This easy, no-bake chocolate mousse pie strikes the perfect balance between indulgent and airy. The recipe combines a two-ingredient Oreo cookie pie crust with a silky chocolate mousse filling and a not-too-sweet stabilized whipped cream topping.
If you've already fallen in love with my triple chocolate mousse cake, think of this no-bake chocolate mousse pie as its easy-going little sister. She's just as impressive, but she's a little bit less dramatic and a bit easier to make.
The deep chocolate flavor of the chocolate sandwich cookie pie crust is the perfect base for the rich and chocolatey mousse filling. The slight crunch of the crust balances the light and airy, velvety smooth mousse filling beautifully. Topped off with a simple stabilized whipped cream made with a bit of cream cheese, it's three layers of absolute perfection.
Best of all, this pie miraculously works for every season and holiday. It's crowd-pleasing chocolate flavor makes it the perfect addition to your holiday dessert spread at Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's ideal for Valentine's Day, fitting with the holiday's chocolate theme. And since it's made without having to turn on the oven and is served chilled, it's a great choice for the 4th of July and summertime barbecues, too!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies - Chocolate sandwich cookies, like Oreos, are crushed to create the pie's crust. Don't remove the cream filling before processing the cookies.
Eggs - Egg yolks and whites are used separately to make the mousse. The yolks are cooked and add thickness and creaminess to the mousse, while the whites are whipped and add lightness.
Chocolate Chips - Chocolate chips are melted into the egg mixture to create the chocolate mousse. I opted for semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk or dark chocolate chips to change the chocolate flavor of the mousse.
Heavy Cream - We'll use heavy whipping cream in both the mousse and whipped cream topping. In both instances you'll want the cream to be cold, so keep it chilled in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Be sure to buy heavy whipping cream, which has the proper fat content for whipping.
Cream Cheese - Cream cheese is used to thicken and stabilize the whipped cream topping so that it holds its shape on top of the pie and keeps for several days. Be sure to use full-fat block cream cheese, not whipped cream cheese or cream cheese in a tub. Also, unlike most other recipes made with cream cheese, we'll keep the cheese cold rather than bringing it to room temperature.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A food processor, for crushing the chocolate sandwich cookies to make the crust.
- A 9 inch pie plate, for assembling the pie. This simple glass pie plate is my favorite. If you're using a 9 ½ inch or deep dish pie plate, you'll need to increase the recipe by as much as double in order to have enough crust and filling.
- A double boiler, for cooking the egg yolks in the mousse. If you don't have one, my post about melting chocolate in a double boiler will teach you how to DIY a double-boiler using kitchen equipment you probably already own.
- An instant read thermometer, for confirming the temperature of the egg yolks. You can use visual cues when cooking the yolks if you don't have a thermometer, but a thermometer is helpful.
- A stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for whipping the egg whites and heavy cream in the mousse and for mixing the whipped cream topping. I find it easier to mix the stabilized whipped cream in a stand mixer, if you have one.
- An offset spatula, for spreading the mousse and whipped cream topping over the pie.
- A piping bag and a closed star piping tip (I used Ateco #846), if you want to pipe a decorative edge of whipped cream on top of the pie.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Make the pie crust. Pulse the chocolate sandwich cookies in the bowl of a food processor until they become fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until the mixture has the texture of wet sand.
Step 2: Pour the cookie crumb mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Spread the mixture up the sides and around the bottom of the pie plate, then firmly press into the pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Make the mousse. In the bowl of a double boiler, cook egg yolks, water, sugar, and salt, whisking constantly until it becomes lighter in color, doubles in volume, and reaches 160°F.
Step 4: Remove the bowl from the heat and add chocolate, whisking until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 5: Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form and fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
Step 6: Remove the pie plate from the freezer and spoon the chocolate mousse over the frozen pie crust. Use an offset spatula to spread the mousse to the sides and smooth the top. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Step 7: Make the whipped cream topping. Beat the cold cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until well mixed and smooth. Slowly stream the heavy cream into the bowl and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Step 8: Top the pie with the stabilized whipped cream. Spread some of the topping over the pie with an offset spatula and use a piping bag and piping tip to pipe a decorative edge around the pie.
You can get creative with the whipped cream topping, too. I opted to spread a layer of the topping over the entire pie before piping a decorative shell border. The piping options are endless! It would also look beautiful if you pile the stabilized whipped cream sky high in the middle of the pie and use the back of a spoon to add some swoops and swirls to the topping.
Allison's Top Tips
Pack the crust really well into the pie plate so that the crust becomes solid and doesn't crumble when cut.
Be sure the bowl and beaters you use to whip the egg whites are clean and grease-free or the whites won't whip properly.
For clean slices, keep the pie chilled until ready to serve and wipe the knife off with a paper towel after each slice. A large, non-serrated knife works best.
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review on the recipe below! And don't forget to subscribe to Always Eat Dessert for even more easy dessert recipes and helpful baking tips.
Recipe
No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
Special Equipment
- food processor
- double boiler (or a medium saucepan and heat-safe bowl for a DIY double boiler)
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer
- Piping bag optional
- Closed star piping tip (Ateco #846) optional
Ingredients
Oreo Cookie Pie Crust
- 20 (225 grams) Oreos or similar chocolate wafer cookies (including the cream filling)
- 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter melted
Chocolate Mousse
- 4 large egg yolks (save the whites)
- 2 ounces (57 grams) water
- 3 Tablespoons (37 grams) granulated sugar divided
- 1 pinch (grams) fine sea salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup (114 grams) heavy whipping cream chilled
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 4 ounces (114 grams) full fat cream cheese block cold
- ½ cup (57 grams) confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 cup (227 grams) heavy whipping cream cold
Instructions
Make the pie crust.
- Add the chocolate sandwich cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cookies become fine crumbs.20 (225 grams) Oreos
- Add melted butter to the cookie crumb mixture and pulse until the mixture has the texture of wet sand.4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
- Pour the cookie crumb mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Use clean hands to press the mixture up the sides and around the bottom of the pie plate. Then use the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass to firmly press the sides and bottom of the pie crust into the pan.
- Freeze the pie crust for at least 30 minutes while you make the mousse.
Make the mousse.
- Place a small amount of water in the bottom of a double boiler (or a medium saucepan) and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl of the double boiler (or a medium heat-safe bowl) on top of the pan of simmering water, checking to make sure the bowl sits above and does not touch the water.
- In the bowl, combine the egg yolks, water, 2 Tablespoons (25 grams) of the sugar, and salt. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it becomes lighter in color and doubles in volume, about 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the mixture should read 160°F.4 large egg yolks, 2 ounces (57 grams) water, 3 Tablespoons (37 grams) granulated sugar, 1 pinch (grams) fine sea salt
- Remove the bowl from the pan of simmering water. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Let the mixture stand, whisking occasionally, until it cools to room temperature, about 30 minutes.1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they become foamy. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the remaining 1 Tablespoon (12 grams) sugar to the foamy egg whites. Increase speed to high and beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.2 large egg whites
- Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- In the same large bowl you used to whip the egg whites, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.½ cup (114 grams) heavy whipping cream
- Gently fold the chilled whipped cream into the chocolate mixture just until blended, again being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Remove the pie plate from the freezer and spoon the chocolate mousse over the frozen pie crust. Use an offset spatula to spread the mousse to the sides and smooth the top. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Make the whipped cream topping.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat the cold cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth.4 ounces (114 grams) full fat cream cheese block
- Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on low speed until mixed. Then turn speed up to medium-high speed until smooth.½ cup (57 grams) confectioners' sugar, ½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract, 1 pinch fine sea salt
- With mixer running on medium-high speed, slowly stream the heavy cream into the bowl and blend until thoroughly mixed.1 cup (227 grams) heavy whipping cream
- Remove the pie from the fridge and top it with the stabilized whipped cream. Spread some of the topping over the pie with an offset spatula and use a piping bag and piping tip to pipe a decorative edge around the pie. Alternatively, you could add the whipped topping as a large dollop in the center of the pie, leaving a ring of the chocolate mousse visible around the edges of the pie.
- Return the pie to the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill before slicing and serving.
Caroline says
I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious. Would make again for sure. A few notes:
- I used a slightly smaller pie pan (8.5 or 8.75 inches) with no issue.
- If I made it again, I would use the darkest chocolate chips available, and replace the water with coffee, for a richer taste.
- The recipe could probably use a few additional pinches of salt as well.
- This was my first time whipping egg whites! This tip isn't specific to this recipe, but just note if you're using a stand mixer, you'll likely have to hand-beat the whites for a minute or two to get them frothy (since the amount of whites is so small that your beaters might not reach the bottom of the bowl sufficiently). Once frothy, the mixer does the rest.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Caroline! I'm so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for leaving a review and for sharing your tips and suggestions! This mousse is delicious when made with hot brewed coffee, but you will be able to taste the coffee, so I recommend sticking with water for a classic chocolate flavor or using the coffee if you prefer a richer, mocha flavor.
- Allison