Coconut Cream Pie has a graham cracker crust, a creamy coconut custard filling, and a whipped cream topping. Toasted coconut on top adds more coconut flavor. A great make-ahead recipe for dessert or a special occasion. This pie is wonderfully cool and creamy.
How To Make Coconut Cream Pie
- Prepare the crust. In a mixing bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Make Coconut Filling. Whisk together sugar, sea salt, cornstarch, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. In a saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer. Gradually whisk the half-and-half into the eggs. Pour back into the saucepan and whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, coconut extract, and 1 cup of coconut. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer to pie crust.
- Make Whipped Cream. Either spread it on top of the pie or use a pastry bag with a large tip for a more decorative look.
- Garnish and Serve.
Shortcut
Use a store-bought graham cracker crust instead of a homemade one.
Tempering the Eggs
Be sure to very slowly add the hot liquid into the eggs or it will curdle the eggs. If the eggs do curdle a little, no worries. Just pour the filling through a fine-meshed strainer. It will be thick so you will need to press on it with a rubber spatula.
Recipe Tips
- I love this handy gadget for easily separating egg yolks from egg whites. You will need 5 egg yolks for this recipe. Save the eggs whites to make an omelet or some meringue cookies.
- Eggs are easier to separate when they are cold so do it right after removing them from the refrigerator.
- You will need graham cracker crumbs for the pie crust. You can either buy graham cracker crumbs or pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.
- You want the filling to cool a little, but not too much before adding to the pie crust. If it cools too much, it will be too set.
How To Make Toasted Coconut
OVEN- Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring a few times.
STOVETOP- Place coconut in a skillet over medium heat. Stir often until golden and fragrant.
Make Ahead and Storage
Can be made 24 hours in advance. If possible, wait to add the whipped cream just before serving. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
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Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 7 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Pie Filling
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2½ tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, sea salt, cornstarch, and egg yolks.
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan, bring half-and-half just to a simmer. Remove from heat and slowly whisk about a cup into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs.
- Then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and return the saucepan to the heat. (Medium-low heat.) Whisk until the mixture thickens, about 4 to 7 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and whisk in the room temperature butter, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and 1 cup of coconut.Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and let cool 10 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer filling to pie crust. Place plastic wrap back on the surface and let cool completely.
- Make whipped cream. Beat heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe the whipped cream all over the top of the pie. You can pile it as high as you like.
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
