• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Celebrating Sweets
  • All Recipes
  • Dessert
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Cake & Cupcakes
    • Cookies
    • Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts
    • Pies & Tarts
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Fall Favorites
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
×

Home » Pies & Tarts » Coconut Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Coconut Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Published: Jun 11, 2018 · Modified: Apr 25, 2022 by Allison · 49 Comments

  • Share
  • Email
Jump to Recipe

My favorite coconut cream pie! Graham cracker crust, creamy coconut custard and fluffy whipped cream.

Let’s talk PIE! What do you like? Fruit pie? Cream pie? Pastry crust? Graham cracker crust? I love any type of pie, so long as it’s done right. I want a buttery crust (no shortening for me, thanks), and I want the inside to taste like the real deal (no fake flavorings or canned/instant fillings). Today we’re making a rustic, comforting pie that is perfect for all you coconut lovers!

Coconut Cream Pie on a white plate.

Not a fan of coconut? Try my Lemon Cream Pie, Blueberry Pie or Strawberry Pie.

I’ve been making this Coconut Cream Pie for years. My husband loves custard/pudding based desserts, and my mom often requests this pie for her birthday. I find myself whipping up this Coconut Cream Pie several times a year, and it is always met with rave reviews. Try the banana version, too: Coconut Banana Cream Pie.

Coconut Cream Pie

Recipe overview

  • Graham cracker crust: This is my family’s preference. Sweet, buttery and the perfect compliment to the coconut filling. Pssst… there’s also toasted coconut ground up into the crust. Yes, you read that right, into the crust.
  • Coconut filling: No instant pudding mixes here. We’re making a quick custard with coconut milk, whole milk, shredded coconut and vanilla.
  • Freshly whipped cream: The only way to top a cream pie. Light, fluffy and perfectly sweet.
  • Toasted coconut: A crunchy, toasty, coconut-y garnish for our beautiful pie!
Graham crackers and coconut in a food processor.

Recipe note

I reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe just slightly, so it’s not overly sweet. I will also note that you will not be blown away with an over-the-top coconut flavor. I find artificially flavored coconut desserts to be overpowering and unappetizing. We’re working with real shredded coconut and coconut milk for our coconut flavoring. If you want a stronger coconut flavor, you can add a tiny splash of coconut extract, but I don’t find it necessary.

Coconut Cream Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust.

This Coconut Cream Pie is perfect year round. It’s equally delicious with a piping hot cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. Adults and kids both go crazy for it! It’s a made-from-scratch classic that your family will enjoy! Mine sure does.

More Coconut Recipes:

  • Lemon Coconut Cake
  • Coconut Bundt Cake
  • Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars
  • Coconut Brownies
  • Coconut Pecan Pie Bars
Coconut Cream Pie.

SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM

Recipe

Coconut Cream Pie on a white plate.

Coconut Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

My favorite coconut cream pie! Graham cracker crust, creamy coconut custard and fluffy whipped cream.
4.95 from 19 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 -10
Calories: 494kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Crust:

  • ⅔ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 9 whole graham crackers
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

  • One 14 ounce can coconut milk, well shaken (not cream of coconut)
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ⅔ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • scant ⅓ cup cornstarch
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Whipped Cream Topping:

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 4 -5 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract, optional (but so good!)

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Preheat oven to 325°. Spread the ⅔ cup of shredded coconut on a sheet pan and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 5-9 minutes. Keep a close eye on the coconut so that it doesn’t burn. Stir it several times during baking to help it toast evenly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  • Break up the graham crackers and place them in a food processor. Add half of the toasted coconut (⅓ cup) to the food processor. Reserve the other ⅓ cup of toasted coconut for garnishing the pie. Process the graham crackers and coconut into fine crumbs. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and melted butter. Once all of the graham cracker crumbs are moistened, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until lightly toasted and golden brown. Cool the crust while making the filling.

For the filling:

  • Put the coconut milk, whole milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  • Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk sugar, salt, egg yolks and cornstarch. Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour a cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you pour (this will help slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs). Slowly add one more cup of warm milk, whisking continuously.
  • Pour the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Alternate whisking and stirring with a rubber spatula. After 3-5 minutes, the mixture will be bubbling and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and butter.
  • Allow the filling to cool to room temperature, and then pour into the crust. Cover the pie and refrigerate until completely chilled and firm, several hours.

