Island Pecan Pie is loaded with pineapple, coconut, and pecans in a delicious creamy filling. A tropical twist on a pecan pie classic!
Island Pecan Pie
Island Pecan Pie is a tropical treat you can make for any occasion! I tried it a few years ago for Thanksgiving in place of our traditional pecan pie and it was a smashing success. This recipe originally comes from an Arkansas diner that I tracked down on Pinterest. This pecan pie is creamy and flavorful with sweet chunks of pineapple and crunchy pecans and coconut. I’ve since served it at Easter dinner, Christmas and on warm summer Sunday afternoons. It’s a perfect recipe for any time of year.
Tips for Island Pecan Pie
- Find the perfect unbaked pie crust recipe right HERE. You can also find delicious ready-to-bake pie crusts in the freezer section of your grocery store.
- I topped this pie with homemade whipped cream. Make basic whipped topping with heavy cream, sugar and add a little almond extract. It really complements the tropical flavors of the pie. Of course, store bought whipped topping works in a pinch, but homemade whipped cream just adds another level of creaminess to this already extravagant pie.
- For added flavor, top the each slice with toasted coconut. Just spread a thin layer of coconut on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 325 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. The golden color really pops on top of a dollop of whipped cream.
- Store this pie in the refrigerator for up to a week. Any longer than that and the crust starts to get soggy. Do not freeze this pie.
More Delicious Pie Recipes
- Coconut Cream Pie – Coconut Cream Pie is a dreamy island dessert with a flaky crust, coconut filling that is made from scratch, and toasted coconut sprinkles.
- Creamy Lemon Pie – This Creamy Lemon Pie is packed full of tart, lemon flavor and creamy goodness. This recipe is super easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser!
- Butterscotch Pie – This creamy butterscotch filling is spread into a flaky pie crust and drizzled with butterscotch topping then sprinkled with butterscotch chips. It’s basically a butterscotch lovers dream.
- German Chocolate Pie – This pie recipe comes straight from Amish country. The rich, gooey, chocolate filling is to die for!
- Key Lime Pie – Straight from Savannah, Georgia, this pie is smooth and creamy with the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
How to Make Island Pecan Pie
Island Pecan Pie is loaded with pineapple, coconut, and pecans in a delicious creamy filling. A tropical twist on a pecan pie classic!
Serves: 8
Instructions
- Beat the sugar, corn meal, flour, eggs and salt together.
- Gently stir in the pecans, pineapple and coconut (don’t beat it).
- Stir in the melted butter and mix well.
- Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell.
- Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove pie from oven.
- Cover the crust edge with some aluminum foil to keep it from burning. Cook 15 to 30 more minutes, or until the pie is set.
- Allow pie to cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Homemade Almond Whipped Cream
- With a mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add sugar and almond extract.
- Continue to whip until stiff peaks form or until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Top with toasted coconut.
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 233mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 545IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1.9mg
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Gina says
What a fun dessert to be transported somewhere warm and tropical! Adding this to our Thanksgiving menu!
Jane Saunders says
This worked perfectly and the family devoured it in one sitting, so yeah, I guess it was a hit 🙂 Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Erin Thomas says
Is this a regular pie crust or a deep dish pie crust?
Favorite Family Recipes says
A regular pie crust!
Barbara Cook says
The pie turned out good but in your whipped cream topping, it said, sugar, not powdered sugar. I thought this was going to work ok but the cream immediately flattened & looked really bad. Everything was going good til I did that. So, powdered sugar is what I will use next time.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh thank you for catching that, I will edit the recipe now.
CAROL BUSH says
Do you think a graham cracker crust would be okay instead of regular pie crust?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it with a graham cracker crust before, but I think that would work. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Sarah says
Why the cornmeal? Can it be Substitute it with something else?
Favorite Family Recipes says
The cornmeal thickens the filling to the right consistency. The only other substitute I know of is ground up oats. Hope this helps!
Sandi says
Would corn starch work instead of cornmeal?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it that way, so I wouldn’t know! But let us know how it turns out if you try it!
linda says
I made this for Christmas turned out great. The only change I made was to decrease the sugar to one and a half cups. It keeps well in the fridge & was almost better the next day. It has a real different taste & texture. It’s a bit like a pecan pie but not as gooey or as sweet. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Judy says
Loved this pie. It was also easy to make. My great granddaughter found it and wanted to make it for 4H. She made a practice one and it turned out so yummy. She made one and entered it in the 4H pecan contest today. I know she placed. I made two for her mom to take to work. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We are so glad you love this recipe as much as we do!! Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Jodi Heffernan R. says
This pie was amazing 😍. Very light and yummy, highly recommend!
