This coconut cream pie recipe has a thick, creamy coconut filling piled with swirls of fresh whipped cream in a golden, flaky pie crust. There are 15 minutes of hands-on prep while the crust blind-bakes, before the pie filling chills in the fridge.
My favorite coconut cream pie recipe features a creamy coconut filling packed with toasted coconut, a buttery homemade pie crust, and a fluffy whipped cream topping. There’s very little hands-on time needed, most of which you’ll do while the pie crust par-bakes in the oven. Afterward, the filled pie goes into the fridge to chill until it’s thick and sliceable. The freshly whipped cream on top and toasty coconut throughout take this coconut pie over the top.
Reasons to Love This Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
- Easy to make. There’s no tempering eggs or fancy techniques needed to make the perfect coconut cream pie filling.
- Make it ahead. Since this pie needs a few hours to chill in the fridge before serving, it’s a wonderful make-ahead dessert. Prepare it the day before and let it chill overnight!
- Delicious contrast. I love the cool, coconut creaminess of the filling against the toasted coconut, crisp pie crust, and pillowy whipped topping. It’s a seriously luxurious, yet low-effort dessert.
Ingredients in Coconut Cream Pie
These are the important ingredients in this easy coconut cream pie recipe. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the full list with measurements.
- Crust – Instead of the flaky pie crust I use in this recipe, you can also make this pie with a graham cracker crust. In this case, it won’t need baking. You can also use a pre-baked pie crust, either store-bought or homemade.
- Flaked Coconut – This can be sweetened or unsweetened. I’ll show you how to quickly toast the coconut to bring a deeper flavor to the filling. You can also leave it untoasted if you’d like.
- Heavy Cream – Full-fat heavy cream yields a thick, silky filling. Don’t substitute whole milk or similar, or your pie will be runny.
- Coconut Milk – Use full-fat coconut milk (not low-fat or cream of coconut) in the pie filling. If you’re after a stronger coconut flavor, you can add a few drops of coconut extract.
- Sugar – I recommend white granulated sugar here for consistency’s sake.
- Eggs and Cornstarch – To give the pie structure and help thicken the filling.
- Vanilla Extract – Or an equal amount of vanilla paste. As mentioned above, for more coconut flavor, add coconut extract in addition to the vanilla.
- Whipped Cream – For the pie topping. This is super easy to make from scratch with powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) and heavy whipping cream. Alternatively, you can use a store-bought whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, if you prefer.
You’ll Need to Blind-Bake the Pie Crust
Unlike a cherry pie or apple pie, where the filling bakes inside the crust, the coconut cream filling in this recipe is left unbaked. For this reason, we’ll bake the pie crust beforehand, using a technique called par-baking or “blind-baking”.
You can do a full or partial blind-bake. In this case, we’ll fully bake the crust. A partial blind bake is often used when a filling requires a shorter baking time than the crust, to give the pie crust a head start, like in my peach blueberry pie.
Recipe Tips
- Use full-fat ingredients. The coconut cream filling turns out the best with full-fat heavy cream and coconut milk. Low-fat or non-fat ingredients have a higher water content.
- Bake with pie weights. Line the prepared crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights. These are small beads that you’ll find in baking and craft stores, designed to keep the crust from puffing up while it bakes.
- No pie weights? If you don’t have pie weights to weigh down the crust while blind-baking, you can fill the lining with dry, uncooked rice or beans instead.
- Test the thickness of the filling. Your coconut cream pie filling will need to simmer on the stove until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep the heat on low while the filling cooks, and don’t let it boil.
- Chill the pie thoroughly. Chill the finished coconut cream pie in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. This ensures the filling holds its shape when sliced.
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Make the pie crust:
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Combine the crust ingredients. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Then, add the butter and mix until it resembles a coarse meal.
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Add water. With the machine running, slowly add the ice water and process until a dough comes together. Add more water if the dough seems too dry.
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Shape and chill the pie dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
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Prep for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Roll out the crust. Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Then place it in a pie pan. Carefully line the pie dough with parchment paper, then add some weight, such as pie weights or dry beans.
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Bake the pie crust. Blind bake the pie crust for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust from the oven, and then remove the pie weights and parchment. Pop it back in the oven and continue baking the crust for another 10 minutes, or until golden. Let the pie crust cool down while you make the filling.
Make the pie filling:
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Toast the coconut. Add the coconut to a large skillet. Toast the coconut over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once toasted, remove from the stove and set aside.
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Make the creamy filling. Whisk the heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract in a saucepan.
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Cook. Cook the cream mixture for 15 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
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Add coconut. Stir in the toasted coconut, reserving some of it (around ¼ cup) for topping the pie.
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Fill the pie. Pour the cream mixture into the baked pie crust. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator and chill it for at least 4 hours, or overnight until it is chilled and thickened.
Make the topping:
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Whip the cream. Add heavy cream and powdered sugar to a bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Assemble the pie. Spread or pipe the whipped cream topping over the pie. Add toasted coconut on top. Slice the pie and serve. Keep the pie refrigerated.
- Instead of my pie crust, you can make the pie with a graham cracker crust, and you won’t have to bake it. Also, you can use a pre-baked pie crust.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the recipe. For more coconut flavor, you can add coconut extract.
- Make sure to chill the pie properly before slicing. This will ensure the filling stays in place.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1381IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Coconut Cream Pie
This pie is especially loved by coconut fans, but just about anyone who loves a thick, silky pie with a crispy crust will enjoy it. Here’s how to make it in 5 easy steps.
- Prepare the pie crust. Prepare and chill the pie crust dough, and press the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the pie crust with pie weights at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is browned.
- Toast the coconut. While the crust cools, toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir often and watch the coconut closely so it doesn’t burn. Set aside ¼ cup of the toasted coconut for decorating the finished pie; the rest will go into the filling.
- Make the cream filling. In a saucepot, whisk the heavy cream with coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat until the mixture thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon. Lastly, stir in the toasted coconut.
- Assemble and refrigerate the pie. Pour the filling into your baked and cooled pie crust. Place the pie into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
- Whip the cream for the topping. When it’s time to serve, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar until you have stiff peaks. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the chilled pie. Sprinkle over the reserved toasted coconut from earlier, and serve!
Storage
Keep your leftover coconut cream pie refrigerated for up to 3 days. If you’re making the pie ahead, I recommend leaving off the whipped topping until you’re ready to serve.
