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Old-fashioned coconut cream pie is perfectly sweet and creamy. The thick homemade custard and whipped topping are hard to resist!
You don’t need a special occasion for pie, any time is a good time! Coconut cream pie 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!
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 pies, and especially one of his favorites – coconut cream pie!
Coconut pie is great any time of year, but my family loves to make it for Thanksgiving (along with all the other classic pie recipes).
How to Make Coconut Cream Pie
The prep for this easy coconut cream pie is actually really simple! The hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the fridge.
FILLING. In a medium saucepan, whisk the 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)!
CHILL. Place in refrigerator until chilled, a few hours.
WHIPPED TOPPING
Tops this old fashioned coconut cream pie with fresh whipped cream!
CREAM. Whip together your cream, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Spread on top of chilled pie.
COCONUT. 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!
Meringue Topping
Meringue makes a great topping for this homemade coconut cream pie. Follow the 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, and 6 tablespoons of sugar.
BEAT. 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 at high speed after adding each tablespoon.
BAKE. 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°F oven. The meringue will be golden brown.
CHILL. Cool for 1 hour and then chill in the fridge for 2-3 more hours.
Storing & Freezing
STORE. Cool the coconut cream pie recipe 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 the pie if left out of the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours.
FREEZE. 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.
Recipe FAQ
The coconut custard should thicken visually as it cooks and then set more firmly when cooling in the refrigerator. If it isn’t getting thick, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to a separate bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of cold water, then mix it into the coconut custard. Also, be sure to allow several hours for the pie to cool and set.
Baking the pie lower in the oven brings the crust closer to the heating element which helps produce a crisp crust. Adding a barrier between the crust and filling can help keep the crust crisp. Brush on lightly beaten egg whites or sprinkle some graham crackers or cornflake crumbs over the crust, then add the cream filling.
For More Classic Pie Recipes, Check Out:
- Best Apple Pie
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Banana Cream Pie
- Cherry Pie
Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Coconut Pudding
- 2 ⅔ cups whole milk
- 1 egg
- ⅔ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from HERE.
I could not get this to thicken. I even added a little more corn starch to it, but it’s still watery.
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🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
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!
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.
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!
This pie is sooooo good!!! My new favorite!! ❤️ I have to force myself to stop eating it!! 😂
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.
That sounds great!! I’ll have to try that!
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
Hmmm..it should have thickened. You added everything? I hope it worked out for you!
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 ?!!!
Thank you for saying that! I am so glad you like it!
Very easy to make even if you are not a pie maker. Less THAn 15 minutes for me to fix filling.
I agree!! I am glad you tried it!! Thank you!
I’m wondering if I might replace the milk with coconut milk?
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.
This looks fantastic! Im excited to try it! Id like to do a MERINGUE topping. Could i bake the pie with the meringue topping?
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.
when the recipe calls for 1cup of coconut is is sHredded coconut or can of coconut fir the pudding part
Sweetened coconut, shredded in the bag 🙂
Looks good and a way to use up extra milk.
For sure! I hope you give it a try!! Thank you so much!