Vegan Coconut Cream Pie (Gluten Free Option)
This is hands down the best vegan coconut cream pie, and even coconut cream pie in general! Made with the easiest coconut cream filling, a flaky pie crust, and perfect vegan whipped cream, this custard-like vegan coconut cream pie is perfect for all spring occasions!
This post is sponsored by Florida Crystals®. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Banana Diaries possible!
Why this is the only coconut cream pie recipe you need:
If you’re looking for the perfect vegan pie to serve at your Easter brunch or Easter dessert, Mother’s Day brunch, or springtime party, then look no further. This vegan coconut cream pie is an absolute crowd pleaser, and it’s loved by both vegans and non-vegans alike.
In fact, my family and friends said that this was the best coconut cream pie they’ve ever had, hands down. This is a feat in itself, because coconut cream pie can be a tricky one to tackle, much less a vegan one!
But guess what? I’ve designed this vegan coconut cream pie to be incredibly easy, straight forward, and absolutely delicious.
We’re only using real coconut (no extracts or artificial flavors!), and the coconut truly shines through while complemented with a delicate sweetness, thanks to the minimally processed raw cane sugar from Florida Crystals® Sugar!
Oh, and we’ll even go over how to achieve the BEST flaky pie crust that would truly win an award.
You’re just going to love this vegan coconut cream pie!
The secret to the best vegan coconut cream pie:
I’ve recently discovered the BEST solution to achieving the perfect vegan custard. If you’ve ever made a vegan custard pie before, you might have noticed that vegan custards tend to set like jello, whether you use arrowroot starch or cornstarch.
This is because in traditional custards, we have the additional thickener of eggs or egg yolks. So in a vegan custard, like this vegan coconut cream pie, we’ll still need to replace the missing egg yolks as a vegan version.
Use aquafaba and chickpea flour!
Aquafaba, or chickpea brine, acts like an egg white in vegan baking, and chickpea flour, when rehydrated, is very similar to an egg yolk. When you whisk the two together, you have a vegan version of a whisked egg! Then we’ll stir in our arrowroot starch, much like you would the cornstarch to a whisked egg before adding it to the custard!
No more jello-like vegan pies!
The importance of using organic sugar:
If you’re a seasoned Banana Diaries reader, then you’ve seen me mention how I use Florida Crystals® Sugar as my preferred sugar choice in baking. This is because Florida Crystals® Sugar is vegan, USDA-organic, and minimally processed, unlike more conventional granulated sugars on the market.
New vegan bakers might not realize that not all sugars are vegan. In fact, many sugar brands in the U.S. is processed with bone char. Florida Crystals® Sugar, however, is always vegan. I specifically used their Organic Raw Cane Sugar for this recipe, and it did not disappoint!
Overview: how to make vegan coconut cream pie
Making a custard pie, let alone a vegan custard pie, might sound daunting at first. But it’s actually quite simple, and the results are absolutely amazing! Let’s briefly go over the steps you’ll follow to make this vegan coconut cream pie:
- Make the pie crust: We’re using my all time favorite flaky vegan pie crust. The key to this pie crust is in the lamination. That’s how you get those flaky edges! Additionally, make sure that you’ve frozen your vegan butter for at least 15 minutes prior to using it in your crust. We’ll fully bake the crust so that we don’t have any soggy bottoms.
- Then make the coconut cream pie filling: Once our pie crust is baked, we’ll move onto the filling. We’re using a combination of coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk, our aquafaba mixture, Florida Crystals® Sugar Organic Raw Cane Sugar, vegan butter, and coconut flakes. No artificial coconut flavor here! You’ll first bring the coconut liquids and sugar to a boil, then reduce the heat and stir in our aquafaba mixture. Once the mixture thickens, turn off the heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. We’ll then pour our coconut custard into our baked pie crust.
- Allow the pie to set: You’ll need 6 hours to set the pie, but depending on how cool your fridge is, it can be done in 4 hours. You can even set the pie overnight covered if you’d prefer!
- When ready to serve: You’ll prepare the vegan whipped cream. Instead of using a vegan coconut whipped cream, which can be finicky depending on the coconut milk brand that you purchase, we’re making a meringue based vegan whipped cream. The Florida Crystals® Sugar Organic Raw Cane Sugar is perfect for a fluffy and light vegan meringue. It’s fine enough in texture that it doesn’t overwhelm and deflate the aquafaba and cream of tartar from stabilizing.
- Top your coconut cream pie and serve! Spoon the vegan whipped cream on top of your vegan coconut cream pie, and sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Video tutorial: Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
Check out our full video tutorial on how to make the best vegan coconut cream pie on YouTube!
Why you need to fully bake the pie crust:
The difference between a coconut cream pie and a coconut custard pie is that the coconut cream pie filling is not baked, whereas a coconut custard pie filling is fully baked.
This means that the pie crust for our coconut cream pie must be fully baked. That’s the only part that needs to actually be baked! The rest of the recipe, as we discussed above, will be made via the stove top and in our stand mixers in which we’ll whip the vegan whipped cream.
Fully baking our pie crust also ensures that we don’t get any soggy bottoms on the crust!
