Coconut Cream Pie
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Filled with coconut custard, whipped cream and heaps of toasted coconut, this coconut cream pie is downright dreamy.
My husband’s all-time favorite dessert is the signature coconut cream pie from The Capital Grille in Washington, DC. Eager to surprise him, I took a long shot and emailed the restaurant manager for the recipe. To my delight, he sent it! However, like most restaurant recipes, the recipe was scaled for feeding an army, and it didn’t include the crust, so some tweaking was necessary. The effort was worth it: the end result was nothing short of spectacular! Imagine a coconut-scented cookie crust brimming with creamy coconut custard, topped with pillowy whipped cream and a generous sprinkle of toasted coconut—this coconut cream pie is downright dreamy!
“I made this for my mother-in-law’s birthday party. She almost cried! She said it was the most delicious dessert she had ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Coconut Cream Pie
For the Crust
- Shortbread cookies: Provides a buttery, crumbly base for the pie.
- Sweetened flaked coconut: Adds texture and coconut flavor to the crust. Typically sold in plastic bags in the baking aisle, it is the dried, shredded, and sweetened meat of the coconut. (Have extra? Make my coconut macaroons.)
- Unsalted butter: Binds the crust ingredients together and adds richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
For the Filling
- Eggs: Thickens the custard and adds richness.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the custard.
- All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the custard.
- Cornstarch: Ensures a smooth and stable custard.
- Rum: Adds a subtle tropical flavor to the custard.
- Cream of Coconut: Sweetens the custard and enhances the coconut flavor. Cream of coconut is thicker and richer than coconut milk with a higher fat content, and it is sweetened. It is often sold with the drink/cocktail mixers at the supermarket.
- Unsweetened coconut milk: Adds creamy coconut flavor without extra sweetness.
- Whole milk: Provides a creamy base for the custard.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and a smooth texture to the custard.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
For the Whipped Topping
- Heavy whipping cream and sugar: Creates a lightly sweetened whipped topping.
- Rum: Adds a subtle tropical flavor to the whipped cream.
- Unsweetened coconut chips or flakes: Toasted, they add a crunchy, flavorful garnish for the pie. Coconut chips are the dried, shaved, unsweetened meat of the coconut; most large supermarkets carry them but you can always find them in organic markets.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step instructions
Step 1: Make The Crust
Place the shortbread cookies, coconut, and melted butter in a food processor.
Process until the coconut is finely ground.
Press the crumbs into firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (Tip: start with the sides.)
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. If the crust shrinks or cracks a bit, simply press it back together and up the sides while it’s still hot.
Step 2: Make the Filling
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt.
Whisk well and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the Malibu rum, cream of coconut, coconut milk and whole milk.
Bring to a boil; then turn off the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add the remaining milk mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine.
Return the mixture to the sauce pan.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. The filling must boil for at least 30 seconds in order to fully thicken.
Off the heat, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated.
Pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the surface with a spatula; press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. (Any longer than 12 hours and the crust will start to soften.)
Step 3: Make the Whipped Cream
Up to 3 hours before serving, whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and rum. Continue to whip until it forms soft peaks.
Top the pie with whipped cream.
Step 4: Toast the Coconut Chips
Place the coconut in a small, dry skillet over medium heat and cook until golden.
Let the coconut chips cool, then sprinkle the pie with the toasted coconut. Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve. Use a sharp knife to slice the pie, wiping in between slices for the prettiest cuts.
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Ingredients
For the Crust
- 7½ ounces shortbread cookies, such as Walker's Pure Butter Shortbread, finely ground (if you don't have a baking scale, it's 11 Walker's rectangular cookies, from 2 boxes)
- 1¼ cups loosely packed sweetened flaked coconut
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Custard
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, packed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, packed
- Pinch salt
- 1½ tablespoons Malibu Rum (coconut-flavored rum)
- 5 tablespoons Cream of Coconut (stir well before using)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (stir well before using)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
For Whipped Cream and Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Malibu rum or light rum
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut chips or flakes, toasted in a skillet until golden and cooled (see note below)
Instructions
For the Crust
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pulse the cookie crumbs, coconut, and melted butter in a food processor until coconut is finely ground. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (the crust should be about ¼-in thick). Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. If the crust shrinks or cracks a bit, simply press it back together and up the sides while it's still hot.
