This so-called “impossible” gluten free coconut pie is another of our favorite family recipes. It really is embarrassingly easy, and now that I make it gluten free and dairy free too, it seems so easy and delicious that it must be impossible … but I promise that it isn’t!
We typically serve this pie at Easter, which only reminds us of how much we love the recipe, thereby causing us to crave it every month thereafter, until we are ultimately distracted by some other series of desserts (often, not until Christmas cookies!), only to revisit the recipe a few short months later, and to be reminded of how much we love it … which makes us want to make it again … anyway, you get the picture.
It truly is one of my springtime favorites because it is so quick and easy – I mean, what could be easier than a crustless pie?
And don’t for a minute think that you can’t enjoy a custard pie because you avoid dairy; with this recipe, you have no such worries! I’ve made this recipe using coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk … hopefully you’re getting the idea. It’s pretty forgiving. They all work!
In fact, it’s so forgiving that I’ve made this recipe with 1 1/2 cups coconut or 2 cups coconut (when I was short on coconut once, but just had to have this pie!) and it worked both ways! I’ve also made it with sweetened coconut and unsweetened coconut, flaked coconut and shredded coconut. They all turned out yummy!
The key is adding that touch of my gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. It’s just enough to add a bit of “skin,” so to speak that settles to the bottom and helps it to form enough of a crust to hold it all together.
And since my gfJules Flour isn’t gritty and doesn’t have a funny flavor, texture, smell or anything else funny, you’d never even know it was inside. Which means no one else would ever know the pie was gluten free.
Wonderful hot out of the oven, cold, or even room temperature, I recommend doubling the recipe, because one pie is never enough!
Maybe make one pie in a large dish and several smaller ramekins or mugs for portion control? Of course, you could use larger ramekins, depending on how much control you think you need!
Easy Gluten Free Coconut Pie
Easy Gluten Free Coconut Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, to your taste; either amount of coconut will work)
- 2 cups milk (dairy or nondairy – coconut milk is the obvious, but not required, choice)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar (reduce to 1 1/4 cups if using sweetened coconut)
- 1/2 cup (68 grams) gfJules All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons butter or nondairy alternative melted (I use Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Pour coconut into a small bowl. Add milk to soak, and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Beat eggs and sugar then add all the other ingredients slowly.
- Add the soaked coconut and pour into an oiled pie plate or 4–6 ramekins or coffee cups.
- This pie rises when cooking, then shrinks as it cools; therefore, use caution not to overfill the pans. I recommend leaving at least an inch clearance to allow for the pie to rise. Consequently, you may find that you have extra pie batter and need to use an additional baking pan.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes (approximately 30–40 minutes for ramekins), or until the edges are lightly browned and the middle is no longer jiggly. Turn off oven and open oven door, allowing pie to cool slowly to prevent cracking.
- (See how easy that was?!)
** Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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I’ve made it a few times. First time, as a pie. Second time I wanted it more like a cake. I used flour, canned unsweetened coconut milk, unsweetened shredded and flaked coconut, egg whites, and coconut oil. Before serving, I I brushed a little maple syrup on top and sprinkled toasted coconut on top and a little powdered sugar. It tastes a little like Spanish coconut flan. We love it.
Thank you!
Oh my! I love that twist! I can’t wait to find time to make this recipe your new way — thanks so much for taking the time to share your modifications and your photo. It really does look and sound fantastic!!!
~jules