Coconut Cream Pie
on Feb 16, 2023
This Coconut Cream Pie has the perfect combination of creamy custard, sweetened coconut, coconut infused whipped cream and a flaky crust. It’s an old-fashioned pie that most everyone loves!
Who doesn’t enjoy homemade pie? This Coconut Cream Pie recipe is one of the BEST pies that I make. In fact, I make it every single year for Easter dessert. We find it much better than store-bought frozen pie. The coconut custard filling is made from scratch as well as the whipped cream. Don’t be intimidated by the term “from scratch”. Trust in me when I say that the rich and creamy custard, and whipped cream are quick and easy to make. I frequently use a frozen or refrigerated pie crust when I am short on time. If time is not an issue, I use my 4 Ingredient Pie Crust Recipe that is simple too!
Why you will LOVE this Homemade Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
- Coconut Lovers will love that there is an abundance of coconut flavor throughout the pie.
- It’s easier than you think. This is not an intimidating recipe.
- It’s a perfect dessert that can be served year round (not season).
- We think it is better than a fancy restaurant pie.
Often Coconut Cream Pies are made with boxed vanilla pudding with a layer of toasted coconut. This recipe uses a real coconut custard. We make REAL whipped cream instead of Cool-Whip like the easy coconut pies use.
Ingredients For Coconut Cream Pie
- Pie Crust – It’s perfectly fine to use a store-bought refrigerated or frozen pie crust for this recipe. If you prefer an easy from scratch pie dough that is buttery and flaky, use my 4 Ingredient Pie Crust Recipe.
- Eggs- We will use a total of three eggs. Two yolks and one egg. I typically purchase large eggs so that is what I use.
- Half and Half – Makes the pie creamy. This is a recipe that you will not want to substitute with whole milk.
- Cornstarch- Needed to thicken the custard.
- Sugar- Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the homemade pie.
- Coconut or Vanilla Extract – Both will add additional flavor. I personally reach for vanilla because I LOVE vanilla in most EVERY sweet dessert.
- Shredded Coconut- I use the sweetened variety as it has the best texture and flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – This is needed for topping the pie. This is a recipe that you will NOT want to reach for the frozen or canned. The high fat content makes for a stable whipped topping that will not “deflate” after a few minutes time.
- Powdered Sugar – Adds a bit of sweetness and stability to the whipped topping.
- Coconut Extract – Gives another level of coconut flavor. If you do not have any handy, you can omit and still have a tasty pie.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut – For the top we will lightly toast the coconut.
How to Make Coconut Cream Pie
Note: detailed measurements and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
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- Bake the pie crust until browned and allow to cool completely.
- Toast part of the shredded coconut to be used for topping.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, egg, egg yolks and half & half in a medium saucepan. Whisk and cook over medium heat until thickened.
- Stir in the remaining (untoasted) shredded coconut and vanilla extract.
- Pour into pie crust and chill in refrigerator.
- Whip heavy cream, sugar, coconut extract or vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Top pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Variations for this Pie Recipe
- Make your pie crust from scratch- It’s realy easy with this homemade pie crust recipe. You can also control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Swap out the pastry pie crust for a homemade graham cracker crust.
- Use boxed pudding- If you are just too afraid to make a custard filling, you can always substitute instant pudding for the custard recipe.
- Avoiding dairy- Use coconut cream instead of the heavy cream.
FAQs about Coconut Cream Pie
The basics of a coconut cream pie are a pie crust, a vanilla custard filling and a topping flavored with coconut. Some recipes call for using a boxed pudding, but ours is made from scratch. Also some pies may use a meringue topping as opposed to a whipped topping like ours.
There are a couple of reasons this can happen. The first is that your filling didn’t thicken enough when you cooked it. The second is that the filling was still warm when you added the topping. Make sure to let the filling cool completely in the crust before adding the topping.
If the filling doesn’t seem to thicken while cooking, add a mixture of equal parts cornstarch and water (try 1 tablespoon each) mixed into a slurry and whisked into to the filling. Bring it to a boil and continue stirring until thickened.
The most likely reason is that the filling didn’t thicken enough because it didn’t get to a boil.
