A coconut custard pie recipe inspired by the tropical French Polynesian island of Bora Bora! Tender, flaky crust topped with warm silky egg custard filling.
This coconut custard pie is the perfect balance of creamy egg filling and macaroon flavors. Have you ever traveled to a destination and ate your way through the trip? When Jason and I went to Bora Bora on our honeymoon, this delicious dessert was on nearly every restaurant menu. Typically served warm with a cold refreshing scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top.
I’m usually a baked fruit or chocolate dessert fan, but this was unexpectedly delightful. After our third visit to Bora Bora for our babymoon, I thought that I should try to recreate the flavors of French Polynesia by surprising Jason with this coconut custard pie recipe. And guess what, he said I nailed it! Ready to try it?
How to make coconut custard pie
- The Incredible Egg: Custards are an essential type of dessert that you will always find in some variation, such as crème brûlée, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake. Eggs are the star of the dish, and as the proteins cook, they help the custard set correctly.
- Coconut Custard Filling: The key to the filling is getting the consistency and ratio of coconut flakes to egg custard just right. You don’t want the mixture to be too dry or have the custard set into a firm mass. So I targeted a soft, warm center, with a little delicate chew from the coconut flakes.
- Time and Temperature: The other critical factor to a smooth baked custard is heat intensity and time. You want to bake the custards in a low-temperature environment and slow time. This recipe calls for an oven temperature of 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes of baking. The gentle heat and longer time allow the egg proteins to set, yet stay loose and smooth. Versus high heat causes proteins to curdle and toughen too quickly like scrambled eggs. Since pies tend to cook quicker on the edges, the extended time at a lower temperature allows the custard to set into a lovely delicate dessert.
The crust is made using a flaky pie dough technique for a sturdy base. I incorporated coconut flavor into the crust as well. I added a few ground coconut flakes to the dough.
The French Polynesian islands are known for two staple food items; Tahitian vanilla beans and coconuts. As you know, vanilla beans can get pricey but I think they’re worth it, so I always buy them from the duty-free store when we travel to Tahiti.
I love how this recipe has both of the islands key ingredients, making it remind us even more of this delicious cuisine. I also like to use whole vanilla beans in savory recipes like my Mahi Mahi with Tahitian vanilla sauce. It takes the flavors to the next level!
I found the perfect ice cream to serve with this dessert. Talenti Gelato and Sorbetto sell a Caribbean coconut flavor that is addicting! Whenever we are missing our favorite tropical island, I hit the store to gather the simple pie ingredients to remind us of our tasty adventures in Bora Bora.
What dessert have you tried that you miss from your travels? I’d love to hear in the comments section below. Maybe I can try to remake it for you!
Recipe Science
Pie crust selection for custard fillings
This coconut custard pie uses a few essential techniques to create a tender pastry that is strong enough to hold the filling. A flaky crust is first formed by incorporating pea-sized pieces of butter and shortening in the pie dough. The crust is then blind baked in the cake pan, before adding the filling. Blind baking helps to pre-set the crust so that it’s not soggy on the bottom from the wet egg filling. The crust will finish cooking during the last step of baking with the custard coconut filling. The edges of the crust are covered with foil so that it does not get too brown.
Coconut Custard Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes, ground in a blender for 10 seconds
- 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, and cut into ½-inch dice
- ¼ cup ice water
Custard Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, pure
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- ice cream, coconut or vanilla for serving
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and ground coconut shreds.
- Add the cold cut pieces of butter and shortening to the flour, toss to coat. Use your fingers to cut in the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
- Gradually stir in the water with a fork until the dough just comes together.
- Scrape the dough out onto a work surface, lightly knead and gather up any crumbs and pat the dough into a 6-inch round disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round, about ¼-inch thick.
- Ease the dough into a deep 9-inch to 9 ½-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhanging dough to 1 inch and fold it under itself. Decorate the edges as desired and chill the crust until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place the pie plate on a sheet pan. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Cover the rim with strips of foil and bake in the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes, until the crust is barely set.