Emily Walker says
So glad you liked it, it’s one of my favorite pies!
P. Daughtry says
Can i leave out the coconut?
Favorite Family Recipes says
The coconut is a large part of the pie filling, so leaving it out would change the taste and texture of the pie significantly. Since I haven’t tried it that way, I can’t speak to how it would turn out. Let me know how it goes if you do try it!
Susan says
I see the recipe calls for corn meal. I can’t not have this. What would be a substitute? What does the corn meal do?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It adds to the texture and helps hold the pie together. I would recommend using ground oats or almond flour if you can’t have the cornmeal.
Jackie says
How about another tablespoon of flour. I’m allergic to corn so would like to hear from someone who has tried an alternative.
Jeanifer Marion says
I made this and it’s was wonderful, I drizzled a little chocolate syrup over my whipped topping. Not to much , just enough to have that little extra flavor.
Therese Patrias says
Absolutely delicious. Made this pie this afternoon. Followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out perfect. I used a deep dish pie plate, baked per the recipe. Will definitely make this again.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m so happy you liked this pie! The flavors are so delicious. Thank you for the 5 stars!
William ORTIZ says
I’m going to try it. Since I’m Puerto Rican can I put rum in it and if so how much and when to put it in.
Thanks
Debbie says
I made this terrific pie using a Graham cracker crust. Liked it much better. Love this pie!!
Connie Monroe says
Have you ever tried it using a sugar substitute?
Echo Blickenstaff says
We have not tried this with a sugar substitute, but if you use one that is specifically for baking, it should work fine. Thanks for asking!
H B says
I’ve made this for the holidays for the past three years. My hubby absolutely loves it!
I always double the recipe, and that usually makes 3 pies.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for the 5-star rating!!
Amy says
I have an allergy to corn, gives me terrible migraines. Do you think I could use almond meal instead? Or even just regular flour?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. Let me know how it goes if you do try it!
Carol says
I have never seen a recipe for pie that uses corn meal as thickener and I bet it works wonderfully! So interesting and this is what is so great about cooking, it is a life long learning experience!I cannot wait to try out this pie. YUM
Sandra Lawson says
Has anyone tried substituting artificial sweeteners (baking blend) for the white sugar? Thanks
Crystal says
This sounds amazing. Do you think substituting almonds for the pecans would work? I have a severe allergy to pecans and walnuts but can eat almonds. TIA!!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m sure you could! Almonds would go great with the coconut. It would just be like an Almond Joy!
Carol says
I Have a couple ideas for making baking time shorter. Cook in saucepan over a low heat until it starts to thicken ( just a little) then add to crust and bake. I usually do this with pecan pies, cook about 5 minutes and it really does make baking go faster Also, for those who didn’t want to use pineapple, make two pies using half the reciepe without, and the second half with. I haven’t tried this yet, but definitly making it per recipe soon. I thought about it when you said it was more of a creamy pie and my mom always made cream filling on top of stove and a pre-baked crust.Except pumpkin pie! Also, a deep dish pir crust is just what it says, it will make a thicker filling pie, not a great idea for anything other than fruit pies , takes too long to get done.IMO
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am going to try this! That’s a great idea!
S C says
I can’t wait to try this pie! Is the pie crust regular or deep dish?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m not really sure what you mean, but the crust lines the bottom and sides of the pie pan.
Sharonett says
Great recipe, delicious rich and decadent pie. Hubby and I ate half the pie in one sitting. Makes a big pie so I used my 10 inch pie dish. I placed a pie of parchment in the bottom before adding the filling which gave me a nice browned bottom on the crust. I did add one tsp of good vanilla.
Loved it!
Payton says
Can you use a frozen pie crust?
Echo says
Yes, that will work!
Ann says
Could this pie be frozen?
Echo says
I have not tried freezing this pie, but you can freeze pecan pie and I don’t think there would be much difference. Wait until the pie is completely cool. Cover it well with plastic wrap and then foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Thank you for asking!
