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Million Dollar Pie Recipe

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Million Dollar Pie is an easy old fashioned icebox pie on a graham cracker crust. The creamy filling is made from sweetened condensed milk, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and Cool Whip. This is a delicious dessert that will have everyone asking for seconds!

Million Dollar Pie

This Million Dollar Pie tastes so heavenly. It’s airy, but the filling still has a creamy texture.

I love the way the flavor and texture of the sweetened condensed milk mixes with the Cool Whip to create such a lush and easy dessert. It’s so simple to make, but it’s packed with delicious flavor from the sweetened shredded coconut, the crushed pineapple, and the crunchy chopped pecans.

I think the homemade graham cracker crust with a hint of cinnamon really brings the flavor of this old fashioned million dollar pie to the next level. If you want to keep things ultra easy though, you can definitely use a store bought crust.

Mmm mmm mmm, you’ll love every bite of this decadent pie. It’s such a crowd pleaser that I doubt there will be any leftovers, so you might want to make two because I know you’ll wish for leftovers just to have one more tasty bite!

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust: You can either use a store bought graham cracker crust or you can make your own. It’s super easy to make this homemade no-bake pie crust. All you need is graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, melted butter, and ground cinnamon.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: It’s important to use sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. The texture and sweetness is very different between the two. To get the right flavor and thickness, you really need to use the sweetened condensed milk.

Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is kind of the magical ingredient in this pie. It’s whisked with the sweetened condensed milk, which thickens it enough for the pie to hold together. It’s such a great trick because it instantly thickens the sweetened condensed milk without any heat, and it doesn’t curdle it the way the acid would curdle regular milk.

Pineapple: Crushed pineapple tastes absolutely dreamy in this icebox pie. The pieces are small enough that it adds lots of flavor without large chunks of pineapple (which would throw off the texture of the pie). It’s very important to squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can from the crushed pineapple. If there’s too much liquid from the pineapple, the pie won’t set properly.

Coconut: Sweetened shredded coconut adds sweetness, texture, and delicious flavor to the pie. The combination of pineapple and coconut is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and it doesn’t disappoint here.

Pecans: Chopped pecans are my favorite nut to use in this recipe. Pecans pair so well with desserts because they’re naturally lightly sweet. The addition of the crunch from the pecan pieces adds so much to the texture of this pie.

Cool Whip: A thawed tub of this frozen whipped topping adds volume and a lovely airiness to this pie. Be careful to fold it in gently so that you don’t lose too much of the volume and fluffiness from the Cool Whip.

Toppings: Feel free to top this with whatever garnish you like. My favorite options are whole pecans, toasted coconut, maraschino cherries, and whipped cream.

The labeled ingredients for million dollar pie.

How To Make Million Dollar Pie

Start by making the graham cracker crust. Skip ahead if you’re going to use a store bought crust. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until you have a fine crumb. (See the recipe card below for the full written instructions).

An image showing before and after pulsing honey graham crackers in a food processor.

Add the sugar and cinnamon to the food processor, and pulse to combine.

Before and after pulsing sugar and cinnamon in a food processor.

Pour in the melted butter, and pulse until it’s fully incorporated.

Pouring melted butter in a food processor and pulsing to bind the pie crust.

Use medium pressure to press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a pie plate. Let the crust rest in the fridge for a bit while you make the filling.

An image showing how to form a pie crust with pulsed honey graham crackers.

Squeeze as much liquid out of the drained crushed pineapple as you can. Let it rest while you measure and prepare the rest of the ingredients, then squeeze out any additional liquid that has settled. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until it thickens. Add in the shredded coconut, crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans.

Adding the pie filling base ingredients to a medium mixing bowl.

Stir to mix everything together, then add in the thawed Cool Whip. Gently fold everything together until the Cool Whip is fully incorporated into the filling.

Mixing the filling together with cool whip.

Transfer the filling to the center of the pie crust, then spread the filling out evenly to the edges. Let it rest in the refrigerator until it has set.

Transferring the pie filling to a pie crust and spreading out evenly.

Garnish the pie with your favorite toppings, and serve.

Before and after decorating the pie with pecans.

What Is Million Dollar Pie Made Of?

Million dollar pie is made with a delicious graham cracker crust that’s topped with a creamy filling made from sweetened condensed milk, pineapple, pecans, coconut, and frozen whipped topping.

An image of a decorated pie with swirls and pecans throughout.

Why Is It Called Million Dollar Pie?

