Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
This from-scratch silky, creamy, decadent old-fashioned coconut cream pie is an absolute coconut cream pie knock-out!
Classic coconut cream pie. Really, there may not be a better pie-for-all-occasions. Unless you are a coconut hater. In that case, you might want to look away.
I happen to love the stuff. And this silky, creamy, decadent pie is just about all that my coconut pie dreams are made of.
I’ve been making this pie for a few years now and we enjoy it with either a graham cracker crust or a traditional pie crust.
One thing I’ve changed as I’ve made it over and over is that I prefer not adding the toasted coconut to the custard filling.
I like the smooth richness of the custard without the texture of the coconut and instead smother the top of the pie with the delicious toasted coconut.
Follow your instincts and do what you like best. Either way, this pie is an absolute coconut knock-out!
Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Coconut Cream Pie:
- 1 can coconut milk, can be found in the Asian foods section
- Half-and-half or heavy cream, enough to add to the coconut milk to make 3 cups
- 3 egg yolks
- ¾ cup (159 g) white sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (85 g) flaked coconut, toasted (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 recipe graham cracker crust (below), or traditional pie crust
- Fresh Whipped Cream, lightly sweetened
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 12 whole rectangular graham crackers
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- For the pie: In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will become very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut extract and the vanilla extract (at this point you can also stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut, although, I prefer to use it all to garnish the top of the pie).
- Pour the custard into the baked and cooled pie shell and chill 2-4 hours or until firm. Top with whipped cream and the toasted coconut.
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely crush graham crackers in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Pour crumbs into a bowl and add sugar, stirring to combine. Drizzle butter over the top and mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Press the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until the crust is just barely beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.
Notes
Recommended Products
Pie Recipe Source: Aunt Marilyn
Crust Recipe Source: adapted from ATK’s Family Baking Handbook
Any idea why my filling would have separated and have oily juices around it??
I don’t know, Julie! I haven’t had that happen. I’m sorry!
Did you use full fat coconut milk and half&half?
did you ever figure out what caused your coconut cream pie to separate? I had the same problem. I used heavy cream and regular coconut milk (not Light).
Made this same recipe a few weeks ago. I used light coconut milk and 1/2 n 1/2. It tasted great but the next day was runny. I couldn’t take it to my party.
This was my Pi Day pie! We made it at Thanksgiving, and I’ve been looking for an excuse to make it again. Such a great texture and delicious flavor. Thanks!
I’m I the ONLY person that had a problem placing 3 cups of liquid in a 9″ pie plate???
Should you have specified “deep dish” pie plate?
Hi Steve – I’m not sure what type/brand of pie plate you are using but I just did the same test with mine and 3 cups of liquid in my standard 9-inch pie plate didn’t overfill the pie plate, it came within a half-inch or so of the top so if using a 9-inch pie plate, you’d definitely be piling the filling high in the plate. Because the recipe specifies a 9-10 inch pie, I”m guessing most commenters have used a deep pie plate (which again, when I poured in three cups of water it didn’t come close to the top of the plate). Good luck if you try it!
I had extra which I just put in smaller pots. The pie plate does need to be deep!
This pie is the tops! I made three pies for our Luau-themed block party this weekend. So many compliments. Thanks for sharing, Mel!
I made this pie for a potluck BBQ with friends this past weekend. I received rave reviews all around. Everyone seemed to love it. I found that patience, lower heat, constant stirring and a little whisking as the filling starts to thicken helped to keep it smooth. Like you, I prefered the smooth filling without the added toasted coconut. I found that I didn’t need a full cup of toasted coconut since I used it only on the top of the pie. This was a wonderful recipe for a summer dessert… although the first time I made it was for Christmas, along with some more traditional pies.
Have you ever doubled the filling? Can you think of a reason it wouldn’t work?
It should work just fine.
I have made this pie many times, and I’m pretty confident that there is nothing better on earth. It’s smooth and delicious …Every time I make it, I’m told that it’s better than any restaurant pie 🙂
As a few commenters mentioned that their custard was gritty- that has only happened to me once, because I overcooked it. It’s perfect when done right!
