Coconut Cream Pie Success Tips
And if you dig creamy pie recipes
- Total Time:6 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield:one 9-inch pie
Homemade Dairy Free Vanilla Pudding
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This creamy homemade paleo and dairy free vanilla pudding is such a classic comforting dessert that the whole family will love! This paleo dessert is simple to make and perfect served on its own or dressed up with coconut whipped cream, berries, and gluten free graham crackers.
My chocolate pudding has been such a favorite and I waited WAY too long to create a vanilla version!
But, this recipe is actually more of an adaptation from the banana cream pie in my book, Paleo Baking at Home.
The pie includes a vanilla custard layer over the crust, so I simplified it to make a thick, super creamy pudding thats also really quick to prep.
Its perfect to make ahead of time since it needs to chill for a few hours after cooking. The kiddos LOVED it!
I topped ours with coconut whipped cream , berries, and gluten free graham crackers. The pudding is delicious enough to eat alone though if simple is your thing!
How To Make Sugar Free Coconut Cream Pie
First, in a large saucepan, over medium low heat, add the coconut milk, sweetener, salt, and extract. Stir to combine. Do not boil.
Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the coconut mixture into the eggs a little at a time. Do this 3 times then stir in all the eggs into the sauce pan on the stove. Bring to a simmer.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the coconut milk and whisk until dissolved. Continue to stir until mixture thickens and internal temperature is 175 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Allow coconut mixture to cool about 1 hour.
Add the cream cheese to the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and blend until smooth. Add the shredded coconut to a dry skillet and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until browned. Once cream cheese is smooth, pour in half the toasted coconut and blend through. Save remaining for topping.
Sprinkle remaining shredded coconut over the pie and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
Optional topping: When you are ready to serve, use a whipped cream canister to decorate crust of pie.
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Tips To Making Beautiful And Delicious Pies
Homemade No Bake Pie Crust
I made my own no bake pie crust, to keep it vegan and keto. I used the following recipe-
2 cups blanched almond flour, 1/4 cup sweetener of choice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 6-7 tablespoons butter .
In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients and mix well. If needed, add a little extra butter. Transfer to an 8-inch circular pan and press into place.
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Does This Keto Coconut Cream Pie Taste Like A Girl Scout Cookie
Sort of! While it tastes very, very similar to an actual Girl Scout cookie, it’s not identical. It has all the key elements of a Caramel Samoa cookie like the coconut, chocolate, and ooey gooey caramel, but it’s a pie after all.
I hope you love this sugar free Keto Coconut Cream Pie recipe!
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How To Make Vegan And Gluten
For the coconut crust, combine toasted unsweetened coconut, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt into a bowl and stir. Add some melted coconut oil and mix it up so the mixture resembles wet sand. Press it into a muffin tin and put it in the freezer to set.
In a separate bowl, add a can of Natures Charm coconut custard, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and combined. Fill each of the crust with the custard and put it into the fridge while whipping the whipped topping.
In a bowl, add a can of Natures Charm coconut whipping cream thats been chilled overnight , and whip it using an electric hand mixer until you have fluffy whipped cream. Top each pie with however much whipped cream as you like! Garnish with toasted coconut.
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How To Make Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
Step 1: Place the pie crust in a greased pan and adjust the edges using your fingers. Bake the pie crust as per the instructions and once it is golden brown, remove it from the oven and let it cool down.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in a blender, add coconut cream, silken tofu, soaked cashews, and blend at high speed until all the ingredients are perfectly combined.
Step 3: Next, add, sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, salt and blend again for a few seconds until the ingredients are well combined.
Step 4: Once the mixture is done, take it out of the blender and mix it with coconut pulp. Make sure to mix it gently.
Step 5: Pour the coconut pulp mixture into the prepared pie crust. Use a spatula to level the filling so that it is spread evenly on the pie crust. Place the pie into the refrigerator for about two to six hours or overnight.
Step 6: Meanwhile, place a frying pan on medium heat and add coconut flakes to it. Dry toast the coconut flakes until they get an even golden color. Dont forget to stir them constantly. Once they are done, take them out on a plate and let them cool.
Step 7: Once the coconut filling is set, take the pie out of the oven. Pipe coconut whipped cream on top and garnish with toasted coconut flakes.
Step 8: Serve.
Whats In My Coconut Banana Cream Pie
Coconut milk. I use full fat canned coconut milk. The full fat in the coconut milk helps to help the pie hold its form when you slice it. Plus, it helps give it a really creamy texture. Make sure to buy organic coconut milk and look for BPA free cans.
Almond milk. I used unsweetened almond milk in this recipe. I have also used soy milk, which tastes really good too and thickens well with the arrowroot starch. If you like a bit more of a vanilla flavor in your pie, pick vanilla almond or vanilla soy milk.
Arrowroot starch. This helps to thicken the coconut cream filling. Arrowroot comes from the roots of the arrowroot plant. If you dont have arrowroot starch, or cant find it, you can substitute regular corn starch.
