Flaky crust, creamy coconut filling and piled high with whipped cream, this homemade coconut cream banana pie recipe is an old fashioned favorite that will never go out of style. Serve up a slice of my grandma’s coconut pie at your next get together.

A little tropical. A little creamy. And a whole lot of lip smacking goodness.

That is what grandma’s coconut cream banana pie recipe is made of.

These days you can google “coconut pie recipe” and you will receive approximately 163 million results from all sorts of people such as Betty Crocker, Taste of Home and lots of popular food bloggers. But there is nothing quite like pulling out a recipe card that was hand written by a dearly beloved friend or family member.

After my grandma passed, I went through her recipe boxes and binders searching for her treasured recipes. She was well-known for her impeccable cooking skills. There were plenty of memorable recipes to be found in her recipe box. Everything from her seven layer salad and potato casserole to meatballs and her famous twinkie cake. Unfortunately, I did happen to stumble upon a retro recipe or two that involved jello. You know that era that involved gelatin, molds and random stuff floating inside of this thing called jello salad?

Hallelujah we have pressed on past that disastrous decade where such recipes were considered food.

Inside grandma’s vintage recipe box were instructions on how to make a coconut cream banana pie. This timeworn recipe card told a story. The faded piece revealed a black and white clipping of a pie recipe glued to a small sturdy piece of paper. As I read the recipe, I wondered where did grandma get this from? Why did she clip it? Did she make it often? I could just imagine her baking this pie and having a slice of it with a cup of coffee while her and grandpa took a break from their chores and farm work.

I copied down the recipe and took it bake to my kitchen to give the coconut pie a whirl. It was delicious! My husband and my brother’s family thoroughly approved. I must admit, I tweaked grandma’s recipe to include coconut milk to give the pie a more intense coconut flavor. I can only imagine what my grandma is thinking as she sits in heaven — her granddaughter tweaking her pie recipe! 

Do forgive me, grandma.

Vintage Pie Recipe

This retro recipe is an easy one. All you need is one 9 inch pie crust, some coconut custard filling, a couple of ripe bananas and lots of whipped cream. It is simple enough to make on a weekday or during the weekend. But my favorite way to serve it is at a family get together during the spring and summer months.

Coconut Cream Banana Pie Recipe

Makes: one 9 inch pie, 6-8 servings

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs organic shortening or 1/3 cup lard
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs cold water

Coconut Pie Filling

1/2 cup sugar or fructose
5 Tbs all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup (14 oz can) unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 whole milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
2 bananas
2 tsp vanilla

Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbs sugar or fructose

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

To make the pie crust, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter cut the shortening into the flour mixture until pea sized pieces are formed. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time while tossing with a fork until the flour is incorporated and moist.

Gather the pastry to form a ball. Do not knead as this will create a tough pie crust. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into a large circle, approximately 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Transfer crust to plate and trim overhang 1/2-1 inch from the edge of the plate. Fold crust under and seal the pie by pinching the edges with your index finger and knuckles. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust throughly with a fork. This action helps to prevent the pastry from puffing.

Bake crust for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Slowing add the coconut milk and whole milk. Bring to a gentle boil.

In a medium size bowl, add the egg yolks. Pour 1/3 of the coconut mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Return all to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until it becomes a thick pudding. Remove from heat and add vanilla and 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Cool to room temperature.

Slice bananas and place into crust. Fill  with cooled coconut cream mixture. Chill in the fridge until set, about 2 hours.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), whip heavy whipping cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream. Garnish the top of the pie with the remaining coconut and bananas, if desired.

Pie Pastry Tips

For a crispy pie pastry, place the pie on the bottom rack of the oven. This will make the bottom layer of the crust firm and crispy rather than soggy.

When transferring the pastry to your pie plate, gently roll the crust onto your rolling pin. Then unravel it over the pie plate. This helps to prevent tearing the delicate pastry.

Keep an eye on the custard filling as it thickens. One minute it is thin, the next it can become scrambled eggs. Always keep the heat on low to medium low. The higher the heat, the more likely you’ll run into problems like overcooking the the filling.

If you love pies as much as my family does, try our sweet summer strawberry pie or our sugarless apple pie.

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