We truly wanted to like this pie as we love coconut cream pie but the coconut milk made the custard very heavy,not light creamy and the addition of 1 tsp of coconut extract was overpowering and we LOVE coconut- all in all,a disaster! This pie was meant as a birthday pie for a friend but was a very big disappointment that ended up in the garbage.:-(
Well I did it right this time I like the simplicity of it. coconut milk from viet nam 78 cents per 13.5 oz can. didnt have and couldnt find any coconut extract so omitted used aprox 2 teaspoons vanilla.
I am so ashamed of myself.I used baking soda instead of the cornstarch mistakenly of course!! I even tasted it before hand and remember using it to thicken soemthing previously but but but uh umm ummm ahh .I’ll have to go to the store in morning and make sure i dont do this again.Buying from bulk barrells and not labeling tag is something I won’t do anymore.Santa Maria!!!!
I don’t label the obvious…. And you think you’ll remember if you’re just getting a few things. I label anything that isn’t completely obvious by looks because you put it away and further on down the road you’re now not so sure. I have several types of flour so labeling is a must. Sorry that happened to you. Totally disappointing when you’re dying to dig in and you mess something up.
I made this pie today because I wanted to make something especially delicious for a special occasion. It was a HIT! My aunt said it was the best pie she’s ever had. I couldn’t believe it. Truly fantastic!
Sorry for having to ask, but I’m planning to make this and when you say 1 can of coconut milk, exactly how much is in the can (Ounces or mL?) that you usually use?
Vivian N – I think it is a 13.5 ounce can.
Thank you! This was the exact question I was needing answered. I appreciate you asking, Vivian N!
Can anyone tell me which coconut extract works best in this recipe? I’ve been to so many stores looking for coconut extract but have only found coconut flavor. I picked up an oil based coconut flavor from Whole Foods (Frontier brand) but it has terrible reviews on Amazon and I’m afraid it’ll ruin my pie.
Kay – I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever used the McCormick brand of coconut extract and it tastes great.
Thanks for your response, Mel! I’m making the pie right now. I used Trader Joe’s coconut cream instead of coconut milk and decided to leave out the coconut flavoring, as it tasted pretty coconutty without it. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’ve made so many of your pies and they are always spectacular. The blueberry cheesecake pie and sour cream lime pie are my sweetheart’s absolute favorites!
Hi Melanie! I love coconut cream pie and I am going to make this this weekend. Question though. If I used graham cracker crumbs from the box, how many cups would I need, I know you say to use 12 sheets of graham cracker and crush them up but wondered about how much that equals in crumbs?
Hi Roni – hmmm, good question. I don’t think I’ve ever officially measured these. Did you read through the comments? I think someone else may have given a measurement…but my best guess would be about a cup and a half.
I was reading up on it. What I found was that the sugar in the milk could most likely be the reason why. I used Heavy whipping cream and I’m thinking that is the reason why. Tomorrow night I am going to use half and half. That is your first milk you grab for this pie so I’m thinking it might fix the high content of natural milk sugar. Thank you for responding.
So I made this the other night and it was great! Sadly the very next day the left overs turned gritty. Super odd. Am I the only one. I make pies a lot and this is the first time it has ever happened. What could be the solution?
Megan – Hmmm, I am not sure why that would have happened. Usually grittiness is caused from overcooking the custard but if it was smooth the first day, it’s odd it turned gritty the next day. Sorry I am not more help!
I made this the other day and EVERYONE LOVED IT!! Thank you, Mel! The one thing I did differently was put the pie in a store-bought (sorry), shortbread cookie crust and it was still yummy! My family’s new favorite pie! I loved your idea of only putting the toasted coconut on the pie, instead of in it!
I made this tonight, and was declared a pie professional!!
I made this recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was so good! I kinda screwed up a little bit at first lol… For some reason I thought I was going to burn the custard if it boiled too much… so I ended up under cooking it and so it was still really runny, but since I’ve never made coconut cream pie I didn’t know!! I had it in the fridge over night and the next day it was just a coconut cream soup :-/ I was almost in tears! I then thought maybe I didn’t let it boil long enough so I poured it back into a sauce pan and let it boil. After it was nice and thick it made so much more sense!!! And came out fantastic!!
Jillyn – I’ve used both with good results. Obviously the unsweetened doesn’t add quite as much, well, sweetness to the pie, but it’s still delicious.
