This fun and easy no-bake chocolate pudding pie is the perfect treat for the buildup to Thanksgiving. It's also ideal as an added dessert for Thanksgiving dinner — since not everyone likes pumpkin or pecan pie (or you might not have enough of those to feed everyone), and you know the kids will go for this one first.
To make the prep as simple as possible, we used crushed Nilla wafers for the crust and instant pudding mix for the filling. (You'll thank us later, especially if you make this during holiday cooking mayhem). The turkey decorations are made with candy melts, which you can melt in the microwave right inside a pastry bag, if you like. If you prefer a stronger chocolate taste, opt for a dark chocolate pudding mix or add black cocoa powder to your pudding.
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Quick Recipe Overview
SERVINGS: One 9-inch pie
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
DECORATING TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
Things You'll Need
1/4 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
11 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 cups whole milk
Candy melts (orange, red, green, black, white, pink)
1. Combine Nilla wafers and sugar
In a food processor, blend one 11-oz. box of Nilla wafers until you get a fine crumb. Transfer this to large bowl and mix with 1/4 cup sugar.
Tip
Don’t have a food processor? You can use a large Ziploc bag instead! Add Nilla wafers to the bag, seal it and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies.
2. Add melted butter
Stir in 11 Tbsp. of melted butter until combined. The mixture should clump together when squeezed in your hands. If this doesn't happen, add more melted butter 1 Tbsp. at a time.
3. Form the crust
Transfer the pie crust mixture to a 9-inch round pie pan. Spread it around, and press it firmly to make it as even as possible. Place the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crust is firm.
4. Mix the pudding
In a large mixing bowl, add instant chocolate pudding pie mix, then pour in 2 1/2 cups whole milk. Whisk until smooth and no dry spots remain.
Let the pudding set for about 5 minutes until it thickens and can hold its shape. If it is too thick for your liking, add milk one small splash at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. This method prevents the pudding from becoming too loose and difficult to serve.
Tip
Is your pie filling clumpy? Pass it through a mesh sieve to get rid of any chunks!
5. Fill the crust
Pour the pudding into the pie crust. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
6. Decorate and serve
Use piping bags and candy melts to decorate top of pie, heating the candy melts in the microwave per the package instructions. Serve the pie chilled with whipped cream, meringue, semisweet chocolate chips, rich chocolate shavings, or even nuts...the options are endless!
