The Best Homemade Coconut Meringue Pie, Ever!
If there’s one dessert that I love more than any other, it’s this one…Coconut Meringue Pie! My Mom taught me how to make it when I was pretty young. We use to do everything from scratch, from the crust to the pudding and Oh. My. Gosh! It really is The Best Homemade Coconut Pie, Ever!!
But over the years, life has gotten busy and I really didn’t have a lot of time to make the crust from scratch. The pudding was easy enough, though, but that didn’t keep me from trying different ways to keep the homemade taste and cutting a couple of corners.
There are some shortcuts you can take with this pie and still have it taste exactly the same as it would if you made it 100% from scratch. I’m all for a little convenience.
So, if you’re ready, let’s give it a go!
Coconut Meringue Pie
The Pie:
Obviously, you’ll need a pie crust. I’ve always used the Pillsbury crust that you put into your own pie pan. This is about as close to homemade as you can get! You’ll also need Vanilla pudding Cook & Serve…(NOT instant), milk, at least 4 eggs, sugar and coconut.
Put the pie crust in the pie shell and follow the directions for baking.
While the crust is in the oven, I separate my egg whites and yolks. I’ve had this little egg separator for years, but if you don’t have one here is a short YouTube video showing exactly how to do it, with just the shells.
Put all of the whites in one bowl and I separate the yolks into two separate bowls, because you only need two for the pudding. I hate to waste the other two, but unless I need them for something specific, they usually get trashed. Set them aside and move on to the pudding.
Cook the pudding according to the directions on the package.
Now, here’s where those two eggs come in. Beat them slightly with a fork or a whisk. Then take a spoon or a ladle and add a couple of spoonfuls of the hot pudding to the egg yolks. This gives the yolks a chance to heat up slowly. If you pour the egg yolks into the hot pudding, the eggs will begin to cook. You will then get a clumpy pudding mixture. (I know this from experience.)
Put the pudding back on a low heat and continue to stir, while bringing it to a very slight boil. If you stop stirring, you will end up with brown specks in the mixture. (Again…I know this from experience! lol). Only do this for 2-3 more minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the delicious coconut.
Mix it in and pour into your cooked pie shell. Set it aside and lets move on to the meringue!
Meringue:
I’ve always had great luck making meringue. It’s just two simple ingredients: Sugar and 4-6 egg whites. Just put the whites in the mixing bowl and turn it on to medium speed. Using the whisk attachement (if you have one) beat for 1-1.5 minutes. When it starts to look like meringue, increase the speed to high and start adding the sugar…one tablespoon at a time. You’ll beat it until it starts to stiffen, forming peaks. Stop the mixer and take your spoon, give it a little bit of a stir and see if the meringue can form stiff peaks. If it does, then it’s ready. DO NOT over beat. There’s a fine line when it comes to stopping. I would say no more than 2-3 minutes. If you go much longer, it’ll turn to soup.
Drop the fluffy goodness on to your pudding. As you can see from the pic above, I distribute it in blobs around the pie. This makes it easier to spread. Be sure to spread all the way to the edge of the shell. Often, meringue will pull away from the edges, once the pie cools. By going all the way to the edges and sealing, this will help minimize the retraction.
When you get it completely spread, have fun creating your peaks and swirls with the spoon. Then, sprinkle a handful or two of coconut on top of the meringue and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. (Keep an eye on it as every oven is different.) When the meringue turns a golden brown, it’s ready!
Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about an hour, then put it into the fridge for about 3 hours to get it to really set well. If you cut it too soon, you may get a “spoon” pie…(Again…I know this from experience.).
This Coconut Meringue Pie is a fantastic addition to all of your holiday menus as well as an easy & delicious dessert for any occasion.
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The Best Homemade Coconut Meringue Pie, Ever!
Ingredients
- Ingredients: Pie
- 1 baked pie crust I use Pillsbury
- 1 package Cook & Serve pudding 5.25oz large box
- 3 cups milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1-2 handfuls of sweetened coconut
- 2 Tbsp butter optional
- 1 Tsp vanilla optional
- Ingredients: Meringue
- 4-6 egg whites
- 6 heaping TBSP sugar
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Cook pie crust according to directions.
- While crust is cooking, separate the egg yolks and whites, putting ALL of the whites in a bowl and only keeping 2 of the yolks, in a separate bowl.
- Cook pudding according to directions. When pudding is almost done, slightly beat the yolks and slowly add a couple of spoonfuls of the hot pudding to the eggs, raising the temperature the eggs.
- Stir and pour egg/pudding mixture into the pudding and continue to cook and stir for a couple of more minutes. (Note: At this point, you may add the butter and vanilla. These ingredients are optional, but add to a more rich, homemade taste.)
- Remove from the heat and add 1-2 handfuls of coconut to the pudding. If you really love coconut, you may add a little more.
- Pour into cooked pie crust.
- Meringue:
- Put the egg whites into a mixing bowl and begin mixing on MEDIUM speed using the whisk attachment, if you have one. If not, a hand mixer will work, as well.
- When it begins to turn white and looking like meringue, raise the speed to HIGH and add the sugar, one TBSP at a time. Be sure to keep the mixer running. Do not stop it to add the sugar.
- Beat on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
- Spread meringue evenly over coconut filling, sealing edges to crust. (This is real important for the meringue not to shrink when baking).
- Sprinkle with flaked coconut and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden.
- Cool for 1 hour and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
