This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Coconut Cream Pie is made with a homemade coconut custard filling in a buttery pie crust topped with fresh whipped cream and toasted coconut. This is the famous Dahlia Bakery’s secret coconut cream pie recipe.
I was always the first to snag the coconut cream pie at Thanksgiving. My Grandma and Grandpa lived on Camelback Mountain so we would drive our station wagon up the steep mountain in anticipation of our annual Thanksgiving feast.
Since all of my aunts and Grandma would make at least 3-4 pies each, we would end up with more pies than we could possibly eat. To a kid, it was the best looking spread ever!
I would eye all of the pies and would choose my favorite. It usually involved coconut because it has been well established that I’ve been a fan of coconut since birth.
Since Thanksgiving is literally around the corner, it was time to share my favorite coconut pie recipe. This is made with a homemade coconut cream custard and topped with fresh whipped cream and toasted coconut. Oh, and we can’t forget about the homemade buttery pie crust, either.
This recipe is made with a homemade coconut custard filling. If you are looking for an easier version made simple with pudding mix, you can try my Easy Coconut Cream Pie Recipe.
Last year we headed to Seattle for our family summer vacation. It had been on our bucket list for forever and we couldn’t wait to experience green trees and water. We also had some highly recommended food places on the list to try. One of the most talked about restaurants in Seattle is called Dahlia Bakery. It is known for its coconut cream pie.
Being the coconut lover I am, I beelined it straight to the bakery to see what the fuss was all about. It was perfection and I was hooked. I sought out their recipe and found it in their
Dahlia Bakery Cookbookto recreate it at home.
What ingredients are in Coconut Cream Pie?
- Canned Coconut Milk — use full-fat canned coconut milk and make sure to shake the can before opening to mix it all together.
- Whole Milk — this helps to make a creamy custard. May substitute with half-n-half.
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes — make sure it is fresh, soft sweetened coconut flakes from brands like Baker’s.
- Vanilla Extract — add the vanilla extract after cooking the custard to not lose any of the flavor.
- Eggs — use two whole large eggs and one large egg yolk in the custard.
- Sugar — if you want a tad sweeter coconut filling, you may increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.
- Flour — I suggest using all-purpose flour.
- Butter — helps to create a silky, velvety custard filling.
- Coconut Extract (optional) — I like to add this for more pronounced coconut flavor.
- Homemade Whipped Cream — all you need is heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar for the best whipped cream.
- All Butter Pie Crust — this all-butter pie crust recipe is so simple, flaky, and delicious!
The homemade custard began with canned coconut milk, sweetened flaked coconut, and whole milk simmered. Sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour were added and cooked to thicken the cream.
After a few trials and testing, we tweaked a few things about the recipe. We found that adding 2 cups of sweetened flaked coconut was too much. We could still get the sweet coconut flavor by using only 1 cup of coconut instead.
The coconut cream filling came out perfectly and firm enough to hold up when cutting slices from the pie. A homemade fluffy whipped cream is spread all over the coconut cream filling. It becomes the perfect coconut cream pie!
How to make Coconut Cream Pie:
- Start with simmering canned coconut milk, whole milk, and sweetened shredded coconut in a saucepan. The full-fat canned milk for the creamiest coconut cream pie filling.
- In another bowl, mix together eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and flour. The flour will act as a thickener so it is an important addition. You may also substitute cornstarch.
- Temper the egg mixture but adding only a small amount of hot milk mixture to the bowl. This will ensure the eggs don’t become scrambled eggs! By adding only a 1/4 cup of hot milk at a time, it slowly warms the egg mixture and prepares it to be added to the warm pot.
- Use a whisk to constantly stir the mixture while it thickens over medium-high heat.
- Once it is thickened, remove from heat and place in a bowl to chill. If you want to expedite the chilling process, fill a bowl with ice and place the bowl filled with coconut cream filling on top of the ice.
The essential tools for making this homemade Coconut Cream Pie:
WHISK Caphalon POT for under $30 Emile Henry PIE DISH Just Here for Dessert PIE SERVER
I love to hear from you! If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating. If you make any of my recipes, tag me on Instagram @modern_honey and use #modernhoney so I can see your creations. It’s one of my favorite things seeing you make these recipes in your own kitchen. Sign up for my newsletter below so you never miss a recipe. Thank you for following along! I truly do have the greatest readers. FOLLOW ME ON: INSTAGRAM — FACEBOOK — PINTEREST
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
One 9-inch blind-baked Pie Crust
Coconut Cream Filling:
- 1 cup Canned Coconut Milk (full-fat)
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla (or 1 vanilla bean, stripped)
- 1 teaspoon Coconut Extract (optional)
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Flour
- 3-4 Tablespoons Butter
Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Optional Garnish:
- 2 Tablespoons Toasted Coconut
- White Chocolate Curls
Instructions
To make Coconut Cream Filling:
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the canned coconut milk, whole milk, and shredded coconut. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture just begins to show signs of bubbling.
- In a medium bowl, stir together eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and flour until combined. Temper the eggs by adding 1/4 cup of hot milk mixture at a time to egg mixture, stirring after each addition. Whisk well. After you add it 3 times, add the warmed egg mixture into the saucepan with the coconut milk.
- Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream begins to thicken and bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, about 4-5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add butter and vanilla and keep whisking until butter is melted. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over another bowl filled with ice to expedite the chilling process. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the custard to prevent a film from forming and place in the refrigerator to chill. Let it chill long enough to become cold, about 1-2 hours.
Whipped Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until peaks form that is firm enough to hold their shape.
Assemble the Pie:
- Take the pre-baked cooled pie crust and fill it with cooled coconut cream filling. Fill a pastry bag with whipped cream and pipe it over the pie.
- To toast coconut: bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until light golden brown color. Sprinkle all over the pie.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Baking, my friends! xo
Followed the recipe closely and the filling was too dense and a little grainy. Is it supposed to be one can of coconut milk or one cup? That part was confusing.
Hi Siran! Thank you for trying my coconut cream pie recipe. So it is 1 cup of canned coconut milk. I always suggest full-fat (and not light) coconut milk. Was the cream part grainy due to the sweetened flaked coconut? There are a few things that could have gone wrong. Here are some ideas — If you overheat the filling, especially after it thickens, it can cause the protein in the eggs to curdle, leading to a grainy texture. The milk and eggs need to be added together so slowly to ensure the eggs don’t curdle. Another possibility is that the sugar was never fully dissolved which could lead to a grainy texture. One more thought is that if you use dry coconut, it would definitely dry out the pastry cream. I hope those things help solve a mystery!
The perfect coconut flavor! Light, creamy and everyone loved it!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try.
Amazing pie recipe!!
OMG! This pie is amazing!!!
My favorite recipe for Coconut Cream pie. Thank you MH.
Love this recipe! A keeper for sure!
THIS WAS AMAZING! And so easy to make too!
The filling turned out ok. I am so ashamed of the crust I won’t let anyone see it. I bought pie crust protectors (red ones, rubber I guess). Could not get me them on hot crust so. Burned my finger. Filling is cooling. Crust shrunk. Totally my fault. My food processor went out and I did not get it rolled large enough.
Oh well can’t wait to get a new food processor so I can try again. I do know how to whip the cream. LOL