My Low-Carb Coconut Cream Pie is my twist on a classic Coconut Meringue pie that will be a great treat. It has a wonderfully cream coconut custard topped with a fluffy sweetened meringue. The perfect sugar-free pie option for any coconut lover.
Old Fashion Coconut Cream Pie
So one of the many things that my sweet Momma cooked that everyone loves, including myself, is her old-fashioned Coconut Cream Pie. You know the kind, right?
The homemade coconut custard base cooked on the stove from scratch then poured into a pie crust and topped with the meringue always has everyone running to the kitchen.
Her coconut pie and her chocolate for that matter were always a hit at our holiday gatherings with her side of the family.
I can remember my Uncle Mike and some of the others trying to hide the pie before anyone caught them which would then lead to a few minutes of a pie hunt!
Luckily, their silliness did not prevail and all of us could enjoy her yummy pies.
The Coconut Cream was also a favorite of my dad”s when he was still with us. More recently my brother, Paul, who would only eat chocolate when we were growing up has come around to his senses and even requests that she makes them for him now, ha!
I will always cherish all the times I got to stand with her at the stove as she taught me how to make her pies.
Those are some of the best memories and it is moments like that I want to pass on to my son as he grows up cooking with me in the kitchen.
Keeping the Memories But Ditching the Sugar
Over the years I’ve been working on converting her Coconut Cream Pie recipe into one that is low-carb, gluten-free, and THM “S”.
When I say “working” that means trying and failing, ha! Getting the flavor close was never the issue, but finding just the right low-carb thickening agent was something that took a little work.
I have tried using all Glucomannan (Gluccie) or Xanthum Gun a few times only to be discouraged by the overly slimy texture.
If you have ever used too much of either of those thickeners you know exactly what I mean I am sure.
But recently I had a light bulb moment when I made my Pumpkin Mousse Pie for the blog a couple of weeks ago.
I was able to make it by using gelatin, so decided to give it a shot with the coconut pie as well. If you haven’t seen that simple pie you should check it out because it is yummy!
The unflavored gelatin mixed with a small amount of the Xantham Gum worked perfectly for thickening the creamy coconut filling, without the off-putting texture!
I feel like have finally gotten the recipe pretty close to what I remember considering it doesn’t use white sugar, evaporated milk, and cornstarch. All the things that make up my mom’s yummy pie.
How Do I Make a Meringue for this Coconut Cream Pie?
Traditionally Coconut Cream Pies are topped with meringue. There’s nothing quite like a fluffy, dreamy meringue to top your pie if that’s the look you are going for.
Making a beautiful meringue is not hard, but there are a few steps and precautions you want to keep in mind when you go to make your topping for this pie.
It’s important when making a meringue that you have a very clean bowl and beaters and the egg whites that you are going to work with will need room temperature.
Start with the room-temperature egg whites and add a little cream of tartar. Doing these important things will help to produce the most consistent and stable volume in your meringue.
When it comes to the last element of the meringue, the sweetness, I highly recommend you use a superfine low-carb sweetener so it will dissolve easily and not leave a graining texture.
However, if you are like me and don’t like the meringue you could skip the meringue on top of the pie and use fresh whipping cream instead.
Do you like meringue or not like meringue? Either way, this Coconut Cream Pie is a treat and I hope you enjoy it around your table as we do around ours.
Tips for Making This Coconut Cream Pie
- Always start with room-temperature ingredients for the best results.
- Chill the pie filling overnight for the best results when it comes to firming up. Most traditional pies use a thickener like cornstarch but for this low-carb filling gelatin is used and it needs a lot of time to firm up enough to be sliceable.
- When sweetening the meringue for the top of the pie be sure to use a superfine sweetener or one that will easily dissolve while the egg whites are whipping up into stiff peaks.
- After topping the Coconut Cream Pie and baking the meringue, let the pie cool completely and chill again for at least an hour or two to make it the perfect set texture. The coconut filling will loosen up some as it cooks so it needs to chill again to thicken up.
