Coconut Cream Pie
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Layers of creamy coconut custard, pillowy whipped cream, and heaps of toasted coconut all in a buttery shortbread crust—this coconut cream pie is pure dessert bliss!
My husband’s all-time favorite dessert is the signature coconut cream pie from The Capital Grille in Washington, DC. Hoping to surprise him for his birthday one year, I took a chance and emailed the restaurant manager asking for the recipe. To my surprise, he sent it to me! Of course, like most restaurant recipes, it was scaled to feed an army and didn’t include the crust, so I had to do some tweaking. But the result was nothing short of dreamy! Think: a coconut-scented cookie crust filled with creamy coconut custard, topped with pillowy whipped cream and heaps of toasted coconut.
If you love my coconut cake or coconut cupcakes, this coconut cream pie recipe is another must-try. It’s rich, creamy, and full of coconut flavor—perfect for any coconut lover!
“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
- SHORTBREAD COOKIES & SWEETENED FLAKED COCONUT: Form the buttery, coconut-scented crust. Use homemade shortbread cookies or store-bought—whichever you prefer.
- UNSALTED BUTTER: Holds the crust together and adds richness to both crust and custard.
- EGGS, SUGAR, FLOUR & CORNSTARCH: The essentials for thickening and sweetening the creamy coconut custard.
- CREAM OF COCONUT, COCONUT MILK & WHOLE MILK: Layered coconut flavor and creaminess—cream of coconut for sweetness and richness, coconut milk for pure coconut taste, and whole milk to balance it out.
- RUM: Brings a warm, tropical note to the custard (and a little to the topping, if you like).
- HEAVY CREAM: Whipped into a billowy topping.
- UNSWEETENED COCONUT CHIPS OR FLAKES: Toasted for a crunchy, pretty garnish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Blend the crust. Place the shortbread cookies, coconut, and melted butter in a food processor. Process until the coconut is finely ground.
Step 2: Form and bake the crust. 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.
Pro tip: If the crust shrinks or cracks a bit, simply press it back together and up the sides while it’s still hot.
Step 3: Start the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt.
Step 4: Bring the milk mixture to a boil. In a medium saucepan, combine the Malibu rum, cream of coconut, coconut milk and whole milk.
Step 5: Temper the egg mixture. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk mixture in 3 or 4 additions.
Step 6: Thicken the filling. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and 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.
Step 7: Assemble and chill the pie. 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 8: Add the topping. 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, then spread over the chilled filling.
Step 9: Toast the coconut chips. Place the coconut in a small, dry skillet over medium heat and cook until golden.
Step 10: Decorate and serve. Let the coconut chips cool, then sprinkle the pie with the toasted coconut. Use a sharp knife to slice the pie, wiping in between slices for the prettiest cuts. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead Instructions
The crust can be prepared a day ahead and stored at room temperature. The pie filling can be made and refrigerated in the crust for up to 12 hours (any longer and the crust may soften). Whip the cream and assemble up to 3 hours before serving.
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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 (packed) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (packed) cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1½ tablespoons Malibu Rum or light 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 (175°C).
- 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-in (23-cm) deep-dish pie pan (the crust should be about ¼-in/6-mm 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.
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The crust can be prepared a day ahead and stored at room temperature. The pie filling can be made and refrigerated in the crust for up to 12 hours (any longer and the crust may soften). Whip the cream and assemble up to 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information
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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I adore coconut! I made this dessert on a Friday afternoon: assembled the pie crust and filling and left it in the fridge. I served it the next day (Saturday) evening and whipped the cream just prior to serving. I especially liked the fact that the crust was not hard and brittle. By sitting in the fridge for 24+ hours, the crust seemed to mellow sufficiently which made for easy slicing and serving. I followed the recipe closely with 1 deviation: after preparing the filling I folded in about 1 1/2 cups of sweetened, flaked coconut. As stated earlier, I adore coconut. My dinner guests loved this dessert. Thank you Jenn–it was such a treat.
Wonderful Jenn. Absolutely spot on with the Capitol Grill. My dinner party guests said that it was the best dessert they ever ate! So thank you.
COCONUT DREAM PIE I see the crust can be frozen after baking. Question! Can the filling be cooked and refrigerated and day or 2 before than filled day of use? I will be making 8 individual tarts so I figure on doubling everything. Looking forward to hearing from you and many thanks for a great website page.
Yes Chris, you can definitely make the filling a day or two ahead and then assemble the pie before serving it. Enjoy!
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I made this pie last night for my husband. He happily exclaimed it’s the best coconut pie he’s ever had. He loves coconut dessert and this one hit it out of the park. I only had a glass tart pan but after reading your note, I did go out and buy a removable bottom tart pan. It made the presentation so pretty and I love adding new pieces to my baking arsenal (which my husband encourages also). I also had to buy the coconut rum. I like to be very precise when I make a recipe for the first time the way the author intended. I have a rotation of desserts that I make for gatherings…this will be added. I’m making your buttermilk chicken tender recipe tonight. I’m so glad I found your website and can’t wait to try more recipes! Keep up the great work and thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.
Very easy to make but tastes decadent. I also make it without the crust as a gluten free dessert option.
I was never a fan of the filling in coconut cream pie because of the “gritty” texture. Your creamy filling hits all the right notes and was the hit of my last dinner party. Everyone wanted the recipe so I just directed them to your website.
Made this today for a Valentine surprise for my Valentine of 50+ years. We have enjoyed this pie several times and it is a favorite treat. Perfect!
I loved this recipe! I made it exactly as said and it was deliciously creamy with a great coconut flavor. I would recommend it to anyone!
I made this almost totally diary free (except the butter and trace amounts of milk in the cookies) and gluten free. I used Pamela’s Shortbread cookies (gluten free) for the crust and substituted Coconut Creamer (“So Delicious”) for the whole milk. It turned out great! If you can’t do ANY dairy, I think substituting coconut oil for the butter would work. For the whipped topping, I used “So Delicious” frozen whipped topping and added some coconut rum to it. Wallah! A Gluten and mostly Dairy free desert that NOBODY would ever guess it was. Walker’s also makes a gluten free shortbread cookie if you can’t find Pamela’s.
Hi,
I love your recipes, have made many. I will be making your chocolate chip cookies and this coconut pie for Christmas.
Would I be able to use a store bought crust in place of shortbread. If so, do I bake pre-bake the crust or is it baked when pie is?
Excited to try both recipes, thank you!
Joanna
Hi Joanna, So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. I do think you could use a store bought crust. The filling part of this pie is cooked on the stovetop so you’ll need to pre-bake the crust. I would follow the instructions on the package for best results. Hope that helps!