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Hi Bold Bakers!
Coconut is one of my most favorite flavors, naturally creamy rich and sweet so it’s no surprise that I love coconut in all forms. This classic ingredient is the star of so many of my favorite desserts, but number one on my list is my 15 Minute Coconut Cream Pie.
My coconut cream pie, complete with thick Graham cracker crust and loads of fragrant toasted coconut, can be made in under 15 minutes! I know you’re thinking that just can’t but I’m going to show you how!
[ Make your own Homemade Graham Crackers for a Graham Cracker Crust! ]
How to make a Graham cracker crust
Graham cracker crust is my go-to for creamy pies, cheesecakes, and tarts. Just as important as the filling of a pie is the crust, which is why I’ve perfected my Graham cracker crust recipe.
To make this crust, no baking is required — I just coat the Graham cracker crumbs in melted butter and press into one even layer in my pie tin. My favorite little trick for getting the pie out of the tin is to butter and line the bottom with a few layers of cling wrap, leaving some extra to hang over the sides. When the pie has set I simply lift the cling wrap up and remove the pie in one go. This means I never have to worry about the crust cracking.
What if you don’t have Graham crackers?
If you don’t have Graham crackers, you can use vanilla wafer crumbs or shortbread cookie crumbs — things with similar consistency and sweetness!
How to Thicken Coconut Cream Pie Filling
The filling of the coconut cream pie is a perfectly balanced, toasted, coconut-infused custard. Made with milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and of course toasted shredded coconut, the coconut cream pie filling is always silky smooth.
It’s super important here to take your time while mixing up the custard and keep a close eye on it while cooking. The eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and flour will combine and over low heat, they will begin to thicken up. While cooking the custard STIR CONSTANTLY. Keeping this mixture moving over a steady heat is what will allow it to thicken properly.
After about 7-10 minutes you will have a thick and rich custard that falls off your spatula in ribbons. If for some reason you do get bits of custard that curdle, you can fix this by straining it with a wire sieve. If you are gluten-free you can substitute the flour for 2 tablespoons of corn starch.
How long does coconut cream pie last?
After pouring the rich custard into the pie crust the entire pie sets up in the fridge. Since this pie sets and is stored in the fridge it will last 3-4 days covered tightly. If you don’t top it with cream and save it for serving, the pie will last even longer.
How to store/freeze coconut cream pie?
This pie can be frozen without the cream! If you have any leftovers, which I doubt you will, you can freeze the remaining pie for up to one month. To defrost the pie just allow it to sit in the fridge until soft.
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15 Minute Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Coconut Cream Pie Crust
- 1 recipe Graham cracker crust
Coconut Cream Pie Filling
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature
- 2 cups (16 fl oz/480 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) all-purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (3 oz/85 g) plus 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut , toasted
Coconut Cream Pie Topping
- 1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz/300 ml) heavy cream , whipped
Instructions
To Make the Coconut Cream Pie Crust
- Make my Graham cracker crust according to the recipe and set aside.
To Make the Coconut Cream Pie Filling
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and flour until smooth.
- Place over medium-low heat and simmer, whisking constantly for 5-7 minutes until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, salt and 1 cup (3 oz/85 g) of shredded coconut.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and spread evenly. Chill until firm, about 4 hours.
To Garnish the Coconut Cream Pie
- Top the pie with whipped cream and sprinkle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut.
To Serve and Store the Coconut Cream Pie
- Enjoy chilled with a cup of tea! Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I made this for my sister in law and she said it was the best she ever had! I swapped out one cup of milk for one cup of full fat coconut milk and instead of a tap of vanilla I used a half tsp of coconut extract and a half tsp of vanilla extract. Also I added some some sweetened coconut flakes I toasted to the custard it was to die for!
This recipe came out reaaally good and it was very quick and easy to make! I do think that the measurements (in grams) of melted butter for the crust was i correct though as the mixture came really wet and I had to add more buscuits.
Hi Gemma, I love your recipes and can’t wait to make this one. I do want to know how you remove the cling wrap once you take the pie out of the pan. Seems tricky to do without breaking the pie. Thanks.
Hi, can almond milk work in this recipe or only whole milk?
I made this recipe for my wife for Mother’s Day, she requested Coconut Cream Pie and I had never made one so I thought it would be fun. It was! I didn’t use a graham cracker crust though as I substituted girl scout shortbread with toffee cookies to make the crust. That custard recipe was deliciously simple and I can see using it as a base for a lot of other cream filled treats. I don’t know how to post a picture so here is a link to the finished product;
https://flic.kr/p/S7De9n
Hi Gemma,
I am thinking of making this pie but i can only find desiccated coconut and in order to enhance the coconut flavor i am thinking of using coconut cream to the filling. Do you think that this will work well or should i make another pie instead , your chocolate pie perhaps which seems absolutely delicious
Thank you in advance
Sofia
Loved making the recipe and smells yummy. Here’s a pic w/o the whipped topping! That it best to travel w/o the whipped cream. Not bad for a novice!
This was absolutely delicious. I did replace 1 cup of milk with one cup of coconut milk and also added half a tablespoon of powdered sugar in the whipped cream, but the taste was amazing. It disappeared within minute!
Hello Gemma – Making this lovely looking pie tomorrow. Do you think I can use a 9″ spring form pan instead of a pie plate? Might be easier to remove? We like a lot of filling in our pies. 😉
Worked from home for three months during lockdown before heading back into the office. This pie got my son
and me through some dark days. It’s my all time favourite pie. I even made a dairy-free version recently for
my son-in-law. He loved it. Obviously, it wan’t quite as rich but it was still very good.