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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The coconut pie recipe is excellent! I’ve made it four times. You originally called it coconut dream pie and said to use a tart pan. I’ve only used a tart pan for this recipe. With those types of crusts, they are difficult to remove from a pie dish. But now the recipe calls for a regular pie dish? You end up with broken up crusts. I recently made your chocolate pie recipe and that’s what happened. That pie should be made in a tart pan too. Why the change?
Hi William, I changed the recipe because I got feedback from readers that many of them did not have tart pans but this can definitely be made in a tart pan (and I agree that it’s much easier to serve that way). Hope that clarifies!
Can rum extract be used in place of the Malibu Rum?
Hi Mary, I’d actually just replace the rum with 1.5 more tablespoons of coconut milk. Enjoy!
How do you recommend storing the pie? Do you keep it in the fridge? Or will it get soggy?
Yes, I would store it in the fridge. After about 12 hours the crust will start to soften so if you can serve it the same day you prepare it, that’s ideal.
Can you double the recipe to make in 9×13 pan to slice into bars
Sure, I think that should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Absolutely delish! I saw this post and immediately thought of making this marvelous pie for my birthday. I love Capital Grille’s food and desserts! I only had graham cracker crumbs for the crust, weighed them out and followed the rest of the directions. This pie truly exceeded my expectations as it was scrumptious. Not too sweet, nice balanced coconut flavour. Making it was even easier than expected. Way to go, thank you for reducing the recipe and bringing it into our homes!
Loved it!
I made this pie & it was absolutely hands down 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I followed the directions except I baked the crust until golden about 26 minutes. Everyone loved it! Coconut Cream is my favorite and this is a the best ever!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I made this and in terms of taste, this was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! Unfortunately, I ran into some problems with the pastry cream as it came out soupy. I have made pastry cream often and don’t have problems and even made sure to set my timer to make sure I let the mixture boil for at least 30 seconds as you had noted. I served it right after the 3 hour mark because people couldn’t wait longer. Do you think I needed to cook it longer so the consistency from the pan is already quite thick or perhaps I needed to have it in the fridge at least 6 hours in order for it to set more? I don’t drink alcohol and was hesitant to include the alcohol but wanted to follow the recipe and I honestly could not taste it and just tasted a delicious mix of flavors. The crust is also outstanding. Coincidentally, we went to a fancy restaurant for Father’s Day (outdoor dining allowed) and one of their dessert choices was coconut cream tart so had to order to compare and your recipe (even though it came out soupy for me) beat the restaurant’s in taste hands down. I absolutely want to try this again.
Hi Nancy, I suspect you cooked the filling long enough but that it probably needed more than 3 hours in the fridge. Because another reader had a similar problem, I’ve changed the recipe to indicate that it should be refrigerated for at least 6 hours. Sorry about that and I hope you more success next time!
Sorry yours came out soupy, I followed Jenn’s instructions although I did have to cook the custard a bit longer for it to thicken and 3 hours in the fridge was sufficient for the perfect pie. Good luck on your next try, it certainly is an amazing tasting pie!
I couldn’t find gluten-free shortbread cookies so I used Emmy’s Organics coconut cookies with vanilla bean. I used two bags and mixed in the butter, then pressed the mixture in the pie plate. It was a huge hit! No need to even use the food processor because the cookies are so soft and they already have the right amount of coconut mixed in. This is now my families favorite pie – even for the family members that don’t have a gluten allergy.
I make this frequently. One of my favs and if I have a friend who claims they like coconut, this is what they get!
My daughter made this for her dad for father’s day. It was absolutely, hands down, the best Coconut Cream Pie EVER! The taste of coconut was throughout the entire pie. Thank you for this recipe!
Made this for Father’s Day, I have never tasted a coconut cream pie but lately I’ve been enjoying coconut based deserts and oh my, this tasted delicious! My husband said it’s the best coconut cream pie he’s ever had, also said the best pie in general he’s ever had! My whole family loved this! This is a keeper!