To fully bake a pie crust: we’re looking for the rim of our crusts to be golden brown and puffy. The bottom of the crust will puff up as well a touch once fully baked. This means that our pie crust is ready for the custard!
Final tips to coconut cream pie success:
- Don’t overcook the custard: Just as the vegan custard begins to thicken and reach that thick pudding texture, remove immediately from heat. This prevents any overcooking of the filling, which will yield a more jello-like rather than custard-like texture.
- Use gluten-free flour for a gluten free coconut cream pie: You can use gluten free 1:1 baking flour (one that contains xanthan gum) for the best flaky gluten-free pie crust.
- When storing the coconut cream pie: Remove any leftover meringue whipped cream. This is because the vegan meringue, like regular meringue, will deflate over time in the refrigerator. It’s best to continually serve any leftover slices of dairy free coconut cream pie with fresh vegan whipped cream!
More Vegan Coconut Recipes:
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
Vegan Coconut Cream Pie (Gluten Free Option)
- Prep Time: 20
- 6 hours chilling:
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is hands down the best vegan coconut cream pie, and even coconut cream pie in general! Made with the easiest coconut cream filling, a flaky pie crust, and perfect vegan whipped cream, this custard-like vegan coconut cream pie is perfect for all spring occasions!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) all purpose or gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 8 tbsp (113 g) + 1 tbsp salted vegan butter, frozen and cubed, divided
coconut cream pie filling:
- ½ cup (110 mL) aquafaba
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) arrowroot starch
- 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut cream
- 1 cup (240 mL) full fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) Florida Crystals® Organic Raw Cane Sugar
- 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp salted vegan butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Vegan Whipped Cream:
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) aqufaba
- 1/2 cup (100 g) Florida Crystals Sugar Organic Granulated Sugar ®
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the pie dough: Start by whisk together the flour, sugar, and arrowroot starch. Add in the cubed and frozen 8 tablespoons (113 g) vegan butter, and either use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut the vegan butter into the flour. The flour and butter should be about pea-sized. Then add in the chilled water, starting with just 5 tablespoons. Use a fork to mix the dough until you reach a shaggy consistency. You can add the remaining tablespoons, one at a time, if the flour is not fully absorbing into the dough. Lightly knead the dough against the side of the bowl to create a dough ball, being careful not to overwork the dough. Press the dough into a round disk, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Laminate the pie crust: After chilling the dough, lightly flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Place the dough into the center of the floured surface. Roll the dough lengthwise to create a rectangle. Use a pastry brush to brush off the flour on top, then fold the dough into a square. This is the first lamination. Turn the dough 45 degrees either way and repeat, rolling it into a rectangle and folding again. Repeat two more times for a total of 4 times.
- Shape the pie crust: Then roll the dough out to be 12” in diameter, picking up the disk every few rolls to ensure it’s not sticking to the surface. Carefully place the dough into your pie dish, and gently press the dough against the sides of the dish, being careful not to stretch the dough. Fold the edges of the pie dough underneath and crimp the edges of the pie dough however you’d like (pressing the thumb between your index and middle knuckles helps to create a classic pie crimping). Place the pie crust into the freezer to chill as you preheat the oven to 425F.
- Fully bake the pie crust: Once the oven is preheated, remove the pie crust from the freezer. Poke a few holes into the bottom of the pie crust and place a piece of parchment paper down into the center of the crust. Add the pie weights* to the center of the crust. Brush the edges with 1 tablespoon of melted and cooled vegan butter. Place the pie crust into the oven to bake for 15 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven and remove the pie weights. Place the crust back into the oven to bake for 5-7 minutes or until the edges are golden. Then remove the crust from the oven to cool as you prepare the coconut cream pie filling.
- Prep for the coconut cream pie filling: Whisk together the aquafaba, chickpea flour, and arrowroot starch in a small bowl together. Set aside. Add the coconut cream, coconut milk, and sugar to a medium saucepan, and whisk together.
- Make the coconut cream pie filling: Turn the stovetop heat to medium-high, and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and as you whisk, pour in the chickpea flour mixture. Continue to whisk the mixture on low heat until it thickens to a pudding consistency, about 7 minutes. Once thickened, add in the vegan butter, vanilla extract, and coconut shreds. Whisk until evenly distributed throughout the coconut cream mixture.
- Chill the coconut cream pie: Pour the coconut cream filling into the baked pie crust, and place the pie into the fridge to set for 6+ hours, but ideally overnight.
- Make the whipped cream: Once the pie is set, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to a large bowl or a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Mix the aquafaba on high speed until foamy, then begin to add in 1 spoonful at a time of sugar as you continue to beat the aquafaba mixture. It will begin to fluff up and create stiff peaks. Once the stiff peaks are achieved (about 10 minutes), you can spoon the whipped cream on top of the coconut cream pie.
- Slice and serve! Top with toasted coconut flakes. Slice the coconut cream pie and serve cold. Store any leftover slices in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Gluten-free: For a gluten-free coconut cream pie, please swap in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (one that contains xanthan gum) at an equal ratio to the all purpose flour.
Pie weights: If you don’t have pie weights, you can use dried rice, beans, or flour.
I don’t see amounts for the coconut cream and coconut milk. Help😁
Hi Marcy! They’re added 🙂 Enjoy!