We’re adding chocolate to our Thanksgiving dessert menu with dark chocolate pecan pie. Rich and delicious, this variation of a classic is garnished with sea salt, chocolate shavings, and homemade whipped cream.
Why mess with pie perfection? Years ago, I shared my late grandmother’s pecan pie recipe. Pecan pie isn’t the variety I typically reach for, but it’s a whole other story when grandma’s is around. Her pecan pie boasts a chewy texture underneath a layer of toasty pecans and offers a wonderful sweet-salty balance. The natural flavor of pecans truly shine and I knew using the base of her recipe would be ideal for today’s chocolate rendition. Not only do toasty pecans scream for a little dark chocolate, most Thanksgiving pie recipes are seriously lacking in the chocolate department. I will gladly welcome a sliver of deep dark chocolate-y pecan pie to my dessert plate. Right next to my slices of apple pie and pumpkin pie, of course.
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Pecan Pie
- A decadent adaptation of my favorite pecan pie
- Simple to make with only 9 ingredients in the filling
- Sugary and buttery, but not overly sweet
- Incredible texture
- The filling sits atop the best pie crust
- No pre-baking needed
- Great make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert
If you’ve tried (and loved) my dark chocolate pecan cookies, think of this recipe like the pie version of those cookies!
Chocolate Pecan Pie Ingredients
Since this pie is made with just a few ingredients, it’s imperative to use high quality nuts and spices. I genuinely love Diamond of California pecans and McCormick pure vanilla extract (though homemade vanilla extract is excellent too!).
For the BEST chocolate pecan pie, use these ingredients:
- Homemade Pie Crust: We’re talking mega flaky, mega buttery, and mega delicious. This is the one and only pie crust recipe I use. It’s been passed down through generations and stands the test of time. It’s old-fashioned, yet never out of style. Here’s my recipe for all butter pie crust if you’re interested.
- Pecans: An obvious addition!
- Dark Chocolate Chips: You’ll need 1 hefty cup of dark chocolate chips. If you can’t get your hands on dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips work just as well. Or chop up a couple dark chocolate bars and use those instead.
- Eggs: Eggs hold the filling together.
- Corn Syrup + Brown Sugar: I prefer to use dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor and highly suggest you try the same. Corn syrup sweetens the pie and helps prevent crystallization while the pie bakes. We’re only using 1/2 cup of brown sugar because the chocolate chips add sweetness, too.
- Salt + Butter + Vanilla Extract: Each give pecan pie its traditional flavor.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a little something special. 🙂
Baker’s Tip: Make sure you use room temperature eggs. You see, there’s melted butter in this pie filling. Cold eggs will solidify it and you’ll be left with random chunks of butter in your filling. Those chunks of butter will melt once the pie is baking, but then you’ll have random patches of pie with melty butter and others without. We can’t have butter-less bites of pie! Room temperature eggs definitely make a difference.
How to Make Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Make the pie crust.
- Roll out the pie crust. You’re aiming for a pie dough circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish and tuck in the edges. Crimp or flute the pie crust edges.
- Spread the pecans inside pie crust.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour on top.
- Bake. I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. If you find the whole pie is browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the whole pie. After the pie comes out of the oven, don’t forget to top with coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt for the perfect finishing touch!
- Slice and serve. The pie is delicious warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or even salted caramel.
How to Freeze Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate pecan pie is a wonderful dessert to make ahead of time. Simply bake the pie as directed, allow it to completely cool, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before slicing. This pie freezes and thaws beautifully; no one will ever realize it isn’t freshly baked!
Let’s Compare Pecan Pies
I’ve shared a few pecan pie recipes on my blog and you might be wondering which to make first. Here’s a quick review:
- My Favorite Pecan Pie: This pecan pie recipe is classic and simple with an unexpected dash of cinnamon. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty—my favorite for good reason.
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie: Today’s recipe! Dark chocolate pecan pie is a deep and decadent variation of my classic recipe.
- Maple Pecan Pie: You’ll love the warm and cozy flavor combination in maple pecan pie. And it’s made without corn syrup!
- Brown Butter Pecan Pie Bars: My brown butter pecan pie bars feature a brown butter crust. They’re easily portable and serve a big crowd.
- Mini Pecan Pies: Made with my favorite homemade pie crust and a salted pecan filling, these mini pecan pies are adorable and perfect for any holiday gathering.
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake: Enjoy pecan pie goodness on top of a brown sugar cheesecake in this crowd pleasing pecan pie cheesecake recipe. Two desserts in one!
Whichever you choose to make, you’re guaranteed pecan pie-fection!
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deep decadent and delicious dark chocolate pecan pie with sea salt.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust (my recipe makes 2 crusts; you can halve the crust recipe or freeze the 2nd half)
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) shelled pecans
- 1 cup (180g) dark chocolate chips*
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) dark corn syrup*
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- After the pie crust has chilled, adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (you can freeze the 2nd for later use, see note). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish.* Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Flute or crimp the pie crust edges. No need to pre-bake the crust.
- The filling: Spread pecans evenly inside pie crust and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top. Set aside. Whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Once completely combined and thick, pour evenly over pecans and chocolate chips.
- Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. You can also tent a piece of aluminum foil over the whole pie if the top is browning too quickly. Remove finished pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. The pie filling will set as it cools.
- Sprinkle with sea salt (if using), then slice and serve pie. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired. Cover and store leftover pie at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Pecan pie is a wonderful dessert to make ahead of time. You can get started by combining all the filling ingredients (except the pecans and chocolate chips) one day ahead of time. Keep it covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pie. You can also make the pie dough 1-5 days in advance since it needs to chill. If you want to bake the pie 1 full day in advance, bake it as directed, allow it to completely cool, then cover tightly and keep at room temperature until ready to serve the next day. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pie Crust Shield | Cooling Rack | Coarse Sea Salt or Flaky Sea Salt
- Extra Pie Dough: You can freeze the 2nd pie dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Pie Dish: I strongly recommend a glass pie dish so you can see when the crust on the sides is browning, which signals that the pie is finished.
- Chocolate Chips: Instead of dark chocolate chips, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips. Or 6 ounces of chopped semi-sweet, dark, or bittersweet chocolate.
- Corn Syrup: If desired, you can use light corn syrup instead.
Can molasses be subbed for dark corn syrup in this recipe?
Hi Mel, I don’t recommend it. The flavor will drastically change.
I made this recipe and it was amazing, although I wanted the chocolate and pecan to be a little more “combined”. So I made it again, but this time instead of chocolate chips, I used 1/3c cocoa powder and 1/2c white sugar, in addition to the brown sugar already in the recipe. I also combined everything together in a bowl, including all the pecans, so that everything was nice and coated as I poured it into the pie crust. I used a 9″ Pillsbury crust in a glass Pyrex pie plate, and it came out just amazing. So delicious, especially with my homemade vanilla ice cream on top!
I love this recipe! However, when I bake it and take it out and cool it, the top is set, but when I cut a slice, it’s always a little runny? I do you use a 9 inch deep, frozen pie shell I don’t know if that is the issue. Any suggestions?
Hi Amy, we’re so glad you loved the pie! If you try it again, extend the bake time by a few minutes. If the edges of the crust are over-browning, you can use a pie crust shield or cut a rim of aluminum foil and place that on top of the edges. That should definitely help with any running.
Hi! My mom is interested in trying a chocolate pecan pie and I really like your recipe. However, I usually prefer to have bourbon in my pecan pie. Can bourbon be added to this recipe?
Hi Tammy, We haven’t tested this recipe with bourbon, though you can certainly try it. We recommend a few Tablespoons and reducing the melted butter to only 2 or 3 Tablespoons. Let us know how it turns out!
I love your maple pecan pie version. Would I be able to make this chocolate version using maple syrup? What tweaks would I need to make?
Hi Tawnya, we recommend following the maple pecan pie recipe and adding dark chocolate chips (1 cup), just like with this dark chocolate pecan pie. Enjoy!