Easy Mississippi Mud Pie Recipe

Name: Mississippi Mud Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 24 Oreo cookies (crushed); 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 1 18-ounce box double chocolate brownie mix; 1 large egg; ⅓ cup vegetable oil; ¼ cup water; 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips; 1 cup heavy cream (cold); 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 pinch sea salt; 1½ cups heavy cream (cold); 3 tablespoons powdered sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 Oreo cookie (crushed)

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Mississippi Mud Pie is a tall, layered chocolate dessert that brings fudgy, creamy, and fluffy together in one deep-dish slice. It’s the pie that disappears first, even on a crowded holiday table.

A crunchy chocolate cookie crust layered with a fudgy brownie, rich chocolate mousse, and sweet vanilla whipped cream.

Close overhead view of whipped cream and cookie crumbs on a Mississippi Mud Pie.

Table of Contents

Our Thanksgiving dessert table always leaned heavy on pumpkin and pecan, and the chocolate lovers in my family noticed. I added this pie to the lineup a few years back. Now my husband checks the refrigerator for it the night before.

Recipe Highlights

Four impressive layers in one deep-dish pie
A boxed brownie mix keeps it foolproof
Make it a full day ahead
Belongs on the Thanksgiving dessert table
Everyday ingredients from a single grocery run

Ingredient Notes

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

Ingredients needed to make a Mississippi Mud Pie.

OREOS – Use the whole cookie, filling and all. The filling helps bind the crust. One 14.3-ounce package covers the crust and the garnish with a few left over for snacking.

BROWNIE MIX – I used Aldi’s Specially Selected Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix, the 18-ounce box with the chocolate chips baked in. It’s a dupe for Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix, so grab whichever one you find. If you can’t find either one, Betty Crocker Delights Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix is a great option too. Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix works in a pinch. Just know it bakes up lighter and more cake-style, not rich and fudgy like the other three.

SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS – Chips are easy to keep on hand and melt smoothly in short bursts. Two 4-ounce semisweet baking bars melt even silkier if you have them.

HEAVY CREAM – Grab a quart at the store. The mousse and the topping together use 2½ cups, so one pint runs short. Cold cream whips faster and higher.

BUTTER – I use unsalted for nearly all my baking. Salted works here too, since the cookies already bring a little salt to the crust.

How To Make a Mississippi Mud Pie

Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

Oreo crumbs in a food processor for Mississippi Mud Pie crust.

Cookie crumbs and melted butter mixed with a fork for the Mississippi Mud Pie crust.

Cookie crust pressed into a deep-dish pie plate with the bottom of a glass.

Brownie mix, egg, oil, and water in a mixing bowl for the Mississippi Mud Pie brownie layer.

Brownie batter spread over the cookie crust before baking.

Melted semisweet chocolate stirred smooth in a glass bowl.

Whipped cream with sugar and vanilla added for the Mississippi Mud Pie mousse.

Melted chocolate poured over whipped cream before folding into mousse.

Chocolate mousse spread over the baked brownie layer in the pie.

Heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla for the whipped topping.

Whipped cream topping spread over the mousse layer of the Mississippi Mud Pie.

Mississippi Mud Pie garnished with crushed cookies and ready to slice.

Press the cookie crumb crust into a deep-dish pie plate and freeze.
Spread the brownie batter over the crust, bake, and cool completely.
Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream and spread over the brownie.
Add the whipped cream topping and chill the pie before serving.

Whole Mississippi Mud Pie from above with chocolate chips and cookies around the dish.

Leftovers and Storage

STORE – Keep the pie covered in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The whipped cream stays freshest under a cake dome or a loose tent of foil.

FREEZE – Freeze the whole pie or single slices for up to 1 month. Skip the cookie garnish, wrap everything well, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Add the crushed cookies just before serving.

REHEAT – No oven needed for this one. Mississippi Mud Pie serves cold, straight from the refrigerator. If you like a softer mousse, let slices sit out for 10 to 15 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD – This pie was made for a head start. Build it the day before, let it chill overnight, and finish with the cookie garnish at serving time.

