Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

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4.99 from 186 votes
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Decadent Coconut Cream Pie with rich, creamy coconut custard topped with pillowy whipped cream and toasted coconut in a flaky homemade pie crust. Delicious dessert perfect for entertaining!

Closeup of blue plate and fork with Coconut Cream Pie covered in toasted coconut on top of thick whipped cream.

If you are a fan of coconut desserts, this Coconut Cream Pie recipe is one you will love! It has a delicious coconut custard and thick, amazing homemade whipped cream topped with tasty, toasty coconut flakes. My flaky pie crust is easy to make and is perfect for this pie. It is better than any I’ve had in any restaurant – and I can say it’s the best I’ve ever had. Not only is there a rich coconut taste in every bite – just look at that “mile-high” whipped cream! I love to serve it for entertaining guests and for special family meals. It’s a classic and a coconut lover’s dream! I am excited for you to try it!

How to Make Coconut Cream Pie

Making this pie is really one of those times where the effort pays off ten-fold when everyone takes their first bite. They begin with, “Oh my gosh, this is the best coconut cream pie I’ve tasted.” And then they ask, “Did you make this? Can I have your recipe?” I love it when that happens.

Here’s how this decadent pie is made.

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Pie Crust – Make this crust according to the recipe and follow the Blind Baking instructions

coconut milk – Use sweetened or unsweetened according to your preference. Use coconut milk in the custard for the most coconut flavor, but you can substitute it with whole milk or half-and-half if you choose. But if you enjoy coconuts, I advise you to use coconut milk.

half-and-half

egg yolks – You use several egg yolks in the custard of this pie. Save the egg whites in a container in the refrigerator to make a meringue or a Pavlova! Yum!

sugar – Granulated sugar

cornstarch

butter – I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you wish.

salt – Use kosher salt

coconut flakes – Use sweetened flakes – The amount used for the coconut custard (1 1/2 cups) should be untoasted. There is an additional amount (1/2 cup) of coconut flakes used for the toasted coconut topping.

vanilla extract – I use my homemade vanilla, but you can use another pure vanilla extract if you want.

whipped cream – Use this recipe and the tips I share for perfect whipped cream. I do not advise using a store-bought whipped topping as a substitute for this. It is easy to make in minutes and is a deliciously important part of this coconut cream pie!

Tips for Perfect Whipped Cream

Start COLD and go HIGH.

Chill your mixing bowl and whisk (even the one to your electric mixer) in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Make sure that your heavy whipping cream is as cold as possible, too.

Add all of your ingredients to the super chilled mixing bowl and mix it on HIGH for about a minute – and that’s it! Deliciously perfect whipped cream!

Side view of blue plate holding coconut cream pie, with thick coconut custurd and pillowy homemade whipped cream.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the pie crust. Make the pie crust according to the recipe and instructions. Then follow the instructions to blind-bake the crust.

Toast coconut for topping. Evenly spread the coconut flakes for the topping on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in oven and toast as directed until the coconut just begins to brown. Watch it closely as it browns quickly once it starts, and you don’t want it to burn. Once toasted, remove from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Begin making the custard. Pour the coconut milk and half-and-half in a large liquid measuring cup. Add the egg yolks and mix well with the milks. Set aside.

Heat the custard. Add sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan over medium heat. After giving the milk/egg mixture another quick whisk, slowly add it to the saucepan and whisk it all together constantly.

Bring to a boil. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and continue stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute, stirring the whole time.

Remove from heat and add ingredients. After one minute of boiling, remove the saucepan with custard from the heat. Add the butter, untoasted coconut flakes, vanilla, and salt.

Pour custard into the pie crust. Spread the custard mixture evenly into the blind-baked pie crust. Cover it lightly with a wrap and refrigerate it until set, about 30 – 45 minutes.

Make whipped cream. While the custard is setting in the fridge, make the whipped cream according to the recipe and instructions. If you have a bit of time left until the custard is finished setting, put the whipped cream in the refrigerator to stay cold.

Top the custard with whipped cream. Once the custard is set, spread the whipped cream on top and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Top with toasted coconut and serve. When ready to serve the pie, top it with the toasted coconut, slice, serve and enjoy.

Storage Tips

To refrigerate – Cover the pie well and store any leftover pie for up to 3 days.

To freeze – If you wish to freeze coconut cream pie, do not add the whipped topping or toasted coconut topping to the top of the pie yet. After the custard has cooled and it has completely set in the pie, you can wrap it well and store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze it for 2-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add the whipped topping and toasted coconut just prior to serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does coconut cream pie need to be refrigerated?

Yes. This pie contains many dairy ingredients that require refrigeration. If not refrigerated, bacteria can grow if kept at room temperature. Once you’ve served the pie, if there is any leftover, wrap the pie and promptly store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to make sure my pie isn’t “watery”?

Make sure to follow all of the directions when making the pie. Don’t skip the cornstarch in the custard – it helps to thicken the custard when used as instructed.
The time the pie sits in the fridge for the custard to set is important – because not only is it important for the custard to set, it’s important for it to be completely cooled before adding the whipped cream.

Other Favorite Pie Recipes

Classic Peach Pie – always a hit with those juicy peaches!

Best Pecan Pie – heirloom family recipe!

Apple Pie – what a classic!

Peanut Butter Pie – so easy and no bake!

…and so many more pies to try!

So many of my readers love this pie as much as my family does! I can’t wait for others of you to try it.

