Coconut Cream Pie

Name: Coconut Cream Pie
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients: pie crust, unbaked*; stable whipped cream**; 5 large egg yolks; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 14 ounce can coconut milk (full fat); 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup half-and-half; pinch of salt; 1 cup shredded coconut; 2 tbsp butter; 1 tsp vanilla; 1/8 tsp coconut extract (optional)

posted by Ashton March 24, 2020

This Coconut Cream Pie has three delicious, homemade-from-scratch layers. You can make each layer separately and ahead of time so that assembly is a cinch when it’s time to serve!

You can see all of my Easter recipes here.

Main Ingredients Needed for This Recipe

a prebaked pie crust (check out these recipes: Easy All Butter Pie Crust | Buttermilk Pastry Pie Crust | No Roll Pie Crust
egg yolks
cornstarch
coconut milk
half-and-half
sugar
coconut
butter
vanilla

How to Make Coconut Cream Pie

1. Blind bake the crust. Here’s how:

Form the crust in the pan, the way you normally would if you were filling it before baking. Piece the bottom and sides of the crust with a form to prevent bubbles from forming.
Gently line the crust with foil, and be sure to press the foil all the way to the edges of the crust.
Fill the foil with pie weights, dried beans, or even sugar. Anything that can withstand the heat and will weigh the crust down evenly will work!
Bake the crust at 400ºF (or according to your own crust recipe directions) for 10-12 minutes. Just until the edges start to brown and the bottom doesn’t look raw (you’ll have to carefully pull back the foil to check).
Remove the crust from the oven and carefully pull out the foil and discard (unless you’re using pie weights of course, don’t throw those away!).
Return the crust to the oven for about 5 minutes, just until the bottom starts to brown.
Let cool completely before filling!

2. Make the filling.

This part might seem a little bit tricky. And it is a bit involved, but it’s not hard! Just read the instructions all the way through BEFORE you start, and you’ll be fine. Basically, you’re just tempering the eggs with the other ingredients to form a delicious custard.

3. Fill the baked crust.

Once the filling has cooled a bit (it doesn’t need to cool all the way, just so it’s not piping hot). I actually made my filling the day before, so it was completely chilled before filling in these pictures.

4. Top with whipped cream and coconut.

Use my recipe for homemade whipped cream. It’s amazing, and it totally puts this pie over the top!

Yield: 8 slices

Coconut Cream Pie

This Coconut Cream Pie has three delicious, homemade-from-scratch layers. You can make each layer separately and ahead of time so that assembly is a cinch when it's time to serve!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

pie crust, unbaked*
stable whipped cream**
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
14 ounce can coconut milk (full fat)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup half-and-half
pinch of salt
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Instructions

Blind Bake the Pie Crust.

Form the crust in the pan, the way you normally would if you were filling it before baking. Piece the bottom and sides of the crust with a form to prevent bubbles from forming.
Gently line the crust with foil, and be sure to press the foil all the way to the edges of the crust.
Fill the foil with pie weights, dried beans, or even sugar. Anything that can withstand the heat and will weigh the crust down evenly will work!
Bake the crust at 400ºF (or according to your own crust recipe directions) for 10-12 minutes. Just until the edges start to brown and the bottom doesn’t look raw (you’ll have to carefully pull back the foil to check).
Remove the crust from the oven and carefully pull out the foil and discard (unless you’re using pie weights of course, don’t throw those away!).
Return the crust to the oven for about 5 minutes, just until the bottom starts to brown.
Let cool completely before filling!

Make the Filling.

Whisk together the egg yolks and set aside. Pro tip: you can freeze the whites for later use!
Over medium-high heat, whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, half-and-half, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Remove about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture and drizzle it into the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously. Tip: this is much easier if your bowl is on a non-slip surface like a silicone baking mat or a cabinet liner (see product links below).
Slowly drizzle the egg yolk mixture into the hot mixture on the stove, whisking continuously (so that you don't end up with scrambled eggs!).
The custard will begin to thicken very quickly. Return to medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Whisk and cook for about a minute.
Remove from heat and let cool for about 30 minutes. Pour the warm filling into the pie crust.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled completely.
Make homemade whipped cream and spread evenly on top of the pie.
Garnish with coconut if desired. Keep chilled until ready to serve.