Honey. I used raw honey in this pie, which has more beneficial properties than pasteurized honey. If you want to keep all the benefits of raw honey, stir it in at the end after the pudding has cooled a bit. Heat can destroy the beneficial properties of honey. For vegans, substitute coconut sugar at a 1:1 ratio.
Fun fact, raw honey has antibacterial properties and has been used for centuries to treat wounds!
Vanilla extract. Make sure to buy pure organic vanilla extract.
Pink sea salt. I use pink salt in all my cooking and baking, it is unbleached an unrefined. You can use it at a 1:1 ratio of conventional table salt.
Traditional Coconut Banana Cream Pie ingredients: 4 fresh sliced bananas, filling , whipped topping , toasted coconut topping
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How To Make Coconut Banana Cream Pie Filling
In a medium sized sauce pan, add a 13 oz can of full fat coconut milk, 1 1/2 cup almond milk , 1/4 cup arrowroot starch, 1/3 cup honey , 2 teaspoons vanilla extract,and 1/4 teaspoon of pink sea salt.
NOTE: if you are using raw honey and want to preserve the health benefits, wait until the end when the filling is cooling to stir in the honey. Heat can destroy the health benefits in raw honey.
Using a wire whisk, stir the coconut cream pudding mixture constantly over medium heat until it is thick and bubbly. It should be the consistency of thick pudding. If you notice that your pudding is not thickening, add more of the starch. Depending on the brand of the almond milk you use, it may be a little bit thinner or thicker.
Once your coconut cream filling is thick, remove it from the heat. Stir in the 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes.
Allow your filling to cool completely before adding it to the pie crust.
Once your pie crust and filling are cool:
Slice 3 bananas into the bottom of your baked and cooled pie crust.
Pour the coconut cream filling over the top of the bananas.
Chill your pie in the fridge overnight so that it can firm up completely before adding the toppings.
How To Make Coconut Cream Pie Filling
Like most homemade pudding, the coconut filling is made on the stove.
Bring the coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, and salt to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks & cornstarch together and have them ready for tempering. To temper, add *some* of the boiling coconut mixture into the egg yolks, then add it all back into the pot. This *slowly* raises the egg yolks temperature. The purpose of tempering is to prevent scrambling them. You can watch me temper the egg yolks in the video above.
Off-heat, stir in the coconut, butter, vanilla, and coconut extracts. Next, pour the warm pudding into cooled crust, then cover and chill until thickened.
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Getting The Custard Just Right
To create a dairy-free custard, we combine coconut milk with an egg, maple syrup, and vanilla to get a nice creamy consistency. The key to making this custard extra fluffy is to thicken it with a bit of arrowroot powder.
When simmering these ingredients together, youll want to stir continuously, making sure to bring the bottom of the mixture to the top. When it starts to look like pudding, immediately remove from the heat to prevent the arrowroot from overheating and thinning out.
The Difference Between Coconut Cream Pie And Coconut Custard Pie
The biggest difference between a coconut cream pie and a coconut custard pie is in how the filling for each pie is made. A coconut custard pie is baked in the oven and just a simple mixture is combined together making for a very easy recipe.
A coconut cream pie involves a bit more work by preparing the filling ingredients on the stove to thicken before adding it to the pie and allowing it to set in the fridge for several hours.
Both are delicious pies but if you need a dairy free pie then use my Sugar Free Coconut Custard recipe since there is no dairy at all in that recipe.
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Can I Use Coconut Milk Instead Of Coconut Cream For This Recipe
Well, yes and no. In order to make a whipped coconut cream you need to beat the cooled thick part of the coconut cream which separates from the water. A can of coconut cream has much more solid fat than a can of coconut milk. In order to result with the same quantity of whipped coconut cream, you would need to use probably two cans of coconut milk instead of one of coconut cream. Also not all coconut milk is equal: the one sold in packs as a beverage is made for drinking and you wont be able to whip it even if it is cold. The one sold in cans comes also in a lighter version with much less fat inside. What you need for the topping is fat, similar to the one contained in the dairy cream. So my advice for this recipe is: use coconut cream for the topping and if you also have a can of coconut milk, you can use it for the filling, to boil the rice in it.
Fully Blind Bake Pie Crust
Some pie recipes call for fully baked crust and some recipes need a partially baked crust. Lemon meringue pie requires a partially baked pie crust because it will continue to bake with the filling. Coconut cream pie, like French silk pie for example, is a no-bake pie the filling does not go in the oven. We obviously dont want to eat raw pie dough, so we need a fully blind baked pie crust.
I published an entire tutorial about blind baking pie crust. I repeat *some* information here, but I encourage you to review the tutorial prior to beginning this coconut cream pie recipe.
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Can I Make This Top 8 Allergen Friendly Coconut Cream Pie
This is a vegan coconut cream pie, so there is no substitute for the coconut in this dish.
Other allergens would be gluten and soy. If you buy or make a gluten free crust, the rest of the dish would be gluten free. The vegan butter that you use needs to be soy free. We love Earths Balance soy free that comes in a red tub or sticks.