Mel, do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
I LOVE this recipe. The only thing I do differently is swap the sugar for 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup, so it’s refined sugar free. It’s yummy. Thanks.
i made this pie today (first time making coconut cream pie) and my boyfriend ate 2/3 of it. he kept going into the fridge and taking bites all night. he told me it was the best coconut cream pie he has ever eaten. thank you!
Just made the coconut cream pie! Use to travel to see my husband in Cascade,ID to stop at Route 55 for a slice of their coconut cream pie, since we moved to North Carolina, we haven’t found a pie that can touch Route 55 till now!!! I will keep this in my recipe book for life! Thank you
Kristin – the graininess can be caused by overcooking the custard/cooking it at too high of a temperature. I’ve made this pie dozens of times and the custard is never grainy but I err on the side of cooking it over medium-low heat, even if it means it takes a bit longer to thicken. I’ll have to notice next time about the overnight factor – I usually make it a day in advance and haven’t noticed grittiness but I’ll pay better attention next time. Sorry it didn’t turn out well for you!
oh my, I just saw another review say the same thing! I also made it one day, and served it the next. It was extremely grainy.
I’m so surprised by all of the great reviews here. I love to cook and bake and was excited to try this recipe, but, I was disappointed to find that, despite (what I felt) was an adequate cooking time, and the coconut cream was lovely and thick, it’s downfall was that it was gritty. Thoughts? What do you think?
this pie was so perfect…it is what you always hope your coconut pie will taste like when you order it at a restaurant. I will be making it again, definitely.
Coconut cream pie
Just made this tonight for my mom for an early mother’s day dinner. She LOVES her some coconut cream pie, so it seemed only fitting. When I told her what we were having for dessert, she about did a cartwheel and then stated, “It’s been years since you’ve made a coconut cream pie. I love the Lion House recipe.” I then fessed up and told her I was using a new recipe (a MUCH MUCH easier recipe might I add). She looked a little disappointed, but her disappointment did not last long. The second she took a bite, she was hooked, as was I. Thanks for yet another winner. Everything I’ve ever tried on your blog has been a sure fire winner. Thanks for all you do to make me look like a domestic diva in the kitchen.
The filling of this recipe was soo good I didn’t believe I made it. I am a horrible cook/baker but managed to pull this recipe off perfectly. I incorporated the shredded coconut into the filling and topped it off with homemade whipped cream. I can’t tell you how much a homemade crust will take this recipe from good to OMG DELICIOUS. I used the Sweet Pastry Crust from joyofbaking.com THANK YOU so much for this recipe!!
This graced our Easter table yesterday and I think your Cache Valley days will allow you to understand the magnitude of this sentence which was uttered at our table: “This is better than Maddox’s coconut cream pie.” I know. It’s was epic and I’m still bubbling with pride. Thanks Mel!
Hi Mel. I’m going to make this pie for Easter dinner and I’m a little gun shy about buying coconut extract (I’ve never used it before so I’m worried I’ll never use it again.) Do you think it would be not coconut-y enough if I just use 2 tsp vanilla extract instead of coconut?
Hillary – it will definitely lose some coconut flavor without the extract but it would still be yummy – just more of a vanilla flavor than a coconut flavor. It’s up to you whether to buy it but if you really want the coconut flavor to shine through, I definitely recommend the extract.
Hi Leslie – I don’t think the pie will get grainy after sitting overnight. Did you taste the coconut custard the same day you made it? If so, was it grainy then? Sometimes the graininess will come from cooking the custard at too high of a temperature. One thing you can try is straining the custard through a fine mesh sieve right before pouring into the crust – this will get rid of any cooked lumps.
Hello Mel, I tried this recipe, I have tried a lot of them I am always happy! I just have one question. I made the pie the night before we were going to eat it to save time, the next day my kids were snarfing it down but when I had some it was grainy the flavor was great but grainy. Tell me what I did wrong I wondered if I shouldn’t have waited to eat it.
Thanks Les
Coconut cream pie is one of my Dad’s favorite desserts but I haven’t found a winning recipe yet. I made this for Thanksgiving and was thrilled! Rich, creamy, and definite coconut flavor – not just vanilla with coconut mixed in. The combination of the coconut milk and extract was wonderful. Loved the graham cracker crust too, I wouldn’t have gone in that direction on my own. Thanks for the recipe!
