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This Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie recipe is filled with sweet coconut and a rich, creamy custard, all baked inside a flaky, buttery pie crust. The filling stays soft and gooey in the center while the coconut turns beautifully golden on top, creating an easy homemade pie that’s perfect for holidays or any special occasion.
Coconut lovers, don’t miss my Coconut Cake and Coconut Cream Pie either!
Why you’ll love this coconut custard pie recipe!
If you’ve never had an old-fashioned coconut pie, you’re in for a treat! It has a creamy, custard-like filling with plenty of sweet coconut flavor, and you only need a handful of simple ingredients to make it.
My family requests this coconut pie for Christmas, but it’s just as perfect for Thanksgiving, Easter, or whenever you’re craving a classic homemade dessert!
- Easy to Make: There’s no complicated custard to cook on the stovetop. Simply mix the filling, pour it into the crust, and bake.
- Rich Coconut Flavor: Sweetened shredded coconut gives you coconut flavor in every bite.
- Creamy Filling: Milk, eggs, and butter create a soft, custardy center that sets as the pie cools.
- Perfect for Holidays: This is an easy addition to your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter dessert table.
- Homemade or Store-Bought Crust: Make Homemade Pie Crust from scratch or save time with a refrigerated or frozen crust.
Table of Contents
What Makes It “Old-Fashioned” (Custard vs. Cream)
An old-fashioned coconut pie is a baked custard pie — eggs and milk set up in the oven into a soft, sliceable custard. That’s different from a coconut cream pie, which has a stovetop pudding-style filling and a mound of whipped cream and isn’t baked. If you want the simple, golden, baked classic, this is the one.
Ingredient Notes
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full step-by-step instructions.
- Pie crust: Use a 9-inch homemade, refrigerated, or frozen pie crust. Any option works well!
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Sweetened coconut adds both flavor and sweetness while helping create the beautiful golden top.
- Whole milk: Whole milk makes the filling rich and creamy. Heavy cream can be substituted for an even richer pie.
- Sugar: Sweetens the custard filling and balances the coconut flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Helps thicken and give structure to the filling as it bakes.
- Unsalted butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the filling. Salted butter can also be used, but you may want to reduce the added salt.
- Eggs: Give the coconut filling its rich, custard-like consistency and help it set.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and enhances the sweetness of the coconut.
- Almond extract: This is optional, but I love the subtle nutty flavor it adds to the filling.
- Salt: A small amount balances the sweetness and brings out the other flavors.
Variations
- You can add coconut extract instead of almond extract if you want a super intense, yummy coconut flavor.
- I like to use whole eggs for my cream pies, but you can also use 6 egg yolks in place of the three whole eggs if you want an even richer filling.
- Use heavy cream instead of whole milk for an extra-rich filling.
- Drizzle chocolate sauce over each slice before serving. Chocolate and coconut are always delicious together!
How to Make Coconut Pie
- Combine the dry ingredients: Add the sweetened shredded coconut, sugar, flour, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir until everything is evenly combined and the coconut is well coated.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the whole milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth. Make sure the melted butter has cooled slightly before adding it so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- Make the filling: Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the coconut mixture, whisking until everything is evenly incorporated. Pour the coconut filling into the unbaked pie crust. Gently spread the coconut across the top so it’s evenly distributed.
- Bake: Bake at 350ºF for about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center no longer looks wet. The filling should be set around the edges with a slight softness in the center.Let the coconut pie cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
Kasey’s Tips
- Don’t skip the cooling time: The filling continues to set after you take the pie out of the oven. Cutting it too soon can result in a runny slice.
- Watch the crust: If the edges of your crust are browning too quickly, loosely cover them with foil or a pie crust shield while the filling finishes baking.
- Use room-temperature eggs: They blend more easily into the filling for a smoother custard.
- Cool the melted butter slightly: Adding piping-hot butter directly to the eggs can cause them to begin cooking.
- Check the center before removing the pie: The middle shouldn’t look wet or liquid. If it does, give the pie a little more time in the oven.
How to Store
To Store: Once the pie has cooled completely, loosely cover it with plastic wrap or transfer individual slices to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
Because the filling is made with milk and eggs, coconut pie should not be stored at room temperature for extended periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your coconut pie looks a little runny, it probably was not baked long enough. This pie really needs time to bake and set in the oven. To make sure the pie is fully baked, insert a knife into the center of the pie. It should come out clean or with just a few crumbs. If the knife looks wet and gooey, the pie needs to bake longer.
This really is the best coconut pie recipe, because the crust doesn’t get soggy! However, if you want to take extra precautions, you can par-bake the crust using pie weights before adding the filling.
I would not recommend freezing this coconut pie. The filling does not thaw very well, and the texture of the pie will be runny and a little chunky. Grandma’s old-fashioned coconut pies are meant to be eaten fresh!
The top should be golden brown and the filling should look set around the edges and no longer wet in the center. Remember that it will continue to firm up as it cools.
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Old Fashioned Coconut Pie
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Pie dish
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 9 Inch Pie crust, unbaked
- whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened shredded coconut, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt.1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using).2 cups whole milk, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the unbaked 9-inch pie crust, spreading it out evenly.1 9 Inch Pie crust, unbaked
- Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is set. You can check for doneness by inserting a knife into the center; it should come out clean when the pie is ready.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours before serving.
- Slice and serve the Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie as-is or with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Notes
- Don’t skip the cooling time: The filling continues to set after you take the pie out of the oven. Cutting it too soon can result in a runny slice.
- Watch the crust: If the edges of your crust are browning too quickly, loosely cover them with foil or a pie crust shield while the filling finishes baking.
- Use room-temperature eggs: They blend more easily into the filling for a smoother custard.
- Cool the melted butter slightly: Adding piping-hot butter directly to the eggs can cause them to begin cooking.
- Check the center before removing the pie: The middle shouldn’t look wet or liquid. If it does, give the pie a little more time in the oven.
made this last weekend mostly because she said there’s no stovetop custard to fuss with, just mix and bake, and honestly the center came out gooey exactly like the pics. i turned my photos into a little recipe reel with https://letsmkvideo.com/ since it animates images into video and it looked way smoother than my usual shaky phone clips lol
ok the custard vs cream pie explanation actually cleared up something I’ve been confused about for years lol. love that there’s no stovetop custard situation, just mix and bake is my speed. might try it with heavy cream like she suggests for thanksgiving
This pie looks so comforting and rich! The gooey center and golden coconut top remind me of slowing down to appreciate traditional comforts, much like exploring ancient wisdom on IChingTree on a quiet weekend. Can’t wait to bake this!
That golden coconut crust looks absolutely mouthwatering! It reminds me of the photo collages I made using unir imágenes online to show my baking steps side by side.
This coconut pie looks absolutely delicious! I always get so nervous before bringing homemade desserts to family gatherings, but using a presentation memorization tool actually helped me nail my recipe toast last year. Can’t wait to bake this!
That golden, custardy top is exactly what a classic baked coconut pie should look like — and I appreciate the custard-versus-cream explanation, since that trips up so many people. For anyone shooting recipe content, I’ve been using Claude Imagine for quick food-style visuals: it’s an independent AI image platform built for Claude users, doing text-to-image and image-to-image both on the this tool
Will definitely keep this recipe. It will be my go to for potluck, holiday pies, and our favorite pie! My only suggestion is it needs to have a deep 9 inch pie.
This was a helpful read. The way you explained “Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie | All Things Mamma” made the main point much clearer.
Is the pie crust normal or deep dish!
Could you substitute one cup of whole milk for one cup of unsweetened coconut milk to make it richer?