![Overhead shot of coconut cream pie topped with toasted coconut with a kitchen towel next to it.](https://assets.epicurious.com/photos/578e5f2d0103fcdb27360ff4/1:1/w_2560%2Cc_limit/double-cream-coconut-pie-18072016.jpg)
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Active Time
1 hour
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Total Time
6 hours
Our best coconut cream pie recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with a rich but airy filling and flaky, buttery crust. It delivers concentrated coconut flavor and ethereal texture and can close out your nextsummer barbecuejust as perfectly as your annualThanksgiving dinner. Truly, it is destined to become everyone’s new favorite pie.
Because the creamy coconut filling doesn’t go in the oven, it’s essential toblind-bake the crust—something you can do a day in advance if you like. We like a flaky, butteryhomemade pie crust recipehere, but you could swap in agraham cracker crust如果首选;或使迷你蛋挞壳和填补them with dollops of the finished custard for individual plated desserts or bake sale treats. Any way you go, bake the crust(s)—yes, even the graham one—until golden brown and crisp.
For a nutty, nuanced coconut flavor, we toast coconut flakes in the oven before steeping a portion of them in milk. If you can’t find flaked coconut at your local grocery store,buy it onlineor swap in an equal weight of shredded coconut—notsweetened coconut, which would make this pie too cloying. We combine the toasted coconut milk with creamy, coolingcanned coconut milkto form the base of the custard filling, but we don’t call it a day there. Once cooled,we fold whipped cream into the custardto make this a propercoconut creampie, rather than a coconut custard pie simply topped withsweetened whipped cream. Garnish with the remaining toasty coconut flakes for a dessert that looks just as dreamy as it tastes.
Ingredients
Makes 1 (9") pie
Step 1
Position rack in bottom of oven; preheat oven to 350°F. Spread3 cups unsweetened coconut flakeson a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Heat1¾ cups whole milkin a small saucepan until almost boiling. Add half the toasted coconut (1½ cups), stir, and cover. Let steep 1 hour.
Step 3
Roll out1 diskOur Favorite Pie Crust, chilled, on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round. Wrap dough loosely around floured rolling pin, then release into pie plate. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish. Trim edges to leave a 1" overhang and crimp as desired. Freeze dough at least 15 minutes or chill, covered, up to 24 hours.
Step 4
Line dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust, rotating halfway through, 20 minutes. Remove weights, pierce bottom of crust all over with a fork, and continue to bake until very light brown and dry, about 10 minutes more. Let cool.
Step 5
Strain toasted-coconut milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan; discard solids (you should have about 1½ cups milk; add whole more milk if necessary). Add2¼ cups coconut milk (not low-fat)and bring just to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat.
Step 6
Pour remaining¾ cup cold whole milkinto a small bowl and sprinkleone (¼-oz.) envelope powdered unflavored gelatin (about 1 Tbsp.)over. Let sit 10 minutes. Whisk7 large egg yolks,1 cup (200 g) sugar,6 Tbsp. cornstarch, and½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher saltin a large bowl. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until smooth.
Step 7
Whisking constantly, slowly pour half of the coconut milk mixture in a thin stream into egg mixture. (A wet towel under bowl with egg mixture will help stabilize it.) Pour everything back into saucepan and cook over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken and starts to bubble, then continue to cook about 1 minute more so it doesn't taste starchy.
Step 8
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl. Add1 Tbsp. unsalted butterand1 Tbsp. vanilla paste or extractand stir to combine. Press plastic wrap against surface of mixture and chill until cool, but not cold, 2½–3 hours. (You can speed up the process by stirring from time to time or placing bowl with filling in a large bowl of ice water.)
Step 9
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip1½ cups heavy creamuntil medium peaks form in a medium bowl. Working in 3 batches, gently fold cream into coconut filling until just incorporated. Sprinkle half of the remaining toasted coconut into bottom of prepared pie shell. Carefully spoon pie filling over coconut, mounding it in the middle and making decorative swirls with the back of a spoon. Chill at least 2 more hours to set.
Step 10
When ready to serve, garnish pie with remaining toasted coconut.
Do Ahead:Pie crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store cooled crust, loosely wrapped at room temperature. Pie with filling can be made 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.
Editor’s note:This coconut cream pie recipe was first printed in July 2016. Head this way for more ofour favorite coconut desserts→
Don’t toss thoseleftover egg whites. Use them to makemeringue cookies,pavlova, or even an egg white omelet.