Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe

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What could be better than an Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie? Rich, silky, and creamy, made from simple ingredients. This is the perfect comfort food, indulgent but light enough not to feel guilty after enjoying a slice or two of this Southern Classic.

slice of banana cream pie with fork taking out a piece.

My Banana Cream Pie doesn’t have shortcuts and isn’t made with pudding mixes so there are no artificial flavors and ingredients. This is the real deal, using the best banana cream pie recipe you’ll ever make. But don’t get discouraged; it’s not hard to make and is definitely well worth the extra effort of making everything from scratch.

When it comes to cream pies, Banana Cream Pie is king! Packed with real banana flavor, you’re truly going to love this pie! Mad with a flaky pie crust, fresh bananas, homemade vanilla pudding, and whipped cream, this pie is better than you’ll get from an instant pudding boxed mix!

Table of Contents:

Ingredients to make a Banana Cream Pie

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Banana Cream Pie. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

You can take a shortcut and use a boxed banana pudding mix, but I’m telling you it won’t be the same. And that goes for cool whip too. Making homemade whipped cream is easy and makes all the difference in the world!

Use up those leftover bananas in my best ever banana bread recipe.

How to make a flaky pie crust

6 images showing how to make pie dough in a food processor.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse the dry ingredients 4 times to fully mix the ingredients.
Add the pieces of very cold butter to the dry ingredients and pulse at one-second intervals until the butter is mixed in, forming buttery pebble size pieces.
Add the egg to the mixture and pulse until the dough forms a ball on the blade of the food processor.
Turn the dough out of the food processor onto a floured surface (be careful with the blade). Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pie dough for 15-20 minutes before using.

Preheat the oven to 375°F

6 images showing how to form and bake a pie crust.

Roll out the pie dough and place it into your pie pan. Place the pie pan in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet to make it easier to move in and out of the oven. Place a piece of parchment over the pie dough and add the pie weights to cover the bottom and sides, do not overfill.
Place the pie crust on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake until the sides of the pie crust are just set and light brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes with the pie weights in place.
After 5 minutes, carefully lift the parchment paper with the pie weights out of the pan.
Using a fork, dock the bottom and sides of the crust to help keep the crust from puffing up. Place the pie pan bake in the oven and continue to bake for 15 minutes.
Check the pie crust to see if has puffed up and if it has, use a spoon to press the bottom and sides, but be gentle.
Continue baking the pie crust until golden brown and dry, about 10 minutes. If the edges start to get too dark, cover the edges with foil or a pie shield to keep it from browning too quickly.

*Transfer the pie crust to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before using.

How to make a Banana Cream Pie Filling

Add three egg yolks and 3 eggs to a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk the eggs and yolks together and set aside until needed.
Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium saucepan.
Whisk the ingredients to combine well.
Pour the whole milk into the dry ingredients and whisk until fully combined. Make sure there aren’t any clumps.
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes until thickened.

*When the mixture has thickened, reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking for an additional 5 -6 minutes, then remove from the heat.

6 images showing how to finish making a banana cream pie filling.

Slowly add a cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, whisking continuously through the addition. This tempers the eggs so they don’t turn into scrambled eggs when you add them to the saucepan of hot milk.
Add the egg-milk mixture to the remaining hot milk in the saucepan, again whisking continuously through the process.
Place the saucepan back on the stove over medium-high heat and continue whisking for two minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Add the vanilla extract and butter to the mixture.
Using a rubber spatula stir the mixture until the butter is melted and incorporated into the custard.

Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and chill until its cooler than room temperature. About 55 degrees F.

How to make whipped cream

Add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whip the ingredients to stiff peaks. This process should be slow, starting. on low, increasing the speed over about ten minutes.

**This method is how you keep the whipped cream from breaking. The cream should be ice-cold and as fresh as possible. Look for heavy cream with the longest expiration date.

How to assemble a Banana Cream Pie

Use a spatula to smooth a layer of the filling of pastry cream (homemade vanilla pudding) onto the bottom of your cooled pie shell.
Add enough sliced bananas to cover the layer of pastry cream. This could be anywhere from 2-4 bananas, depending on their size.
Add the remainder of the filling over the sliced bananas in the pie shell. The consistency of the filling will depend on how long you let it chill.
Smooth the top of the filling and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the banana cream pie for at least 4 hours to finish setting up.
Add the whipped cream to the top of the pie, smoothing with a spatula.

overhead view of decorated banana cream pie

Add more banana slices on top of the whipped cream just before serving.

banana cream pie slices on white plates with forks

Wouldn’t your friends and family love a taste of this deliciously creamy Banana Cream Pie?

Recipe FAQ’s

How do I keep bananas from turning brown in a Banana Cream Pie?

You can brush the slices lightly with citrus juice (lemon, orange, lime and even pineapple juice) to prevent browning. But be careful because using too much can change the flavor of the pie.

How long will a Banana Cream Pie last in the refrigerator?

Properly refrigerated Banana Cream Pie will last 3-4 days.

Why is my Banana Cream Pie runny?

The cause would more than likely be that the pudding did not cook long enough. To check to see if the pudding has been cooked long enough, use a tablespoon and coat the back of the spoon with the pudding. When you run your finger through the middle and the separation stays in place, it’s done. If the pudding fills in the space, it’s not ready.

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