Coconut Cream Pie

A classic pie recipe, filled with coconut pudding and topped with cool whip and toasted coconut shreds. This pie is perfectly sweet and creamy, it’s hard to resist!

You don’t need a special occasion for pie, any time is a good time! Coconut cream is a classic flavor that most people enjoy, but if you’re craving chocolate, you’ll love this chocolate cream pie. If you need something fruity, triple berry pie should do the trick!

A slice of coconut cream pie on a white plate

husband approved Pie Recipe

My husband LOVES Pie! And I mean LOVES! He craves it all the time and secretly hopes I make it for every special occasion and party. And I like pie, but I’m more of a cake and dessert bars girl, so my first thought is never to make pie.

My mom, though, has been making pies for as long as I can remember, because my dad actually loves them too. You can imagine how happy the hubby was when he came into the family knowing my mom loved to make pie, and especially one of his favs – Coconut Cream Pie!

She recently made a new version of Coconut Cream Pie, and it was a hit with all the men in the family. It’s great any time of year, but my family loves to make it for Thanksgiving (along with all the other classic pie recipes).

Filling for coconut cream pie recipe poured into a pie crust

How to Make Coconut Cream Pie

The prep for this pie is actually really simple! The hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the fridge. 😉

Coconut Pudding. In a medium saucepan, whisk milk and egg until completely incorporated. Add your sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cooking over medium heat, whisk frequently until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla then coconut.

Pour into your cooled crust (we used Marie Calendar’s store bought crust that you bake, but you can also make your own!).

Chill. Place in refrigerator until chilled, a few hours.

Whipped Topping. Whip together your cream, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Spread on top of chilled pie.

Toasted Coconut. Spread your coconut on a cookie sheet or pan. Toast at 350 for about 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle on top of your pie and eat up!

Easy coconut cream pie in a pie pan

Meringue Topping

Meringue makes a great topping for this pie. Follow recipe directions, but instead of adding the whipped topping to the pie spread on the meringue.

To make meringue you’ll need 3 egg whites, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, 6 Tablespoons of sugar. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until it gets foamy. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat on high speed after adding each tablespoon.

Once all the sugar has been added, continue beating until soft peaks form. Spread completely over coconut cream pie. Bake for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The meringue will be a golden brown. Cool for 1 hour and then chill in the fridge for 2-3 more hours.

Overhead shot of coconut cream pie topped with coconut

Storing & Freezing

How to store coconut cream pie? You can cool a coconut cream pie at room temperature for about an hour then place the pie in the refrigerator. Cover loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. The pie will keep for 3-4 days. Be cautious or discard of the pie if left out of the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours.

Can coconut cream pie be frozen? Cream pies do not usually do well in the freezer so I don’t recommend freezing this dish. However, you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days before serving.

A slice of coconut pie on a white plate

For more classic pie recipes, check out:

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

4.87 from 23 votes
Old-fashioned coconut cream pie is perfectly sweet and creamy. The thick homemade custard and whipped topping are hard to resist!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 slices
Calories 351 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

Coconut Pudding

  • 2 ⅔ cups whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ⅓ cup sweetened flake coconut

Whipped Topping

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup coconut

Instructions
 

Pudding

  • In a medium saucepan, whisk milk and egg until completely incorporated. Add your sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cooking over medium heat, whisk frequently until thickened.
  • Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla then the coconut. Pour into your cooled crust (we used Marie Calendar's store-bought crust that you bake, but you can also make your own).
  • Place in refrigerator until chilled, a few hours.

Whipped Topping

  • Whip together your cream, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Spread on top of chilled pie.
  • Spread your coconut on a cookie sheet or pan. Toast at 350°F for about 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle on top of your pie and eat up!

Video

Recipe adapted from HERE.

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. This looks fantastic! Im excited to try it! Id like to do a MERINGUE topping. Could i bake the pie with the meringue topping?

    1. That’s a good question…I haven’t tried before. The middle goes in the fridge & isn’t baked, so not sure how’d that work.

        1. I haven’t tried it before, but you certainly could give it a try. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do.

  2. 5 stars
    This is the best coconut creme pie recipe. It’s so easy to make and it taste awesome! Use your own judgment on the amount of coconut for the top of pie. Yummy ?!!!

  3. Im Excited to make this pie altHough i cant seen to get the filling to thicken. Any tips? Ive been whisking it for about 10 min

  4. 5 stars
    I make this frequently and it always turn out. I use a caN of coconUt milK and top it up with milk to the required amount and cook it in the microwave.

  5. I make a very similar dessert around Easter. I also add 1 tsp. almond extract to the custard and 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the whipped cream. It is so luscious. I hope you will give it a try! Enjoy, thank you and Happy Easter to your beautiful family. God bless you.

    1. The almond extract addition sounds heavenly! Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to give it a try! I hope you have a wonderful Easter too!

  6. I could not get this to thicken. I even added a little more corn starch to it, but it’s still watery.

    1. 5 stars
      Well now I feel dumb. I watched the video and thought, “wow, it sure looks like she’s using more than 1/4 tsp of corn starch.” So I went back to the recipe and saw it was 1/4 CUP.🤦🏼‍♀️ No wonder I couldn’t get it to thicken! So I added more and I can now rate this as 5 stars! Very good if you follow the right amounts in the recipe🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

      1. Haha I’m so glad you can rate it 5 stars now! 😉 And glad the video helped out too. Thanks for sharing. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the pie!

  7. In a pinch, can I use a box of jell-O Coconut Pudding mix as a substitute for making the actually pudding layer?

    1. You probably could. We love that homemade pudding, but I’m sure a Jell-O pudding could work as well.

  8. 5 stars
    Love coconut, love this pie! I did make one small change to the recipe. Instead of all whole milk, used a can of unsweetened coconut, and made up the difference with a splash of milk. Will be making this over and over!

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