combines “banana” and “toffee.”
Our version keeps those classic flavors but swaps the simple whipped cream topping for a banana pudding-inspired vanilla filling made with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream.
It’s not completely traditional, but it is creamier, fluffier and, in our opinion, even better.
Why You’ll Love This Banoffee Pie
- Bananas + dulce de leche: Sweet bananas and rich, caramel-like dulce de leche are ridiculously good together.
- Our banana pudding twist: Vanilla pudding, cream cheese
This cherry pie recipe is sweet, tart and bursting with juicy cherries, all tucked inside our flaky, buttery homemade pie crust. Made with fresh or frozen cherries and a hint of almond and lemon, it gives you that classic homemade cherry pie flavor any time of year—no canned pie filling needed.
I’ve said it before, but I am a pie girl through and through. Give me a slice of pie over almost any other dessert (except strawberry shortcake…my true love!). That flaky golden crust, juicy fruit filling and contrast between buttery, crisp pastry and gooey cherries? Dream. Come. True.
And while cherry pie may seem like a summer dessert, frozen cherries make this one perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. You can even make the whole pie ahead of time and freeze it, which is exactly the kind of dessert I want when every inch of my kitchen is already spoken for.
Cherry Pie at a Glance
- Flavor: Sweet-tart cherries with almond and lemon
- Texture: Juicy filling + flaky buttery crust
- Cherries: Fresh or frozen
- Make Ahead: Yes
Why You’ll Love This Cherry Pie Recipe
- Completely homemade: No canned cherry pie filling here! The filling starts with real cherries and a handful of simple ingredients.
- Sweet but still tart: Lemon and almond extract bring out the cherry flavor without covering it up with sweetness.
- Flaky homemade crust: That golden, buttery lattice crust is almost as good as the filling. Almost.
- Make-ahead friendly: Cherry pie needs time to cool and set anyway, making it a great dessert to get out of the way before a holiday dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need a handful of ingredients for homemade cherry pie. Here’s what really matters:
- Pie Crust: Our all-butter pie crust makes enough for the bottom and beautiful lattice top.
- Cherries: Tart cherries are our first choice, but sweet cherries work too. Fresh or frozen can both be used.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cherries. You may want to adjust it slightly depending on how tart your fruit is.
- Lemon: A little acidity brightens the filling and balances the sugar.
- Almond Extract: Just a sma