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Chocolate haupia pie is a popular pie found in Hawaii. It’s a rich chocolate pie with a coconut haupia layer and topped with whipped cream.
Hawaiian Haupia Pie
Haupia Pie is a widely popular pie found in Hawaii. It can have many different variations, like a sweet potato haupia pie, but the most popular is probably the chocolate haupia pie recipe. There are many bakeries in Hawaii that serve this delicious pie so it’s hard to say which bakery made this pie first but I think it is safe to say that it was Ted’s Bakery on North Shore Oahu that made it famous. Chocolate haupia pies are the perfect blend of chocolate, coconut, and cream and it just might be my favorite pie of all time. Ever.
What Is Haupia?
Haupia, in a nutshell, is Hawaiian coconut pudding or custard. The coconut mixture is thicker than what most would consider “pudding” on the mainland and almost has a gelatin-like consistency. Think of it like a cross between pudding and gelatin. That’s the best way I can describe it to someone who has never had haupia before. The haupia layer is supposed to be thick and should not have a “cream pie” consistency.
Ted’s Bakery
Any time I had family or friends visit me in Hawaii, I would always take them to Ted’s bakery. Of course, the chocolate haupia cream pie was a favorite, but they have SO MANY delicious menu items it was (and is) so hard to choose. I am a big fan of the pineapple macadamia nut cheesecake and strawberry guava pie as well. To be honest, I never had anything at Ted’s that I didn’t like. If you visit Sunset Beach (or just pass through), you MUST stop in to Ted’s Bakery and get slice of pie (and maybe even a plate lunch). Have you been to Ted’s Bakery? What is YOUR favorite thing to get?
What’s In Haupia Pie?
- Pie crust – You can use a pre-made pie crust or make your own. Try our favorite homemade pie crust recipe. You can also go non-traditional and use a graham cracker pie crust or Oreo pie crust.
- Coconut Milk (Unsweetened) – Use fall-fat only. If you use “light” or fat-free it won’t set up the same, or taste as good.
- Milk – We like to use whole milk in this recipe but you can use a lighter milk or even almond milk. It won’t be as rich if you don’t use whole milk but it will still be good.
- Sugar – The sweetener in the recipe.
- Thickener – In this recipe we use cornstarch and milk but you can also use arrowroot or agar agar. To learn more about these other thickeners when making haupia, check out our haupia recipe.
- Melted Chocolate Chips – Most people prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips because it is a nice balance of sweetness. We actually like using dark chocolate chips most of the time but it makes it VERY rich and not as sweet. If you like it really sweet, use milk chocolate chips. You can also use a cup of your favorite plain chocolate bar like Trader Joe’s chocolate bars or Hershey’s instead of chocolate chips.
- Whipped Cream – Homemade is best, just follow the instructions in the recipe. Add a little coconut extract and you won’t be disappointed.
Optional Toppings
It isn’t necessary to add any toppings to haupia pie, it is perfect as-is. You can even leave the whipped topping off and it will still be delicious. However, if you feel the need to make it more fancy you can add a little bit of toasted coconut, crushed macadamia nuts or some dark chocolate shavings over the top of the pie dish. Don’t go too crazy with the toppings because you don’t want to take away from the deliciousness of the pie itself. Less is more when it comes to this pie!
More Authentic Hawaiian Recipes
Loco Moco
Chicken Long Rice
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
Huli Huli Chicken
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad
Haupia
Malasadas
How to Make Chocolate Haupia Pie
Chocolate Haupia Pie
Video
Ingredients
Chocolate Haupia Pie
- 1 (9-inch) pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, divided
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (not fat-free or light)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see notes above)
Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Haupia Pie
- Generously pierce the crust with a fork before baking.
- Bake according to recipe or according to package directions, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine ½ cup whole milk and cornstarch. Mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of whole milk, coconut milk, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, whisking often.
- Stir the cornstarch mixture once more before slowly adding to the coconut milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick, like a thick pudding. (This coconut milk pudding is the haupia.) It is very important that the mixture is thick before moving to the next step.
- Place about half of the haupia mixture into a separate bowl and set aside. Add chocolate chips to the remaining mixture in the saucepan and stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted and well combined.
- Add the chocolate haupia mixture immediately to the cooled pie crust and smooth with a spatula until even.
- Carefully add the remaining haupia mixture over the top and carefully smooth over until even.
- Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Whipped Cream Topping
- To make whipped cream, whip heavy cream, and sugar until stiff peaks form. Add coconut extract and whip for 30 more seconds.
- After the pie has cooled, cut into slices and top with whipped cream topping. You can use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the whipped cream in a design over the top.
