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This Banana Cream Pie is a traditional masterpiece with a small twist to add extra banana flavor! It’s insanely delicious!
Love this banana dessert? You have to try my Banana Pudding Icebox Cake too!
The Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and spent some nice time with friends and/or family. We spent time with friends throughout the weekend and enjoyed the mostly nice weather. We did get caught in a good bit of rain out on the lake Sunday, but everyone made the best of it. I guess if you’re going to get caught in the rain, already being wet from swimming makes it not so bad. 🙂
And then of course there’s the reason we celebrate – remembering those who have served our country and given themselves for our freedom. The sacrifice of those men and women, as well as their families, is huge. It’s hard to even imagine the experience of so many – past and present. It’s something that I hope to not take for granted.
Today I’m sharing a pretty traditional recipe. I like to call it an oldie but goodie. There are just some classics that should never get left behind and this is one of them. The hubs and I will forever be banana fans, so this dessert was one that was not shared. We’re selfish like that. 😉
How to Make a Banana Cream Pie
To start, I went with a traditional pie crust. I personally think this is the way to go, but you could certainly swap it out for a graham cracker crust if you prefer. For the traditional pie crust route, you’ll want to blind bake the pie fully since it won’t be baked further later.
The filling is custard based. Egg yolks, milk and sugar are the primary base. Cornstarch is added and, along with the egg yolks, works to thicken the filling. Vanilla and butter are added at the end for some additional flavor.
The filling is made in two parts. First the cornstarch thickens the milk and sugar. Then, a little bit of the milk mixture is added to the eggs, before adding the eggs to the milk mixture. This is called “tempering” the eggs so that they warm up more slowly and don’t turn into hard boiled egg yolks when added to the hot mixture. After adding the eggs, the filling is then further cooked and thickened before adding the butter and vanilla at the end.
Of course I did add a bit of twist. When the egg yolks are added to the filling, so are some mashed bananas. I’m serious when I tell you of our love for banana flavor and I’ve always found it funny that “banana” cream pie doesn’t have more banana flavor to it, so I added some. 🙂 It adds some extra banana flavor to filling that we were big fans of. Of course if you want to go the truly traditional route, you can just leave it out.
This pie is seriously delicious. Like I said, there was no sharing. The hubs threatened mutiny if I gave any away. 🙂 I guess you’ll just have to make it to see for yourself!
More Banana Recipes
Easy Banana Bread
Overnight Baked Banana French Toast
Bananas Foster Cheesecake
Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
Banoffee Cupcakes
Bananas Foster Cookie Pizza
Banana Cream Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Banana Cream Pie is a traditional masterpiece with a small twist to add extra banana flavor! It’s insanely delicious!
Ingredients
PIE CRUST AND FILLING
- Pillsbury pie crust
- 2–3 bananas
- 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups milk (I use 2%)
- 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
WHIPPED CREAM
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Blind bake the pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan according to the package directions. Once it’s done baking, set aside to cool.
2. Add a row of thickly sliced bananas to the bottom of the pie crust.
3. Put the egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and whisk together to combine.
5. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
6. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. Add a little bit of the milk mixture to the eggs, then add egg mixture to milk mixture, along with mashed bananas.
8. Place pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring continuously.
9. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
10. Pour the filling into the pie, covering the sliced bananas, and cover with clear wrap pressed against the top so that it doesn’t get a film on top. Refrigerate until firm.
11. To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high until stiff peaks form.
12. Spread whipped cream on top of pie, then add a few additional sliced bananas.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 376
- Sugar: 32.3 g
- Sodium: 152.7 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.5 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
Filed Under:
Enjoy!
I’m confused with how to blind bake the crust? Please help.
I purchased too many bananas on my recent trip to the super market and I was looking for something other than banana bread to bake. I had a pre-made graham cracker crust so I used that instead of the pillsbury. This pie is delicious! My husband and 8 year old son both loved it. Thank you for sharing it!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Lindsay,
I didn’t see any Pilsbury pie crust at the store, so I bought the deep dish Tenderflake crust. I’m not sure if I cut my banana slices too thick for the bottom layer but I found that I had enough filling for two pies! Do you usually have some filling left over? Anyway I’ve got two pies setting up in the fridge to try tomorrow 😋
It can really depend on the pie plate. I think mine might be fairly deep.
Hi Lindsay, I have a question. Do you know what the temperature of the eggs should be for this recipe. I worry about getting someone sick so i want to make sure when I make it the eggs are warm enough not to cause any issues. I am making this pie for an elderly woman for her birthday. Also my other question is that after it cools can I freeze it so it can set up, or does it have to only be in the fridge. Thanks in advance!!!
Eggs are considered fully cooked at 160°. So you want to make sure they are at least that warm. As for freezing it, I would suggest cooling it in the fridge before freezing it. But I’ve never tried it, so you could certainly try it.
I just made this pie and it is sitting in the fridge cooling. I am anxious to try it! How long does it need to be in the fridge to set up correctly?
I’d say 5-6 hours should be good. I hope you enjoy it!
The banana cream pie was an epic fail 🙁 It did not set in the fridge and tasted odd.
Can you explain how much the custard should thicken before pouring in baked pie shell? I’m thinking maybe that’s where it went south. Thanks
It should be fairly thick and jiggly already from cooking on the stove. It’ll firm up as it cools. You can definitely try cooking it a little longer.
Lindsay, Can this pie be done with like Graham cracker/wafer crust?
That should be fine.
How do you keep the bananas from turning brown without changing the flavor?
You can brush the bananas with some lemon juice, but there really isn’t any other way to slow down the browning process that I know of.
cute pie recipe didn’t even set in the fridge it’s been over 8 hours thanks for your trash recipe !!! thanks !! thanksgiving is tomorrow !!! can’t take a pie i spent my time making !!!
Made this and it is now my all time favorite. The mashed banana added to the pudding was about 1/2 to 3/4 of a banana to make the 1/3 cup.
So glad you enjoyed it!
What is sprinkled on top of the bananas and whipped cream?
A few graham cracker crumbs
How many bananas do you mash and add to the custard?
I believe it was about 2 medium sized bananas.
YES! Come visit me and make this pie! K, thanks!
Wonderful looking Lindsay! Now I’ve made a couple Banana Cream Pies for friends and always seem to be challenged with keeping it fairly sturdy, so that when I cut a slice the walls don’t break down and it keeps its rigidity like you have your photo. Maybe I’ll give your recipe a go and see how it turns out?
It held up pretty well. When pieces are removed from the pan, they jiggle around a bit and don’t stay quite as sturdy as it looks in the pan, but not too bad. You could also cook the filling a touch longer.
Do you use a deep dish pillsbury pie crust or the regular size? Thanks!
It was just the regular pie crust.
Sometimes classic is the way to go! I love the traditional crust for this one, too. It balances the sweetness so well! Hope you had a good long weekend!