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rum, cream of coconut, coconut milk and whole milk. Bring to a boil; then turn off the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add the remaining milk mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return the mixture to the sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. The filling must boil for at least 30 seconds in order to fully thicken. Off the heat, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated.
- Pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the surface with a spatula; press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. (Any longer than 12 hours and the crust will start to soften.)
For the Topping & To Serve
- Up to 3 hours before serving, whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and rum. Continue to whip until it forms soft peaks. Top the pie with the whipped cream and sprinkle with cooled toasted coconut chips.
- Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
- Note: Unsweetened coconut flakes can usually be found at Whole Foods or organic markets. If you can't find them, feel free to substitute ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut (the stuff in the blue bag available everywhere). Simply toast it in a 350°F oven, stirring often so it browns evenly, until lightly golden.
- Note: For an even prettier presentation, this pie can be made in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Note that the crust won't be quite as thick.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 563
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated fat: 26 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Cholesterol: 131 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn, I’m wondering what happens if I use 4 yolks instead of 2 yolks and 2 eggs. It took a while before my custard firmed up and it tasted a bit eggy. Was also wondering what I can do to make it a bit more coconut-y… Could I use more coconut milk and less full fat milk?
Is it essential to use the rum in order to obtain the full coconut flavor? I really don’t want to purchase a bottle that will not be used for anything else I ever make? Can you suggest a substitute? Thank you.
Hi Andi, You can replace the rum with additional coconut milk – it will still be delicious. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes and detailed directions! The pie was wonderful and the crust was perfection! I was wanting to use this crust on other cold pies instead of graham cracker crusts, how would you recommend me doing so without the coconut? Should I replace the coconut with a little sugar and add more shortbread cookies, in other words just sub out the graham crackers for the shortbread and proceed with the directions? Thanks again!
Hi Nicole, so glad you like the recipes! If you’d like to use the crust on other pies sans the coconut, I think I’d add one more shortbread cookie and a generous teaspoon of sugar. I’d love to hear how it turns if you use it for something else! 😊
My husband and I both love the coconut cream pie at Capital Grille also! This recipe is exactly what I was looking for! How would you adjust for baking time if baking individual pies in tart pans?
Angela, Glad you liked it! I think you can keep the time and temperature the same for mini versions.
Best coconut cream pie I’ve ever tasted, let alone made! Traditional cream pie crust gets soggy so quickly, but not this one. It still tasted great on day 3 as it was just my hubby & I eating it. He said it was a 10 out of 10 & will be requesting it frequently. I stabilized the whipped cream with 1tsp of gelatin dissolved in the Malibu. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! ❤️
Hello Jenn,
Even though I live in a country that cooks with a lot of coconut, Malaysia, the one thing not available is sweetened coconut flakes. I can buy dried shredded unsweetened coconut. What do you suggest I do? My fear in using the unsweetened flakes is the lack of moisture.
Thanks
Johara
Hi Johara, I think you can get away with using unsweetened coconut with no other modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you.😊
Hi Jenn,
Hoping that you see this as I realise this is an old post but I absolutely LOVE everything about this recipe! My only question is whether it would be possible to add gelatine to the custard to stabilise it ever so slightly further and if so, how much?
Thank you in advance!
Laura, so glad you like this! Yes, it’s possible to add gelatin to the custard, but without testing it myself, I can’t tell you what amount to use. Sorry, I can’t be more helpful!
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was a huge hit and so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I followed the recipe exactly. Only exception was that I substituted Rum Chata Cocunut Cream Rum instead of Malibu Rum since I didn’t want to buy an entire bottle to only use a few tablespoons. I did experience the crust sticking to the sides and bottom of my pie plate, but after getting out the first slice, the others were easier to remove. I will try using cooking spray next time. Delicious pie recipe!