Buko Pie is the ultimate baked treat! With tender young coconut meat in a creamy filling and a crisp, buttery pastry crust, this Filipino coconut pie is perfect for a snack or dessert!
Buko pie is a Filipino-style coconut pie made of fresh, tender young coconut meat combined with a creamy filling and enclosed in a flaky pie crust.
The pie is a favorite pasalubong item, mostly bought from the area of Laguna, where it's known to have originated. Stores such as Colette's and Lety's have become iconic destinations for this scrumptious pastry but are not the original creator of the famous Laguna buko pie.
History
The real founder or, in this case, founders of the buko pie are the Pahud sisters, and their only shop, the ORIENT, is in Los Baรฑos, Laguna.
The idea for buko pie was born when the sisters planned to start their bakery. Since one of them has worked abroad as a housemaid in the United States and learned how to make apple pie, they wanted to offer this type of pastry in their bakery.
But due to a scant supply of apples in the country, they decided to take advantage of what is most abundant in their area: coconuts.
The coconut filling
- The texture of the buko is very important in the success of this recipe. Choose young coconuts that have a generous amount of meat yet but are still very tender.
- Carefully remove the meat using a spoon instead of a shredder for whole and chunky pieces instead of thin strips.
- For a smooth filling, cook at a gentle simmer and do not boil lest the cream curdles or separates.
- Let the filling cool completely before using as the escaping steam might tear the dough apart.
The pie crust
- Do NOT skip the lemon juice or vinegar! Adding acid interferes with gluten formation, resulting in a more tender crust.
- Use VERY cold ingredients for buttery, flaky crust. You can chill the lard and flour for a few minutes to help maintain cool temperatures.
- For a tender crust, add ice-cold water sparingly and use just enough amount for the dough to hold together.
Lard substitution
The pie pastry uses lard, but you can substitute unsalted butter or vegetable shortening (Crisco) if you prefer a healthier fat.
- If substituting butter, use unsalted. Butter has less fat than lard, so you might have to add more to achieve the same results. You can replace every ยฝ cup of lard with ยฝ cup and 1 tablespoon of butter.
- If substituting vegetable shortening, use 1:1 as shortening and lard have almost the same amount of fat.
Assembly and baking
- Work quickly to prevent the dough from heating up. If it's too soft to handle or it begins to stick on the working surface, chill the dough in the refrigerator for few minutes before rolling.
- You can make decorative crimps on the edges of the pie or use the tines of a fork to seal.
- Poke holes on the top crust using the tines of a fork to serve as vents for the steam during baking.
- Bake the pie for about 10 minutes and then brush with egg wash for a nice golden color.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing for the filling to set.
How to serve
Enjoy this delicious buko pie as a dessert or midday snack with coffee, tea, or your favorite cold drinks.
How to store
- Wrap the pie tightly with plastic film and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To freeze, place the baked pie on a baking sheet and freeze until frozen. Transfer to a resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour and heat in a 375 F oven on the lowest rack for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warm.
More baked goods recipes
Filipino Coconut Pie is the ultimate tropical treat. Enjoy this buko pie as a snack or dessert with coffee or tea!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Ingredients
FLAKY PIE CRUST
- 3 cups flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยพ cups lard,chilled
- 6 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
PIE FILLING
- โ cup cornstarch
- ยฝ cup coconut water
- ยฝ cup all-purpose cream
- ยพ cup sugar
- 4 cups young coconut meat
EGG WASH
- 1 small egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
PIE FILLING
- Dissolve the cornstarch in coconut water and set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the coconut meat.
- Slowly add the coconut water with cornstarch, stirring regularly. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens to almost paste-like consistency.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
FLAKY PIE DOUGH
- In a bowl, sift flour and salt.
- Add chilled lard and cut in with a knife until resembling small peas. Make sure they are not too small or the crust will be crumbly.
- Add lemon juice or vinegar to the cold water and sprinkle in just enough cold water to the flour mixture, while tossing lightly with a fork, to form a ball.
- Chill, if possible, to make for easier handling. Divide into two equal parts, one for the bottom and one for the top crust.
- Take 1 part of the pie dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out thinly to fit a 28x4 cm pie pan with additional inch allowance for the edges.ย
- Gently fold the rolled dough in half and then in a quarter. Place the dough on top of the pie pan with the pointed part precisely in the middle. Unfold the pie dough and gently fit the dough on the bottom and sides of the plate without tearing it.ย
- Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under, and press gently to seal. Crimp edges if desired. Refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour before using.
- Take the remaining half of the dough and roll it forming a circle with the same diameter as the top of the pie pan (28cm). Place the dough on parchment paper and roll it together into a cylinder. Refrigerateย until ready to use.ย
ASSEMBLY AND BAKING
- Preheat to 425 F.
- Pour the filling on the chilled pie crust, making sure that the coconut meat is evenly distributed.
