This coconut cream pie recipe was found by my sister on another baking blog. I made a few tweaks to the recipe and also added a few options. Plus, its all in one location, no need to go to another page to look up the pie crust ingredients and instruction. That’s if you’re even making the pie crust from scratch. A premade Pillsbury pie crust will work fine here. Especially if you don’t feel like spending half a day making just the crust. I won’t judge using premade pie crusts. Toss them in your own pie tin and nobody’s the wiser. You can’t get so lazy as to buy the premade graham cracker crust already in the pie tin, people will know. Alright, sufficiently into this first paragraph so I can start talking to myself while you jump ahead to the recipe.
Pie Crust Notes
For the pie crust, its important to use actual flour and not a gluten free flour. I tried using 1-1 replacement flour and it made the pie crust very difficult to roll out and lay into the tin. I ended up using Claire Saffitz’s method of using strips of pie crust and pressing it into the sides of the tin with a measuring cup. The GF flour just kept cracking when we tried to roll it out. It did hold together when baked and didn’t crumble when we were cutting slices so I guess it worked. Its just a pain in the ass to use. But then again, this whole exercise is when you can buy premade pie crust. But as “Big Mac” MacRay says in “The Town,” “Some things, you gotta do yourself.” Maybe not quite the same as making sure you don’t get taken advantage of in prison, but roughly the same idea.
Once you’ve got your dough rolled out and lined in your pie tin. Take a fork and prick holes all around the base of your pie crust. This will help steam release while baking and prevent bubbles from forming during the initial bake. I blind baked my crust using the aluminum foil method with no pie weights or beans. It worked pretty well so it’s an option if you don’t have weights. After the initial blind bake, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 15 or so minutes until the crust is uniformly golden brown. Chill the crust while working on the coconut cream filling. The pie crust takes so long to go from start to finish, its worth it to make it in steps. Make and chill the pie dough one night, press it into the tin the next, and bake it the third. I realize not everyone has an entire day to devote to making a pie.
Coconut Cream Filling Notes
The coconut cream pie filling is simple and a lot quicker to make than the pie crust. Having a second set of hands to help whisk or hold a bowl steady definitely make it even easier. When whisking the hot coconut milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, its crucial to whisk constantly so that the yolks don’t curdle. It helps to introduce a little bit at a time starting out so that the temperature doesn’t rise too quickly. Having someone constantly whisking or pouring on your command makes life easier. Add the warmed yolk mixture to the rest of the coconut milk mixture, again whisking constantly during this process. Cook the mixture for another 90 seconds and then remove from heat and add the butter, vanilla and shredded coconut.
Pour the coconut cream mixture into the cooled pie crust and then cover the coconut cream with cling film to prevent a film from forming on the coconut cream. Chill in the fridge to let the pie firm up a bit while you work on the topping.
The Fork in the Topping
Do you choose the whipped cream topping or the meringue topping? I topped my pie with whipped cream using a whipped cream maker. It was delicious but not super photogenic. A toasted meringue topping looks super fancy when done right. Although it is considerably more difficult that making whipped cream, so again, up to you. One note, I considered buying a can of whipped cream from the store and after some thought, I’m gonna say make the whipped cream by hand. Homemade whipped cream will taste like actual cream. Store bought will be too sweet and won’t complement the coconut cream which is very sweet. If you’re making this recipe for kids who just love sugar, go for it. But it’ll be overpowering for most adults.
For the whipped cream, you can use an at-home maker or your stand mixer and the whisk attachment. Either way, combine all your ingredients and whip that cream. Pipe on top of your pie, remove the cling film first (duh) and top with shredded coconut if desired. Serve immediately or it can be chilled in the fridge for a few hours.
Meringue Topping
So I haven’t made this topping yet so I’m just saying stuff I remember from the Great British Bakeoff. Make sure the water is just simmering, not boiling. You don’t want the water touching the bowl at any point, it’ll start cooking the egg whites. Once all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot, transfer your bowl to the stand mixer and whisk on medium-high heat until medium peaks form. It almost looks like marshmallow fluff consistency but a bit more workable. Mould onto the pie, and use an uneven spatula to do any fine tuning. Use a creme brulee torch, or a mapp gas torch to toast the edges of the meringue and serve immediately.
Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Pie tin
- 1 whipped cream maker optional for the whipped cream topping step but does make life easier.
- 1 creme brulee torch only needed if you're doing the meringue topping
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 313 grams AP flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 230 grams Unsalted butter, cubed 2 sticks worth
- 120 ml Ice water The colder the better
Coconut Cream Filling
- 4 large egg yolks reserve 3 of the egg whites if you're making the meringue topping
- 30 grams cornstarch
- 14 oz full fat coconut milk 1 can
- 240 ml half & half
- 130 grams granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 80 grams sweetened shredded coconut
- 30 grams unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract optional
Whipped Cream Topping
- 360 ml heavy whipping cream
- 20 grams granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Meringue Topping
- 3 large egg whites
- 40 grams granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- dash of kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Pie Crust Instructions
- Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine and add the cubed butter on top
- Pulse the food processor to combine the butter with the flour mixture, Once the butter is in pea-sized pieces, you're ready for the next step.
- Drizzle the ice water into the mixture and pulse the food processor to combine. Once the dough comes together and forms a big clump, stop adding water.
- Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and fold a few times to ensure the butter is fully incorporated into the flour. Divide the dough in half and flatten each piece into a rough disc shape.
- Wrap each disc in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dough can be prepped up to five days ahead of time.
- Once the dough is chilled, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up for 5-10 minutes so that its easier to work with and roll out.
- Using a rolling pin, or a wine bottle if you don't have a rolling pin, roll out one disc of the dough and lay into the pie tin. Press the dough into the sides of the tin and patch any cracks using spare dough.
- Refrgerate the pie crust for at least 30 minutes. Start preheating your oven while the pie crust is chilling. The pie crust can also be wrapped in cling film and refrigerated for up to five days before baking if you're making this pie over several days.
- Using the tines of a fork, prick holes all over the base of your pie crust. Line the pie crust with parchment paper and then add pie weights on top. If you don't have pie weights, you can also cover the pie with aluminum foil to achieve the same effect of blind baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the crust are starting to brown. Remove the pie weights or the aluminum foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the bottom crust is golden brown.
- Let the crust cool completely.
Coconut Cream Filling
- Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together and set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the coconut milk, half & half, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine over medium-low heat, bringing to a low boil.
- Take a half cup of the coconut milk mixture and slowly whisk into the egg yolk mixture in a slow and steady stream. Make sure that you're constantly whisking to make sure that the egg yolks don't scrambleIts good to have a second set of hands for this step if possible.
- Take the combined egg yolk mixture and slowly stream into the coconut milk mixture in the sauce pan, constantly whisking while streaming the mixture in.
- Whisk for 90 seconds and then remove the sauce pan from the heat and add in the shredded coconut, butter, vanilla, and coconut extract.
- Pour the coconut filling into the cooled pie crust and cover the top of the filling with cling film to make sure a skin doesn't form on top of the coconut cream. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to a day.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe onto the chilled pie. Pie can be served immediately or chilled up to 3 hours.
Meringue Topping
- If whipped cream isn't your thing, try this meringue topping instead.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt and whisk to combine.
- Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is very hot to the touch.
- Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, around 5-6 minutes.
- Remove the cling film from the pie and add the meringue on top, using an offset spatula to mould it to your liking.
- Use the creme brulee torch to toast the meringue and serve.
