Mini Coconut Cream Pies (Easy!)

This Mini Coconut Cream Pie recipe with creamy coconut filling in crispy mini pie crusts is a delicious, fast and easy dessert, perfect for entertaining and holiday parties.

For more mini pie recipes, try Mini Cannoli Tarts and Mini Pumpkin Pies with Graham Cracker Crust. 

These bite-sized coconut cream pies might be one of my favorite desserts. As a card-carrying member of the coconut lovers club, the creamy filling with toasted coconut has my name all over it.

But I'm also a sucker for mini individual desserts in general. They're very cute, fun to customize with different toppings, and for some reason, no matter how many mini pies you have, it will never add up to one big slice of pie. (I don't make the rules 🤷‍♀️).  

I especially love that this mini coconut cream pie is EASY. The filling whisks together quickly, and the mini crusts are pre-made.

Fast. Easy. Simple. Delicious. Just the way I like it. 

🥛Ingredients

See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.

• Instant pudding mix. I use vanilla pudding mix, but you can use coconut cream, white chocolate, or cheesecake pudding mix. 
• Milk. For best results, use regular dairy milk -- 2% or whole milk. See testing notes for the other types of milk I tried. 
• Toasted coconut. Toasted coconut adds delicious, natural coconut flavor. You can buy it pre-toasted or make it at home. I'll show you how -- it takes about 5 minutes. 
• Cool Whip. If you're not a fan, but like the convenience, I recommend trying Truwhip, a self-proclaimed "better for you whipped topping." It's great, and I use it all the time. 
• Phyllo shells.  Phyllo shells are flaky crusts made with thin layers of phyllo dough. They are fully baked; you just need to crisp them up. 

🥧Substitutions or Variations

• Coconut. You can also use regular sweetened coconut -- untoasted. 
• Pudding flavors. Veer away from classic coconut cream pie and try chocolate pudding, butterscotch pudding, or pistachio pudding mix. 
• Pie crusts. Bake storebought or homemade crust cut-outs in a muffin tin, cool, and fill (you can buy mini pie crusts, too), or buy or make mini graham cracker pie crusts in muffin cups. 
• Coconut extract. I didn't find it necessary to add coconut extract because the toasted coconut adds natural coconut flavor. If you would like to try it, I recommend using a good-quality (not artificial) extract and starting small -- too much can be overpowering. 
• Whipped cream. Instead of whipped topping, use a mixer to whip 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream with ⅓ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. 

📋Testing Notes

• It may be tempting to try coconut milk, but when I tried it, the texture was grainy. 
• I also tried almond milk. Knowing I would need to use less to get the same consistency as dairy milk, I used ¾ cup + 1 T almond milk and got just about the right thickness, but it was really lumpy.

🥣How to Make Mini Coconut Cream Pies

Step 1: Bake phyllo shells on a cookie sheet at 350 for 3-5 minutes until crispy.  Cool on a wire rack. 

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. Fold in the toasted coconut and Cool Whip. 

Step 3: Spoon or pipe the coconut pudding mixture into the cooled crusts. You may have some filling left over. No one needs to know about it -- enjoy it as a treat later :). 

Step 4: Top with the remaining Cool Whip and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of toasted coconut. Serve within 1-2 hours. 

🥥How to Toast Coconut

To toast coconut, heat a dry pan over medium heat. Add the coconut and stir for 3-4 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown. Do not step away -- it only takes a few minutes. Once the coconut is brown, immediately remove it from the heat and transfer the coconut to a cool plate to stop the cooking process. Let it cool completely. 

📅Make Ahead

This coconut cream mini pie recipe is quick and easy to make ahead of time. Just make the coconut pudding filling up to one full day ahead of time, cover it in plastic wrap, and chill. The next day, bake, cool, and fill the phyllo cups.  

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