Coconut Cream Pie

5 from 3 votes

Coconut Cream Pie

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie filled with the most delicious coconut filling. Creamy coconut filling set beautifully in a flaky homemade pie crust, topped off with delicious whipped cream and sprinkled with toasted coconut, makes this recipe a definite family favorite!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Chilling Time4

Total Time5 15

Course: Dessert, Pie

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut cream pie

Servings:

Calories: 520kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

½ recipe pie crust homemade or store bought

For Filling

½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups coconut milk unsweetened
1¼ cups half and half cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

For Topping

1½ cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ cup dried coconut either large-flaked or shredded, toasted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F. If using your own homemade pie crust, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. This is required to soften the dough a bit, so that you can roll it out. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the pie dough until it's about ⅛-inch thick and 12-inch round. Place the pie dough lightly into a 9-inch pie plate. I usually roll it on the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate. Crimp the edge and cut off excess dough. Transfer to the fridge to chill the pie dough for 15 minutes or until firm. Place a piece of parchment paper over the pie shell and fill it with pie weights, do this with store bought pie shell as well. If you don't have pie weights, you can use dry beans. Place the pie shell into the oven and blind bake it for 25 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper, prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork to let the air out, and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the bottom is golden and dry. Let it cool.
Make the filling: To a saucepan, add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt and whisk together to break up the cornstarch clumps. Whisk in the coconut milk and half and half gently until smooth. Add the egg yolks and continue whisking until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat while continuously whisking until the filling thickens, for about 7 to 8 minutes.
Strain the filling and set: Add the vanilla and coconut extract and whisk until combined. Strain the coconut cream filling through a fine sieve. Pour the warm filling into the pie crust and smooth the top if needed. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the filling, this will ensure that it won't form a skin or film over the top. Transfer the pie to the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours to overnight or until completely set.
Make the topping: In a mixing bowl, mix together the whipping cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Top the coconut cream pie with the whipped cream then with the toasted coconut. Serve immediately.

Notes

The crust is your most important piece of the pie, so make sure you have a great pie crust that is flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious.
Bake the pie crust well and allow for it to cool down before you add your filling to get the nice, flaky texture and avoid any kind of soggy feeling in the crust.
Make sure you use canned coconut cream and not the refrigerated carton coconut milk which is a beverage, these are two very different products.
If you end up having some leftover coconut cream pie, you can store it whole, or cut it into smaller pieces before storing it in an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the pie excluding the whipped topping. Make sure the filling is completely cool inside the pie shell prior to freezing. Cover with with plastic wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then top with the whipped topping and serve.

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