Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Make dough

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add cold cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size butter pieces remaining.

Stir together ice water and vanilla, then sprinkle over the flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, gently tossing with a fork until dough just comes together when pressed (you may not need all the water). Do not overwork.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll chilled dough into a 12-inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan. Trim and crimp edges. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake 8–10 minutes more until golden. Cool on a rack while making filling.

Toast coconut

Spread 3/4 cup shredded coconut on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 4–6 minutes, stirring once, until golden. Watch closely to avoid burning. Remove and cool.

Warm milks

In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk and 1/2 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk. Warm over medium heat until just steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Mix eggs and dry ingredients

In a bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt until smooth and slightly pale. This reduced cornstarch amount yields a creamier set than typical recipes but still thickens reliably.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly.

Thicken gently

Return saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or whisk, scraping the bottom and corners, until mixture thickens and just comes to a gentle boil (bubbles will break the surface). This should take 3–6 minutes. Once it thickens to a pudding-like consistency, cook 30–60 seconds more while stirring to fully activate the cornstarch.

Finish pastry cream

Remove from heat. Immediately whisk in 2 tablespoons cold butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Stir in the toasted shredded coconut (reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish if desired).

To avoid a gluey texture and to keep cream smooth, pour the hot pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing with a spatula to remove any cooked egg bits or lumps. This ensures silky texture.

Cover surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin. Chill until cool, at least 2 hours, or preferably 3–4 hours. The cream will set but remain creamy (reduced cornstarch helps keep it less gluey).

When ready to fill, whisk the chilled cream quickly to loosen and make it spreadable if necessary.

Spread the pastry cream evenly into the cooled baked pie crust. Chill for 30 minutes to set before topping.

Whip cream

Chill a medium bowl and whisk or beaters for 10 minutes in the freezer (optional). Combine 1 cup chilled heavy cream, 1.5 tablespoons powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in the bowl. Whip to soft peaks (do not overwhip).

Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pastry cream layer. Garnish with the reserved toasted coconut and an optional pinch of flaky sea salt.

Refrigerate pie until ready to serve. Pie is best eaten within 2–3 days. Keep covered. If pie becomes very firm in refrigerator, let sit 15–20 minutes at room temperature before serving for creamier texture.