Our Mississippi Mud Pie stacks a dense brownie base, silky chocolate pudding, and a thick swirl of whipped cream into one show-stopping dessert. It’s rich, indulgent, and guaranteed to steal the spotlight from everything else on the table.
One bite in and suddenly “just a slice” turns into “just one more.”
Audio Player
Mississippi Mud Pie got its start in Southern home kitchens, named after the rich, dark banks of the Mississippi River.
It really took off after World War II, when pantry staples were back and bakers could finally go big on chocolate again. Before long, it was showing up at cookouts, Sunday suppers, and everything in between.
Our version keeps that old-school spirit alive with a crisp cookie crust, a dense, fudgy brownie base, a smooth layer of chocolate custard, and a thick swirl of whipped cream to top it off.
Even Grandma would be proud to serve this one!
It’s not quick, but it’s easy, and it rewards every minute by disappearing in seconds. It’s also a natural make-ahead dessert, so you’re not rushing around on the day.
For another creamy dessert that’s packed with chocolate, our French Silk Pie layers whipped chocolate mousse with a fluffy topping of whipped cream.
Or try our Mississippi Mud Cake. It’s rich and warm, with gooey marshmallows on top and a thick chocolate glaze poured over while it’s still hot.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Mississippi Mud Pie recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Make Adjustments to the Recipe?
Absolutely. We made our Mississippi Mud Pie recipe with a graham cracker crust, but you can swap in Oreos for a crunchy chocolate cookie crust.
If you’re out of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, regular unsweetened cocoa powder can be used as a substitute, although the flavor will be slightly sharper. Feel free to add a little extra sugar to balance it out.
For a twist on the topping, try folding a little cream cheese into the whipped cream for a tangy finish that balances all that richness.
How to Make a Mississippi Mud Pie
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make a Mississippi Mud Pie in your home kitchen.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Add the graham crackers to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they form fine crumbs. This will yield about 2¼ cups of crumbs.
- Add the graham crumbs, granulated sugar, table salt, and melted unsalted butter to a large bowl.
- Stir to combine and evenly moisten the ingredients.
- Pour the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs into a thin, even layer on the bottom of the pan and at least 2¼ inches up its sides.
- Bake the crust until just set, about 10 minutes. The crust will continue to cook as the brownie cake bakes.
- Add the unsalted butter and chocolate to the bowl.
- Stir until the chocolate is melted and the butter is fully incorporated.
Set up a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water but not touching it.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the dark brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and table salt.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, then whisk in the three large egg yolks.
- Add the three large egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium until foamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer on, gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream.
- Increase the speed to high and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 3 minutes.
- Pour the egg whites into the bowl with the chocolate mixture.
- Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg-white mixture evenly into the chocolate mixture.
- Sift the flour evenly over the chocolate mixture and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared crust and smooth the top using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a crust has formed on top and the center is just set. A toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edges should come out with moist crumbs attached.
- Add the chocolate and butter to a medium bowl. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl and set it aside until needed.
- Add the granulated sugar, table salt, cocoa powder, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan and whisk until well combined.
- Add the whole milk, a little at a time.
*The center of the cake, under the crust, should still be very moist and fudgy. Do not overbake. The cake will sink slightly as it cools. Let the cake cool completely, at least 90 minutes.
- Add the remaining milk, whisking to incorporate.
- Add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened and begins to boil. Continue to cook the custard, whisking, for another minute.
- Immediately pour it into the sieve over the chocolate and butter. Use a rubber spatula to push the mixture through the sieve. Let the custard stand for 1 minute,
- Whisk it together with the butter and chocolate until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate custard over the cooled cake.
Cover the custard with plastic wrap, gently pressing it into the surface of the custard. This will prevent skin from forming. Chill the custard for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer).
- Start at a low speed and gradually build up to a medium speed (this will give you better consistency for your whipped cream than over-beating it from the beginning. Continue beating the cold cream until stiff peaks begin to form (just a little past soft peaks). The process should take 7-10 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Remove the ring from the springform pan base and transfer it to a serving plate. Add the whipped cream over the top, leaving about a 1-inch border.
