This amazing Coconut Banana Cream pie has a triple dose of coconut and an amazing homemade custard. The buttery coconut crust totally sets this pie apart adding amazing flavor and crunch.
I’m a huge dessert person. I always have been. I love everything from very sweet candies to succulent brownies and fruit-based pastries. At group events, I’m usually the one eyeing the dessert table, I live for desserts.
I say all that so you understand that when I say this recipe for Coconut Banana Cream Pie is one of my favorite desserts ever, you know how seriously I take that recommendation. Once you’ve bitten into that delicious, creamy filling I think you’ll agree with me.
The secret to this amazing Coconut Banana Cream Pie recipe is the thing that makes it different from any other coconut pie you may have tried: the crust.
Instead of a traditional pie crust or a graham cracker substitution, this recipe makes the crust out of coconut. You read that right. This Coconut Banana Cream Pie is layered on top of a coconut crust. My mouth is watering just thinking about it..
Recipe Notes:
- Cook the coconut for the crust in the butter, turning it often in the skillet until it turns a nice golden brown (approx. 4-5 minutes).
- When pressing the coconut crust into the baking pan, don’t press too firmly. You want it to be compact but not tightly packed or it will be hard to cut through.
- Bringing the filling to a boil while stirring constantly is essential to make sure it sets.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- ½ cup butter
- 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
Pie Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar divided
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups half and half divided
- yellow food coloring optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 bananas firm but ripe, peeled and cut Into ½" thick slices
Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes toasted and cooled
Instructions
Crust
- Spray a 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray & set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt butter. Add coconut and continue to cook over medium heat until coconut just turns golden brown. Press the coconut into prepared pie plate. Chill 30 minutes.
Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ¼ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and flour. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of half and half.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining half & half and ½ cup sugar and bring just to a boil medium heat. Slowly stir in the egg mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until thick & bubbly.
- Remove from heat and add food coloring (if using), 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 ½ cups of coconut, stirring until evenly combined. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap (Plastic should be directly on the surface of the warm custard). Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Topping
- Whip the heavy cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until peaks are just stiff.
Assembly
- Layer sliced bananas in cooled crust. Pour chilled filling over bananas. Spread whipped cream over the top and shape it into a decorative mound. Sprinkle The top evenly with ½ cup toasted coconut and serve immediately
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Source: Adapted From Lawry’s The Prime Rib Restaurant
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This delicious made from scratch Coconut Cream Pie is loaded with coconut all throughout. It makes the perfect pie for summer.
I’ve been making this wonderful Coconut Layer Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese frosting for over a decade, so you know it’s good!
is the calorie count for the whole pie? Please tell me its for the whole pie lol
Nutritional information is per serving Nikki. It’s a treat :)
Thank you
You’re welcome Amparo! Enjoy!
I made this pie for my mom’s birthday and cannot explain how wonderful it is! I do a lot of baking, and this is by far the best pie I have made. Super filling, but soooo delicious. Definitely will be making it again, as it was also easy to make!
I’m in the process of making this so haven’t tried it yet. Tried whisking 4 egg YOLKS, sugar corn starch and flour —it did not whisk at all. Should 1 or 2 eggs be whole??
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, the recipe is correct as written, the egg yolks should whisk into the other ingredients, especially as you slowly add the half and half.
I have not made this yet. I love coconut, but I was wondering if there are left overs does it stay good in the refrigerator ?
Hi Lacey, leftovers should last up to 3 days in the fridge if you keep them covered. Enjoy!
These recipes are amazing.
have loved your many recipes.
Love this pie
Reaally really good, the crust is the secret!
Glad you enjoyed it Mike!
Can you make this ahead of time? With guests – I can’t be in the kitchen making a pie from scratch?
Hi Kerri, the filling does need to chill for 4-6 hours to set so making it ahead of time is a great idea. Then you could just assemble it when ready to serve.
Made this today. The whole family really liked it and comment individually on their own with no prompting. It wasn’t that hard to make. I love the coconut crust and homemade pudding is the best!
The finished product was amazing! However, I don’t know who could put this together in 30 minutes! Especially since the filling as to chill for at least 4 hours. This is also not a cheap pie to make, so spend with pennies is kind of funny. Coconut, $3.50, heavy cream $3, butter, 50 cents, banana around 50 cents, egg, sugar, flour another $1.50; so eight to ten dollars considering the price of your ingredients.
So happy you loved it!
In a restaurant, that’s what you would pay for a single piece ! And ,this is homemade and absolutely divine . So ,what’s the fuss ? Great recipe. Thank you for sharing ❤️
You’re welcome Rollande!
Holly, I know Coconut Cream Pie may be considered more of a summer pie, but I always make one during the holidays. I loved your idea for the crust for this pie so i tried it this year! It was not only a beautiful, delicious pie, the crust was amazing! Where has this been all my life…it was genius! My brother loved it too. Coconut Cream is his favorite pie but the crust…not so much. Not anymore! Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe!
Is it at all possible this can be made in advance? I won’t have time to make it right when company arrives! Thank you!
This is an amazing pie! I made this pie for my husbands birthday as he loves banana ceeam pie. It was a bit more coconut than he liked but it didnt stop him from licking his plate clean. The crust is crispy, filling is creamy, and the bananas add great texture and flavor to the pie. I used 3 bananas and for a more coconut flavor, I used full fat coconut milk to make my whipped cream topping. The best part of this pie, no baking! This pie is going great to be part of my repitore.
So glad to hear that this pie was a hit, Tricia! Thank you for sharing.
Can this recipe be doubled and made in a 9×13 cake pan?
I haven’t tried doubling this recipe in a 9×13 pan. I’d love to hear how it works out for you if you do try it!
I’m in Australia what is half and half please. Would love to try your Coconut Banana Pie.Thanks
Half and half is sold in North American grocery stores and contains half milk and half cream. A light cream (about 10-12% mf) should work fine in its place.
I adore coconut and especially desserts with coconut! This looks like a must try!
looks like a tasty & pretty easy dessert!
Whoa, that coconut crust looks ahmazingggg. What a great idea to take this pie over the top!
I agree, that coconut crust is the kind of thing dreams are made of!
This cream pie looks so good! I would love a bite right now!
I hope that you get a chance to try the recipe soon Igor!
Silly question but I want to make this pie for a friend who can’t have gluten – would the custard work without the flour?
You could increase the cornstarch to thicken the custard. Or, make the coconut cream from this coconut cream pie recipe, which uses cornstarch instead of flour!
You had me drooling looking at the photos. I’ll be baking this up for the family soon!
Thank you Laureen! I hope you enjoy the recipe!