Golden and dreamy, this Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie has a rich custard filling loaded with coconut and is piled-high with a fluffy meringue. A little bit of heaven in a pie crust, this classic dessert is as long on flavor as it is tradition.
My mamaw would make a coconut pie at the drop of a hat. It was my pawpaw’s favorite. And there was nothing that made her happier than making him happy. As a result, growing we had a coconut pie or 2 at every occasion and then some.
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As it goes with most families, my mamaw learned to make her pie from her mother and sisters. My mom learned to make her pie from her. And me… Yep, I learned from my mom. Being in the kitchen, watching, listening and being given little jobs like, “Stand here, Stacey and stir this.”
So there I’d be for what felt like an eternity as a kid, stirring the rich, yellow custard, watching it get thick and asking, “Is it ready yet?” about a hundred times as the grown ups diced and chopped and measured and whipped up other delights.
Of course, looking back those times are little treasures that spring to my mind as I stand in my own kitchen, doling out the job of stirring the custard, whipping and measuring, watching and timing. And the delight on each face when this pie is served? Well, those are little treasures stored up too.
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
What You Need To Make Old Fashioned Coconut Pie
- refrigerated pie crust
- shredded coconut
- sugar
- cornstarch
- eggs
- half & half
- butter
- vanilla
- salt
Other Coconut Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Old Fashioned Coconut Ice Box Cake
- Coconut Thumbprint Macaroons
- Dreamy Coconut Pineapple Trifle
- Coconut Lime Bars
- Perfect Coconut Cookies with Pecans
- Hummingbird Banana Bread with Toasted Coconut Topping
Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie with Meringue
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated 9 inch pie crust
Pie Filling
- 1 C sugar
- 2 tablespoon flour, generously heaping
- 1 dash salt
- 2 C half & half
- 3 large eggs, Yolks only. Use whites for meringue.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-7 oz shredded coconut
Meringue
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tablespoon sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 teaspoon very hot water
- ¼ teaspoon cornstarch
- extra shredded coconut
Instructions
- Cook refrigerated pie crust according to instructions. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, mix together the dry ingredients for the pie filling. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Add half and half and mix well.
- Place the sauce pan with the dry ingredients over low heat. Add the milk and eggs a little at a time. Mixing well as you go. Continue to cook over low heat while stirring until pie filling thickens and is stiff. About 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Add 3-5 oz of shredded coconut a little at a time, mixing well.
- Pour warm filling into cooled pie shell. Set aside and prepare meringue.
Meringue
- Preheat over to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix together corn starch and hot water. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
- In a glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites and salt with a mixer medium- medium high speed until fluffy and large bubbles are forming around the edges.
- Continue beating eggs while adding sugar one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar has been added. Peaks should begin to form.
- Continue beating on medium- medium high speed until peaks are glossy and firm. Add vanilla and cornstarch. Beat 1-2 minutes longer. Peaks should be stiff.
- Spoon finished meringue onto warm pie, spreading all the way to the edges of the crust.
- Fluff with a spatula or back of spoon to create swirls and peaks. Top with rest of coconut and brown the meringue and coconut in the over for 10 minutes or until the peaks are a nice golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing or chilling in the refrigerator.
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Can you use milkinstead of half & half?
Hi, Gayle! You sure can! The pie just won’t be as rich and creamy as it would be with the cream from the half and half. If you do use milk, whole milk or evaporated milk would work best. Enjoy!
My husband loves coconut cream pie, but it was hard to find one “like his mom used to make” without coconut milk, etc. I found this recipe and followed it exactly and it was superb. He was so pleased and our guests said it was the best they ever had. Wow! For us, I wouldn’t change a thing. You might want to say whether or not you used sweetened or unsweetend coconut, but I assume sweetened and I was right. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Hi, Pat! Thank you so much! Your comment truly made my day. I am just tickled that your husband and guests loved this pie, and I know my mamaw would be thrilled too. I will definitely make a note of the sweetened coconut. Thanks a bunch!
I made exactly this pie with my mother hundreds of times. It was a treat on every holiday and birthday, reunion and cook-out. My father’s favorite. He would start smiling at the hint of toasted coconut in the air as we browned the meringue. We always left a tiny slice to accompany his breakfast. Thanks for bringing back those memories.
You might want to try making the pie with coconut toasted gently under the broiler. Or add chopped pecans to the filling.
Hi, Karen! You have truly made my day. This is what it’s all about! I love those precious memories, and that’s why I share these recipes. I am so glad this pie brought back treasured times with your mom and dad. Thank you so much!
How long does this pie keep in the fridge? I want to make it for a Fourth of July and I’m wondering if I can make it ahead of time as there’s a lot I need to do for the day of
Hi, Kristin! It will keep several days, but the longer any pie sits the softer the crust gets. So I would only make it one day in advance. Hope you have a fantastic Fourth!