Jennifer Emilson says
Hi, I tried making this, and also found that I had enough filling for two pies. I think you may want to specify the size of eggs you used. I only ever have large or extra large in the house, so I used 4 instead of the 5 you state, just in case you use a smaller size. And I still had a LOT of filling. I love the idea of the filling, but with the amount of sugar you are using, unsweetened coconut may help cut the sweetness others have experienced.
Paula says
My daughter has made this twice. First time followed exactly. Did not come out firm. 2nd time she increased baking time. Still not firm but very good. She did drain pineapple. Any reason as to it being runny?
Emily says
I’m not sure why, my suggestion would be to cut the amount of pineapple next time. Maybe try doing 3/4 of what you would normally do.
Gayle says
Can you use another fruit besides pineapple I would love to make this but have a daughter with severe pineapple allergy?
Erica says
hmmm that is a good question… I am guessing Mango would be the closest substitute that would still taste “island-y”
john says
Hello.
I have a question. A lot of the recipes on this site call for flaked coconut. Are these recipes using sweetened flaked coconut?
Erica says
Yes, all of them are sweetened unless otherwise noted. Hope this helps!
Susan says
This looks so delicious! Going to try this very soon. Can’t help but wonder if chocolate chips would be a tasty addition?! Thanks for sharing this!
Erica says
You can definitely add chocolate chips if you need your chocolate fix! We haven’t done it that way before but I don’t see why not!
Ronnie says
Love the pie. I prebaked the pie crust.poked holes in the crust all over the bottom when it thawed out.then put the filling in. The pie crust did not burn it was a light brown even after cooking the pie for over an hour
Nancy says
Pie has been in the oven for almost an hour and a half and it’s still very loose. What did I do wrong? I can’t see two tablespoons of thickener
( flour and cornmeal) making all those eggs set up.
Emily says
I’m not sure, I’ve made it numerous times and it has always turned out. Did you drain the pineapple?
Mila says
I saw your comment and wanted to email to see if you ever fixed your problem? Same thing happened to me. I took it out after 1.5 hour, left it to set and when cut it, was shocked, it was all watery. I threw it away. I followed the recipe to a T, drained pineapple, all that.
I want to try again but kind of scared now. Ho do you test it if it’s ready? By poking it from time to time? Should it maybe stay 2 hours in the oven? How would one know it’s time for it to come out, to avoid the ‘loose pie’ problem?
Emily says
I’m so sorry, it’s hard to say what went wrong. Maybe next time try just dicing up some fresh pineapple instead of using the crushed pineapple, then don’t pull it out of the oven until you can lightly press the center and it doesn’t feel runny underneath.
sandy says
Has anyone tried this with no pie crust? I’, thinking there are many eggs in this recipe and makes it similar to a quiche. I routinely make quiche with no crust since the eggs set up beautifully without a pie crust. Wondering what would happen with no crust. Any thoughts?
carissa says
Hi emily,
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It came out really good i think! If I made it tonight for tomorrow should I put it in the frog over night?
Thanks so much!
Carissa 🙂
Emily says
Yes, I always keep it in the fridge.
Nancy says
Hope the frog isn’t too full.
Diana says
Lol….
Shelly says
HAHA HAHA !! I LITERALLY JUST GOT FINISHED QUIETLY CRACKING UP FROM THAT ADORABLE TYPO UNTIL I SAW NANCYS RESPONSE! ! You’ll never know how badly I need the pie and chuckle! Impossible without carissa..thank you and I mean no disrespect❤
OMG!! HAHA!! I LOVE PEOPLE!!
martha shaw says
thanks for sharing recipe, would you also have a recipe for a hawaiian fruitcake, yellow, not dark.it has pineapple,coconut, macadamia nuts?
Emily says
No, we have a Hawaiian wedding cake though.
norma says
Delicious! I made for a euchre game and every body ask for the recipe.
Great job. Tkanks.
Echo says
Thank you for the feedback! We are so glad it was a hit!
Jane says
I made this pie two days ago. My husband is not big on pies, but he loved this one!
Don’t you hate when people make substitutions? Sorry! I didn’t have pecans, so I put in chopped walnuts. Still delicious, but I will use pecans next time.