My mom and her siblings were reminiscing about growing up in Hawaii and one of them mentioned missing haupia pie. That conversation eventually led me here and I finally got a chance to make it. Everyone loved it and I’d like to make it again, but I need some clarification so the next time goes more smoothly. When you whisk in the cornstarch, is this on the heat or off? I added the cornstarch and it thickened immediately but not to the consistency of a thick pudding. It was more like a gravy. So I kept it on the heat and whisked for a LONG time (30+ minutes). The mixture had reduced down considerably. I finally decided to just go with it, removed it from the heat, divided it and added the chocolate. With the chocolate added, it got super thick instantly. I’m not sure if the chocolate cooled it down and thickened it or…? The haupia I had set aside also thickened in it’s container while I was spreading the chocolate portion in the pie shell. They were really TOO thick, I would say. Spreading them was a challenge. We only let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours before eating it and it was heavenly! But it did thicken even more overnight. Still tastes great, though. Can you give me an idea of how long it should be whisked and should I have removed it from the heat after adding the cornstarch?
Hi Trish- I am so glad you liked this recipe but sorry that it gave you some troubles! You whisk in the cornstarch while the heat is on and when it thickens up like gravy, you can turn the heat off and allow it to cool. It will thicken more as it cools. That is probably why it thickened up a ton when you added the chocolate. Hope this helps for next time!
Can I use regular coconut milk ? Thanks
You need to use canned coconut milk for this recipe to turn out.
I live in Hawaii and used to buy Ted’s pie all the time until I found your recipe! Now I make it all the time and it is a hit at every party. My husband’s and childrens favorite pie.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe! We had previously tried a different recipe for Haupia Pie, and it wasn’t very flavorful, but this made me feel like I was back in Hawaii. I did try something I think others might like. I made a macadamia nut crust. Try this: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sprinkle of salt, and 6oz of macadamia nuts, chopped into bits (I use a food processor) and mix together. Then cut in 1/2 cup of butter and 1/4 a cup of lard, until you have a crumbly dough. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of cold water on the dough, tossing gently with a fork after each sprinkle, until the dough is sticking together nicely. Press into a pie dish, poke a few times with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. The crust should just be getting golden brown. Then use the crust as directed in the recipe. Having that macadamia nut crust was a total win. We served it at Thanksgiving dinner and no one even bothered with the pumpkin pie.
That sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing!
Waaaaay too sweet. I would cut sugar by half and add a natural coconut extract to the non-chocolate layer, or maybe a little malibu rum.
Ive made this quite a few times now!! 🙂 It is very very good, the Haupia comes out amazing! I’ve found the fastest way to get the Haupia to thicken is to make sure your coconut milk mixture is steaming, add your cornstarch while it’s steaming, stir fairly aggressively, then lower to a simmer! Also a way to tell if it’s thick enough is to have a little plate on the side and drop some of the Haupia onto the plate, if it bounces back a bit once it’s cooled, and it isn’t liquidy, then it’s most likely ready! 🙂
You can also make banana Haupia pie by substituting the chocolate chips for banana extract and putting bananas at the bottom of your crust! 🙂 Amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for your tips and suggestions! And thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
takes a long time but tastes so good
Made this for my daughter’s birthday. It is what she always requests. It is a keeper!
We love this recipe.
I’m making this for the faculty at school for our Spring Fling/Hawaiian Shirt day. So it will be for more than a few people.
Could I make it in a deep baking pan? Pressing the pie crusts crusts together?
Would be easier than making multiple pies!
Thanks 🙂
We haven’t tried that but that would probably work!
Forgive me is this is answered somewhere. I have read through many comments and not see seen this question. How far in advance can the pie be made and stored in fridge? Maybe adding whipped topping day of serving? Thanks.
The longest I would go in advance is probably 1-2 days. Otherwise the crust will be really soggy.
We had a similar pie while in Maui and after making this, it was almost identical in taste! Thanks for sharing.
Hi from Japan!
So excited that I have found this recipe!
Before I make I have one question.
What is “1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk” exactly?
Is that mean “1.14oz”? It’s like 33ml only. I feel it too little.. but am I correct?
Sorry for the confusion! It means (1) 14-ounce can. Hope this helps!
The pie is in the fridge.This is my second time trying to make this. The first time the liquid mixture didn’t thicken. Waste 😕 The recipe didn’t say to bring the liquid mixture to steaming (not boiling) before simmering. That’s a crucial step. Had to reference other recipes to learn this. Aside from this, the pie is easy to make and I know it will be delish (I sampled the leftovers in the mixing bowl) 😋
Second time making it. First time was back at Christmas. Second time for Easter. It’s so good. Brings me back to Anna Millers. So good. Followed the directions exactly and everything set perfectly. And had extra chocolate left over! Yay bonus chocolate!! Mahalo for posting this recipe!
This pie was perfect and tasted just like Ted’s. If you’re making this be sure to heat the haupia mixture long enough for it to be thick. It’s super important. We have made this recipe 5 times making adjustments along the way. This last time we followed the recipe exactly but cooked the haupia longer. It was perfect!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
How long did you cook the haupia for?
can i put this pie in the freezer
We haven’t tried that before, so we can’t say one way or another. Sorry!