The Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie
This truly is The Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie. Cream of coconut adds an extra boost of pure coconut flavor to this coconut pie. It’s unbelievably delicious and a great pie to serve at Easter or for all the coconut lovers in your life. To make it even more special, serve it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a garnish of toasted coconut. It’s a great pie to make a day in advance, as the flavors are even better the next day!
Calling all coconut lovers, meet The Ultimate Creamy Coconut Pie. I posted this recipe three years ago but felt it was time for some updated pictures, and what better time to revisit it than now, just weeks before Easter. Cream of coconut adds SO much pure coconut flavor to this scrumptious pie, and it’s so unbelievably creamy. It’s great topped with meringue or homemade whipped cream. The younger generation seems to prefer whipped cream over meringue, therefore, that’s what you’ll see on my recipe here.
Anytime you make a cream or refrigerator pie, you need to pre-bake (also known as blind-bake) your pie shell first. Then you’ll make your favorite pie filling and fill the empty shell with it and refrigerate the pie until it’s set. You can use your own pie crust recipe or my recipe for Aunt Elsie’s Flaky Pie Crust. If you use this recipe, I’ll walk you through the steps of blind-baking/par-baking an empty pie shell.
Here’s how I made the easy filling…
Top left – I cooked the sugar, milk, cream of coconut and cornstarch until the mixture came to a boil and started to thicken.
Top right – I added about 1/2 of the hot mixture to some slightly beaten egg yolks in a large measuring cup and whisked the mixture vigorously. This is called tempering the eggs. This prevents the eggs from turning into cooked scrambled eggs.
Bottom left – I added the tempered egg mixture back to the pan and brought the mixture back to a boil over medium heat. I cooked it for about 1 minute and removed the pan from the heat.
Bottom right – I added some butter and vanilla and mixed everything together.
Then all I did was add the coconut and pour the filling into my baked and cooled pie shell. I also couldn’t wait to lick the pan!
If you love coconut, check out these other delicious recipes…
Coconut Crunch Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Coconut Cream Cheese Pinwheels
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The Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pies
- Method: Cooked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cream of coconut adds an extra boost of pure coconut flavor to this scrumptious coconut pie.
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch deep dish pie shell baked and cooled. I used this recipe.
FILLING
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup cream of coconut
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn starch
- Dash of salt
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 4 eggs yolks lightly whisked
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon real butter
WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
COCONUT GARNISH
- 1/3 cup toasted coconut
Instructions
FILLING
- Slightly whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a medium pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add the milk, half and half and cream of coconut and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove pan from the heat.
- Pour about half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly, to prevent the hot mixture from cooking the eggs. Continue whisking until the hot mixture and eggs are thoroughly combined.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining hot mixture and return to medium heat. Bring mixture back to a bubbling boil while whisking constantly. Once the mixture has thickened and comes to a boil, remove it from the heat.
- Add the vanilla and butter and whisk until blended. Add the coconut and whisk until blended again.
- Pour the filling into a pre-baked 9″ deep dish pie shell and place a piece of plastic wrap over the filling. Refrigerate.
WHIPPED CREAM
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the mixture on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Turn mixer to medium for a few seconds, then to high speed. Continue mixing on high speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
COCONUT GARNISH
- Spread the coconut out on a cookie sheet. Place on a top oven rack and turn on the broiler. Watch the coconut closely. It will suddenly start to toast and brown very quickly. DO NOT take your eyes off of it. Remove promptly as soon as some of it starts to turn golden brown. Allow the coconut to cool. Place in an airtight sandwich bag or container until ready to use. Place a dollop of whipped cream on each serving and sprinkle the coconut over it.
Notes
- Make sure you use a 9″ deep dish pie crust for this pie filling.
- Sometimes Cream of Coconut will congeal in the can. If this happens, transfer it to a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds until it becomes liquified again. Then measure it and proceed with the recipe.
- Prep time does not include baking the pie shell.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Keywords: coconut cream pie, coconut pie, pie, cream pies, Spring desserts, Easter desserts, Easter pies, pie recipes, desserts,
Hi…what is half and half.
Hi Daisy, Half & half is half milk and half cream. You can find it with the milk and coffee creamers. It’s richer and has more butterfat than regular whole milk.
I made this pie and it’s delicious!
Can I go ahead and put my whipped cream topping on the whole pie after it cools?
I’m taking it to a friend’s tomorrow.
★★★★★
Hi Donna, I usually wait until the day I’m serving it if I’m piping it on. If you’re simply spooning it on, it really doesn’t matter.
Please could you tell me what’s half & half in your recipe. I don’t quite understand.
Kind regards
Julie
Hi Juli, Half & half is half cream and half milk. It can be found with the whipping cream and coffee creamers. If you don’t have it, simply use milk. It will still taste great.
I made this lemon cream pie the other night, and it was amazing! It reminded me of my grandmother’s, and was just as delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
It was delicious but it was too runny. Problem?
Hi Elizabeth, It could be 3 things…your cornstarch has gone bad, but I doubt that’s the problem. Cornstarch has an indefinite shelf life. Pay no mind to the “best if used by” date. As long as it’s kept in a cool dry place, you can keep it for a very long time. With that being said, did you use the entire amount of cornstarch called for in the recipe? It calls for 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons. If you used the correct amount, then it sounds like you didn’t cook it long enough. It should be thickened where it will coat the back of a spoon without dripping off, and it should finish setting up when it’s chilled. I hope this helps.
Can I use a meringue topping and toast it in the oven, instead of whipped cream topping?
Hi Janine, You sure can. Meringue doesn’t seem to be very popular with the younger generation but I love it. Here’s my recipe for lemon meringue pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, if you need a meringue recipe.
Is there a certain brand of cream of coconut I need to use for this recipe? Also can I just cover the entire pie in the whipped cream topping? If so when would I put the topping on the pie?
Hi Abby, It doesn’t matter what brand you use. Yes, you sure can cover the entire pie with whipped topping. I advise waiting until you’re ready to serve it.
So I have to travel with this pie would it be okay to put it on the night before? Also how long do you recommend it refrigerates? Both the pie filling and the whipped cream