This gluten free Coconut Cream Pie is made with what you would hope, real coconut! Creamy coconut custard fills a gluten free homemade Flaky Pie Crust and is topped with an airy coconut whipped cream. The textures and flavors are pure and natural bliss.
How to Crust
I highly recommend giving this homemade gluten free Flaky Pie Crust a try. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to make. You can make it days, weeks or months in advance. It can be stored in the freezer. Then let it thaw until it is still cool but workable with your hands. Once it is pliable and the edges aren’t cracking, dust the counter with powdered sugar and roll it out. You don’t have to worry about “overworking” the dough because there isn’t any gluten in it to “overwork”! This crust is truly, unbelievably, gluten free. It is tender, flavorful, and is not grainy at all. However, it is made with dairy and eggs. Therefore if you need a vegan crust, try a store bought crust like the one from Wholly Gluten Free.
The day I made the crust for this recipe, I let the crust get a bit too warm. Although I pricked the crust to keep the bottom from bubbling up while baking, the sides of the crust slumped. It needed the weight of pie filling or pie weights to hold it up. That didn’t change anything other than the look and thickness of the sides of the crust. If you want to prevent this from happening, make sure to blind bake the crust. Top the dough in the pie pan with a loose sheet of parchment paper. Then place pie weights, dry beans, or another pie plate gently on top to hold the dough in place. Bake as the recipe states and the crust will bake up beautifully.
Coconut in the Coconut Cream Pie
Make sure that you really like the taste of the coconut milk you use in this recipe. It will be the main flavor of the pie’s filling. I use 100% coconut milk, without any additives. It is stored in a box, rather than a can. I prefer this because I am sensitive to the taste of the metal I get from canned coconut milk. That may not be true for everyone. But if I am making anything with coconut milk, I plan ahead and get the type I like. Or I just don’t make it. I’m picky like that.
Coconut Custard Filling
This recipe for Coconut Cream Pie does not require tempering eggs, which reduces the skill level significantly. However, you do need a higher than average level of patience. I became impatient one time. I turned up the heat, just a little bit, and then walked away from the stove for a moment. At that moment, the eggs started to cook on the bottom of the pan. Once there was a thin layer of scrambled eggs, there wasn’t anything I could do to save it. At that point I just had to start over. So learn from me and be patient!
Cook the custard over medium low heat and stir continuously. Don’t stop to grab something from the fridge or run to the bathroom. By keeping the liquid moving as it heats up, you are preventing hot spots. The liquid heats and thickens evenly as a result. And your patience will be rewarded with an amazing coconut custard filling. If the custard has tiny lumps in it, a hand mixer or immersion blender will quickly smooth them out. Then add the butter for added flavor, silkiness and stability. And your coconut custard filling is complete!
Coconut Whipped Cream
If you want the pie to be completely dairy free, you can use heavy coconut cream without heavy cream. The most important part of making Coconut Whipped Cream is to chill the container ahead of time. It needs enough time for the coconut cream solids to float to the top and partially solidify. The cream is scooped from the top, leaving the remainder of the liquid coconut milk behind for another use. If you plan ahead, you can separate them and use the liquid for the filling. Allowing the cold heavy coconut cream to partially solidify will let it whip into a light and airy topping. Sweeten it to your taste with powdered sugar and spread it on top of the filling once it has chilled.
More Gluten Free Coco-nutty Goodness
- Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Frosting
- Coconut Berry Mini Cakes
- Lime in the Coconut Pie
- Coconut Lime Shrimp Ceviche
- Coconut Rice
- Macaroons
- Chocolate Macaroons
- Flourless Chocolate
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Flaky Pie Crust baked and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups 100% unsweetened coconut milk high quality boxed or canned
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Coconut Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsweetend heavy coconut cream chilled, only cold solids used for measured amount
- ½ cup powdered sugar adjust to taste
Instructions
- Bake and cool the crust as instructed on the recipe.
- Beat eggs, egg yolks, and sugar with an electric mixer in a medium saucepan off the heat.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch and salt in a small amount of coconut milk. When no lumps remain, stir in the remainder of the coconut milk.
- Combine the coconut milk mixture with the egg mixture in the saucepan and begin heating on the stovetop over a medium low heat. Stir continuously, scraping the bottom as you go. If the pudding begins to thicken at all on the surface of the pan, turn the heat down and continue stirring.
- When the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon and resembles loose pudding (about 10 minutes cook time), turn off the heat. If there are small lumps, you can use an immersion blender or hand mixer on a high speed to smooth out the custard. This is optional, as the tiny lumps won't impact the flavor.
- Then add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time stirring by hand to combine each completely before adding the next. Finally stir in the vanilla by hand.
- Transfer the custard to the baked and cooled pie shell. Place plastic wrap on top of the pie, flat against the custard to prevent a “skin” from forming on the custard as it chills. Store in the fridge until chilled through, which will take several hours or overnight.
For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
- *Note: if using all heavy coconut cream, you may need 2 or 3 containers to get the right amount of cream out of each container to total 1 ½ cups.
- While the pie filling is chilling, store the heavy coconut cream in the fridge to allow the cream to rise to the top and partially solidify.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, scoop and measure ½ cup of the heavy coconut cream solids from the top of the container and powdered sugar.
- Whip the mixture using a hand mixer on a low to medium speed until it begins to thicken. Then turn the speed to high and whip until light and airy.
- To serve, spread the Coconut Whipped Cream on top of the pie filling and garnish with toasted coconut. Store uncovered in the fridge until ready to cut and serve or dig in right away!