No Bake Chocolate Dessert is easy to make using pre-made Oreo crust, Cool Whip, instant Jell-O chocolate pudding and half-n-half. This is an easy recipe that is ready in under 30-minutes. Kids love it and so do the adults. No oven time is required!
This double chocolate layer pie is topped with delicious chocolate shavings. I made out of Hershey’s milk chocolate and grated dark chocolate! Unlike my No Bake Oreo Dessert, where I crushed Oreos to make the crust, here I use premade Oreo crust. It is thin, not labor intensive at all, and cuts nicely. Perfect for hot summer months without turning your oven on!
I made both chocolate layers of this layered cake with chocolate pudding and half-n-half. But the look different. The bottom layer is darker, while the middle one is lighter. The lighter layer is made by combining cool Whip with the chocolate pudding layer.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE NO BAKE DESSERT
You will need a whisk to make pudding, such as this stainless steel comfortable grip whisk.
Spatula will help you to spread the layers. While you will use Vegetable peeler for chocolate decoration on top, such as this serrated swivel peeler. I also used Medium bowl such as one of these non-slip stainless steel bowls that come with lids.
Ingredients to Make No Bake Chocolate Pudding Cream Pie
- Pre-made Oreo Pie crust
- Half and half (2 cups)
- Chocolate Instant Pudding (2 packages) – make sure it’s INSTANT, this no bake dessert won’t work with the pudding that you cook on the stove top. I used Jell-O chocolate pudding
- Cool Whip (1 package)
- Hershey’s milk chocolate bar for chocolate shavings to top the pie
- Dark chocolate for chocolate dust
Why Make No Bake Double Chocolate Layer Cream Pie
- It’s easy and quick to make. You can use it for potlucks, church gatherings and birthdays, especially during hot summer months.
- You can make it ahead ahead: freeze it or refrigerate it!
- No need to turn your oven on. It’s perfect for those warm months when you want to keep the house cool.
- Kids love Oreo crust and the chocolate layers!
How to make chocolate pudding mix for this no bake chocolate dessert
Please ignore the instructions on the label of the pudding mix. My Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix – Jell-O package called for 2 cups of milk per box of pudding mix. This would make it 4 cups for both boxes. But we are not going to be adding this much liquid at all. In this recipe, we add a total of 2 cups of half and half to two packages of Instant Chocolate Jell-O pudding mix. Each package is 3.4 oz.
Using half and half instead of milk will add more fat into the mixture. It will also make the pudding structure firmer and more stable. That’s exactly what we need for the layers to be nice and distinct. Using half and half will also help create a nice thick bottom layer and very soft smooth middle layer.
REFRIGERATE EASY NO BAKE CHOCOLATE PUDDING CREAM PIE
To make it easier to divide and cut, make sure to refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours or overnight.
A quick method to make the layers firm is to put it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. At this point the pudding won’t freeze yet, but it will be solid enough for you to divide it easily.
Step by Step Photo Directions
Take pie crust out of package, but make sure to keep it inside the foil. Do not turn it upside down or attempt to take it out. Or, it will get crumbled and destroyed.
The crust is very crumbly. Be careful.
Add half and half to the medium bowl. Then add both packages of instant chocolate pudding. Using a whisk, mix for 2 minutes until all mix is dissolved. Allow the pudding to sit in the fridge or freezer for 5 more minutes so that it thickens.
Once the pudding is thick, take about ½ of the chocolate pudding mixture and spread it as a first layer. You will mix the remaining pudding will be mixed with Cool Whip to form the second layer.
Work with the spatula to even out the first layer
Add ½ of the Cool Whip package to the remaining ½ of the chocolate pudding in the bowl.
Whisk it together or use a spatula to form a uniform mixture for the second layer.
Add this Chocolate Pudding/Cool Whip mixture on top of the first layer. This layer is much smoother and lighter than the first chocolate layer.
Spread Chocolate Pudding/Cool Whip layer with a spatula to even it out:
Add remaining Cool Whip on top of the second layer. Work with a spatula to spread it. I used short circular motions with my spatula to create the spikes:
Prepare vegetable peeler, Hershey’s milk chocolate bar and dark chocolate. You will now make chocolate shavings for the topping. I used vegetable peeler with the serrated stainless steel blade, to create textured chocolate shavings.
Using a vegetable peeler, it’s easy to shave decorative chocolate shavings right over the Cool Whip to decorate this no bake dessert. The long strips are from Hershey’s milk chocolate while the finer dust is from grated dark chocolate. I used same peeler to make both.
