Coconut Cream Pie
intro
Silky coconut custard in a buttery graham cracker crust, topped with fluffy whipped cream and toasted coconut for a nostalgic, crowd-pleasing chilled treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Toast coconut and prep crust
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread 1 cup (80g) of the sweetened shredded coconut (reserved for topping) in an even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet, and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring once at the 3-minute mark, until light golden brown, then set aside to cool fully. In a medium mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, and 6 tablespoons (85g) melted unsalted butter, stirring until all crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish.
Blind bake the crust
Bake the pressed graham cracker crust in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes, until the edges darken slightly and the crust smells fragrant of toasted butter and graham. Remove the crust from the oven and set it on a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before adding any filling to avoid a soggy crust base.
Cook coconut custard base
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the remaining ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, cornstarch, and fine sea salt until fully combined. Slowly whisk in the full-fat coconut milk and whole milk, mixing until no dry lumps of cornstarch remain. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan, for 8-10 minutes, until it thickens to a smooth pudding-like consistency and bubbles gently around the pan edges.
Temper eggs and finish custard
Place the 4 large egg yolks in a small heatproof bowl. Slowly pour ½ cup of the hot custard mixture into the yolks while whisking nonstop to gently warm (temper) the yolks and prevent curdling. Pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining custard, stirring to fully combine. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 additional minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard is very thick and coats the back of the spatula. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons (28g) cold cubed unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and remaining ½ cup (40g) untoasted shredded coconut, mixing until the butter is fully melted into the custard.
Assemble and chill pie
Pour the warm finished custard directly into the fully cooled graham cracker crust, smoothing the top into a flat, even layer with an offset spatula. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the exposed surface of the custard (not just the pie dish edges) to prevent a tough skin from forming as it cools. Refrigerate the pie for a minimum of 4 hours (or up to 24 hours for make-ahead prep) until the custard is completely firm and set to the touch.
Add topping and serve
When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream topping: in a chilled medium bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and coconut extract with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, until soft, billowy peaks form when the mixer beater is lifted. Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled pie, dollop the whipped cream over the custard, and spread it into a gentle, even layer. Sprinkle the reserved cooled toasted coconut evenly over the whipped cream, then slice into 8 equal pieces and serve cold.
Tips
2.Never skip the tempering step for egg yolks: pouring hot custard directly onto cold yolks will cause them to scramble, creating lumpy, uneven filling instead of silky smooth custard.
3.Always press plastic wrap directly onto the warm custard surface before chilling; exposure to air will form a tough, rubbery skin that ruins the pie’s signature smooth texture.
Made this in my tiny dorm kitchen with a hand mixer I borrowed from my roommate and it actually turned out! Only issue is my dorm fridge is set a little too warm so it took closer to 6 hours to set, but the flavor is insane. My whole floor smelled like toasted coconut all afternoon, people kept knocking on my door asking for a slice.
Just pulled this out of the fridge and had my first bite and OH MY GOODNESS. The custard is so smooth, the coconut is perfectly distributed, the whipped cream is light and fluffy. I was worried medium difficulty would be too much for my weeknight baking vibe but it came together way faster than I thought.
I’m usually a grill-only guy, I don’t do a ton of baking, but I made this for my wife’s birthday because coconut cream pie is her favorite. Let me tell you, she cried when she tried it. Said it’s better than the fancy bakery pie she gets every year. Win for dad, 10/10.
I’m sure this is great if you’re good at baking, but as someone who only cooks simple meals, this was way more of a hassle than the medium difficulty rating made it sound. I burned the coconut, curdled the custard, and my crust shrank in the pan. Ended up throwing the whole thing out and grabbing a pie from the grocery store.
First time ever making a custard pie and I was so nervous because I heard medium difficulty recipes are easy to mess up! Mine came out looking like the cover of a food magazine, I’m so proud. My roommate said it’s better than the coconut cream pie we get at our favorite diner downtown.
As someone who’s vegetarian and always on the hunt for easy, crowd-pleasing desserts that don’t have gelatin or weird animal products, this pie is perfect! I made it for my book club meetup and everyone raved, even the people who say they don’t like ‘vegan adjacent’ food (it’s not even vegan, y’all just hate coconut lol).
OMG this coconut cream pie is a total game changer! I made it for our Sunday family dinner and every single person went back for a second slice. The toasted coconut on top adds the perfect nutty crunch, and the custard is so silky it doesn’t even feel heavy. 10/10 will be making this every other month from now on!
I’ve been on a mission to recreate all the classic diner desserts I loved as a kid, and this coconut cream pie is exactly what I’ve been searching for. It tastes just like the slice my grandma would order me at our local diner after every little league game. Total nostalgia bomb.
Made this for my small town’s annual potluck last weekend and I swear half the people there asked me for the recipe! I used a store-bought deep dish graham cracker crust because I was crunched for time and it still slapped. The coconut flavor is so rich but not artificial tasting at all. SO good.
Really solid coconut cream pie! I swapped the regular dairy milk for oat milk because I’m lactose intolerant and it still turned out super creamy, just had to add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to help it set. Only thing is I wish the crust recipe was a little more detailed, I overbaked mine a tiny bit.
I run a small bake stand out of my garage on weekends, and I tested this recipe last week to add to my menu. I sold out of slices in 20 minutes! People kept coming back asking when I’d have it again. The recipe scales really well if you need to make multiple pies at once, too, which is a huge win for me.
Okay, who else forgot about the 4 hour chill time and almost served this for dinner way too early? 🙋♀️ I popped it in the freezer for 45 minutes to speed it up (don’t judge) and it still turned out great, but definitely plan ahead! My kids loved it so much they asked for it for their birthday dessert next month.
Great recipe overall! I added a layer of dark chocolate ganache on the bottom of the crust before adding the coconut custard, and the combination of chocolate and coconut is unreal. Highly recommend that little upgrade if you’re a chocolate lover like me. Only ding is that my custard had a few tiny lumps, but nothing a quick strain didn’t fix.
Hate to leave a lower rating but mine turned out super runny? I followed the cook time exactly for the custard but when I cut into it after chilling, it oozed everywhere. Flavor was great but the texture was a total miss for me. Did I do something wrong?
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and people were literally scraping the pie plate clean. I’ve tried a dozen different coconut cream pie recipes over the years and this one is hands down the best. The balance of sweet coconut and creamy custard is unmatched.
This is my new go-to dessert for Sunday family dinners. It’s easy enough to throw together while my roast is in the oven, and everyone from my 82 year old mom to my 7 year old grandkid gobbles it up. I love that it’s not cloyingly sweet like so many other cream pie recipes out there.
I’ve been making coconut cream pie for over 50 years and I have to say, this recipe is almost as good as my mom’s! The secret of toasting the coconut in butter instead of plain dry is genius, it adds such a deep, warm flavor. I’ll be adding this to my regular recipe rotation.
Made this for a post-hike potluck with my trail crew and it was the perfect reward after 8 miles of hiking! It held up really well in the cooler on the drive up to the trailhead, and everyone was shocked I made it from scratch instead of picking it up from a bakery. Will absolutely be making this for future group trips.
Made this for our Easter dessert spread and it was the first dish to get completely polished off! Even my super picky father-in-law who swears he doesn’t like coconut had two slices. Only note: I added a little extra whipped cream on top because my family is obsessed, and it was chef’s kiss.