- Remove the parchment and pie weights and bake with the foil on the edges for 5 minutes longer, until the crust is just set but not brown.
- Lightly poke the bottom of the crust a few times to deflate if it is puffed. Let cool; leave the foil strips on the rim.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
Custard Filling
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the sugar with the melted butter. Whisk in eggs until smooth. Add the buttermilk, vanilla and a ⅛ teaspoon salt and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the coconut.
- Place pie pan on a sheet pan. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Line the edges of the pie with foil.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the custard is set (not jiggly in the center) and golden brown on top. Remove the foil after 40 minutes of baking. If crust starts to brown too quickly, add foil back on the edges.
- Carefully transfer the pie to a cooling rack. Let the pie cool completely, then cut the cake into wedges and serve with ice cream.
Notes
- The pie can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Slice and reheat in the oven for a few minutes until the cake is warm and ready for eating!
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Jodi says
Made this for Easter. Used frozen deep dish pie crust because as a single mom, no time for homemade crust and honestly Marie calendar crust is just fine for anyone who doesn’t want to do that step.
The filling is great!
One thing, too much of it. Even for a 9” deep dish crust, there was so much filling that I had to fill 3 cupcake pan thingys with the extra. No biggie, because I could then try it before Easter!
My almost two year old LOVED it. Has to use coconut shreds, as that’s all the store had but they’re sweetened so no difference in flavor.
I followed the recipe exactly.
My grandma who is long gone, made coconut custard pie every Easter. This recipe is even better than hers! She would have loved this.
I plan on making this an easter pie tradition for my little one. I’m showcasing it on a vintage pale pink milk glass cake stand. It’s perfect to show it off!
Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Jodi- I’m so happy that you found the right combination of ingredients to make the coconut pie an Easter tradition again! I know you grandma would be proud. Happy easter!
Waynette says
I’ve made this recipe multiple times. HUGE favorite with my husband and friends. I made the filling exactly as your recipe. I use premade Pillsberry piecrust. It works for me. This recipe is saved in my text messages to myself. Thanks for sharing your talents.
Jessica Gavin says
Yay! I’m so happy that you’ve found success with the coconut custard pie. I think premade crust is a great short cut!
Karen says
Hi Jessica:
I love your recipe and really want to give it a try. However, I am borderline diabetic and allergic to gluten. I heard almond flour is a good substitute, but how much is the conversion and is there anything else I need to make almond flour more sticky ?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Karen- It’s definitely possible to use almond flour for the crust but it will take some experimentation. The texture will be much more brittle/tender since there is no gluten. Also, I would reduce the amount of butter and shortening added since there is a lot of fat. I would start by melting 4 tablespoons of just butter, and it to the crust mixture and see if it sticks together, so that it can be pressed into the dish. Add more butter, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. I would parbake it at 325ºF for 10 minutes, then bake with the filling. Cover the edges with foil if it gets too brown at 375ºF. If you give this a try please let me know!
Amber says
I made this knowing I had no coconut((hubby likes coconut flakes…i dont)….I substituted half vanilla for half coconut extract…i made my own buttermilk. And was lazy with pre made crust…turned out great.
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, your substitutions sound delicious!
Tania Landers says
I’m from Brazil and coconut is my favorite things, thank you for sharing
Adrienne says
Thank you for posting this recipe! It was a big hit with my family. I had never heard of a coconut custard pie, but apparently they are a thing in the south! My dad was really missing my grandma (who recently passed away) and this was something she made when he was a boy. It made him so happy when I made it last week and he says it was better than nana’s Recipe!
Thanks again 🙂 I’ve been asked to make another one this week!
Celia Martinez says
You have listed 6 large eggs in this recipe. Is this amount correct?
Most recipes I’ve seen for a Coconut Custard or French Coconut Pie call for only 3 eggs.
Thank you.