coconut pumpkin pie

thankful season

The week before Thanksgiving includes the anniversary of the concussion that changed my life. In those first months after my concussion, I was stuck on the couch and couldn’t stand up without feeling like the world was spinning. I could barely get off the couch, but somehow I stubbornly managed to pull together a small quarantine Thanksgiving.

All throughout my recovery, cooking has allowed me hold on to a piece of my ‘before’ life, something that makes me feel like myself and reminds me how much I have to be thankful for. I’m thankful that my concussion wasn’t worse and for all the progress I’ve made in my recovery. That for the past month I’ve been able to run 1 mile every week. I’m thankful for having the time and space to focus on taking care of myself. And I’m eternally thankful for everyone that’s offered me love and support, especially my parents and Bryan.

That first Thanksgiving I realized how much my brain is affected by the nutrients (or lack thereof) that I was putting into my body. All the holiday butter and cream made my brain feel slow and foggy. Now I try to balance indulging in holiday comfort foods and making healthier swaps where I can. My coconut pumpkin pie uses coconut milk (from the can, not milk carton) in place of the typical heavy cream. The coconut milk produces a still creamy but less heavy custard. The slight coconut flavor pairs beautifully with the warming spices. And if you have it, a tablespoon of dark rum would be a welcome addition to the filling.

long island cheese pumpkin pie

I am thankful to my dear friend Hannah for my love of pumpkin pie. One summer she only grew Long Island Cheese Pumpkins in her garden. For months after her massive harvest, she always brought a freshly baked pumpkin pie along with her any time we met up. Long Island Cheese Pumpkin gets its name from the pumpkin’s resemblance to a wheel of cheese. Its a hearty heirloom variety that produces medium-large flavorful pumpkins that store well and make great pie. And ever since Hannah introduced me to them, they’ve been my go-to variety for making my favorite coconut pumpkin pie.

One of the best attributes of pumpkin pie is that it tastes just as good with store-bought crust and canned pumpkin puree as it does with homemade. In the recipe I include my favorite homemade pie crust recipe from Dorie Greenspan which comes together quickly in a food processor. Feel free to use your preferred recipe or method to make the crust.

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 1 vote

coconut pumpkin pie

Coconut pumpkin pie is light and creamy without using any heavy cream. The slight coconut flavor pairs beautifully with the pie's warming spices.

Course: Dessert

Servings: 1 9-inch pie

Author: Sammy

Ingredients

pie crust (half a recipe of Dorie Greenspan's All Butter Pie Dough)

• 1½ c (204 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter frozen or very cold, cut into small pieces
• up to ¼ c ice water

filling

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree or 2 c cooked, pureed, and strained pumpkin
• 1 c coconut milk about half of a 15-oz can
• ½ c brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp dark rum optional

Instructions

prepare and par-bake pie crust

• Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the pieces of butter to the food processor and pulse the machine in long spurts until the butter is well incorporated. Add the ice water a little at a time, processing after each addition until you have moist clumps that hold together when you pinch a piece of the dough.
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured piece of parchment and shape into a disk. Cover the disk with a second sheet of parchment and roll the dough out into a 11-12 inch round.
• If the dough is still slightly cold, fit into a buttered 9-inch pie dish. If it has warmed, chill the dough until it's workable, then fit into the pan. Chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 1 hour.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Remove pie pan from chilling. Either crimp the dough overhanging the pan into a decorative edge or trim the excess dough even with the rim of the pan. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and fit a piece of foil against the crust; fill with dried beans or rice.
• To par-bake: bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove foil and weights and return pie pan to the oven and bake for another 3-4 minutes, until the crust is firm but not yet colored. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

mix filling and bake

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Place pie pan with par-baked crust on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Combine all filling ingredients in blender and blend until smooth, or whisk ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour the filling into the crust (there may be some filling that doesn't fit if the crust shrank while baking). Smooth surface of filling or swirl as desired.
• Bake the pie for 50-60 min, until the filling is set around the edges but still jiggly in the center of the pie. When done, transfer pie to a cooling rack and let sit until room temperature. The pie can be eaten at room temperature but is best served cold.