Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
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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!
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!
Table of contents
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!
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
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.
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
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Hello! After reading all the positive comments about this Coconut Cream Pie, I am feeling braver to try it from scratch. It’s a favorite of mine, but I’ve always just used the Jello packaged pudding/pie filling. As I can’t find any in our small town, I’ve decided to give this a go. This Friday is March 14 or; 3.14, which is also the numerical value of pi (the mathematical term). So…one of my teacher colleagues thought we should have a Pie Day and bring pies to school to share. I like to bake so am not afraid of trying this; especially after the wonderful remarks I’ve read. My question is this, “How far ahead can I make this recipe? I am making the crusts tonight and planned on doing the filling tomorrow early evening. Will it still be “fresh tasting” and not too runny overnight to servethe next day?”
Thanks for the recipe – this is a great tasting coconut cream pie and I will definitely be making again.
for the coconut milk: is it the kind that comes in a can or the one that is a milk substitute eg. So Delicious brand? thanks!
This is the canned coconut milk.
This was the first time I’ve tried making Coconut Cream Pie. This recipes was super easy and delicious. It was a true crowd pleaser. I will definitely make this recipe again!
This was simply amazing! I am going to make it again, but just using the custard without coconut and sprinkling the toasted coconut on top of the whipped cream since I’m not the biggest fan of coconut. The custard is AMAZING!!!
Loved this recipe. Made it today for a birthday dinner and turned out awesome. I am going to try making it with a graham cracker crust to see how it goes. Thanks, fantastic recipe and very good instructions to follow!!
Graham Crust may not work for such a moist pie. I’d appreciate it if you would email me if it does.
My daughters and I never mastered the pie crust so we always do graham cracker crusts. My daughter won best of show at the county fair for her coconut pie in a graham cracker crust. Chocolate cream and banana cream also won in graham cracker crust.
Next time if you melt some chocolate and coat your crust it will help prevent filling from making the crust soft and it adds a nice surprise when it’s eaten. Cheers!
This pie was awesome! Added onto my list of favorites! Easy to make too. It was really good without the coconut milk, although I will try to get some next time! I also had only about a cup of heavy whipping cream and it turned out to be the perfect amount.
I made this and it was wonderful! Exactly what I was looking for. Hubby gobbled it up and barely shared! Thank you for this recipe. 🙂
Loved this recipe. I didn’t have coconut milk. I used 2 cups of half and half and 1 cup of whipping cream, with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut flavoring. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Was the best coconut cream pie I have ever had.
This recipe is the bomb! Sooo goood.. I made it and its ah-mazzzing! Thanks!
I made this pie and it was awesome! I made a few changes…I didn’t have coconut milk so I used fat free half and half with a tsp of coconut extract also it wasn’t sweet enough so I added a 1/4 c more sugar but other than that this recipe rocks!!!!
excusr me. Which is the second ingredien of the coconut custard?
It only says 1 1/2 cups half and half
Thank you!!!!
Hi Irma,
The ingredient is half and half. If you don’t have any available, you can substitute with heavy cream.