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Sous Vide Chocolate Custard Pie Recipe Recipe

Sous vide chocolate custard pie

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This delicious chocolate custard filling is started in a water bath before added to a partially pre-baked pie crust and finished in the oven for a rich, chocolate pie slice that is silky smooth from edge to edge. NOTE: For the best results, use the weight measurements when making this pie. If you need additional guidance on pie baking basics, such as how to use a rolling pin, crimping a pie crust, or blind baking, consult a more comprehensive source, such as our pie cookbook, The New Pie: Modern Techniques for the Classic American Dessert (2019, Clarkson Potter Publishers/Penguin Random House).


Want more like this? Our comprehensive book Champions of Sous Vide is a great collection of more than 70 sous vide recipes from two dozen top sous vide cooks.


Sous Vide Chocolate Custard Pie Recipe Recipe

  • Published: October 28, 2021
  • By Paul Arguin and Christopher Taylor 
  • Total Time: 45 - 60 minutes
  • Cooks: 150°F (65.6°C) for 45 - 60 minutes
  • Serves: 1 pie

Ingredients for Sous Vide Chocolate Custard Pie Recipe

  • For the Crust 

  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (170 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (43 grams) vegetable shortening 
  • 6 tablespoons (85 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces 
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 
  • 3 tablespoons cold water (45 grams total liquid, including the vinegar)
  • For the Chocolate Custard

  • 4 large eggs (200 grams of egg, weighted without shells)
  • 1/3 cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar 
  • 2 1/2 cups (580 grams) heavy cream 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder 
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped 
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Cooking Instructions for Sous Vide Chocolate Custard Pie Recipe

For the Crust

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl of a food processor. Add the shortening and process until well incorporated into the flour.

Add the butter pieces and pulse 4 to 6 times until pea-sized nuggets of butter remain.

Add the water and vinegar and pulse until the dough is just holding together.

Wrap in plastic, flatten into a 5-inch disc, and chill in the refrigerator at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

Roll the pie dough into a 13-inch, 1/8-inch-thick circle, and fit the dough into a standard 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges and freeze the crust for at least 20 minutes prior to blind baking. (While the crust is freezing, preheat the oven to 350°F or 176°C.)

Line the frozen pie crust with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake the crust for about 50 minutes, or until the crust is just starting to turn a light golden brown in spots (you will have to check under the foil to see this). The goal is for the crust to be almost fully baked at this point.

Remove the foil and pie weights. Cool the crust to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.

For the Chocolate Custard

Heat a water bath to 150°F (65.6°C).

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar followed by the cream, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt.

Place the chocolate in a 1-gallon zipper-top (e.g., Ziploc) bag. Add the egg mixture and seal the bag by simple air displacement. The temperature of the custard at this point is essentially refrigerator temperature, 40°F to 50°F (4.4°C to 10°C).

Place the bag in the water bath for 15 minutes being sure to clip the top of the bag so that the zipper of the bag stays above the water level.

After 15 minutes, the chocolate will be melted and the temperature of the mixture at will be about 105°F (40°C).

You can agitate the bag by gently squishing it with your hands a bit to get everything mostly homogeneous.

Preheat the oven to 275°F (121°C).

Place the bag back in the water bath until it gets to just about 150°F (65.6°C). This should take about another 15 minutes. Agitate the bag again to finish mixing the contents (the bag will be much warmer, so be careful!).

Pour the custard into the cooled pie crust. Carefully transfer the pie to the oven (the pie will be quite full). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center of the pie measures 180°F (82.2°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

Cool the pie completely on a wire cooling rack.

Once the bottom of the pie plate is no longer warm, refrigerate the pie until it is cold throughout before serving.


Want more like this? Our comprehensive book Champions of Sous Vide is a great collection of more than 70 sous vide recipes from two dozen top sous vide cooks.


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