Millionaire Pie

If you grew up in the 1960s in Texas you probably had a slice of this creamy, tropical dessert at one time or another. Taste those sweet memories and make some new ones with this old fashioned, family favorite!

You'll love this vintage no-bake cheesecake pie, too!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• Storage
• 🎥 Video
• 🥄 Equipment
• 💭 Tips
• 📚 Related recipes
• 📞 The last word
• Millionaire Pie
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• No-bake
• SO CREAMY
• Make ahead

Millionaire's pie with coconut is so easy to make!

This Furr's Cafeteria copycat has a soft pink color and tropical Hawaiian flavor just like the original and if you like ambrosia salad you'll LOVE this.

It's been a family favorite here for a couple of generations!

🥘 Ingredients

• Crumb crust can be purchased or a homemade graham cracker crust. I've used Frosted Flakes, butter cookies, 'Nilla wafers, graham crackers, and pecan sandies to make the crust and they all work fine! Like many no bake desserts, graham cracker is the traditional crumb crust.
• Whipped topping (Cool Whip) is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores or you can try my homemade version (link in recipe). Plain whipped cream breaks down too easily.

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• coconut
• crushed pineapple
• Cool Whip
• Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
• pecans
• maraschino cherries
• lemon juice
• graham cracker crust

🔪 Instructions

Y'all the only way to make this no bake millionaire pie recipe any easier is to get someone to make it for you.

Here are easy, step by step images and instructions for putting together this iconic recipe made famous in the 1950s by Furr's Cafeterias.

1. Get the graham cracker pie crust ready and put it in the freezer while you are making the pie filling.
2. Mix the filling ingredients except the whipped topping.
3. Fold in the Cool Whip. Be very gentle with this part.
4. Spoon the filling into the crust, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
5. Cover the millionaire pie with remaining topping. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
6. Freeze for 40 minutes before serving to make it easier to cut.

🥥 How to toast coconut

Be sure to watch carefully! It can go from not toasted to burnt in seconds.

1. Place coconut on a microwave safe dish in a thin layer.
2. Microwave on high for 15 seconds.
3. Stop and stir.
4. Microwave for 15 more seconds.
5. Stop and stir.
6. Continue until you've got it as golden as you like.

How to toast nuts

Nuts toast best in the oven. Like coconut, they burn easily so watch closely!

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Lay the chopped nuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Toast, stirring often, for about 5 -8 minutes, or until they are toasted to your liking.

Storage

Millionaire pie should be covered with plastic wrap on placed in an airtight container made for pies and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.

🎥 Video

Just click on the image below if you'd like to see the full length video on YouTube. It opens in a new tab so you won't lose your place here.

🥄 Equipment

You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

• pie dish
• electric mixer
• large mixing bowl

This is SO cool! This pie keeper will keep your pie fresh in the fridge without mashing down the topping!.

💭 Tips

Expert Tip: Spray the inside of your plastic wrap with cooking spray before you cover the pie so that the filling doesn't stick to the wrap.

Millionaire pie is one of those beginner recipes that your 10 year old can make without much help. It's an easy summer dessert that's a huge hit with everyone!

• Do not skip the lemon juice or this pie will NOT thicken!
• If you prefer a less sweet dessert use a regular pie crust instead of a crumb crust.
• Substitute marshmallows for the coconut if you don't care for it.
• The maraschino cherry juice give the pie its pink color. You can adjust the color by adding a touch more or a little less.
• The lemon juice helps to thicken this creamy dessert, similar to my lemon icebox pie, but lime juice works, too.
• Drain as much juice from the pineapple as possible or your filling won't set up.
• Wait to add the extra topping to the top until just before you are ready to serve.
• Toasting the pecans gives them better flavor.
• Substitute the pecans with macadamia nuts.
• Give it plenty of time to chill.
• Put the pie in the freezer about 45 minutes before you want to cut it so the slices are pretty and clean.
• This million dollar pie recipe is a very rich dessert so you could technically cut it into 10 servings.
• You can make this easy pie up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it refrigerated.
• Make this into bars - press the crumbs in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan and double the filling - it makes it so easy to take to potlucks!
• Some people call this pie Pina Colada pie - make an adults only version by substituting the pineapple juice with rum.
• Garnish the top with those little cocktail umbrellas before serving - so cute!

You may also like this other vintage favorite, Strawberry Filled Angel Food Cake.

What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness!  Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!

📚 Related recipes

I love desserts! If you're looking for more dessert recipes I have them!

📞 The last word

This exquisite bite of Americana is, or was, a popular dessert at Furr's Cafeterias in Texas during the 1970s and before. They may still serve it - I honestly haven't been to a Furr's in years.

Actually I think we went to Furr's when we were in Fort Worth and Wyatt's Cafeteria when we were in Dallas....

It doesn't matter - they both had this wonderfully creamy pie.

I always thought it was called "million dollar pie" and I felt special that Dad spend that kind of money on me - until I learned to read and found it it was something like $1.59!

Whether you call it Millionaire Pie, Pina Colada Pie, Hawaiian Pie, or something else -- this old-fashioned no-bake recipe is absolutely the best!

Be sure to make it soon. And let me know in the comments if this is one of those recipes that was part of your childhood...

You might also like this easy pineapple cream cheese pie or pineapple fluff recipe.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First published: May 2018. Last updated October 16, 2021 for editorial updates.