This classic old fashioned pie was named “Million Dollar Pie” (aka “Millionaire Pie”) because it tastes so rich and decadent.

A close up side shot of million dollar pie on a pink napkin.

Can You Make It In Advance?

Yes! This no bake pie tastes even better after it’s been resting in the fridge for a day. It really gives the flavors a chance to mingle, so it’s the perfect make ahead dessert.

An image of a partially cut pie on top of a pink napkin.

How Long Will It Last In The Fridge?

This icebox pie will last for about four days in the fridge. If you leave it any longer than that, the liquid from the pineapple starts to separate from the other ingredients.

An image showing what the texture looks like inside a million dollar pie.

Can You Freeze Million Dollar Pie?

It depends on how you plan to serve it. If you plan to serve it about half thawed (where it’s soft enough to slice, but still frozen enough to be firmer than normal), then it’s a great dessert to freeze. I don’t recommend fully thawing it though. It has a very high dairy content that won’t thaw quite right if you plan to serve it at room temperature.

A slice of pie served on a white plate next to a partially cut pie.

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

Pin this recipe for later!

A Pinterest pin image with a picture of million dollar pie, with title text at the top.

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Yield: 8 servings

Grandma’s Million Dollar Pie Recipe

The best million dollar pie recipe.

Million Dollar Pie is an easy old fashioned icebox pie on a graham cracker crust topped with a creamy pineapple coconut filling.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust (Option 1):

  • 1 1/2 cups honey graham cracker crumbs (about 20 graham crackers)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted, 112 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Store Bought Graham Cracker Crust (Option 2):

  • 9 inch premade graham cracker crust

Million Dollar Pie Filling:

  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple (drained)
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip (thawed)

Garnish (optional):

  • Whole pecans (optional)
  • Maraschino cherries (optional)
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

    Graham Cracker Crust:

    1. Place the graham crackers in your food processor. Pulse until you almost have a fine crumb. Add in the sugar and cinnamon, then pulse to blend (about 3 times). Pour the melted butter into the crumbs, and pulse until the butter is fully incorporated into the crumbs (the crumbs should look wet). Carefully remove the blade, then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides.
    2. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer the graham cracker mixture to the greased pie plate. Evenly spread the graham cracker crumbs along the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 1/2 inches up the side. Use medium pressure to press the crumbs into place to set the crust. Don’t press with hard pressure because that will make the crust crumbly, just press enough that the crust looks set but isn’t crumbly. Place the crust in the fridge while you prepare the filling (it needs to rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes).

    Million Dollar Pie Filling:

    1. It’s very important to remove as much liquid as possible from the crushed pineapple, otherwise the pie will be liquidy and won’t set properly. Pour the can of crushed pineapple into a metal sieve over the sink. Use the back of a spoon to press the pineapple down to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Transfer the pineapple to a small bowl and let it sit while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. As it sits, more liquid accumulates. Use clean paper towels to squeeze out any remaining liquid before adding it to the pie. 
    2. To a large mixing bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Stir together until they’re well mixed, and the sweetened condensed milk begins to thicken (about 90 seconds). Add the drained crushed pineapple, the sweetened shredded coconut, and the chopped pecans to the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly until the filling is fully combined. 
    3. Add the thawed Cool Whip to the mixing bowl, and gently fold it into the filling. Continue mixing gently until it’s fully incorporated, but don’t overmix it or mix it quickly because you don’t want to lose the air and fluffiness that the Cool Whip provides. Once mixed, transfer the filling to the center of the pie crust and smooth it out to the edges. Refrigerate the pie until it has set (about 4 hours).
    4. Once the pie has set, garnish with your choice of toppings. Whole pecans, maraschino cherries, and whipped cream are my favorite toppings. If you use pecans, place the whole pecans around the border of the pie, leaving enough space between each pecan to slice the pie into servings.

    Nutrition Information:

    Serving Size:

    1/8

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 741Total Fat: 34.7gCarbohydrates: 110.7gFiber: 3.1gSugar: 103.5gProtein: 6.9g

    Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

    Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

    This easy old fashioned icebox pie is the best no bake dessert! Everyone loves this million dollar pie recipe. Try bringing it to your next family holiday and you’ll see what a crowd pleaser it is!

    The best million dollar pie recipe.

    1 thought on “Million Dollar Pie Recipe”

    1. Made this today. It was not sweet. Do you use pineapple in heavy syrup or just in it’s own juices

      Reply

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