Creamy Coconut Pie
A cool and creamy pie loaded with coconut flavor that comes together in just minutes, ready for you to chill and serve. Instant ClearJel, pastry cream filling mix, and cream combine to make a smooth, light filling beautifully offset by the crispy graham cracker crust. A few drops of coconut flavoring for punch and shredded coconut for texture, and you are in tropical island heaven!
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted (3/4 stick)
Filling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut milk powder
- 1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel
- 2 Tablespoons Pastry Cream Filling Mix
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon extract strong coconut flavoring (optional but very good)
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
Directions
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1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray. |
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2)Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix until the texture is that of wet sand and holds together when squeezed. Press evenly into the prepared pie pan, covering the bottom and sides. |
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3) Bake the crust for 6-8 minutes, just until it barely begins to brown. Set aside to cool completely. |
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4)To prepare the filling, sift together the coconut milk powder, Instant ClearJel, Pastry Cream Filling mix and sugar. |
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5) Place the heavy cream and coconut flavoring in a chilled bowl. |
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6) Begin whipping the cream. When the cream begins to thicken sprinkle in the dry coconut mixture. Continue whipping the cream until thickened. |
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7) Gently fold in 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut. Spoon the filling into the cooled pie shell. Top with the remaining shredded coconut. Chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Serve cold. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 15 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 6 mins. to 8 mins.
- Total time:
- 2 hrs to 3 hrs
- Yield:
- one 9" pie
- Recipe comments (10) »
Tips from our bakers
- To make an almond graham crust, use 2/3 cup almond flour and 2/3 cup graham crumbs, along with the butter and sugar. Bake as directed.
- For a chocolate almond coconut pie, make a ganache (5 ounces semisweet chocolate in 5 ounces hot cream, stirred until smooth). Chill and whip the ganache and spread into the cooled crust. Sprinkle with slivered almonds, then top with the coconut filling. Chill well, serve cold.
- Love Pina Coladas? Use pineapple flavoring in place of the coconut flavoring in the cream.
- The base recipe is very versitile. Use your imagination with flavor combinations, keeping the cream and Instant ClearJel the same.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix can be equally substituted for the pastry cream filling mix, though the flavor will not be quite as rich.
Reviews
08/12/2009
I've tried many coconut cream pie recipes and none ever came close to this one. The coconut cream pie lovers I served this too thought they never tasted better. High praise from tough critics! I'm trying the variations this week.
06/17/2009
This is a wonderful recipe. I have a stand of banana trees in my back yard and when the bananas get ripe making loaves of bread was the only way to get rid of all the bananas. Anyone that has a garden know the difference between vine ripened and store bought anything. I substituted the same amount of instant banana pudding for the coconut milk powder. Used a regular pastry crust and tree ripened bananas and that was my only change I made in the recipe.
Oh my. Those of us who live and garden in New England, love the idea of a banana tree in the back yard. Our comparison is the late summer/fall glut of zucchini. Bloom where you are planted? Happy Baking! Irene @ KAF
06/16/2009
This is a wonderful recipe. There just are no substitutions for what they call for. My only modification is that I use a half cup of King Arthuur unsweetened coconut in the filling and Baker"s coconut for the top of the pie. It just looks better.
05/18/2009
I think it's a good recipe.
05/17/2009
My mother's favorite desert is coconut pie, so this looked like a great one to make for her. I'm not a very experienced baker, so I was a bit thrown off by the unsweetened coconut I bought from KA. The coconut was very small little chips, not flakes like I'm used to. I was concerned using that as my topping as it wasn't too attractive and not very sweet. I combined a bit of sweetened coconut I had with the unsweetened and used that. It was not what I would expect from a typical coconut pie, it's more of an ice box version. It wasn't my favorite. But I gave it to my mother and she loved it - which was the most important thing!
05/04/2009
Is pastry cream filling mix the same as corn starch???
I do not use commercial pudding mixes too much sugar and chemicals
Pastry cream filling is not the same as cornstarch. It has sugar, milk products and flavorings in it also. Mary @ KAF
05/02/2009
It looks like there's a chocolate variation to this recipe. Can you post the recipe for that?
The chocolate version is found on the blog at this address http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/05/01/sometimes-you-feel-like-a-nut-coconut-cream-pie/#more-7292. Mary @ KAF
05/02/2009
I too would like for you to start including the nutrition chart for your recipes. This is surely going to be a family favorite. I'm making plenty of copies of the recipe for passing out.
The nutritionals aren't currently available for this pie. Our goal is to have the nutritionals for all of our recipes, but we aren't there yet. Mary@ KAF
05/01/2009
Can you put the nutrition chart for this Coconut Cream Pie?
Kathy - I will submit your request. Please check back within 7-10 days. Elisabeth @ KAF
05/01/2009
In the "ingredients" section of the crust, this line,
"6 tablespoons (3/4 stick)", does not tell what you need 6 tablespoons of. I would assume it is butter, but you need to correct the recipe.
i would recommend it after it is corrected.
Sorry about that. Yes it is butter, as noted in the narrative. We are aware of the omission and will get this recipe updated as quickly as possible. Frank @ KAF.
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