Coconut Pie

This old-fashioned coconut pie recipe is a classic dessert. It’s smooth and sweet, with some texture from the shredded coconut. The best part about the pie is just how easy and quickly it comes together. The filling takes mere minutes, and, if you use a premade pie crust, that’s all the prep needed!

You’ll need to give the pie up to an hour to bake, plus some cooling time, so be prepared to kick back and relax while the oven does all the busy work for you. If you don’t already love coconut, this is one of those coconut recipes that might change your mind.

Ingredients for Coconut Pie

• Pie crust: You want an unbaked pie crust for this coconut pie, so make one yourself (here’s how to make pie crust) or buy one at the grocery store. If using a frozen shell, thaw it first.
• Milk: We use whole milk in this pie for its creamy richness. While 2% milk could work, we’d advise avoiding nonfat. It might make the pie watery.
• Sugar: Traditional, granulated sugar makes the best coconut pie. Leave any sugar alternatives for other desserts.
• Sweetened coconut: You need sweetened coconut for this recipe, which does have added sugar. Make sure it’s shredded and not flaked coconut (there is a difference).
• Vanilla: With so few ingredients in this pie, you want to use the highest quality of each. Here’s the best vanilla extract according to our Test Kitchen.

Directions

Step 1: Shape the pie crust

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough to a circle about 1/8-inch thick.

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Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the crust to about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate, and flute the edges.

Editor’s Tip: It’s common to roll out pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness, which is about the thickness of a quarter.

Step 2: Make the filling

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In a large bowl, combine the milk, sugar, coconut, eggs, flour, butter and vanilla.

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Pour the mixture into the crust.

Editor’s Tip: Before pouring in the mixture, you can brush the crust with egg whites to keep the crust from getting soggy.

Step 3: Bake the pie

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Bake the pie for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pie cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Editor’s Tip: If the crust is browning too much during the cooking, place some aluminum foil around the edges to protect it or use a pie shield.

Recipe Variations

• Use buttermilk: For a little extra tang in the filling, try using buttermilk instead of regular milk, like in this buttermilk coconut pie recipe.
• Make a coconut cream pie: This old-fashioned coconut pie is not the same thing as a coconut cream pie. The latter definitely has a creamier filling.
• Use sweetened condensed milk: By using sweetened condensed milk, you can get something more like this coconut macaroon pie.

How to Store Coconut Pie

Thanks to the eggs and dairy in the filling, you need to store coconut pie in the refrigerator. It will last up to three days in the fridge.

Coconut Pie Tips

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What can you serve with coconut pie?

Serve coconut pie with fresh sweetened whipped cream, whipped topping or even vanilla ice cream. Drizzle it with salted caramel sauce or homemade chocolate sauce, and top with extra toasted coconut for good measure.

How do you make dough for a single-crust pie?

To make dough for a single-crust pie, combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Gradually add 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water, tossing with a fork until the dough holds together when pressed. Shape the dough into a disk, then wrap and refrigerate for one hour.