The Best Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

This recipe for homemade coconut cream pie is sure to make it’s way into your tried and true recipe collection! This coconut cream pie is made from scratch and with simple pantry staple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.

Homemade coconut cream pie might sound intimidating to some people, but it really isn’t that complicated! I would say that it takes a similar amount of time as making an apple pie, what with making the crust and preparing the filling. Making this pie does take a bit more technique than making an apple pie, but once you have the art of making custard down, you’ll have no problem with this pie!

And honestly, whatever it takes is SO worth it. This is probably my favorite pie in the whole world — and there are a lot of delicious pies out there!

Coconut Cream Pie topped with Meringue

You’ll find coconut cream pies commonly topped with either whipped cream or meringue, and there are certainly pros and cons to both options!

Meringue is a light and sweet topping that is so much fun to make and really makes for a show-stopping homemade dessert. I mean, who wouldn’t be impressed?! Another great thing about making homemade meringue to top your pie is that it will use up most of the leftover egg whites from the pie filling. It’s great to get that taken care of! The main issue with homemade meringue is that it takes more time and effort to make homemade meringue.

Whipped cream is great because it is so much easier to make than meringue! You can whip up some heavy cream, throw in some powdered sugar, and BAM! A delicious topping for your pie that is truly loved by all. The problem with topping your coconut cream pie with whipped cream instead of meringue? It’s not quite as special.

So the choice is yours! Feel free to top your pie with homemade whipped cream for something a bit faster, or go the extra mile and whip up some delicious meringue for your pie. Both are great options.

How to store coconut cream pie

Coconut cream pie should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or covered tightly with plastic wrap. If you don’t cover the coconut cream pie carefully, it will probably begin to pick up some strange flavors from the refrigerator!

Store coconut cream pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ingredients

1 Pie Crust (This is the recipe I use)

1/3 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 Egg Yolks
2 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1/16 tsp. Salt (a pinch)

For Meringue:
3 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp. Cream of Tartar
3/4 Cup Sugar

How to make Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Begin by rolling out your pie crust and placing it in a pie plate.

Blind Bake your crust by lining it with parchment paper or foil, then filling up the crust with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the pie from the oven and remove the parchment paper or foil and pie weights, then place the crust back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Set the pie crust aside.

Add the sweetened shredded coconut to a sauce pan and toast it over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. It will brown suddenly, so keep a close eye on it! You want to to toast it until it has a nice rich brown color. Set the coconut aside.

In a medium pot, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, milk, and heavy cream. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring, until it begins to bubble and thicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together the 4 egg yolks. While continuing to whisk the yolks, carefully add 1 tbsp of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Slowly add more milk mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, until you’ve added around 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the egg yolks. Make sure to whisk continuously to keep the egg yolks from curdling.

While whisking, pour the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the remainder of the milk mixture. Bring this custard to gentle simmer, and allow to cook for a couple more minutes, until it is thickened.

Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla extract, and most cup of the toasted coconut (reserve a couple tbsp for topping the pie with).

For the meringue: Clean the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk or beaters with a paper towel and a bit of lemon juice to ensure that there is no grease on anything. This will help ensure a successful meringue.

Mix the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until they begin to get white and fluffy, then slowly add the 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk on medium to medium-high speed until the meringue reaches stiff peaks.

Set your oven to 425 degrees (preferably on broil)

Pour the hot custard into the baked pie crust, then immediately spread the meringue over the top of the hot custard. Spread the meringue all the way to the edges of the pie so that it reaches the crust.

Put the pie into the oven and allow the meringue to toast until it is browned on top. This should take around 5 minutes, but check it after 3, and keep checking on it every 30 seconds to 1 minute to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Sprinkle the finished pie with the remainder of the shredded coconut.

Allow the pie to cool for at least two hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Save it for later!

Recent Posts

• Banana Muffins with Fresh Milled Flour
• The Best Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
• Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe
• Italian Ground Beef and Zucchini Soup
• Pancakes made with Fresh Milled Flour

Do you love homemade coconut cream pie as much as I do? Let me know if you try out this recipe!