My favorite fruit pie has always been my grandma's banana cream pie! Since I don't have her eyeballing-the-ingredients technique down, I tested recreating it until it tasted just like hers (I prefer making it with graham cracker crust instead of regular pie crust, though).
The day that my now husband & I started dating, we made this recipe together for my work's Pi Day competition, and it won 2nd place! 🏅
I brought this to a family Christmas, I only made one thinking not everybody would eat it. Boy was I wrong! I should have brought two more with how quickly it was eaten. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- our reader, Jenna
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I've never really been a fan of other fruity pies because of the warm, mushy fillings (the texture just isn't for me). Banana cream pie is different - the fruit is sliced, cold & fresh, and layered with delicious pudding!
I like to make this using graham cracker crust rather than normal pie crust. I think it pairs really well with the banana and pudding. It's one of my favorite homemade pies, along with my spiced blueberry pie!
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- This easy recipe for banana cream pie only uses 10 ingredients.
- The textures are so luxurious - creamy pudding, airy whipped cream, the soft bite of the banana slice, all paired with the crisp crunch of the crust.
- The vanilla pudding base is a great recipe to use on it's own or in other desserts like dirt cups!
- The bulk of the work is done by the refrigerator for this easy banana cream pie recipe with graham cracker crust.
Ingredients
- Bananas - this recipe works best with ripe banana that has not yet become mushy. The key is for the cut pieces to hold their shape.
- Cornstarch - this is key to thickening your pudding, in addition to the egg yolks, so the pudding sets and can be sliced without oozing.
- Pie crust - my favorite for this recipe is a graham crust, but feel free to use your favorite crust here. Using traditional pie dough, Nilla wafer crust, or store-bought pie crust all work well!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a banoffee pie version, add a layer of dulce de leche to the crust before layering the other ingredients. Then, top with chocolate shavings.
- Who doesn't love bananas and peanut butter? Next time, add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to your pudding and then melt additional peanut butter to drizzle over the top of the banana cream pie with pudding once cooled.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Equipment
- Using a deep dish pie pan allows for more layers of luscious filling, but a regular 9-inch pie plate will also work.
How to Make Banana Cream Pie (Step by Step)
Step 1: In a medium pot over medium heat, warm the whole milk, sugar, and salt until hot but not boiling.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch.
Step 3: While whisking constantly, temper the egg yolk mixture by adding a ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Then pour the yolk mixture back into the pot.
Step 4: Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly and the consistency of pudding.
Step 5: Remove the homemade pudding from the heat, then mix in the vanilla and butter until melted and combined well. Place plastic wrap directly on the pudding to cover and allow to cool.
Step 6: Alternate single layers of sliced bananas and pudding in the pie crust. Chill, then serve with whipped cream on top of the pie (optional).
Expert Tips
- Be careful when you're adding the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks. You want to make sure you're pouring it in slowly and stirring the entire time so that it doesn't cook the egg yolks too quickly.
- Don't forget to cover the pudding with the wrap directly on top of it! This will help prevent a thick film from accumulating on it.
- Make sure your pie crust and pudding are both completely cooled before adding the pudding to the crust. This helps prevent the pudding from soaking into the pie crust and making it soggy.
- When layering the pudding over the banana slices, add small dollops all over and then carefully spread it around so it covers the banana evenly without . Only add enough pudding so that it just covers the slices. I usually have enough room for 3 pudding layers/4 banana layers (especially with my deep 9" pie dish)!
- You can make homemade whipped cream by mixing heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar with an electric mixer to stiff peaks, or you can buy pre-made whipped topping from the grocery store.
Recipe FAQs
You can make Banana Cream Pie Jars to store in the fridge by layering the additional banana slices, pudding, whipped cream, and graham cracker crumbs or crushed vanilla wafers.
Bananas will oxidize over time, meaning they will turn brown. They are still safe to eat and delicious!
The main reason banana cream pie may get watery is from undercooked pudding. Make sure you cook the pudding mixture thoroughly until there are large bubbles boiling up and it is a thick consistency.
The best way to prevent the bananas from browning is to enjoy the pie within a few hours of assembling it, but a couple other tips are:
1) use bananas that are just slightly brown on the outside so they aren't mushy (as shown in the Ingredients above); and 2) cover the banana slices with the pudding as soon as you layer them on.
The browning happens because of the bananas being exposed to air, so make sure they're covered well, and if you add extra slices on top, save them until you're ready to serve it.
Storage
Refrigerator instructions: Store leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The bananas will begin to brown and the crust will get soggier over time, but it will still taste delicious!
📖 Recipe
Banana Cream Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie dish
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Medium pot
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (591.47 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt
- 4 large (4 large) egg yolks
- 5 tablespoons (40 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 (4) bananas sliced
- 1 (1) pie crust
- whipped cream optional, for topping
Instructions
Prepare the pudding
- Prepare your pie crust. I prefer using a graham cracker crust for this pie, but a regular pie crust is just as delicious!
- Combine the milk with the sugar and salt in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture is hot to touch, and the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch.
- While stirring, gradually pour ~½ cup of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture. Then, add the yolk mixture to the pan with the remaining milk mixture.
- With the pan over medium heat, stir until the pudding is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and softened butter until it's melted and completely combined.
- Cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap and let it cool.
Assemble the pie
- Starting with banana slices, alternately layer the banana slices and pudding over the crust.
- Let the pie chill for at least an hour prior to serving.
- Serve with whipped cream (optional). Enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I’ve never made this before and the recipe was so easy to follow! I brought it to work and everyone loved it.
I'm so happy to hear that!! Glad you all enjoyed it 🤗 thanks, Aria!
Best banana cream pie!!! Definite keeper!! Thank you for it!
Aw yay, thank you Lena!! I'm so happy you love it! ❤️
Great recipe. My sister and I made it for Thanksgiving. Thank you.
Amazing, thank you for making it and leaving a review!! We made it for our Thanksgiving this year, too! 🙂
Man, I was doubting this after I made it because it was so thick and not pleasant to the eye. But the lady I made it for said not to change a thing! It was really good.
Aw good, I'm so glad to hear that!!
Hi Kayla, my husband on a fat restriction and I wondering if I can use skim milk? Thank you.
Hi Mary! I wouldn't recommend it since the fat does help with the pudding's creaminess, but please let me know how it turns out if you do give it a try!
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
That should be fine 🙂
Is this not the same as banana pudding in a pie shell?
They are very similar, yes! Banana pudding is usually layered with vanilla wafers instead of a pie crust.