Million Dollar Pie Recipe

As a baker, my friends have come to expect me to show up to gatherings with a dessert to share. Usually, I’m more than happy to oblige. But, on a hot day, even I am loath to heat my oven for very long. This is where vintage icebox recipes like million dollar pie come in.

Million dollar pie is a classic icebox pie made with pecans, coconut, and pineapple in a whipped cream filling spread over a crumbly graham cracker crust. Put it all together and it’s rich, creamy, tangy, and nutty. It’s a smart dessert for a hot and lazy summer day.

What Is Million Dollar Pie?

Icebox pies were popular in the 1930s and 40s as refrigerators became increasingly common in households. Many claim that million dollar pie was invented in South Carolina, but I haven’t been able to confirm its exact origins. This much is true: it’s a Southern recipe dating back to the 1930s or 40s.  

A traditional million dollar pie always includes pecans, shredded coconut, and canned pineapple. Store-bought whipped topping is folded into sweetened condensed milk to make the filling. Lemon juice not only balances the sweetness but also thickens the filling when combined with the sweetened condensed milk. It usually features a graham cracker crust or a shortbread crust.

My Take on the Classic

I created an updated version of this vintage recipe with a few easy flavor boosters: homemade whipped cream, a baked graham cracker crust, and toasted pecans and coconut. Yes, you have to turn on your oven, but just for a few short minutes. The toasty flavor and crunchy pecans and coconut warrant it, and you can bake the crust and toast the nuts at the same time.

In my research, I found that cream cheese is a controversial ingredient. I decided to include it because a little bit of cream cheese is my preferred way of stabilizing homemade whipped cream. It works better as a replacement for store-bought frozen whipped topping, and I also like that the tanginess balances the sweet filling.

What Makes This Pie Worth a Million Bucks?

With a name like million dollar pie, this recipe has a lot to live up to. Here’s why I think it’s worthy of its name.

• Million dollar pie is an almost no-bake recipe. You only need your oven for 10 short minutes. As a comparison, a traditional fruit pie takes about an hour to bake, which makes a big difference on a hot day.
• You can make it ahead. It needs to set for several hours in the refrigerator, making this a fantastic contender for any event where you want to get some of the prep work done ahead of time.
• In terms of flavor and texture, it has everything—it’s sweet and tart, creamy and crunchy, and rich and nutty. It’s a total crowd-pleaser.

Shortcuts and Upgrades

My version only adds a few steps for an upgraded million dollar pie. You can take a few shortcuts from the original, or upgrade it even further for a billionaire pie.

• Completely no-bake pie: Skip baking the crust and skip toasting the pecans and coconut. Chill the crust for at least 1 hour before adding the filling.
• Shortcut pie: The original million dollar pie uses frozen whipped topping (thawed) instead of whipped cream. Substitute a store-bought crust and a container of whipped topping for the homemade versions, then you can assemble the pie in five minutes.
• Billionaire pie: A variation on million dollar pie incorporates a can of cherry pie filling. To avoid adding too much liquid to the filling, I would instead add one-half to one cup of chopped maraschino cherries.

Beat the Heat with Icebox Treats