Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

This homemade coconut cream pie with coconut milk is one of the best pies to come out of my kitchen thus far. This pie took weeks of testing…weeks!

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I am horrible at homemade pie crust but I was determined to make it work. I lost count exactly how many shells I tested and how many pounds of butter wasted. My daughter would walk into the kitchen and ask “how many does this make?”. Rude, right!

I used this recipe. I promise if you’ve never tried it, you must! I have never eaten a better pie crust, ever.  I also used Stella’s tips on how to blind bake the shell. This completely corrected my shrinking problem.

Try our Strawberry Shortcake!

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

In all the testing, I kept screwing up and forgot to take some prep pictures. But follow the pie dough recipe and tips and you should be fine. Or purchase the premade shells. I promise I WILL NOT JUDGE you for this I have done it myself and will do it again. Bake the shell and allow it to cool completely before filling.

The pie crust was not the only part of the recipe giving me fits. I was having trouble making a custard that would firm up to my liking. I don’t want a custard pie that runs all over once you cut a piece. So be sure to boil the custard long enough that it is really thick. Once I figured that out the pie sliced like a dream.

Check out our Frosted Sugar Cookies!

How to Make Coconut Cream Pie

Prepare a pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Let cool completely.

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl, set aside.

Whisk the corn starch, sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan.

Whisk in the milk slowly to avoid lumps. Cook, whisking constantly over medium heat.

Let it boil one minute, then add about 1 cup the filling into the yolks, whisking to temper the yolks. Add the tempered mixture back into the pan and cook, boiling for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the vanilla extract, coconut extract, butter, and coconut.

Allow it to cool about 30 minutes or so before pouring into the pie shell.

Pour the pie filling into the shell, place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Otherwise, it will form a skin.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight. I went for overnight because I was exhausted from all the pie shell testing and failing.

To toast the coconut: spread sweetened, flaked coconut over a cookie sheet and put it into a 400-degree oven. Stir occasionally and shake around until coconut is golden brown. Watch very closely, it will burn really fast. Cool before using as a topping.

Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks. Spread over the pie and garnish with toasted coconut.

Do you need to use lots of leftover Butterfinger candy bars from Easter? Try Butterfinger Pie recipe.

Serve and enjoy! The best homemade coconut cream pie with the most coconut flavor I have ever eaten.

Super flaky, crunchy crust loaded with creamy, velvety coconut custard and topped with homemade whipped cream. Sublime!

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Best Homemade Coconut Cream Pie – Super flaky, crunchy crust loaded with creamy, velvety coconut custard and topped with homemade whipped cream. Sublime!

4.50 from 6 votes

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Course: Dessert, Pie

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Don’t Sweat The Recipe

Ingredients

 

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• 1 9" baked pie shell, 9" or 10"

Coconut Custard Filling:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tsp corn starch
• 13.5 oz coconut milk + enough whole milk to equal 3 cups (1 – 13.5 oz can)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure coconut extract
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup finely shredded sweetened coconut*

Topping:

• 1/2 cup toasted sweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Bake the pie shell.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl, set aside.
• Whisk the corn starch, sugar, salt together in a medium saucepan.
• Whisk in the milk slowly to avoid lumps. Cook, whisking constantly over medium heat.
• Let it boil one minute, then add about 1 cup the filling into the yolks, whisking to temper the yolks. Add the tempered mixture back into the pan and cook, boiling for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add vanilla extract, coconut extract, butter, and coconut.
• Cool the filling for 20-30 minutes, then pour into a baked pie shell. Cover custard with plastic wrap placed directly on of the surface of the custard and refrigerate for 3 hours until set.
• To toast coconut: spread sweetened, flaked coconut over a cookie sheet and put into a 400-degree oven. Stir occasionally and shake around until coconut is golden brown. Watch very closely, it will burn really fast. Cool before using as a topping.
• Beat the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together until whipped to stiff peaks, spread over the pie. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Notes

*I use the frozen sweetened coconut. It’s much finer, not too sweet and isn’t stringy. Cook time does not include pie shell baking. This will depend on the recipe and method you use.

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 867IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

Recipe inspired by SpendWithPennies

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