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
Cindy says
A little confusing... bake for 10mins at 425F. Cool it off, put it in the fridge? For how many minutes? then put it back in the oven and finish baking 350F x 40mins?
Badly wanted to try this recipe for the holiday but I want to make sure if I read it correctly. I would appreciate a prompt reply. Thank you.
mary a. says
hi miss lalaine! just wondering what is the equivalent of 3/4 cuos lard to unsalted butter? thanks in advance!
Lenny says
Can I prepare this ahead of time and bake it the next day? Thanks
Richie says
Is there any alternative for lard?
Lalaine Manalo says
You can use vegetable shortening like Crisco
Rose says
How about blind baking the base crust.. ok po kaya ang maging result..
Thanks!
Cristall Jean Vasquez says
what specific flour would Be use for baking the flaky pie crust?
Lalaine Manalo says
All-purpose flour ๐
Cindy says
Ilang tray po ito ng buko pie. Ano pong size ng tray?
Pam says
Hello! Is the assembly correct cause it says there โbake for 10min then take out and serve warm then it says put egg wash and bake for 30-40mins.โ
Glow says
What size is the pan in inches? Thank you! โบ๏ธ
Maricris says
Hi Ms. Lalaine! Where do you usually find a lard? I think it's not very common in grocery stores and supermarkets. Thank you. ๐
Maria Luisa Francisco says
From New York USA, thanks for the recipe hoping I can follow the procedure, especially making the dough.
R bectel says
The flavor on this was great but clearly i didnt get truly young coconut. It said it was but it was firm like a potato. What should fresh young coconut feel like? Im thing it should be more like a soft pear after trying this more firm and fibrous one i got. I could not find canned anywhere. Could i have simmered it for awhile to soften it? I used light cream and it worked fine but i think a little more liquid would have been good.
Your receipe seems to have a typo. It says to serve it warm but the next line is to lower the temp to 350 and bake 30-40 mins more. I will definitely try this again. Thanks
Adele Abutanatin says
Buko pie is my favorite snack, thank you for sharing your recipe, I will try to bake this weekend during my free time.
Lalaine Manalo says
It's one of my favorites as well! Let us know how it goes.
Lary says
I hope you can reply to my comment. I just want to ask if I can make the filling and use the crust you did on the mini egg pies recipe. I want to make buko pie while my sister wants egg pie so we planned to do the crust and I'm gonna do my filling while she do hers. I also wanna ask if its okay if I dont brush the top with egg wash? Thank you in advance for answering!
MENCHIE F. DELOS SANTOS says
Thank you very much for sharing your recipe,Godbless po.this is my favorite and I love baking.
Leonora Obed says
Thank you! I am from Los Banos, this recipe brings back wonderful memories
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome Leonora!
Susan says
What can I use for lard substitute?
Mark says
What can i use if i dont have a lard
Lalaine Manalo says
You can use butter or vegetable shortening such as Crisco ๐
Jec says
Iโve been a fan of your page for years and lately Iโve been noticing that my comments are not appearing. I have asked questions about the recipes and yet no answer. The most recent commentis here and yet I commented like days ago before that. Disappointing. Iโve been checking the comment page to see if there is any answer to my question because I have been wanting to make buko pie. Really disappointed.
Lalaine Manalo says
Hello, Jec,
I apologize for the delay in my response or your comments not showing right away on the blog. I have a plugin that filters comments for possible spam and I think a lot of the comments are getting caught in my spam folder. Also, I keep most of the comments that I do receive in moderation until I get to answer them. Your feedback is important to me, especially since you take the time and effort to leave one, so I want to acknowledge and answer each and every one. I have to admit, I am very behind ๐ I promise to work on them as soon as possible so they'll appear on the post. Again, I am so sorry.