- It is best to prepare this pie ahead of time that way you have plenty of time for the pie to chill and set perfectly.
- Don’t care for meringues? Swap the meringue out with homemade fresh whipped cream, it is delicious this way too.
- Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.
Coconut Cream Pie || Low Carb , Gluten Free, THM
A low carb and gluten free version of the classic Coconut Cream Pie. This creamy custard filling sits in a gluten-free pie crust and is topped with toasted meringue.
Ingredients
Coconut Cream Filling
- 2 (15oz) cans of unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of Pyure Sweetener
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 2 teaspoons of Knox Gelatin
- 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthum Gum
- 1 cup of unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups of Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend (or almond flour)
- 1/4 cup of Pyure or Truvia
- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
Meringue
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of Pyure or Truvia Sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- To prepare the coconut filling first separate your eggs, setting the egg whites aside for the meringue topping.
- Next add the coconut milk, heavy cream, sweetener, egg yolks, and vanilla to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk mixture to a slow simmer, whisking very often being careful not to let it boil too hard.
- When the mixture is at a slow simmer sprinkle the gelatin into the milk mixture while whisking continuously.
- Once the gelatin is all mixed in follow the same step to mix in the Xanthum Gum. Remember to whisk while adding both the gelatin and Xanthum to avoid large clumps.
- Next, add in the shredded coconut and continue whisking and cooking the filling for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken. It will not be extremely thick as it will need to chill to completely set up.
- Remove from the stove, if desired add the optional coconut extract into the mixture and stir well.
- Then add the mixture to a medium bowl to cool slightly before placing the mixture into the fridge to set up for several hours.
- To prepare the crust, add the dry ingredients to a bowl and slowly add the butter or coconut oil. Mix well until the crust is moist and will stay together when pinched between your fingers. If using just almond flour start with just 1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil as it is less absorbent than the baking blend.
- Press the crust mixture into a deep-dish pie plate and press it evenly around the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake the prepared crust at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. Watch the crust carefully so it doesn't burn. The crust should be golden brown. Don't overcook as the crust will become harder if over-baked.
- Prepare the meringue as the crust cools by adding the egg whites into a mixing bowl along with the cream of tartar and beat on high until the egg whites start to get foamy. At this point as the egg whites are whipping up slowly sprinkle the sweetener into the egg whites.
- Continue to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
- Once the crust cools add the thickened coconut custard and then top it with the fluffy meringue. For an added touch sprinkle about a tablespoon more of coconut over the top of the meringue, but that is optional.
- Bake the pie in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven just until your meringue is cooked through and a nice light golden brown.
- Refrigerate your pie until chilled and serve.
Notes
*Note: If you do not have a baking blend you substitute almond flour. Depending on the brand you use the crust could need more coconut oil. Start at 1/3 cup and add more by the tablespoon if the mixture is still to dry to hold together.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1 sliceAmount Per ServingCalories 269Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 83mgSodium 58mgCarbohydrates 12gNet Carbohydrates 4gFiber 6gSugar 2gSugar Alcohols 2gProtein 8g
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.
I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!
This recipe looks delicious! Question: when do you add the sweetener to the meringue? It’s not stated in the directions. Thank you.
Oh no, I’ll fix that in the recipe. I start whipping my egg whites and when they start to get frothy then I slowly sprinkle it is as they whip up. Hope that helps, and thanks for much for asking. That will help me go back in and update it for others!
I dont see what the carbs, net carbs, fat content are.
I love these recipes but as my husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes and we watch carb count carefully, it would be so helpful to have intuitional info on the recipes. Thank you!
Hi Phyllis, thanks for stopping my to check out this recipe. I will try to get the carb counts for this recipe soon. All I do is plug the recipe ingredients into an online free calculator then add them here. If you would like to find out the carb count before I can get back to it here you can use one too. I like the one on my fitness pal but there are a ton of free ones online you can use also.
