Millionaire pie might sound fancy, but it's very easy and big on flavor and nostalgia. It's a vintage recipe with pineapple, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, coconut, crunchy pecans, and condensed milk, all in a classic crumb crust.

I first made it out of curiosity when looking for retro desserts for this blog. It surprised me, and now I make it when I need a no-bake, impressive dessert, sometimes using fresh cherries when in season. If sweet ambrosia salad and my favorite easy pineapple pie merged, you would have this creamy fruit pie.

Whole cherry pecan topped cream millionaire pie on a white plate. Whitish background. Cherries, pecans, teal cloth.

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Stunning icebox pie

If you like no-bake cheesecakes and icebox pies, you'll feel right at home here with the ease of assembly and creamy texture of this dessert, and also if you want to impress without much effort. It's fantastic what fruit, condensed milk, nuts and cream can accomplish together!

This recipe, also known as million-dollar pie and popularized in the Southern United States during the 1930s and 1940s, is a stir-and-chill type of pie with simple ingredients that doesn't ask for much fussing. You do need to let it chill or freeze until firm, and this might take several hours, so plan ahead.

Some say it should be a billionaire pie, since it has cherries and coconut, that wasn't part of the original recipe. But it's not clear, so you be the judge.

There's no need to turn on the oven, even though you could if you want to bake the crust for 10 minutes. The creamy pineapple and cherry pie filling needs only to be combined and then refrigerated.

For a quicker assembly, use a store-bought graham cracker crust.

Testing Notes

Drain fruit well: you don't want pineapple or cherry juice, or as little as possible. This is essential for the pie filling not to be soupy.

Cream: I use heavy or heavy whipping cream. You can also use Cool Whip topping instead for a quicker filling. I find that it can make the filling softer, but it's the original ingredient.

Serve cold! This is key, or the pie will be too soft. You can keep it in the refrigerator up to 3 days, and also freeze it, then thaw it slightly before serving, so that it loses the icy feeling.

Coconut: For me, it's always shredded unsweetened coconut, but you can use sweetened, which some might say is more traditional. I'd rather adjust the sweetness by adding more or less sugar to the whipped cream.

Toasting the pecans and coconut is optional but highly recommended; it adds flavor and a slight crunch that balances the soft, sweet filling.

Fresh fruit option: I make it with fresh cherries when available, as maraschino cherries are not my favorite ones. If using fresh pineapple, it can add a vibrant, natural sweetness to the pie. Make sure it's sweet and ripe, or it won't have much flavor. Finely chop or crush it, and drain it well to achieve a texture similar to canned pineapple.

Slices of millionaire cream pie on white plates. White background, bowl of cherries, teal kitchen towel.

Process steps

Toppings: Reserve a few cherries and pecans, or use extra ones. You can omit them and still have a fantastically flavorful and creamy millionaire pie, though not as visually gorgeous.

Graham cracker crust in a white pie plate. Light gray background. Top view.

Graham crust

This no-bake pie doesn't require pre-baking the crust.

However, if you prefer a crisper crust, you can bake it for 10 minutes and let it cool completely before filling it.

Condensed milk with cherries, pineapple and pecans in a glass bowl. Marbled background.

Chopped ingredients

They should be bite-sized.

This is where you can use more or less of each according to your preference. Or omit one.

They're first stirred with condensed milk, and it's a soupy preparation.

Whipped cream

Though you can use a purchased topping like Cool Whip, I like to whip heavy cream.

It should make fairly firm peaks. If you underwhip it (soft to medium peaks), it won't hold well, and you'll have a too soft filling. Unless you want to serve it almost frozen; in that case, you can get away with medium peaks.

Teal and white background with white plates of millionaire pie servings. Cherry and pecan bowls.

Storage tips

Freezer: This is the best way to store leftovers rather than in the fridge, in my opinion. Use an airtight freezer-safe container.
Consume within 5 days: no-bake pies generally have a shorter shelf life than baked pies because they often contain dairy products. Consume the pie within 5 days for optimal taste and quality.

Forked slice of fruit cream pie on a white plate. Teal cloth and pie pan in the background.

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Stunning icebox pie

Testing Notes