(even my apple-pie loyal husband deemed it one of the highlights of Thanksgiving)
I’ve never made coconut cream pie before but I thought I’d try it this year after seeing your Thanksgiving post. We loved it!! I’m obsessed with anything coconut so I knew it would be a hit plus all your recipes are always so good.
Yep, the ENTIRE crowd for Thanksgiving INHALED this pie! I was lucky to nab a sliver before it was all gone! Luckily my hubby stole a piece and snuck it in the back of the fridge for me to bring home. I am awful at making pies, especially custards, but this recipe is an amazingly simple and delicious one to make! I was dubbed the official holiday cook for desserts now. The family is just going to give me money to bake the goods… Works for me!
This was another recipe that I made for Thanksgiving and the family loved it. I made it as you stated….without the coconut in the filling. I am definitely making this again. Thanx again
Okay, I JUST finished making the pie, and I had to stop myself from eating the ENTIRE pot of custard! I have to make the whipped cream in the morning, but because the pie is otherwise assembled, the preggo will have to wait until tomorrow night to enjoy a giant slice with a glass of milk before bed! I cannot WAIT to have this tomorrow! I may have to keep the pie for myself because it’s THAT good!
I am making it today, but not serving it till Saturday. (thanksgiving part 2)
It should still be ok, right?
ps- LOVE your website!!! I have made several things and LOVE all of them!
Anna – hmmm, three days will probably be ok, my only concern is that the crust might get a little soggy by then. Also, if you are going to make it that far in advance, I wouldn’t top it with whipped cream until a few hours before you want to serve it, otherwise the cream can give off a little water (get kind of “weepy” looking) over the course of a few days. Good luck!
Looks yummy! Is this a “serve immediately” recipe or can I make it the night before?
Cassandra – this pie can definitely be made the night before with great results.
Earlier today I made your green bean casserole, and it looks amazing. It’s in the freezer now, and I’m sure it will be a big hit on Thanksgiving day. This pie is cooling in the fridge now and was so easy to make. The custard is delicious…and this is exciting for me, because my New Year resolution is to learn to make pies (this is my first.) Thanks again for another great recipe!
Today is my husbands last, first day of school…hooray! I made this pie last thanksgiving and it was such a hit. My husband absolutely loved it, so i made it again today. This pie is amazing!!!!!
Oh my – this is a little taste from heaven! Better than some other one’s I have tried. I made this yesterday for a BBQ with some friends and nothing, i mean not even crumbs were left. Amazing…simply, amazing. Thanks for another great recipe – your recipe’s never let me down!
That’s great to know it can be made a day ahead. Do you leave in uncovered, or is it better to cover the pie overnight?
Bri – I press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of the custard and keep it covered like that in the fridge until I’m ready to top it with the whipped cream. After I top it with the whipped cream and toasted coconut (if I still need to refrigerate for an hour or two) I leave it uncovered and pray it doesn’t come out smelling like onions. You could probably lightly cover it with plastic wrap at that point but I don’t want my beautiful swoops of whipped cream crushed by plastic wrap, know what I mean?
Can I make this pie a day ahead? I want to have it for Easter dinner, but would need to make it on Saturday?
Thanks!!!
Bridget – yes, I make this pie a day ahead all the time. The only suggestion I’d give is to wait to top it with the whipped cream until an hour or so before serving – but everything else can be made a day ahead (the pie crust filled with the custard).
Mel, I love you! You made me look like a rock star tonight! Everything was fabulous! I love this pie. I will definitely be making this for my family for thanksgiving!
Yes, thanks! Do you do that right before serving, or can I refrigerate the pie for a while? Making this tomorrow night along with the breaded garlic chicken in lemon butter sauce. My bro in law is staying with us so we are making yummy food. I LOVE coconut, so I’m excited to try this.
Hi Bri – you could easily dollop the freshly whipped cream on the pie 2-3 hours before serving. Good luck with your dinner – hope it impresses your brother in law!
So this is probably a really silly question, but not sure what you mean by fresh whipped cream. I’m new to this whole cooking thing. Do you use whipped cream out of a can? Make it? Thanks, and sorry for all the beginner chef questions.
Hi Bri – I mean whipping up a cup or so of heavy cream with about a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar (to taste) until it reaches stiff peaks. I usually use my handheld mixer and just a random tidbit – I put my bowl with the whipped cream in the sink and whip it in there because it splatters quite a bit. Does that make sense?