Thank you so much. We are new to the counting carbs so it’s a learning curve. I’ll try the apps!
I totally understand Phyllis, when just starting out there is a ton to learn for sure! I wish you guys the best on this journey into low carb and controlling sugars.
Could i just put my ingredients I’m going to use in the app and get my carb count? I’ve never used a carb tracker app and not sure how to. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you .
Yes, that’s what you do. You can use sites like My Fitness Pal for instance. It lets you set up how many servings it is and search for your ingredients then calculates it for you based on what you enter. I will try to get the numbers for nutrition figures by 09/23 and get them posted on the recipe for you.
Ronda, I just wanted to give you an update and let you know that I now have the nutritional information posted on my Coconut Pie based on my brand of ingredients. The nutrition is per slice when you cut the pie into 10 pies. If you go for larger pieces, of course, that information would change. Hope that helps 🙂
Kerri, this looks amazing! I’m pretty new to the Keto way of baking and wanted to ask your opinion on sweeteners. Your recipe calls for Pyure and in your comments you mentioned you haven’t used Swerve in a while. Can you tell me what the difference is you’ve found when using this or why you prefer Pyure? I happen to have Swerve on hand and don’t want to go out and buy another sweetener ($$) unless it makes the difference in the taste of my pie 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Tricia! I have recently had more access to Swerve just in the last week or two since I found some locally and on sale. I have noticed in my opinion that the Pyure is sweeter than Swerve so you need less of it, but that could be my taste buds lol, as I like my desserts sweet so it only takes a small piece to satisfy me. My main issues for not using Swerve more is I can’t find it often in my area and Pyure is more affordable and I have gotten used to using it and the taste. Use what you have for sure, I don’t suggest buying extra things. I know Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food is an expert with Swerve. Check her blog I bet she will have information on how they would compare measurement wise.
Made and took this pie to a church lunch (try it out on others, right? Lol). Anyway…it looked beautiful and was really good. Used a different crust as I didn’t have all the ingredients for this one. I’ll post a pic on the recipe. Thanks.
So glad you were able to adapt it and enjoy Charla! Thanks for letting me know, I love hearing about you trying it! 🙂
Kerri,
Can you please tell me what the THM baking blend is? I am not familiar with it. And my also what is gentle sweet?
Thank you,
Rhonda
The THM Baking blend is a low carb baking mix kinda like “Bisquick” for the lack of a better term. It is a mix of almond flour, coconut flour, flax, and oat fiber. Very low in carbs and gluten-free. If you don’t have it you can use almond flour to make the crust.
Hi as I’m making your recipe I noticed you used 2 different abbreviations for tsp … one being “tspn” … as in 2 tspn of vanilla. By chance did you mean 2 tbsp of vanilla?
Thx
Anita
Oh Anita, I am so sorry for that. I will get it corrected. It just slipped past me as I was doing my edits. I use 2 tsp of vanilla in the filling.
Hey if I don’t want to make the meringue, would you put the full eggs into the pudding mixture?
I haven’t made it with the full eggs yet, so not sure if it would cause any textural issues or not. Let me know if you try it, I would love to know!
Hi! This recipe sounds perfect for Easter. Do you think you could use coconut flour instead of the baking blend? I saw that you could substitute Almond flour but my son is allergic to all tree nuts so that is not an option for us. How much coconut flour do you think I should use?
I would suggest Googling “coconut flour pie crust” and see what you can find there. The coconut flour will need extra liquid since it soaks up so much more than the baking blend and almond flour. I think there are some tasty ones out there you could sub!
I made your pie recipe with coconut flour and added a little more coconut oil. The pie came out perfect. My parents and I are all doing Keto and had this as our little treat for Easter Sunday….it was delicious!! Thanks so much:)
So glad you guys enjoyed it for Easter. Thanks so much for coming by to let me know. I love hearing that!
Looks great. I have a granddaughter who is gluten intolerant but she needs the sugar for calories. How much regular sugar would I add to this pie?
