Coconut Cream Pie

Creamy, luscious and melt-in-your-mouth good, this Coconut Cream Pie is special enough for holidays and easy enough for any ol’ night that you’re craving something sweet.

A basic piecrust is filled with creamy coconut custard and topped with mounds of homemade sweetened whipped cream. Finally, a sprinkle of toasted shredded coconut takes this pie over the top. Here’s what you need to know to make this dreamy cream pie.

Coconut Cream Pie Ingredients

Before starting on your Coconut Cream Pie, you’ll need to gather these ingredients:

• Refrigerated piecrust: Since this recipe requires a blind-baked piecrust, we like to use a packaged refrigerated crust; it’s already chilled and ready to be rolled out and baked. But if you have a favorite piecrust recipe, feel free to use it.
• Sugar and vanilla extract: These pantry staples add just the right amount of sweetness to the filling.
• Half-and-half: Half-and-half forms the base for our creamy custard filling. If your family is crazy for coconut, you could use canned coconut milk instead.
• Cornstarch, egg yolks, and butter: The cornstarch and egg yolks thicken the filling, while the butter gives it a dreamily smooth texture. 
• Sweetened flaked coconut: This is where the coconut flavor comes from. Feel free to sub in sweetened shredded coconut—the only difference is the size of the pieces.
• Whipping cream (and more sugar): For the light, fluffy, piled-high whipped cream layer on top of the custard.
• Toasted Coconut: It makes a pretty and delicious garnish.

Coconut Cream Pie Topping Variation

Some folks might say that a truly Southern Coconut Cream Pie would be topped with sweet meringue instead of sweetened whipped cream. If you’d prefer that route, we recommend the meringue topping used in our Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie.

Like Coconut Cream Pie, the filling in this pie does not need to be baked, so neither does the meringue. Instead, it’s browned using a kitchen torch or popped under the broiler for 30 seconds; just long enough to brown slightly but not long enough to melt the filling. 

How To Serve Coconut Cream Pie

Once your custard is made and poured into the parbaked crust, it needs to be chilled and given a few hours to set. Coconut Cream Pie is best served chilled immediately after the whipped topping and toasted coconut have been piled on top.

How To Store and Freeze Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie will keep, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze it if you’re baking for a big holiday and are looking for dishes to make ahead of time.

Prepare the crust and the custard filling, then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months. The day before you plan to serve it, transfer the pie to the refrigerator to thaw. Then make the whipped cream and spoon it on top of the pie just before serving.

Editorial contributions by Alyssa Sybertz.