The easiest ever Coconut Pie. Simply mix the ingredients, pour into a pie dish and bake. As it cooks the batter separates into three delightful layers: a soft pastry-like base, a creamy custard center and a crunchy coconut topping. Serve a slice on its own or add whipped cream or ice cream for extra indulgence.
Easy Coconut Pie
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at Foodle Club with two family weddings in one week and relatives flying in from South Africa and Australia. We had houseguests, lots of shared meals and the joyful chaos that comes with a big family reunion. I loved it — it was the first time in nearly 14 years that my three children and I were all together in one place.
My daughter from South Africa reminded me about this coconut pie, which is perfect for feeding a crowd. The pie is large, quick to prepare (about five minutes), and bakes into three lovely layers: a tender base, a smooth custard middle and a crisp coconut top. It’s hearty enough to give everyone a slice — and they’ll likely come back for seconds.
In the photo below you can see the distinct layers: the pastry-like base at the bottom, the creamy custard in the middle and the crunchy coconut topping above.
Ingredients for Coconut Pie
The full ingredient list and printable recipe card are at the end of this post under the recipe section. You only need a handful of common ingredients.
Simple pantry staples make this an easy, reliable dessert.
- Eggs – 4 large (medium are fine if that’s what you have).
- Sugar – 1 cup white sugar. Reduce to ¾ cup if you prefer it less sweet.
- Flour – ½ cup plain all-purpose flour (do not use self-raising; no baking powder required).
- Milk – 2 cups (I use full fat; semi-skimmed works too).
- Butter – ½ cup (melt first and cool slightly so you don’t cook the eggs when mixing).
- Coconut – 1 cup desiccated sweetened coconut from a packet.
- Vanilla extract – 1–2 teaspoons (optional, but adds nice flavor).
How to make Coconut Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the eggs, sugar, milk, melted butter, coconut and vanilla.
- Mix briefly until combined. The batter will be very runny — this is normal. During baking it separates into three layers: a pastry-like base, a custard middle and a crunchy coconut topping.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 12″ (30 cm) pie or baking dish and place in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 1 hour. The pie is done when the top is golden and it no longer jiggles — it should feel set when gently touched.
- The top may crack while baking; as the pie cools it will settle and cracks generally close up. A light dusting of icing sugar will hide any remaining fissures.
- Allow the pie to cool in the dish before slicing and serving.
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Related recipes
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Homemade cream puffs
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📋The recipe
Easy Coconut Pie
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Equipment
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Mixing bowl
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Spatula
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12″ diameter pie dish
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain all-purpose flour (≈70g)
- 1 cup desiccated coconut (≈100g)
- 1 cup white sugar (≈200g)
- ½ cup butter, melted (≈115g)
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 cups milk (1 pint)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
- Mix well to combine; the mixture will be very runny.
- Pour into a greased 12″ baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until set and golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the dish before slicing.
Notes
The mixture will be very runny — that’s intentional. Pour it into a large pie dish and let the oven create the layered texture.
The pie may crack on top while baking; it will settle and the cracks usually close as it cools. Dust with icing sugar if you want a smoother finish.
Use store-bought desiccated coconut — no need to shred a fresh coconut.
Do not use self-raising flour or add baking powder; plain flour is correct for this recipe.
Oven times vary. The pie is ready when the top is golden and the center no longer jiggles. My oven takes about 1 hour.
Do not increase the oven temperature above 350°F / 175°C. The pie needs a long, gentle bake for the layers to form correctly.
Calorie estimate is per slice based on 12 slices.
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates – 29.3 g
| Protein – 4.5 g
| Fat – 17.2 g
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information is an estimate calculated with an online tool and is for guidance only. If nutrition details are important to you, consider calculating them using your preferred method.
If you make this pie, please leave a comment and let me know how it turned out.
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