Coconut Cream Pie
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Layers of creamy coconut custard, pillowy whipped cream, and heaps of toasted coconut all in a buttery shortbread crust—this coconut cream pie is pure dessert bliss!
My husband’s all-time favorite dessert is the signature coconut cream pie from The Capital Grille in Washington, DC. Hoping to surprise him, I took a chance and emailed the restaurant manager asking for the recipe. To my surprise, he sent it to me! Of course, like most restaurant recipes, it was scaled to feed an army and didn’t include the crust, so I had to do some tweaking. But it was worth every bit of effort—the result was nothing short of dreamy! Think: a coconut-scented cookie crust filled with creamy coconut custard, topped with pillowy whipped cream and heaps of toasted coconut.
If you love my coconut cake or coconut cupcakes, this coconut cream pie recipe is another must-try. It’s rich, creamy, and full of coconut flavor—perfect for any coconut lover!
“I made this for my mother-in-law’s birthday party. She almost cried! She said it was the most delicious dessert she had ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Coconut Cream Pie
- Shortbread cookies: Provides a buttery, crumbly base for the pie. Use homemade shortbread cookies or store-bought—whichever you prefer.
- Sweetened flaked coconut: Adds texture and coconut flavor to the crust. Typically sold in plastic bags in the baking aisle, it is the dried, shredded, and sweetened meat of the coconut. (Have extra? Make my coconut macaroons.)
- Unsalted butter: Binds the crust ingredients together and adds richness.
- Eggs: Thickens the custard and adds richness.
- Sugar: Sweetens the custard and topping.
- All-purpose flour and Cornstarch: Helps thicken the custard filling.
- Rum: Adds depth of flavor, warmth, and a tropical note to the custard and topping.
- Cream of Coconut: Sweetens the custard and enhances the coconut flavor. Cream of coconut is thicker and richer than coconut milk with a higher fat content, and it is sweetened. It is often sold with the drink/cocktail mixers at the supermarket.
- Unsweetened coconut milk: Adds creamy coconut flavor without extra sweetness.
- Whole milk: Provides a creamy base for the custard.
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and a smooth texture to the custard.
- Heavy cream: Whipped to make the topping.
- Unsweetened coconut chips or flakes: Dried, shaved coconut meat, typically found in large supermarkets or organic markets. Toasted, they add a crunchy, flavorful and pretty garnish to the pie.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make The Crust
Place the shortbread cookies, coconut, and melted butter in a food processor.
Process until the coconut is finely ground.
Press the crumbs into firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (Tip: start with the sides.)
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. If the crust shrinks or cracks a bit, simply press it back together and up the sides while it’s still hot.
Step 2: Make the Filling
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt.
Whisk well and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the Malibu rum, cream of coconut, coconut milk and whole milk.
Bring to a boil; then turn off the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add the remaining milk mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine.
Return the mixture to the sauce pan.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. The filling must boil for at least 30 seconds in order to fully thicken.
Off the heat, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated.
Pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the surface with a spatula; press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. (Any longer than 12 hours and the crust will start to soften.)
Step 3: Make the Whipped Cream
Up to 3 hours before serving, whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and rum. Continue to whip until it forms soft peaks.
Top the pie with whipped cream.
Step 4: Toast the Coconut Chips
Place the coconut in a small, dry skillet over medium heat and cook until golden.
Let the coconut chips cool, then sprinkle the pie with the toasted coconut. Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve. Use a sharp knife to slice the pie, wiping in between slices for the prettiest cuts.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The crust can be prepared a day ahead and stored at room temperature. The pie filling can be made and refrigerated in the crust for up to 12 hours (any longer and the crust may soften). Whip the cream and assemble up to 3 hours before serving.
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Layers of creamy coconut custard, pillowy whipped cream, and heaps of toasted coconut all in a buttery shortbread crust—this coconut cream pie is pure dessert bliss!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 7½ ounces shortbread cookies, such as Walker's Pure Butter Shortbread, finely ground (if you don't have a baking scale, it's 11 Walker's rectangular cookies, from 2 boxes)
- 1¼ cups loosely packed sweetened flaked coconut
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Custard
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, packed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, packed
- Pinch salt
- 1½ tablespoons Malibu Rum (coconut-flavored rum)
- 5 tablespoons Cream of Coconut (stir well before using)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (stir well before using)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
For Whipped Cream and Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Malibu rum or light rum
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut chips or flakes, toasted in a skillet until golden and cooled (see note below)
Instructions
For the Crust
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pulse the cookie crumbs, coconut, and melted butter in a food processor until coconut is finely ground. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (the crust should be about ¼-in thick). Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. If the crust shrinks or cracks a bit, simply press it back together and up the sides while it's still hot.
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rum, cream of coconut, coconut milk and whole milk. Bring to a boil; then turn off the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add the remaining milk mixture to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return the mixture to the sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. The filling must boil for at least 30 seconds in order to fully thicken. Off the heat, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated.
- Pour the hot filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the surface with a spatula; press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. (Any longer than 12 hours and the crust will start to soften.)
For the Topping & To Serve
- Up to 3 hours before serving, whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and rum. Continue to whip until it forms soft peaks. Top the pie with the whipped cream and sprinkle with cooled toasted coconut chips.
- Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
- Note: Unsweetened coconut flakes can usually be found at Whole Foods or organic markets. If you can't find them, feel free to substitute ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut (the stuff in the blue bag available everywhere). Simply toast it in a 350°F oven, stirring often so it browns evenly, until lightly golden.
- Note: For an even prettier presentation, this pie can be made in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Note that the crust won't be quite as thick.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The crust can be prepared a day ahead and stored at room temperature. The pie filling can be made and refrigerated in the crust for up to 12 hours (any longer and the crust may soften). Whip the cream and assemble up to 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 563
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated fat: 26 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Cholesterol: 131 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I bake often and was very excited about trying this recipe. Unfortunately after cooking it for over 3 minutes (and letting it boil for almost a minute) it never thickened to my liking. So I thought maybe it would thicken while setting in the refrigerator. I put it in a separate container overnight and still came out like soup. I don’t understand what I did wrong. Did anyone else have the same issue? I tasted it and it was delicious but couldn’t use it for the pie ☹️
Hi Sasha, so sorry you had a problem with this! Did you make any adjustments to the ingredients you used for the filling?
The only ingredient I left out was the Rum because I didn’t have any on hand. Does it always thicken within 2 minutes? Should I have cooked it longer until it thickened? I am going to try it again soon. I have made many of your recipes in the past and loved them all!
I don’t think it needed to cook longer. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher because I haven’t gotten this feedback before. Is there any chance you may have inadvertently omitted either the cornstarch or the flour?
I need to make this one day prior to serving. Is there a way to do this without softening the crust?
Hi Jen, The crust will soften a bit, but it will still be delicious made 1 day ahead. (You could keep all of the components separate and combine them on the day of serving, but I wouldn’t bother.)
Thank you Jenn! I’ve been a bit obsessed with your pies. My daughters and I are making this one and your lemon meringue for Easter. Love your recipes!
💗
Next time you could brush a thin layer of melted cocoa butter or chocolate. For this pie I do cocoa butter or white chocolate. It will act as a barrier without compromising flavor.
I’ve made this many times, as it is my hubby’s fav. Actually bought the tart pan, just to make this, but the problem for me, was I didn’t have a large enough cake plate or covered storage to fit that awesome tart. Going to try the pie pan for Easter. Thanks Jen, for sharing all your yummy recipes 😎 Blessings to your beautiful family!
Huge hit at work! Several people have asked for the recipe. It was a breeze to make and absolute joy to consume! I topped it with stars of marscapone whipped cream for extra decadence.
Hello! I just subscribed tonight after eating your delicious Key Lime Pie at my sister’s house for dinner this evening. It was the best I’ve ever had, and I just returned from 6 weeks in Florida where I had it on 4 occasions! So the first recipe I searched for was coconut cream pie. We drink alcohol, but I tend to not like liquor of any kind IN dishes…..fruitcakes, rum balls, creme de menthe, etc. Will I tasted the rum in this recipe, or does the alcohol taste cook out when it bakes? Of course it would obviously not cook out of the whipped topping. I read your suggestion to replace the rum with more coconut milk, but I’d like to try the recipe as written if it doesn’t ‘taste’ like rum. Thanks, and I’m looking forward to trying some of your wonderful recipes!
Welcome to the site, Christal! I don’t think this pie tastes strongly of rum at all; the alcohol really just enhances and deepens the coconut flavor. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Great recipe and easy to follow. The crust is delicious. The custard thickened very quickly once it boils so be prepared! I might reduce the sugar the next time around. Another hit from your collection!
Just made this. There’s absolutely no alcohol flavor at all. Delicious!
This recipe is the absolutely best and my husband’s favorite dessert. I’ve made it the past 5 years for his birthday. His birthday is coming up, but with our life right now, it would work better if I could make it into smaller pies for just a couple of bites. I was thinking of using muffin tins for the bottom and a bit up the sides. Do you think that would work and if so, how long do you think I should bake the crust for?
Many thanks,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, I do think it’d work; I’d start checking the crust after 10 minutes. So glad your husband loves the pie!
This recipe turned out absolutely amazing! Easy to follow instructions too! It was so delicious, it’s definitely a family favourite!
Coconut cream pie is one of my all time favorites and one reason I love going to the Capital Grille for dinner. Now I feel I can make the same wonderful dessert at home. I made this pie for a dinner party and everyone loved it, especially the crust with the hint of coconut. I look forward for another opportunity to make this pie. I think the Malibu Rum really makes quite the difference in the custard. Totally enjoyable.
This is my go to recipe for a “Wow” dessert; rave reviews each time I’ve made it! Even avowed coconut “haters” will love this coconut cream pie. I use a tart pan for ease of presentation. And this crust is delicious to use for lemon bars, too. Per usual, this is another one of Jenn’s delicious recipes that hits it out of the park!
Wow! Best Coconut Cream Pie EVER! Be sure to get Cream of Coconut from the cocktail mixer section. The Walker’s Shortbread cookies in the crust is amazing, and we loved the coconut flavor throughout the crust, custard, whipped cream, and toasted coconut topping. A+
Since you first posted this recipe I have made it many times, as it immediately became our “special occasion” and celebration dessert, such as Valentine’s day and my husband’s birthday. It’s perfectly delicious and truly special. Thank you, Jenn, for making me a really good cook after MANY years in the kitchen.