More Chocolate Desserts

Serving Suggestions

THANKSGIVING – This is the chocolate answer on a table full of Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie. Serve it after the Thanksgiving Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

SUNDAY DINNER – End a cozy dinner of Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing on a sweet note. If the crowd splits between chocolate and citrus, add a Lemon Icebox Pie and let everyone pick.

GAME DAY – Rich slices go fast when the game is on. Round out the sweet spread with Hot Chocolate Dip and a pile of dippers.

BIRTHDAYS – For anyone who picks chocolate over cake, this pie earns the candles.

A slice of Mississippi Mud Pie lifted from the pie on a server, showing the layers.

Recipe Success Tips

DEEP DISH – A 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, about 2 inches deep, gives all four layers room. If your plate runs shallow, bake the extra batter in a small ramekin for a baker’s treat.

MOIST CRUMBS – Pull the brownie when a toothpick shows moist crumbs at 40 minutes. A fudgy base makes the best bite under all that mousse.

FULL COOL – Give the brownie its whole 2 hours. A completely cool base keeps the mousse thick and fluffy as you spread it.

CLEAN SLICES – Chill the pie overnight for picture-pretty layers. Wipe the knife clean between cuts and every slice comes out sharp.

EXPERT TIP – Let the melted chocolate cool until it thickens slightly but still pours. Then pour it over the whipped cream and fold right away for a smooth, streak-free mousse.

A tall slice of Mississippi Mud Pie on a white plate with the whole pie in the background.

Commonly Asked Questions

Do I Need A Food Processor For The Crust?

A zip-top bag and a rolling pin work just as well. Seal the cookies in the bag and crush them into fine, even crumbs. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture looks like wet sand. A sturdy drinking glass makes quick work of pressing the crust into the plate.

Can I Use Homemade Brownies Instead Of A Box Mix?

Yes, homemade brownie batter works beautifully here. Mix up any recipe sized for an 8×8 pan and spread it over the chilled crust. Bake until a toothpick shows moist crumbs, then let it cool completely, about 2 hours, before the mousse goes on.

Is The Aldi Brownie Mix A Dupe For Ghirardelli?

Yes, the Aldi mix is a close dupe of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix. Both are 18-ounce boxes with chocolate chips in the mix, and both call for the same egg, oil, and water. Either one bakes up the same fudgy layer here, so grab whichever your store carries.

Can I Use Whipped Topping Instead Of Whipped Cream?

Yes, an 8-ounce tub of whipped topping can stand in for the top layer. Thaw it in the refrigerator and spread it over the set mousse. I recommend real whipped cream in the mousse itself, since it folds into the chocolate more smoothly.

What’s The Difference Between Mississippi Mud Pie And Mississippi Mud Cake?

Mississippi Mud Pie is a chilled, layered pie, while Mississippi Mud Cake is a warm sheet cake. The pie stacks a cookie crust, brownie, mousse, and whipped cream in a deep dish. The cake bakes in a 9×13 pan and gets a warm topping of melted marshmallows and chocolate frosting. Here’s the quick side-by-side.

	Mississippi Mud Pie (this recipe)	Mississippi Mud Cake
Style	Chilled, layered pie	Very tender
Base	Chocolate cookie crust	Moderate
Layers	Brownie, mousse, whipped cream	Very tender
Served	Cold, after a long chill	Warm or room temperature

More Thanksgiving Desserts

These are the desserts my Thanksgiving table counts on, year after year.

Chess Pie – A simple Southern favorite with a sweet, golden custard filling.

Pecan Pie Dump Cake – All the gooey pecan pie flavor with just minutes of prep.

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie – Sweet cherry topping over a cool, creamy filling.

Banana Cream Pie – Silky vanilla custard, fresh bananas, and a pile of whipped cream.

Fork marks in the whipped cream of a Mississippi Mud Pie slice with a bite on the plate.

Maike Corbett

Maike Corbett grew up in German kitchens learning to cook and bake alongside her Omas before spending over a decade running full-service restaurants in the US. She founded Cheerful Cook in 2017 to share practical, tested comfort food recipes that actually work on busy weeknights, drawing on both her American restaurant experience and her German home-cooking roots. Her work has been featured on MSN, Yahoo, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets.