Minny’s Chocolate Pie Inspired by The Help

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This easy chocolate pie recipe has a rich, fudgy chocolate filling with that irresistible crackly top, all baked inside a simple pie crust. It was originally inspired by Minny’s famous chocolate pie from The Help, but over the years it has become one of our favorite chocolate pies all on its own.

And yes.

Minny.

Not Minnie.

If you’ve read the book or seen the movie, you know exactly who I’m talking about.

I originally shared this recipe way back in 2013 after falling completely in love with The Help. I loved the story, the characters and, of course, all that Southern food.

And then there was the pie.

If you know, you know.

I’m not going to ruin that particular scene for anyone who somehow hasn’t seen The Help yet, but I will tell you that Minny’s chocolate pie plays a rather unforgettable role.

Naturally, I wanted to make one.

Back then, I went searching online for the chocolate pie recipe attributed to Lee Ann Flemming, the food stylist who made the pies used in the movie.

I found a recipe, made it and absolutely loved it.

Here’s the funny part.

Years later, while updating this post, I discovered that the recipe Lee Ann Flemming has published for her famous movie pie isn’t actually the same recipe I found and made back in 2013.

Huh.

Apparently the internet was doing internet things even then.

Her version uses cocoa powder and evaporated milk. The recipe I’ve been making all these years uses unsweetened baking chocolate and a little flour.

So I’m not going to rewrite history and pretend this is the exact pie used in the movie.

It isn’t.

This is the chocolate pie I made because Minny’s pie made me desperately want chocolate pie.

And considering how rich, fudgy and ridiculously good this version turned out to be, I’m okay with that.

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Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Pie

• Rich and chocolatey: Unsweetened baking chocolate gives the filling a deep chocolate flavor.
• Fudgy texture: This isn’t a chocolate cream or pudding pie. The baked filling is rich, dense and almost brownie-like.
• That crackly top: One of my favorite things about this pie is the slightly crisp, crackly layer that forms over the fudgy filling.
• Simple ingredients: You only need a pie crust and a handful of basic baking ingredients.
• Easy to make: Melt, mix, pour and bake. Nothing particularly complicated happening here.
• Perfect with whipped cream: The pie itself is incredibly rich, so a big dollop of whipped cream is exactly what it needs.
• A fun recipe for fans of The Help: The movie may be why I went looking for chocolate pie in the first place, but the recipe is worth making whether you’ve seen it or not.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll find the exact measurements in the printable recipe card below.

Pie Crust

I use a prepared pie crust for this recipe.

This is one of those desserts where I’m perfectly happy letting the filling do all the work.

Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

This recipe uses 2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

That’s important.

Somewhere along the way, an older version of this post started giving tips about cocoa powder even though there isn’t a speck of cocoa powder in the actual recipe.

We’re fixing that.

Use unsweetened baking chocolate and melt it before adding it to the filling.

Butter

Butter is melted along with the chocolate and gives the filling its rich, fudgy texture.

Sugar

Yes, there’s sugar.

It’s chocolate pie.

We’re not going to act surprised about this.

The unsweetened chocolate needs that sweetness and the combination gives us that rich filling and crackly top.

Eggs

The eggs help set the chocolate filling as it bakes.

All-Purpose Flour

There’s a small amount of flour in this version of the pie.

That’s one of the major differences between this recipe and the chocolate pie Lee Ann Flemming has published from The Help.

The flour helps give this version its dense, fudgy texture.

Vanilla Extract

A little vanilla rounds out all that chocolate flavor.

How to Make This Easy Chocolate Pie

1. Prepare the Pie Crust

Preheat your oven according to the recipe instructions and prepare your pie crust.

Place it into your pie plate and have it ready while you make the chocolate filling.

2. Melt the Chocolate and Butter

Melt the unsweetened baking chocolate and butter together until smooth.

Set the mixture aside briefly while you prepare the remaining filling.

3. Mix the Chocolate Pie Filling

Combine the eggs and sugar, then add the flour and vanilla.

Pour in the melted chocolate and butter mixture and mix until everything is completely combined.

4. Fill the Pie

Pour the chocolate filling into the prepared pie crust.

Smooth the top if needed.

5. Bake

Bake according to the recipe card below until the chocolate filling is set.

The top will develop that beautiful crackly finish while the inside stays rich and fudgy.

6. Cool Before Slicing

Let the pie cool before slicing.

I know.

Chocolate pie is sitting right there.

But giving it time to cool allows the filling to finish setting and makes it considerably easier to slice.

Serve with whipped cream.

Is This the Actual Minny’s Chocolate Pie Recipe from The Help?

No, and this is something I learned years after originally publishing this recipe.

When I first made this pie in 2013, I was specifically searching for the chocolate pie recipe attributed to Lee Ann Flemming, the food stylist for The Help who made the pies used during filming.

I found a recipe, made it and believed I’d found that version.

While updating this post years later, I discovered that Flemming’s published recipe is different from mine.

Her chocolate pie uses cocoa powder and evaporated milk.

The pie I’ve tested and made uses unsweetened baking chocolate and flour.

So rather than change my recipe to match hers, I’m keeping the recipe I’ve actually made.

Minny’s famous pie is what inspired me to go into the kitchen and make chocolate pie that day.

This is the pie that came out of my kitchen.

What’s the Difference Between This and Chocolate Cream Pie?

They’re very different desserts.

Chocolate cream pie generally has a soft custard or pudding-style chocolate filling that is cooked until thick and then chilled.

This chocolate pie is baked.

The filling contains melted unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour, giving it a much denser, fudgier texture.

If you’re expecting pudding inside a pie crust, this isn’t that.

Think considerably closer to the chocolatey center of a brownie.

In a pie.

Which is obviously not a bad situation to find yourself in.

Why Does Chocolate Pie Get a Crackly Top?

That thin crackly layer is one of my favorite parts.

The combination of sugar and eggs in the filling helps create that delicate crust over the top while the inside remains softer and fudgy.

It reminds me a little of the shiny, crackly top you get on a really good batch of brownies.

Don’t mistake it for the pie being overbaked.

It’s supposed to be there.

How Do I Know When Chocolate Pie Is Done?

The filling should be set rather than liquid when you remove it from the oven.

Remember that it will continue to set as the pie cools.

You don’t want to keep baking it until the entire filling becomes completely dry and firm.

The goal here is a rich, fudgy chocolate center.

Do I Need to Blind Bake the Pie Crust?

Follow the recipe card for the crust and method I’ve actually tested.

An older version of this post recommended blind baking as a general chocolate pie tip, but that wasn’t part of the method for this recipe.

That’s the problem with giving generic baking advice.

Sometimes it has absolutely nothing to do with the pie sitting directly underneath it.

What to Serve with Chocolate Pie

Whipped cream.

I could probably stop there.

This pie is rich enough that whipped cream is genuinely my favorite thing to serve with it.

But if you want to turn a slice into an entire dessert situation, try:

• Fresh strawberries
• Fresh raspberries
• Vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate shavings
• A drizzle of chocolate sauce
• A little powdered sugar

Personally, give me a slice with a giant pile of whipped cream and I’m happy.

Can I Make Chocolate Pie Ahead of Time?

Yes.

In fact, making it ahead gives the pie plenty of time to cool completely and the chocolate filling time to set before you slice it.

Bake the pie, let it cool and then cover it until you’re ready to serve.

If you’re adding whipped cream, I prefer adding it when serving rather than covering the entire pie ahead of time.

How to Store Chocolate Pie

Once the pie has cooled, cover leftovers and store them in the refrigerator.

You can let individual slices sit out briefly before serving if you prefer the chocolate filling closer to room temperature.

Chocolate Pie Recipe FAQs

Can I use cocoa powder instead of baking chocolate?

I wouldn’t make that substitution in this recipe.

This version was tested with unsweetened baking chocolate.

Cocoa powder and unsweetened baking chocolate don’t contain the same proportions of cocoa solids and cocoa butter, so swapping one directly for the other can change both the flavor and texture of the filling.

If you want the pie pictured here, use the unsweetened baking chocolate called for in the recipe.

Can I use semisweet chocolate?

Again, I recommend sticking with unsweetened baking chocolate.

Semisweet chocolate contains additional sugar and would change the sweetness of an already very rich pie.

Is this a chocolate chess pie?

It has similarities to Southern chocolate chess and fudge-style pies because it’s a baked chocolate filling made with eggs, sugar and butter.

However, I’m keeping the name I’ve used for this particular recipe rather than trying to squeeze it into another pie category years later.

It’s chocolate pie.

A really good one.

Is Minny spelled Minnie?

Not in The Help.

The character is Minny Jackson, so the name of the pie is Minny’s Chocolate Pie.

You’ll sometimes see people searching for or publishing it as “Minnie’s Chocolate Pie,” but that’s not the character’s name.

What’s the “secret ingredient” in Minny’s pie?

If you know the book or movie, you already know exactly why this question gets asked.

If you don’t know?

I’m not telling you.

Watch the movie.

And I can assure you that this chocolate pie contains nothing more alarming than chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla.

Can I make this pie without having seen The Help?

Of course.

Although apparently I will then have questions about your movie watching priorities.

The story behind the recipe is fun, but ultimately this is a rich, fudgy chocolate pie that stands completely on its own.

The Chocolate Pie I Kept Making

Finding out all these years later that this isn’t actually Lee Ann Flemming’s recipe made me laugh.

Because I genuinely thought it was when I made it back in 2013.

But I also don’t want to “correct” the recipe now.

I didn’t test her pie for this post.

I tested this one.

This is the chocolate pie my family ate, the one photographed on this page and the one readers have been making from Daily Dish Recipes for years.

The Help and Minny’s unforgettable chocolate pie are why I went looking for a recipe in the first place.

Whatever twists and turns that recipe took through the 2013 internet before landing in my kitchen, it gave us a really good chocolate pie.

And honestly?

I’ll take it.

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