Coconut Cream Pie

I learned to make pies as a girl at an early age. Mostly fruit pies, and if I made a cream pie, it was with a cooked pudding mix from Jell-O. My mom and I made fruit pies from apple and cherry trees that we harvested.

After I married, I began making my cream pies from scratch, with tips from my grandma. This Coconut Cream Pie is one I’ve been making for many years, and is one of our favorites. I like making this pie from fall to spring, as it just goes perfectly with other comfort food recipes.

More Cream Pies

Ingredients for Coconut Cream Pie

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Instructions For Making This Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To begin, gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand.

Carefully separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, placing egg whites in a large mixing bowl. 

Be sure not to get any yolk in with the whites, or it will be keep your egg whites from stiffening.

If your kitchen is overly warm, go ahead and place egg whites in the refrigerator to keep them cold.

In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour and salt. Using a blending fork, cut in shortening. Add water in two parts, mixing until ingredients form a nice dough. Divide in half. Using a rolling pin, roll out on a floured surface big enough to fit pie pan.

This recipe will make 2 crusts, so you can either make another cream pie (or pumpkin pie) or wrap and freeze it for later use. If I’m not making two pies, I will often use the extra dough to make quiche.

For this recipe crimp edges and poke tiny holes all around with fork. Blind bake pastry by lining crust with a sheet of crumpled waxed paper and then filling it with 2 cups of dried beans. Bake on lowest rack in oven for 20 minutes with beans. Remove beans and paper and bake for another 15-17 minutes until lightly brown.

Baking with the dried beans will keep your crust from shrinking, and baking on the lowest rack will ensure that your crust is fully baked before adding your pudding to it. You may also use metal pie weights such as a chain or beads.

Make the Cream Filling

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the whole milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt, and butter. Heat on medium high heat until butter begins to melt, for just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together egg yolks, 1/4 cup remaining sugar, and cornstarch. Temper yolks with a 1/2 cup of the warm milk, slowly whisking until it thins.

Add yolk mixture to saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and coconut flakes. Set aside while you make the meringue.

Prepare the Meringue

Once you’ve blind baked the crust and the pudding is made, it’s time to prepare the meringue. Using the large mixing bowl that have the egg whites in them, add in vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Beat together on medium speed for one minute.

Gradually add granulated sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high for about 4 minutes. Mixture should form stiff glossy peaks.

Sometimes humidity in the air will effect the results of your meringue, causing it to be somewhat flat. If you’re experiencing high humidity, try refrigerating your egg whites to keep them cold until just before using.

Assemble the Pie

To assemble the pie, spoon the coconut cream pudding into the baked pie pastry. Top the filling with the meringue, carefully spreading to the edges of the pie so that the meringue touches the crust. I like to take my fork and gently tap around the top of the meringue to form peaks.

Sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup coconut flakes. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until the meringue is lightly browned.

A perfect meringue will form beads of sugared caramel on top.

Allow the pie to cool for 1 1/2 hours and then refrigerate for 6-8 hours before serving to ensure that the filling has set properly.

To easily slice a cream pie with meringue, I like to dip my knife in a glass of water before each slice. This will help make clean cuts in the fluffy meringue.

This recipe will serve 8 people. Store Coconut Cream Pie in a covered pie dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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