Coconut Cream Pie

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Sweet and creamy homemade coconut cream pie with all-natural ingredients

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Includes blind bake & chilling time30 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

stand or hand mixer if you're making a whipped cream or meringue topping

Ingredients

Pie crust and filling Ingredients

1 cup sugar , granulated
6 tablespoons cornstarch (¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon salt , table salt
3 cups milk , 2% or whole
5 large eggs , separated
3 tablespoons butter , unsalted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1¼ cups coconut plus more for garnish
1 9"-inch pie crust (the kind you roll-out; Pillsbury makes them 2 to a box)
handful of flour to flour the pie dough

Whipped Cream Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar granulated or powdered (See Recipe Notes: Sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue Topping Ingredients

5 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
10 tablespoons sugar (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

Prep

Set prepared, roll-out pie crust on the counter and lightly coat both sides with flour; place in 9" inch ungreased pie pan
1 9"-inch pie crust
Place a piece of parchment paper over bottom of crust and add 1 cup of dried beans (this is called "blind baking" a pie crust). Bake on middle rack 375ºF for 13 - 15 minutes or until lightly golden; set aside (remove parchment and beans)
Separate 5 eggs; reserve yolks and whites; beat yolks lightly with a fork; set aside
5 large eggs
Place metal mixing bowl and metal whisk (or beaters) in freezer (this is for the Whipped Cream if you want a whipped cream topping)

Make the Pie Filling

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk; cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens and bubbles; when bubbly, remove from heat
1 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 cups milk
Add 1 cup of the hot filling mixture to lightly beaten egg yolks in increments of 1 -2 tablespoons (this "tempers" the eggs so they won't scramble when added to the hot mixture); combine well and add to saucepan; return to heat and continue cooking at a gentle boil for 2 minutes
Add butter and vanilla extract; add coconut, stir well, then pour hot mixture into baked pie crust
3 tablespoons butter, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1¼ cups coconut
Place a piece of plastic directly on the pie filling and make the whipping cream or meringue.

Make Whipped Cream

Remove metal bowl and metal whisk (or beaters) from freezer
Add sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream to bowl
1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together until the mixture forms stiff peaks; spready whipped cream over pie filling

Meringue Topping

Add room temperature egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla extract and salt to clean mixing bowl; whisk on high until frothy with either stand mixer or hand mixer
5 egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt
Once mixture is frothy, turn mixer to high speed and gradually add sugar; whisk until glossy stiff peaks form; do not over mix or the meringue will be dull and grainy
10 tablespoons sugar
Apply meringue to outer perimeter of pie first; make sure the merignue is touching the edge of the pie crust (this prevents the meringue from separating or weeping)
Use the back of a spoon to create peaks on the meringue
Place in 400° degree oven on middle rack for 11-15 minutes; rotate pie for even browning of meringue
Remove from oven and allow to rest until cool; for best results, refrigerate pie before serving (it slices prettier if it's slightly cool)

Toast Coconut for Garnish

Put one cup of coconut in a dry skillet; heat skillet to medium
Allow coconut to toast in skillet; continually stir the coconut so it does not burn
Pour toasted coconut onto plate and allow to cool
Sprinkle over whipped cream topping or meringue prior to serving

Notes

Prepared Pie Crust:

Set the pie crust out on the counter to soften a little before you start; once it's semi-soft, lightly coat both sides with flour and place onto a 9" inch ungreased pie pan

If the dough cracks when you unroll it, put a little water on your fingers and pinch the dough back together.

Blind bake the crust: add a piece of parchment paper to the crust and place a cup of dried beans on the paper; this weights the bottom crust so it doesn't puff up when baking. Remove the parchment and beans.

Cooking the Pie Filling:

This is the most critical part of the coconut cream pie recipe- getting the custard thick without burning it... The easiest way to do this is to use a wooden spoon and stir constantly- make sure your spoon is scraping the bottom of the saucepan.

It takes about 10 minutes of constant stirring to get the right result. You may have to adjust the stovetop temperature throughout the process, especially if you're cooking on electric.

If you suspect the custard is burning or you see dark spots in the filling mixture, lift the pan off the heat, continue to stir and reduce the stove temp. You can pull out any brown pieces before you put it in the pie shell.

If you find you've burned the custard, start over.

Keep an eye on the filling! Once it gets hot enough, it thickens FAST!

Temper the eggs:

Lightly beat the egg yolks and when the pie filling gets hot, gradually add some of the filling to the beaten eggs; stir it together and repeat until you've added about 1 cup of the hot filling to the eggs; then add the eggs and filling mixture back to the saucepan with the filling.

This is super important because it prevents your pie filling from being clumpy and it also ensures the eggs won't scramble or separate.

Sugar:

The Whipped Cream recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar; however, you can substitute with powdered, or confectioner's sugar. I find powdered sugar to be sweeter, so I recommend you start with 1 tablespoons of powdered sugar in the whipped cream.

Halfway through mixing, taste the cream and see if you want it sweeter. If so, add more powdered sugar.

Nutrition