Million Dollar Pie lives up to its name and is perfect for summer cookouts, holiday dinners, or whenever you want a sweet treat without turning on the oven. It has a creamy, dreamy filling in a buttery graham cracker pie crust that’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy!
Want more classic, easy dessert recipes? Try my Banana Pudding Trifle, Easy Bread Pudding, or Grandma’s Apple Crisp.
In This Post
Making this Million Dollar Pie always brings back fond memories of lazy summer days and family cookouts. It’s a no-bake pie recipe perfect for those hot days when you don’t want to turn on the oven. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and it’s the kind of classic, cool dessert that makes people ask for the recipe after just one bite. They are always surprised at just how easy it is to make!
What Makes It A Million Dollar Pie?
This retro dessert has a long history in the South, dating back to the 1930s or 40s. But no one really knows why it’s called “million-dollar pie.” There are two theories: it’s piled a mile high with a sweet filling or so rich and decadent that it’s worth a million dollars. Either one of these works for me!
Ingredients And Tools You’ll Need
- You’ll need honey, graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and unsalted butter for the crust. You can also use a pre-made crust in a pinch.
- The filling is made of easy-to-find ingredients. You’ll need sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, crushed pineapple, sweetened shredded coconut, pecans, and Cool Whip.
- I like decorating this gorgeous pie with whole pecans, maraschino cherries, and whipped cream.
- A food processor will help you quickly make graham cracker crumbs, and a 9″ deep-dish pie pan. For the filling, you’ll need a fine mesh sieve to drain the pineapple.
How To Make This Millionaire Pie Recipe
- Make the crust and press it into the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Refrigerate it while you prepare the filling.
- In a large bowl, stir the condensed milk and lemon juice until the milk thickens.
- Mix well with the strained crushed pineapple, coconut, and chopped pecan.
- Fold in the thawed Cool Whip gently. Don’t overmix, or the whipped topping will deflate. Pour the creamy filling into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Donya’s Tips
- Don’t press the crust into the pie dish super hard. We want it to be tender, so push it enough to hold its shape.
- While you make the filling, leave the pineapple in a bowl lined with paper towels. It will release more liquid, which the paper towels will absorb. Then, squeeze it again with a clean paper towel before mixing it into the other ingredients.
- When you decorate this quick and easy pie with pecans, place them around the border of the pie, leaving enough space between each pecan to slice the pie into servings.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will last about four days in the fridge. After that, the pineapple starts to separate the filling.
Yes and no. You can freeze it, half-thaw it, and serve it (this is great for the summer)! But if it thaws all the way, the filling will separate due to all the dairy in it, which doesn’t freeze very well.
What To Serve With This Pie
This pie is delicious when served with Homemade Lemonade or Fruit Party Punch. It’s perfect on a holiday dessert buffet with Lemon Pound Cake, Snowball Cookies, and Oreo Truffle Balls.
More Family-Friendly Desserts
If you tried this Million Dollar Pie Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Ingredients
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust or 9-inch store bought
- 1 ½ cups honey graham cracker crumbs about 20 graham crackers
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted, 112 grams
Pie Filling:
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 ½ 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
- Toasted coconut
- Maraschino cherries
- Whipped cream
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 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).
- 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 ½ inches up the side. Use medium pressure to press the crumbs into place to set the crust. Place the crust in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Million Dollar Pie Filling:
- 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.
- 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. Add the drained crushed pineapple, the sweetened shredded coconut, and the chopped pecans to the mixing bowl. Mix until the filling is fully combined.
- 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 because you don’t want to lose the air and fluffiness. 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).
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sha
Sounds delicious except for the use of Cool Whip. I’ve never liked it so can homemade whip cream work?
Sure! Homemade whipped cream will work. Make sure to make it with stiff peaks and let the pie chill.
~Donya
Sha
Thanks for getting back. I thought stabilized whip cream will work. I use instant vanilla pudding (2 tsp to 1 c heavy whipping cream) to stabilize the cream. The pie was delicious!!
Terri
I’m not a fan of coconut. Would could it be okay to omit the coconut or can I substitute it for something else. I do love pineapple!
Just leave it out if you don’t like it.
~Donya