Easy Coconut Cream Pie

Easy Homemade Coconut Cream Pie made with pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, whipped cream, and sweetened shredded coconut all in a buttery pie crust and topped with sweet whipped cream. This is the best coconut cream pie recipe!

Coconut Cream Pie was my absolute favorite pie on Thanksgiving.

My Grandma Faye knew how much I loved everything coconut and would make her homemade coconut cream pie for me every year!

She made it with a shortcut, vanilla or coconut cream pudding mix, and folded in handcrafted freshly whipped cream. It was so heavenly.

I wanted to recreate her coconut cream pie recipe and experimented with different methods and ingredients. This coconut cream pie filling recipe was the winner, hands down!

This coconut cream pie recipe is so easy! It all starts off with a pudding mix. You can use vanilla or coconut cream pie pudding mix. If you use vanilla pudding mix, you can just add coconut extract for some coconut flavor.

Coconut Cream Pie Ingredients:

All-Butter Pie Crust:

Butter
Flour
Buttermilk (or water + vinegar)
Salt

Coconut Cream Pie Filling:

Dry Pudding Mix (Vanilla or Coconut Cream)
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Whole Milk (or Half-n-Half)
Sweetened Coconut Flakes
Coconut Extract
Heavy Cream, whipped

Coconut Pie Garnish:

Heavy Cream (cold)
Powdered Sugar
Toasted Coconut Flakes (can be sweetened or unsweetened)

What type of pudding mix should I use in pie filling?

This coconut cream pie is made with a boxed pudding mix. You can use any type of dry pudding mix where you add milk to the mix to make pudding.

I use Jell-O brand pudding and use vanilla pudding mix or coconut cream pudding mix.

How to make Easy Coconut Cream Pie:

Start by making a homemade pie crust. My homemade pie crust calls for only 4 ingredients — butter, flour, salt, and buttermilk. Press into a pie plate and blind bake until golden. I share more about blind baking HERE. Once it is baked, set aside to cool.
Make the filling by whisking together pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. If you want extra coconut flavor, I suggest adding some coconut extract. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill and set up. Before filling the pie, fold in sweetened flaked coconut.
Whip 1/2 of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the coconut pie filling with the coconut. Pour into baked and cooled pie crust. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
Whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe all over the coconut cream pie filling or use a spatula to spread all over the top.
To toast coconut flakes, bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until a light golden color. Sprinkle toasted coconut all over the pie.
Let the pie chill until ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use a store-bought crust instead of homemade?
Yes! A store-bought pie crust works great if you want to save time. Just make sure it’s fully baked and cooled before adding the filling.
What does the pudding mix do in this recipe?
The dry pudding mix helps thicken the filling quickly and gives it a smooth, creamy texture without needing to cook a custard from scratch.
Can I use water + vinegar instead of buttermilk for the crust?
Yes this is a great substitute. It mimics the acidity of buttermilk and still gives you a tender, flaky crust.
Why is my filling not setting properly?
This usually happens if the ratios of liquid to pudding mix are off or it hasn’t chilled long enough. Make sure to measure carefully and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Yes! This is a great make-ahead dessert. Prepare it the day before and keep it chilled until ready to serve.

Storage:

You can prepare the coconut cream pie filling several days ahead of time and keep covered in the refrigerator. I like to add the fresh whipped cream the day of so it is fresh.

To store leftover pie, keep it covered in the refrigerator.

Baking Tools:

To pipe the heavy cream, I like to use this easy to use Wilton decorator.

My favorite tool in my kitchen is my KitchenAid Mixer and it makes the perfect whipped cream every time!

If you want to make everything from scratch, you can find my Dahlia Bakery Coconut Cream Pie Recipe.

If you love cream pies, check out my Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe, my decadent Chocolate French Silk Pie, and my creamy Banana Cream Pie Recipe.

Pie Recipes:

Best Chocolate Cream Pie

Key Lime Pie

Lemon Cream Pie

Best Cannoli Pie Recipe

If you are looking for the BEST THANKSGIVING RECIPES, CLICK HERE.

I love to hear from you! If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating.

Easy Coconut Cream Pie

By: Modern Honey® – www.modernhoney.com Easy Homemade Coconut Cream Pie made with pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, whipped cream, and sweetened shredded coconut all in a buttery pie crust and topped with sweet whipped cream.Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
2 hours hours
Servings: 8

Equipment

food processor
mixing bowl set
measuring cups and spoons
emile henry pie dish

Ingredients

All-Butter Pie Crust:

1/2 cup Cold Butter (cut into cubes)
1 1/4 cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk (or water plus 1/2 teaspoon vinegar)

Coconut Cream Pie Filling:

(2) 3.4 ounce pkgs. Instant Vanilla or Coconut Dry Pudding Mix * (6.8 ounces total)
(1) 14-ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Coconut Extract (optional)
1 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (whipped and folded in)

Topping:

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1/3 to 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
Toasted Coconut Flakes (optional)

Instructions

Pie Crust:

In a food processor, pulse together butter, flour, salt, and buttermilk until mixture forms a ball. Roll into circle and press into 9-inch pie plate, fluting the edges. Find more details here — https://www.modernhoney.com/butter-flaky-pie-crust/
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To blind bake the crust, you need to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the crust. Fill it with Pie Weights, Rice, or Beans to keep crust in place. Press against the sides of the crust. This helps to keep the crust from sinking while baking. Set aside to cool.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights and return to oven and cook for an additional 7-9 minutes (for a total of 17-22 minutes cooking time).

Coconut Cream Filling:

In a bowl, combine instant pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and coconut extract. Whisk together until completely smooth. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
Once the pie crust has completely cooled, you can assemble the pie.
Whip 1/2 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the coconut cream pie filling, along with the flaked coconut. Spread into the pie crust and cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
When ready to serve, whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread on top of the filling. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes.
Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

What type of pudding mix should I use in pie filling?This coconut cream pie is made with a boxed pudding mix. You can use any type of dry pudding mix where you add milk to the mix to make pudding. I use Jell-O brand instant pudding and use vanilla pudding mix or coconut cream pudding mix. DO NOT use the cook and serve pudding mix.

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal
Carbohydrates: 31g
Protein: 7g
Fat: 39g
Saturated Fat: 25g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 107mg
Sodium: 324mg
Potassium: 232mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 15g
Vitamin A: 1353IU
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 140mg
Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.