- Unroll the second crust dough with the parchment paper to cover the top of the pie. Cut the excess from the edges, if any, and pinch the sides to seal together with the crust.
- Using tines of a fork, poke holes on top crust to serve as vents for the steam while baking.
- Bake in a 425 F oven for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl,ย whisk together the egg and milk.ย Remove the pie from oven and brush the top with the egg wash.
- Lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
- Remove pie from oven and let it cool down for the filling to set. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- The texture of the buko is very important in the success of this recipe. Choose young coconuts that have a generous amount of meat yet but are still very tender.
- Carefully remove the meat using a spoon instead of a shredder for whole and chunky pieces instead of thin strips.
- For a smooth filling, cook at a gentle simmer and do not boil lest the cream curdles or separates.
- Let the filling cool completely before using as the escaping steam might tear the dough apart.
- Do NOT skip the lemon juice or vinegar! Adding acid interferes with gluten formation, resulting in a more tender crust.
- Use VERY cold ingredients for buttery, flaky crust. You can chill the lard and flour for a few minutes to help maintain cool temperatures.
- For a tender crust, add ice-cold water sparingly and use just enough amount for the dough to hold together.
- Work quickly to prevent the dough from heating up. If it's too soft to handle or it begins to stick on the working surface, chill the dough in the refrigerator for few minutes before rolling.
- You can make decorative crimps on the edges of the pie or use the tines of a fork to seal.
- Poke holes on the top crust using the tines of a fork to serve as vents for the steam during baking.
- Bake the pie for about 10 minutes and then brush with egg wash for a nice golden color.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing for the filling to set.
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 469kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 330mg, Potassium: 254mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 415IU, Vitamin C: 4.3mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 3.3mg
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Tess says
Hi, can i use your empanada crust recipe for the buko pie? Thanks.
vivien m wordsman says
Hi Ms Lalaine, i would like to make your egg pie on this size of the pie crust..how many egg yolks do i need to make it..i've seen your mini pie version but i would like to make a bigger...thank you
Dianne says
Hi I want to thank you for this recipe. I posted a comment last night but it doesn't seem to appear. I just want to ask,why does my crust turn out to be hard? And for the last step on assembly and baking, do you really need to put it in refrigerator after baking for ten minutes and cooling down before adding the egg wash then baking it again for another 30 mins?
Dianne says
Plus, I am a bit confused with the last instruction of baking the pie. Do you need to like refrigerate the pie after cooling before adding egg wash and baking again? Or you can bake it immediately after cooling then brushing the egg wash?
Dianne says
Hi! Thank you for this recipe. I want to ask why does my cust turn out to be hard? I am using a ยฐC temp because that is the setting I have with my oven. Hoping to get a reply soon ๐
Minky says
I plan to make this. Would you know of this freezes well?
Phoebe says
Thanks for sharing all this. I use cooking to destress myself from work. and cooking our filipino foods alleviates our homesickness of our homeland, Philippines. I happen to have a filipino store nearby to get all my ingredients. I was always fascinated with buko pie. Thanks for the information on how it was even created. Love the history.The fact that there are already ready made pie crusts here in the US, it's easy for me to just learn the filling of the buko pie. Thanks so much for the great recipe and info.
Rachel says
Hi. The frozen young coconut meat I got was hard. Do you know a way to tenderize it? Would simmering work? Thank you. Cheers!
Eleanor Ahmad says
What is the substitute for Lard ? Lard isnโt available in my place, thanks for the reply
Kiesha says
Nakakalito yung steps for a newbie. For example, this step confused me: Add lemon juice or vinegar to the cold water and sprinkle in just enough cold water to the flour mixture, while tossing lightly with a fork, to form a ball. Should've been seperated into two steps.
Then, there's this:
Bake in a 425 F for 10 minutes.
Remove pie from oven and let it cool down for the filling to set in. Serve while just slightly warm. You may refrigerate left over and just reheat in the microwave before serving.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
Remove the pie from oven and brush the top with the egg wash.
Lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
From what I understand, after baking for 10 minutes, pwede na sya i-serve? Then microwave nlang ung natira? Pero after that, needs to be baked for 40 minutes more?
redg says
In my understanding, continue baking after brushing the egg wash in the pie for additional 40 mins.
manillesol says
Hello! Iโm baking this right now and just realized that the instructions are a bit confusing. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes then leave out to cool? Then refrigerate โleftoversโ? Then bake at 350 for 40 mins with egg wash? You may not answer me in time, but Iโm going to assume that this order is mixed up and will bake at 425, then egg wash then 350 for 40. Leftovers I assume will happen much later, if at all ๐
kath says
hi, what is another alternative for lard?
im new to baking and found your site helpful..
all the best..:)
Mj says
Do you have a video on how to make this?
Alvin says
Hi meron po ba kayo near sa Massachusetts?
Liza says
Hi laine I made this and it turn very good,thanks for sharing your recipe and keep up the good work. I can't wait to make your other recipes ๐๐๐