A typical coconut cream pie will have dairy in the topping and in the crust (butter). I have heard that you can make a whipped topping out of coconut cream.
No. You will need to use coconut cream if you are trying to replace the heavy cream, as the coconut milk will not whip to form the necessary consistency to make a topping.
You technically can, but you won’t be thrilled with the outcome. The filling will typically affect the texture of the crust while freezing. Also, the eggs in the filling and the cream in the topping are known not to behave well after freezing and thawing.
Tips for Making the Coconut Cream Pie
- Make sure the filling has thickened before removing from the heat. This is the biggest source of problems in making this recipe
- Closely watch the coconut as it is toasting. In the oven, it can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.
- Use a 9-inch pie plate to bake your crust. I used a deep dish but a regular depth will also work.
- Use a fork to dock your pie crust to avoid moisture build up under the crust.
- If your pie rises while cooking, use pie weights (or dried beans or rice) to keep the bottom flat. If you want to know more tips about blind baking a pie crust, check out Sally’s How to Blind Bake Pie Crust tutorial.
- To whip the heavy cream, use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed in a medium bowl.
- Use a sharp knife to make perfect cuts when slicing. Wipe the knife between cuts for a gorgeous presentation.
- Keep your pie refrigerated and store in an airtight container. You could use a cake plate with a dome lid. Leftover cream pie will keep for up to 7 days, but is best within the first couple of days.
Other Delicious Pie Recipes
- This super simple Strawberry Pie Recipe is loaded with strawberries and a homemade jelly filling. You will find it to be like the same you find at Frisch’s or Shoney’s. Oh so YUMMY!
- This Easy Banana Cream Pie is one of my favorite quick and easy desserts. Since we use a store-bought crust and instant banana pudding, it can be made in a jiffy.
Did you make this recipe? If so, be sure to rate with a star rating and drop a comment below.
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Refrigerated Pie Crust, or homemade if you prefer
Filling
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 3 cup Half & Half
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Topping
- 2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
- 1/4 cup Toasted Coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Press pie crust into a 9″ pie pan and bake on lower rack for 10-15 minutes (until crust is browned).
- Allow to cool completely.
- Spread 1/4 cup of coconut onto baking sheet and bake until golden brown.
- Set toasted coconut aside for topping.
- Combine sugar cornstarch, egg, egg yolks and half & half in a pan.
- Whisk together and bring to a boil over medium.
- Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.
- Stir in coconut and vanilla.
- Pour into pie crust and chill until firm.
- Whip heavy cream at high speed.
- Slowly add sugar, vanilla and coconut extract.
- Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread whipped cream over pie.
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make sure the filling has thickened before removing from the heat. This is the biggest source of problems in making this recipe
- Closely watch the coconut as it is toasting. In the oven, it can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.
- Use a 9-inch pie plate to bake your crust. I used a deep dish but a regular depth will also work.
- Use a fork to dock your pie crust to avoid moisture build up under the crust.
- If your pie rises while cooking, use pie weights to keep the bottom flat.
- To whip the heavy cream, use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed in a medium bowl.
- Use a sharp knife to make perfect cuts when slicing. Wipe the knife between cuts for a gorgeous presentation.
- Keep your pie refrigerated and store in an airtight container. You could use a cake plate with a dome lid. Leftover cream pie will keep for up to 7 days, but is best within the first couple of days.
This pie was the bomb! My husband even loved it. It’s a definite keeper. Thanks so much! How about a banana cream?
This is the best pie I have ever made! Decadent!!!!!!
Awesome recipe and so easy to make/follow! Turned out fabulous!!
I’ve always guessed that Coconut Cream Pie is tricky to make, but it really doesn’t look too hard! Thanks for sharing with Merry Monday; I’ll be featuring your pie at our upcoming party!
Oh my this has to be amazing. I am going to share it with my daughter who is always in the kitchen making pastries.
We love chocolate and lemon meringue pie around here, but we are going to have to add this to the list of pies we love. It looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mmmmm. I’d like a big slice with a cup of coffee right now! #merrymonday
Am I able to make this a day before or would you recommend making the day of? Thanks!
Made this for Easter dessert and it was a hit! So yummy and looks like it came from a bakery. Thanks so much for posting!