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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I bought frozen pie shells from a local pie shop to make make the prep faster. They are 10”. Should I increase the amount of filling? Please advise!
You can use the recipe as written for a thinner pie, or increase the filling a bit to fill your pie shells. We’re unsure of the exact ratios. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks, Lexi! If I do increase the filling, would you recommend that the baking time is increased?
Bake time will likely be a bit longer, but not much. Keep a close eye on it! The pie is done once the top is lightly browned.
Can I use light corn syrup and regular chocolate chips? I am not a fan of dark chocolate.
Hi Loo, both of those will work. Enjoy!
My dad is diabetic and I was wanting to make this pie for Thanksgiving. Is there something I could use in place of the corn syrup?
Hi Carmen! Here’s our maple pean pie recipe that uses maple syrup instead of corn syrup.
Hi!!! If I wanted to add coconut and oatmeal to this… how would you do so??? THANKS!!❤️❤️❤️
I love all your recipes
Hi Maddi, we haven’t tested anything with coconut and oatmeal. Both can be quite drying, so it would take some recipe testing to see how best to incorporate them. Let us know if you decide to do any experimenting.
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I only wish that there were more pecans on the top, instead of mostly chocolate chips. I wonder if maybe I should put some pecans on top of the chocolate chips before I pour in the filling.
I love love love this pie. It’s always a hit at our house! I sub coconut oil for butter and maple syrup for brown sugar and corn syrup. Still amazing and a tad healthier! I also always toast the pecans first. Thanks Sally ❤️
This recipe is up for our weekend baking project! Do I need to use salted or plain pecans? Also, I live overseas so Karo light corn syrup is as close as I can get. Will that work as well? Thanks! can’t wait!
We use unsalted pecans and light syrup will work. Hope you have fun trying out this recipe!
Is it okay to crack the three eggs into a bowl to bring them to room temperature? Or do I have to leave them in the shell?
Hi Chris, either way works!
Do the pecans need to be toasted prior to baking??
Hi Jennifer, the pecans toast nicely as the pie bakes so no need to pre-toast here!
Question – If I want to add bourbon to the dark chocolate pecan pie, how much should I use?
Hi Gina, 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 really want to make this but we don’t have corn syrup in the UK – I’m planning to use maple syrup instead, will this work?
Hi Linzi, We recommend following this maple pecan pie recipe and adding dark chocolate chips, just like with this dark chocolate pecan pie. Enjoy!
If I use a frozen pie shell, do I need to thaw it first?
Hi Mich! Yes, you would want to thaw the pie shell first, I believe. But you can check what the directions on your specific pie shell say as they can be different.
This is my*absolute* favorite pie. I love the flavors of the chocolate, cinnamon and sea salt with this – it’s perfect. And SO easy to make. 10+, A+, 100! Fyi – I use dark chocolate chips & leave the bag out on the counter to come to room temp before using – so they melt smoothly & completely.
Hi Christa, we are so glad you love this pie! Happy baking!
I don’t bake many pies, but a friend’s pecan pie failure and coming fresh off watching the Great British Baking Show had me itching to try a pecan pue. I belong to a vanilla group where your site it often mentioned as the source for lots of tasty looking treats, so I knew your recipes would be good ones. I confess that I cheated with a ready made frozen deep dish pie crust, but this pie is still a rich, gooey wonder! The filling recipe worked perfectly, and the flavor is out of this world!
Hi Melanie, we are so glad you loved it!
This pie did not set even after 24 hours in the frig. We cut it open about 4 hours after cooking and it was very runny. Delicious but not solid like we expected.
Most of Sally’s recipes have been awesome but this one did not work for us.
Just made this. Instructions make it so easy. Thanks.
Yum! This pie was so delicious! I’m a chocoholic so this pie was perfect for me!
We love the flavor of this pie! My filling is always runny, even after cooling and chilling. Am I not baking it long enough?
Hi Maureen, I’m so glad you enjoy it. 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.
Thank you, Sally! I’ll bake it for longer when I make it again this weekend. Even though it was messy to slice, as leftovers no one is complaining about spooning syrup directly out of the pie pan and into their mouths, myself included. 🙂 It is so yummy!
Hi Sally! I made this pie last year and it was absolutely outrageous! This year one of my relatives cannot have chocolate…how do you think it would taste with white chocolate chips??
Thank you for your input,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, We haven’t tried this with white chocolate chips. It would probably be delicious, but very sweet. Let us know if you give it a try!
This pie looks amazing! Any chance I can substitute molasses for the dark corn syrup?
Hi Holly, We wouldn’t recommend this substitution.
Hi Sally
Are the measurements for the filling for 1 pie or 2 …I am a little confused as recipe for 2 pie crusts . I think filling os for 1 ?
Thanks
Hi Benita! Yes, this recipe is for the filling of one pie. Our crust recipe makes 2 crusts; you can halve the crust recipe or freeze the 2nd half for another pie later.
Thanks for the fun variation recipe! My filling was a little soggy, I’m sure it was user error.
Hi Sally! This was my first time to try baking pie and it was SO GOOD!! My only issue is the filling was runny and did not “gel” well together.. when i slice a piece of pie, it would collapse and would not hold its shape. Same thing happened on my 2nd pie (the same day lol). I used light corn syrup. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Cath, We are so happy you enjoyed this pie! Any chance you cut it while it was still a bit warm? As long as you didn’t make any ingredient substitutions the pie filling should set as it cools.
You are right, I didn’t find instructions in the recipe on cooling time so I did cut the pie within 30-60mins out of the oven thinking it would be best fresh out of the oven. Such a newbie mistake 😀 thanks again!
Sally you’ve done it again with this recipe !
I had just enough pie dough in my freezer to make this pie (Sally’s pie shell recipe).
Let the dough thaw out, roll and place in my pie dish and then chilled it again for 30 minutes before adding the other ingredients.
I tented the pie with aluminum foil 20 minutes in as Sally suggested, but removed after 15 mins covered and let fully brown.
The most decadent pecan pie I had ever eaten!
Thank you again Sally, you will always be my go-to for baking recipes!!
5 stars, out of this world!
Sally’s recipes have been my absolute go-to when I crave the baking lift
I had enough pie dough in my freezer (Sally’s recipe) to make this buttery wonder!
Thank you again Sally!
I love this recipe, the flavors are really great. I’ve tried it twice with the all butter pie crust, but every single time, the bottom end up really soggy, the sides? So crisp, but the bottom eends up soggy and really chewy. what could I be doing wrong?
Hi Dani, I don’t think you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Baking the pie for longer will help, but I think you’d enjoy the pie if you blind-baked the crust before adding the filling. See my partially blind baking instructions in this How to Blind Bake Pie Crust post.
This was less than the sum of its parts. Next time, I’ll try your pecan pie. Why gild the lily?
I’ve made variations of this pie but your version with the dark chocolate and the cinnamon was new to me – it was so good!
Thank you, I’ll try that next time! Forgot to mention I added 3 T. of bourbon. YUM!!
Made this pie for Thanksgiving and it is soooo good. Your recipes never fail! 🙂 A question, Sally, I was surprised the chocolate didn’t melt. Could I melt the chocolate or maybe part of it and mix in with the syrup portion and then pour over the pecans and chips?
Hi Janet, chocolate chips contain stabilizers which prevent them from fully melting (like when you use them in cookies!). If you use chopped pure chocolate, such as chocolate baking bars (I like Bakers and Ghirardelli brands), the chocolate will be a bit more melty in the filling. I recommend 1 cup of chopped chocolate, which is about 6 ounces by weight. I don’t recommend melting the chocolate (or chocolate chips) and mixing with the filling before baking.