Also, as some of the others said, I had enough filling to make two pies! Surprise! I wonder if I just mixed it too much (as you said you didn’t want the eggs to fluff) or if it is possible to cut the recipe in half next time?
I used sugar and I wonder about using the Splenda Baking Blend next time. I liked the idea of subbing in some apple sauce for some of the sugar as suggested above, too.
Oh, I thought the crust would get too soggy with the filling, so I put it in the oven for about 5 minutes before adding the filling. It didn’t really bake it, but it firmed up the bottom just a bit. Maybe next time I will try it as you advised since the comments don’t seem to criticise the crust for getting soggy.
Great recipe!
Echo says
Haha! No, we don’t hate it when people make substitutions. It’s fun to try new things and you’ve got to use what you have on hand. I’ll do just about anything to save myself a trip to the grocery store to get just one thing.
Debbie Harbour says
It also makes great little tart size pies, just have to watch them closer while baking. Great for big gatherings or bake sells
Echo says
What a good idea! Thanks!
Debbie Harbour says
Got this recipe from my husbands Aunt, about 20 yrs ago ( minus the pecans). Lost my recipe book it was in & Aunt passed away. Asked everyone in the family & no one knew what I was talking about. Recipe book was found & have enjoyed the pie. Will make note of adding pecans. I also cut coconut in 1/2 (not a real big fan) & up the crushed pineapple by same amount. Still very very good!!
Barbara says
Hi Emily, I’ve had this saved to try for a while. We are having my Dad’s 90th birthday party soon and I’d like to try this for part of the three day menu. However, there are going to be so many people that will want to try it–this is what I’m wondering???? What do you think about doubling the recipe and putting it into a 13 x 9 dish without a crust? Will it be too hard to cut this method? If it absolutely needs a crust, what about a shortbread type crust???
Thanks, Barbara
Emily says
I’m not sure, I have never tried that! I would probably do some sort of crust along the bottom of the pan. If it were me, I would probably just make 2 pies.
dawn says
No one in my family particularly likes pue crust. But they do like graham cracker crust. Do u think I can make this recipe for them using a graham cracker crust and also using a 9 ×13 baking dish?
Erica says
If that is what your family would prefer, I would say: “Go for it”! Let us know how it turns out!
Amanda says
I made this pie a while back and it was AMAZING! I’m making it again today, then I’ll be making it AGAIN on Wednesday to take to my in-laws for Thanksgiving! We love it SO much! Thank you so much for posting this recipe – I have a feeling it’s going to be a holiday staple in my house for quite a while 🙂
By the way, for anyone interested: The first time I made the pie, I subbed applesauce for the butter and a bit of the sugar (only because I forgot to get butter at the grocery store and we always have applesauce on hand for the baby- hah!) and it worked fabulously! I think I did 4oz of applesauce and cut the sugar by half a cup? I wish I could remember exactly, but either way I had no idea how it would turn out and it was AWESOME. This time I am baking it per the recipe, no changes, and I’m very excited to see how it turns out 🙂
Emily says
I’m making this pie tomorrow too! So glad you like it, it’s one of my favorites!
Bea says
I love anything that starts with pineapple, coconut and pecans so I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for doing all the work and graciously sharing it with us!!
Echo says
You are our kind of girl! We hope you like the recipe. Thank you for visiting our site!
Racheal says
Should the pie have that eggy taste? Or is 5 eggs too many
Emily says
I have made it multiple times, I promise there isn’t an eggy taste.
Stella Williams says
Looks delicious your whipped topping is that cream that is whipped till thick. Thank you Emily will definitely make it I know my family will love it.
Emily says
Thanks! You will definitely love it, it’s one of my favorites!!
Toni says
Did you blind bake the pie shell prior to filling?
Emily says
Nope, the pie crust is unbaked prior to cooking.
Karen Owczarek says
What size can of pineapple do you use?
Emily says
You only need a cup, so I would get a can with more than 8 oz.
Sharon says
Can you use brown sugar instead of white?
Emily says
I haven’t tried that but let me know how it works!
Becky hamlett says
The picture looks a little dry. Is it or is it just me?
Emily says
It’s definitely not dry, it maybe just appears that way.
Robin warren says
could you use 3 eggs instead of 5?