Assembly:

  • Once the pie is chilled, prepare the whipped cream topping. Beat the heavy cream, sugar and extracts just until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie and garnish with reserved toasted coconut. Refrigerate the pie after assembly or serve immediately. Any leftovers can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

This pie has a subtle sweetness and a mild coconut flavor. If you’d like the coconut flavor stronger, you can add a tiny splash (¼ teaspoon-ish) of coconut extract to the custard.
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Nutrition

Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 1090IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
« Blueberry Sauce
Strawberry Shortcake Cake »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Julya C

    February 10, 2021 at 7:09 am

    5 stars
    THIS was fantastic!! Made me look like I know what I’m doing in the dessert department in my kitchen!! Thank you❤️
    May my hubby’s fav for his bday yesterday and now he wants it again for a celebration next week!

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 11, 2021 at 9:51 am

      Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Roberta D.

    March 18, 2021 at 5:57 am

    5 stars
    OMG!!! My hubby told me not to buy another store bought pie!! This was fantastic! He requested this pie instead of a cake for his birthday.

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 19, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Cyndi

    April 17, 2022 at 3:23 pm

    5 stars
    Incredibly easy and I would say foolproof. Anything with a graham crust is on my “to-bake” list. Even pumpkin pie….try it, it’s delicious. My husband loves coconut cream pie so this works out perfectly. Made some minor changes: reduced sugar to 1/2 C and used 1/3 of a can of sweetened condensed milk; sliced two bananas on top of the baked crust and covered w/ the custard; added 2 Tbsp butter at the end. Other than that, followed as written. I’m very happy with the consistency of the filling and that it truly stands up when cut. I’ve made it before different recipe and it was pudding. Still tasty but not a slice of pie. I like how it’s not overly sweet. Thanks for sharing this. 👍

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 22, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Debbie

    June 07, 2022 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! Excellent directions!

    Reply
  5. PK

    June 11, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    Hi, Filling ingredients list: 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter–when do you add these?

    Reply
    • Allison

      June 14, 2022 at 3:25 pm

      Step 3 under filling.

      Reply
  6. Heather

    November 17, 2022 at 8:07 am

    Can you please tell me if I should use a regular pie dish or a deep pie dish?

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 21, 2022 at 9:06 am

      Hi, Heather. You should be able to use either as long as it is 9 to 9.5 inches. I typically use a deep dish because that is what I have.

      Reply
  7. Niki

    December 09, 2022 at 9:15 am

    4 stars
    The flavour was fantastic but I had trouble with the consistency of the filling. Mine was more like a pudding. How do I make it thicker so it holds the pie shape when serving? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 19, 2022 at 3:56 pm

      You can try adding an extra tablespoon or two of cornstarch.

      Reply
  8. A. Casas

    June 03, 2023 at 11:55 am

    5 stars
    So easy and delicious! Made for spouse’ birthday. Will make again.

    Reply
    • Allison

      June 04, 2023 at 10:14 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

About

aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

Dessert Recipes

Brownie trifles in a glass dish topped with caramel.

Caramel Pecan Brownie Trifles

Slice of pumpkin pie cheesecake on a grey plate with a gold fork.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Donut holes filled with nutella.

Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes

Toffee stacked on a white plate.

Pecan Praline Graham Cracker Toffee

Stack of coconut brownies.

Chocolate Coconut Brownies

Scoops of strawberry shortcake ice cream in a white bowl.

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

More Dessert Recipes...

Popular Recipes:

Whipped cream in a white bowl with strawberries.

Easy Homemade Whipped Cream

Cookies topped with white chocolate, butterscotch, and chocolate chips.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Small batch vanilla cupcakes topped with white frosting and sprinkles.

Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes

Stack of three banana pancakes on a white plate.

Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

Carrot cake cupcake topped with swirled brown sugar frosting on a grey plate.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Baked french toast on a plate

Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast

More Popular Recipes...

Logo for country living, food network, buzzfeed, msn, delish, good housekeeping

FREE BAKING GUIDE

Tips & Tricks for the Home Baker

Thank you!

Check your email to confirm your subscription.

.

Footer

Connect With Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright 2013-2023 Celebrating Sweets

All images and content are copyright protected. Please contact me for permission to use my original images. If you want to republish a recipe, please re-write it in your own words, or link back to my post for the recipe.