Banana Cream Pie Recipe

This Banana Cream Pie recipe has a creamy, smooth vanilla filling, bananas, and freshly whipped cream. You get so much banana flavor, all from scratch!

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I will never turn down a slice of pie! If you love cream pies, also check out this Chocolate Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, or Lemon Cream Pie.

It’s no secret that I love pie. But my favorite of all are fruit pies. And I know when you think of fruit pies, you usually think of Apple Pie or Peach Pie. But I’m totally counting this Banana Cream Pie as a fruit pie. (Along with my beloved Lemon Meringue Pie!)

This pie is creamy and smooth, and packs some great banana flavor from the banana layer. In fact, my kids didn’t believe me that the pudding layer was not banana pudding!

If you love a good, classic banana cream pie, this one is for you!

Ingredients

Sugar: You’ll want to use regular, granulated sugar in this recipe.

Cornstarch: This is what I use to thicken the pudding layer. I think it thickens up much better than using flour.

Salt: To enhance all of the flavors.

Milk: I don’t keep whole milk on hand, but I will buy it specifically for this recipe. You might be able to get away with using 2%, but I would not use 1% or skim. I think whole milk is definitely going to give you the best results.

Egg Yolks: The filling is basically a vanilla pudding, and the egg yolks are what make it rich and smooth. They also help to thicken the pudding.

Butter: This will be stirred in at the end once you take it off of the heat, so I like to cut it into small pieces so that they melt easier.

Vanilla: This is also stirred in at the end. If you add it at the beginning, the flavor will be a lot duller. You’ll use vanilla for both the pie and the whipped cream.

Pie Crust: I always say a homemade pie crust is going to be the best, but feel free to use a store bought crust if desired. You could also do a cookie crust or a graham cracker crust. I did test this pie with a cookie crust, but I found it much too sweet, so I prefer the traditional pie crust.

Bananas: I like to use bananas that are a little bit ripe, so you get that ripe banana flavor, but not too far, because you don’t want mushy bananas.

Heavy Whipping Cream: This is for the homemade whipped cream on top of the pie.

Powdered Sugar: I sweeten the whipped cream with a bit of powdered sugar. I like powdered sugar because it dissolve easier. The pie is sweet enough that you could leave out the sugar in the whipped cream, if desired.

How to Make Banana Cream Pie

1. WHISK together the sugar, cornstarch and salt, then whisk in the milk.
2. COOK over medium heat until the mixture is thickened.
3. TEMPER the eggs by whisking about a cup of the mixture into the egg yolks, then return it all back to the pot to continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
4. ADD the butter and vanilla after removing from the heat, and stir until the butter is melted.
5. LAYER the bananas in the bottom of the pie crust.
6. POUR the pudding over the bananas. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or until the pudding has cooled and set up completely.

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

1. BEAT the whipped cream until it starts to thicken up.
2. ADD the powdered sugar gradually as you continue to beat the whipped cream.
3. CONTINUE to beat until stiff peaks form.
4. MIX in the vanilla extract.

Spread the whipped cream on the chilled pie just before serving.

Make Ahead and Storage

MAKE AHEAD: This pie is best when made the day before to give the filling plenty of time to chill and set up. You could top it with the whipped cream the day before, as well, (once the pie is chilled), but it is best if the whipped cream is made just before serving.

STORE: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. This pie will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. If the pie has been sliced, the bananas will start to brown faster, so keep that in mind.

FREEZE: I have not personally tried freezing this pie, but most cream pies will freeze well. Freeze before adding the whipped cream. Let the pie thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then add the whipped cream fresh before serving.

Tips and Tricks

My biggest tip is to whisk, whisk, whisk. It’s pretty easy to get lumps in your pudding, but whisking constantly will help with that. If you don’t want any lumps at all, you can use a fine mesh sieve to work out any lumps before adding the pudding to the crust.

You’ll want to make sure the pudding is thick before you remove it from the heat. It may because I am at a higher elevation, but I had to cook mine on the upper end of the time frame, about 15 minutes, to get it thickened.

This pie would be delicious drizzled with caramel or chocolate!

More Favorite Pie Recipes

Sweet Potato Pie
Pecan Pie
Key Lime Pie
Coconut Custard Pie
Caribbean Truffle Pie

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Banana Cream Pie Recipe

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Refrigeration Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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This Banana Cream Pie recipe has a creamy, smooth vanilla filling, bananas, and freshly whipped cream. You get so much banana flavor, all from scratch!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1/3 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 2 egg yolks lightly beaten
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 9- inch pie crust fully baked and cooled
• ▢ 3-4 bananas sliced
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a saucepan.
• Gradually add in the milk, whisking continuously. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbling. Keep cooking, stirring the whole time, until the mixture is thickened, 5-15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Add about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously. Stir the egg mixture back into the hot mixture. Return to the heat and cook another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat and add the butter and the vanilla. Stir until smooth.
• Place the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the pudding mixture over the top.
• Cover the top of the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled and set up, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Place the heavy cream in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it starts to thicken up. Gradually add in the powdered sugar as you continue to beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
• Uncover the pie and spread the whipped cream on top.
• Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:

SUBSTITUTIONS: While I always believe a homemade crust is best, you can use a refrigerated or frozen crust. You will still want to bake it first, though.

MAKE AHEAD: This pie is best when made the day before to give the filling plenty of time to chill and set up. You could top it with the whipped cream the day before, as well, (once the pie is chilled), but it is best if the whipped cream is made just before serving.

FREEZE: I have not personally tried freezing this pie, but most cream pies will freeze well. Freeze before adding the whipped cream. Let the pie thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then add the whipped cream fresh before serving.

STORE: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. This pie will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. If the pie has been sliced, the bananas will start to brown faster, so keep that in mind.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of pie, Calories: 664kcal (33%), Carbohydrates: 63g (21%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 41g (63%), Saturated Fat: 20g (125%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 114mg (38%), Sodium: 430mg (19%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 26g (29%)

Keywords: banana cream pie, banana cream pie recipe