Hmm, well Peggy, I would say start with 2/3 cups and taste to judge for sweetness. The Pyure is about 2x as sweet, so takes less. That would be my best guess, but please note I have not tried it with real sugar so not sure.
Keri!
Hello old friend! I am so excited to find this recipe as I absolutely love all things coconut-especially pie! I have been making your bacon stuffed mushrooms for some time now. Everyone raves about them!
Tasha! Girl, it is so good to hear from you here. I hope you guys are doing wonderfully and I love hearing you enjoy the mushrooms!
My filling doesn’t seem to be setting…I didn’t have xanthan gum, could that be the problem?
Henrietta, I am so sorry to hear your pie did not set properly. I could be the missing xantham gum. This ingredient helps thicken up the filling a good bit and the jello then helps the pie set up further so it is sliceable.
I’m new to this. What is THM baking blend?
Hi Barb, the THM Baking Blend is just a low carb and gluten free baking mix made up of almond flour, flax, oat fiber, coconut flour. THM is just the brand name, short for Trim Healthy Mama. If you google THM Baking Blend you can see more info on it or go to trimhealthymama.com and click on their “shop” tab to see their products.
Is there a way to make it dairy free as well?
Also, is your coconut oil in solid form?
Hi DeeDee, no the coconut oil I add to the crust is melted before adding it. I am unsure about a way to make it dairy free but I will ask around with some of my dairy-free blogger friends and get back to you!
If i was using swerve instead of your sugar substitute would it be an equal measurements?
Hi Cheri, I honestly can’t say. I have only used swerve once and that was many years ago, so I don’t feel confident in giving the measurements. Maybe add half at first to the milk mixture and taste as you go to adjust if needed.
COCONUT CREAM PIE 🙂 one of my favorites! ! !
Question: Are the crust ingredients correct? I am making this now – The crust seems too oily – following exact recipe & added 1/2 cup coconut oil to 1 1/2 cups THM baking blend with 1/4 sweetener, as listed. However, as I try to press the crust “up the sides”, it just sinks down to make a flat crust. I am still going to bake it but if it doesn’t look right, will make another crust (Last week, while making a chocolate cream pie, I tried a simple press-in crust: 1 & 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup butter, pinch of salt). Thank you kindly for your assistance.
Hi Ruma, I am sorry to hear that it isn’t working correctly for you. I use the 1/2 cup so not sure why it would be doing that. The only thing I can think to do if it is too wet is to add a bit more baking blend. I have made it a couple times now but haven’t run into that issue yet. So sorry for the trouble.
I have the same problem Ruma!
Hi Nancy, I am sorry you had that same issue. I am not sure what is happening. I will be making this again soon, and trying it again, just to see if I need to make adjustments to the recipe. I have had others say it turned out well, so I want to make sure it works for everyone. I will post an update once I have tested it again.
I have GOT to make this, if only because you developed a recipe in which the filling giggles!! =D
Honestly, it sounds amazing. I may sub in rum for the coconut flavoring, and I will use xylitol or erythritol as I’m allergic to Stevia. Can’t wait!
Blahhahahaha! Kim, I am such a nut sometimes and didn’t even catch that in my many times reading it lol, but got it fixed now. Funny thing is my editing program usually catches my crazy brain moments, but it must have needed a giggle too. I hope you enjoy it and let me know how it turns out if you do. Thanks for helping me get a laugh this morning. Happy New Year! 🙂
Sounds like a great recipe. I will try it for sure. I have some of those incredible pie memories from living in the South and growing up with a great, big, old, extended family comprised mostly of amazing Southern cooks. I miss those days as I live most of my life sort of keto, or Adkins. So, bless your heart! Your sight promises the hope of something good, rich and sweet. Thank you!
Hi Beth! Thank you so much for coming by, I hope you enjoy the pie too! 🙂
Thank you Beth for coming by the blog, I hope you enjoy the pie if you try it. Those memories are such keepsakes!