Make sure to get a good amount of chocolate shavings as well as some chocolate dust.
This Easy No Bake Chocolate Cream Pie is done! Make sure to refrigerate it at least 4 hours (preferably over night). You can also freeze it for at least 1 hour before attempting to cut it!
No Bake Chocolate Pudding Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Oreo pie crust
- 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding 3.4 oz each (such as Jell-O)
- 2 cups half and half (or half cream/half milk)
- 8 oz. Cool Whip (1 package) thawed
- 1 milk chocolate bar (such as Hershey's)
- dark chocolate (for garnish)
Instructions
- Take pie crust out of package and keep it inside the foil. Do not turn it upside down or attempt to take it out - it will get crumbled and destroyed
Prepare Chocolate Pudding
- Combine dry pudding mixes and half & half in a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix for 2 minutes, until the instant pudding mix is dissolved. Allow the pudding to sit in the fridge or freezer for 5 more minutes so that it thickens.
First Layer
- Take about half of the chocolate pudding mixture and add it into the bottom of the pie crust. Using a spatula, spread it evenly.
Second Layer
- Add ½ of the Cool Whip package to the remaining half of the chocolate pudding in the bowl and mix together with a spatula to form a uniform mixture.Add this chocolate pudding/Cool Whip mixture on top of the first layer. Use a spatula to even it out.
Cool Whip Layer
- Add remaining Cool Whip on top. Spread the Cool Whip on top of the second layer with a spatula. I used circular motions with my spatulato create the spikes
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave decorative chocolate shavings out of Hershey's milk chocolate right over the Cool Whip. And then using same peeler, grate some dark chocolate over the top as well.
Refrigerate before slicing
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight before attempting to slice it! You can also freeze it for at least 1 hour. This step is necessary for the layers to set and become firm.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
But wait, there are even more delicious no bake desserts waiting for you!
No Bake Oreo Dessert with Cream Cheese, Cool Whip and Chocolate Pudding
No Bake Lemon Pudding Cream Pie
and delicious No Bake Black Forrest Cheesecake
Instead of cool whip. I made my own whipped cream, also added gelatin for a stabilizer to the top layer as I like to pipe the whipped cream on top. I used whole milk to make the pudding and just got pre made oreo crust.
Shannon, thank you for sharing your method of preparing the top layer and a 5-star review!
I used two cups of half and half and two packages of the 3.4 packages of chocolate pudding and it was SO runny! What did I do wrong? I put it in the fridge for five minutes, still runny, then 10, still runny.
Melissa, did you use instant chocolate pudding? It shouldn’t be runny even if you used milk (and we use half and half). I am very confused.
I used half and half but added a little more because it was very thick. Next time I’ll try 1 cup half and half and 1 cup whole milk.
The layers do need thickness to stay in place. I am curious if you will be able to keep the layers with using 1 cup milk and 1 cup half-and-half.
Can you use evaporated milk instead of milk or half and half
It should be fine!
I made this recipe using milk instead of cream and the five ounce boxes instead of the 3 oz boxes of pudding because that’s all I had. I used 3 cups of milk instead of 2 since I had more powdered pudding. I also had a deep dish pie crust. I used a graham cracker crust but an Oreo crust would have been delicious I’m sure! It is setting up now in the fridge. I think next time I should use three and a half cups of milk because it’s set up incredibly fast, almost too fast to add in the whipped cream for the second half.
Thank you Andrea for these tips, especially about using milk instead of half and half.
I made this this morning. However, I used cream instead of half-n-half. Don’t do this. I salvaged it by adding milk. It should be okay, but don’t use cream instead!
Thank you Debra for posting this!
The boxes of instant pudding I can find are 3.9 oz. Is that going to be a problem?
That’s absolutely fine!
All and all it’s pretty good. However, from frozen (either slightly thawed or a good bit thawed) it’s texture is a little…gummy. I wouldn’t put it in the freezer unless you were trying to save it for a couple days…
Just chilled (from the fridge) it’s a nice, simple pie 🙂
Thank you Kate for you assessment of cooling the cake. I agree – chilled from the fridge is the best route.
Excellent! A huge win with both my husband and my young sons. And it didn’t take hours slaving in the kitchen.
OrdinaryMary – this is excellent point about not slaving away in the kitchen!
One of the best pudding pie recipe i have ever tried. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us. Also do check out my special pudding pie recipe as well. Check out the recipe here: https://www.recipespack.com/easy-chocolate-pudding-pie-recipe/