Erica says
You could try it with 3… we have only ever used 5 so I don’t know how it would turn out with 3
Jill says
I made this pie. The mixture was too much to fit in the ready made crust that I bought so I divided what was left after the pie into two ramekins and baked it along with the pie. The ramekins were done about the time the foil went on the crust. Waste not want not. Yum! doubly good.
sherry says
What are ramekins?
Elaine says
clear glass custard cups
Stacy says
What kind of flour for the Island pecan pie
Emily says
just regular flour, you can use white or wheat flour.
Debra says
But is it self rising or Plain flour?
Emily says
plain flour.
Resa's kesterson says
Do you bake it 50-60 minutes and then cover the crust and bake for another 15-30 minutes?? So it could possibly take up to 1.5 hours? Does this make just one pie? Thanks!
Emily says
Yes on the time, because it is cooked on such a low heat. Cooking times ail vary based on elevation and ovens. Yes, it makes 1 pie. It will be very full. You could definitely split it into 2 and your cooking time would be shorter.
Elizabeth says
How do i know when it’s set? When it’s not Jiggly
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, it shouldn’t be liquid-y and jiggly. Hope this helps!
Jodie says
Does this pie need to be refrigerated? I need to take a pie for thanksgiving and we have a three hour drive… Just want to know if I can make ahead of time to travel
Emily says
Yes, it needs to be refrigerated but it would be fine on your drive. Especially if you keep it in a cooler.
Judy says
I made this pie last night. It is WAY too sweet! –Will it mess up the recipe to use only one cup of sugar?
And how much do you beat the egg mixture? –Until it’s big and foamy, or just a little? I beat mine a bunch, and I ended up with enough filling for nearly two 9-inch pie shells. (Maybe I just answered my own question..)
Emily says
I tried not to over beat it because I didn’t want the eggs to expand, then didn’t beat it at all when adding the other ingredients. You could definitely do a little less sugar if it was too sweet for you. Or try using fresh, instead of canned pineapple- it’s not as sweet and I think actually tastes much better. The canned is just easier. 🙂
Kristine says
Do you think this would work without the pineapple and what substitutions would I need to make? Thanks!
Emily says
Yes, leaving out the pineapple would be fine. I would maybe try subbing it for something else like banana or another fruit.
Patti says
Maybe some dark chocolate mini chips??
Anna says
Corn meal? Just wondering if you meant corn syrup, which is in traditional pecan pie? Or corn starch for thickener? If not, what is the purpose of corn meal??
Emily says
Yep. its corn meal! It acts as a thickener, but you can sub out with corn starch if you want.
Becca says
I live in Florida and want to add this tropical pie for Thanksgiving.
Question-
self-rising or all purpose cornmeal???
Florida hugs,
Becca
Echo says
All purpose corn meal works great. Your guests are going to love this pie! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
J says
hi,is the cornmeal essential?i cant find that here in australia,or maybe a substitute suggestion?thank you!
Emily says
Corn starch would work too.
jasmine says
hi,looks great! if i just buy a bag of flaked coconut,am i buying sweetened or unsweetened?thanks!
Emily says
You could do either, I did the sweetened.
lydg says
What did you put on top??
Emily says
I just did whipped topping, and I mixed in a little almond extract. 🙂 Then I toasted some coconut to sprinkle over the top.
Banjo Girl says
Thanks for the awesome tip!
Martha@A Family Feast says
WOW – this looks amazing! Pinned and sharing on my Facebook page later this evening! Can’t wait to try this!
Rita Wright says
Can you use self rising corn meal as well? Yellow or white meal?
Emily says
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not?
Linda says
I used self rising flour anď self rising corn meal mix because that is what I had on hand. I left out the salt because both already had it in them. I also used salted butter. I decided that the pie shell would not hold all the mixture, so I divided it in half and ended up with 2 pies. Baked the same amount of time. Tasty!!
Echo says
Thank you for sharing your adaptions to this recipe, Linda!
Debbie says
It shows two cups of heavy cream in the filling but the instructions don’t mention them except for two in the topping?
Favorite Family Recipes says
For some reason it was displaying the ingredients for the whipped topping twice. I fixed it on the recipe. Theres no heavy cream in the pie filling.
Cheryl says
I used self riding cornmeal and it worked well
Allura Stark says
i followed the recipe to the T and it made 2 PIES! lol
Echo says
Wow! Good to know! The recipe does make a ton of filling. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth says
So do you do the same time as it states