Here’s my Coconut Cream Pie recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

4.99 from 186 votes
Decadent Coconut Cream Pie with rich, creamy coconut custard topped with pillowy whipped cream and toasted coconut in a flaky homemade pie crust. Delicious dessert perfect for entertaining!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the Toasted Coconut Topping

  • 1/2 cup (60 g) flaked, sweetened coconut

For the Coconut Custard

  • 1 1/2 cups (362 g) coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (341 g) half-and-half
  • 5 (70 g) egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup (149 g) sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (28 g) cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 g) flaked, sweetened coconut
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
  • Whipped Cream

Instructions 

  • Prepare pie crust according to blind-baking instructions of recipe.

For the Toasted Coconut Topping

  • Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Place into 350º F oven for 8-10 minutes until coconut has just begun to turn brown.
  • Set aside to cool.

For the Coconut Custard

  • Pour coconut milk and half-and-half into a liquid measuring cup. Add egg yolks and whisk together with milks. Set aside.
  • Add sugar and cornstarch to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk egg and milk mixture together once more and then slowly begin to add to the sugar and cornstarch, whisking together constantly.
  • Bring custard mixture to a boil. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and continue to stir constantly. Boil one minute.
  • Remove from heat and add butter, coconut, vanilla and salt.
  • Spread custard into pie crust. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until set, about 30-45 minutes.
  • Spread whipped cream on top of coconut custard. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • When ready to serve, top with toasted coconut.

Notes

For the coconut milk in this recipe, you can use sweetened or unsweetened according to your personal preference. 

Storage Tips

To refrigerate – Cover the pie well and store any leftover pie for up to 3 days.
To freeze – If you wish to freeze coconut cream pie, do not add the whipped topping or toasted coconut topping to the top of the pie yet. After the custard has cooled and it has completely set in the pie, you can wrap it well and store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze it for 2-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add the whipped topping and toasted coconut just prior to serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

4.99 from 186 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Review




647 Comments

  1. Debbie Widdison says:

    5 stars
    I love this pie! Two exceptions – first: if you use salted butter don’t add more salt! It was super salty. I tried adding a little more sugar but it didn’t work. Second: use a large saucepan! Mine nearly cooked over. It’s super creamy and light. Other than the salt, which I just added lots of freshly whipped cream to help hide it, We loved it!

  2. Laila says:

    Can you substitute the  half and half ?

  3. Betty J says:

    I just made this pie for the first time for Thanksgiving dinner, as a change from pumpkin pie. We absolutely loved it!! It truly is the best coconut cream pie I’ve ever eaten. I also use the crust recipe that came with the pie and it is very good. Both the filling and the crust are easy to make. I also found a recipe online for homemade whipped cream and put that on top then added the toasted coconut. I think the coconut milk in the custard really sets it off. You will not go wrong making this pie. I’m a big fan and have added this to my pie recipe collection.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks so much Betty! xo

  4. Mary winkel says:

    Delicious! Just as good as a pie I paid 20.00 dollars for

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      🙂 I’m so glad you love it, Mary! It is pretty amazing, isn’t it?!

  5. Kathryn says:

    Can u make this recipe with sweetener like swerve or truvia?

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’ve not made it with either of those, Kathryn. I hope you enjoy it – it’s delicious! xo

  6. Pamela Rowell says:

    5 stars
    The best coconut cream pie ever! Using the cornstarch for thickening the custard instead of flour gives it a richer, creamier taste. Once you try this pie, you will never use any other recipe.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so glad you liked it Pamela! Thanks!

    2. Benita R Sutherland says:

      I agree! BEST coconut cream pie ever!

    3. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Benita!

  7. Nate says:

    5 stars
    This pie was amazing. I love coconut desserts and this may be the best I’ve had. Crust was perfect. Filling perfect. Whipping cream perfect. Crowd pleaser. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Happy to have found your site!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nate! This pie is one of my favorites! And I’m so happy to have you here and glad you found my site too. I hope you find many more recipes that you enjoy. Thanks!

    2. Brandon Cross says:

      Hi there! The taste is amazing but i followed everything step by step and it wont settle. Its still bery liquidy. I used cocunt milk from a carton not a can. Am i suppose to ket this cool for a while before putting it in the pie crust? I wanna try again but wanna know if there is something that may have made it stay so soupy?

    3. Robyn Stone says:

      Brandon, you need to use canned coconut milk in this recipe. The water content is much higher in the carton so the custard would not thicken in this recipe like you would want. When made with the canned coconut milk, you would need to pour the custard into the pie crust as soon as you have all the ingredients mixed (step 4 of Instructions). The custard should be thickened at the end of this step. Do not cool the custard before pouring into the pie crust. Hope this helps.

  8. Carolyn says:

    Are you using canned or refrigerated coconut milk?

  9. Christina says:

    5 stars
    As always, this recipe was perfect. You never let me down! The only change I made was to put it in a graham cracker/coconut crust, per the recipient’s request. Everyone raved. Thank you for posting another great recipe for me to wow my family with.

  10. Veronica McDowell says:

    5 stars
    Made this with my student all the way in Beijing! I had to share a little homemade pie with them and this recipe was delicious and fun to make with kids. I was nervous the custard wouldn’t turn out since I had made some once before with sad, lumpy results, but this time it turned out so smooth and thick! And that was using sweet potato starch too! (Couldn’t find cornstarch anywhere, even the import stores) Thanks for the recipe! 

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this, Veronica! Thanks! xo