- Dust the whipped cream topping with cocoa powder.
This is the kind of dessert you bring out for Thanksgiving, family get-togethers, or any time you want to show a little love to the people around your table.
And if there’s any left by morning, it’s probably because someone wrapped it in foil and labeled it ‘quinoa’!
How to Store Mississippi Mud Pie
Store leftover Mississippi Mud Pie in an airtight container or cover the pie dish with foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Label accordingly, or not, I won’t judge.
For best results, slice what you need while it’s cold, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Freezing is not recommended, since the whipped cream and custard don’t hold up well once thawed.
Recipe FAQs
Not technically. You’ll find plenty of shortcut versions out there, but trust me, the full stack is what makes it unforgettable. The crust, the brownie, the creamy chocolate pudding, and the whipped cream layers create real magic when they all show up together.
Usually, it comes down to not cooking it quite long enough or rushing the chill time. Let it thicken until it just starts to bubble, then give it a full overnight rest in the fridge. You may also want to double-check that your cornstarch is fresh; it really does make a difference.
This pie has been shared, loved, and reinvented for generations. Some folks add nuts, others switch up the crust or stir in a splash of coffee. What ties them all together is the chocolate, the richness, and that unmistakable over-the-top Mississippi Mud charm.
More Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love!
Mississippi Mud Pie
Equipment
- 10 inch Springform pan
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 16 whole graham crackers
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) – melted
Brownie Cake
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) – cut into pieces
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 large egg -separated
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate Custard
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate -chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter -cut into pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
Topping
- 1½ cups cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Add the graham crackers to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. This will yield about 2¼ cups crumbs.
- Add the graham crumbs, granulated sugar, table salt and melted unsalted butter, to a large bowl and stir to combine and evenly moisten the ingredients.
- Pour the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs into a thin, even layer on the bottom of the pan and at least 2¼ inches up its sides.
- Bake the crust until just set, about 10 minutes. The crust will continue to cook when baking the brownie cake.
Brownie Cake:
- Set up a double boiler by placing a heat proof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water but not touching it.
- Add the unsalted butter and chocolate to the bowl, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the butter is incorporated into it.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the dark brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and table salt.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, then whisk in the 3 large egg yolks.
- Add the 3 large egg whites to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium until foamy, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on, gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream.
- Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until you have stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
- Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg-white mixture evenly into the chocolate mixture.
- Sift the flour evenly over the chocolate mixture and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter to the prepared crust and smooth the top using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheat oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until a crust has formed over the top, the center is just set and a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edges comes out with moist crumbs attached,.
- *The center of the cake, under the crust, should still be very moist and fudgy. Do not overbake. The cake will sink slightly as it cools. Let the cake cool completely, at least 90 minutes.
Chocolate Custard
- Add the chocolate and butter to a medium bowl. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl and set it aside until needed.
- Add the granulated sugar, table salt, cocoa powder, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Add the whole milk, a little at a time, whisking to incorporate as you add it.
- Add the egg yolks, and whisk to combine.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened and just come to a low boil.
- Continue to cook the custard, whisking, for another minute, then immediately pour it into the sieve over the chocolate and butter. Use a rubber spatula to push the mixture through the sieve.
- Let the custard stand for 1 minute, then whisk it together with the butter and chocolate until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate custard over the cooled cake.
- Cover the custard with plastic wrap making sure to press it gently into the surface of the custard. This will prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill until the custard for at least 4 hours until it has set completely, overnight is best.
Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer).
- Start at a low speed and gradually build up to a faster speed (this will give you better consistency for your whipped cream than over-beating it from the beginning.
- Continue beating the cold cream until stiff peaks begin to form (just a little past soft peaks). The process should take 7-10 minutes.*Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Remove the ring from the springform pan base and transfer it to a serving plate. Add the whipped cream over the top of the pie, leaving about a 1-inch border. Then dust with cocoa powder.
Leave a Comment