Coconut Meringue Pie

This coconut meringue pie is a dreamy dessert for any occasion. It’s a beautiful merger between coconut cream pie and meringue-topped pies like lemon meringue pie. The rich coconut filling is perfectly balanced with a fluffy, golden meringue lightly toasted on top. It’s a simple yet elegant pie that brings a tropical twist to classic meringue. Plus, this coconut meringue pie recipe is made with ingredients you may already have in your pantry, making it easy to whip up anytime.

Ingredients for Coconut Meringue Pie

• Pie crust dough: The crust provides a sturdy, buttery base for the pie, giving each bite a flaky texture. You can use a store-bought pie crust or make your own single-crust pie dough using our pie crust recipe.
• Sugar: The sugar sweetens both the filling and the meringue topping, creating the perfect balance of sweetness.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the coconut cream pie filling, making it smooth and creamy.
• Whole milk: Whole milk creates a rich, creamy, silky-smooth filling for coconut cream meringue pie.
• Eggs: The egg yolks thicken and bind the filling, giving it a custard-like consistency. The egg whites are whipped separately to create a light, airy meringue topping.
• Coconut: Sweetened shredded coconut adds texture and a rich, tropical flavor to the pie filling. Sprinkling toasted coconut on top of the pie after it bakes adds a crunchy texture and extra coconut flavor.
• Butter: Butter melts into the filling, providing a smooth and velvety finish.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla brings warmth and depth to coconut cream pie with meringue topping, enhancing the overall flavor.
• Cream of tartar: This ingredient stabilizes the egg whites, ensuring the meringue holds its shape.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the crust

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick circle and carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang beyond the rim of the pie plate, and flute the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Refrigerating the crust helps the dough firm up.

Step 2: Blind bake the crust

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil and fill it with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is golden brown, three to six minutes. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.

Editor’s Tip: Let pie weights cool before storing. Beans and rice may be reused for pie weights but not for cooking.

Step 3: Make the coconut cream pie filling

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°. In a small heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt, then whisk in the milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens and becomes bubbly. Reduce the heat to low. Cook and stir for two minutes longer. Remove the mixture from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook and stir for two minutes. Remove the pan from heat and gently stir in the chopped coconut, butter and vanilla until the butter is melted.

Step 4: Make the meringue

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until the sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Step 5: Assemble the pie

Transfer the hot filling to the crust. Spread the meringue evenly over the filling, sealing it to the edge of the crust.

Step 6: Bake the pie

Bake the pie at 325° until the meringue is golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Step 7: Chill the pie

Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top, then let the pie cool on a wire rack for one hour. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.

Coconut Meringue Pie Variations

• Use a graham cracker crust: For a slightly different texture, use a graham cracker crust instead of a traditional pie crust.
• Top it with whipped cream: Skip the meringue topping and finish the pie with a layer of homemade whipped cream for a lighter finish.
• Add chocolate: Drizzle melted chocolate on top of the filling before adding the meringue for a coconut-chocolate combination.

How to Store Coconut Meringue Pie

Store coconut meringue pie in an airtight container or pie keeper in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to three days, although the meringue might lose some of its volume over time.

Can you freeze coconut meringue pie?

We don’t recommend freezing coconut meringue pie. The meringue doesn’t hold up well in the freezer and may weep upon thawing.

Coconut Meringue Pie Tips

How do you keep meringue from weeping?

To avoid weeping, make sure to beat your meringue until stiff, glossy peaks form and have it ready to spread onto the pie while the filling is still hot. The heat helps cook the bottom of the meringue, which seals the pie and reduces moisture buildup.

Why does meringue deflate?

Over-whisking the egg whites can cause the coconut pie meringue to deflate. Stop beating as soon as stiff peaks form. It’s also important to make sure there are no egg yolks yolk in the egg whites before you get started.

Why do you add cream of tartar to meringue?

Cream of tartar is an acidic powder that helps stabilize egg whites, giving the meringue more volume and preventing it from collapsing.