Best Banana Cream Pie

5 from 1 vote

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

A slice of this sweet comfort-food banana cream pie is like having an old-school diner in your very own home.

Banana Cream Pie missing a slice.

I have been on a little bit of a quest to bring more old-school pies into my world. Diner-style pies: the kind that we all ogle behind the glass and might be rotating on an electric Lazy Susan of some sort (poor Susan, how did she get stuck being associated with a slowly spinning circle?). And long overdue was this, Banana Cream Pie.

This is one of the most comforting pies I know. A flaky crust is lined with sliced bananas (use bananas that are ripe but definitely not mushy), and then a simple sweet custard is spooned over the top. The whole shebang is covered with swells of whipped cream, and then – if you like—some curls of chocolate.

To emulate that classic diner experience serve this pie with a Thick Chocolate Oreo Milkshake, a Chipotle Barbecue Turkey Burgers, and Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries.

Slice of Banana Cream Pie on a stack of pink plates.

Best Banana Cream Pie: A slice of this sweet comfort-food pie is like having an old-school diner in your very own home.

Ingredients

  • Rolled refrigerated pie crust – Because the cake is a cold custard, you are going to have to blind bake the crust. You can read more about that below.
  • Sugar – For sweetness.
  • Cornstarch – Helps thicken the custard.
  • Salt – Brings out all of the flavors.
  • Whole milk – For a silky filling.
  • Egg yolks – The egg yolks help thicken, stabilize, and enhance the richness of the pie.
  • Unsalted butter – For richness and glossiness.
  • Pure vanilla extract – For flavoring.
  • Ripe bananas – You want them to be at a ripeness just before they become mushy.
  • Sweetened whipped cream – To top and balance out the flavors.
  • Semisweet chocolate – Read more below about how to make beautiful chocolate shards.
Banana Cream Pie next to Wewalka Pie Crust.

Pre-baking a Pre-made Crust

Using a premade pie crust makes this already easy recipe even easier. First, you pre-bake a pie crust, which is easy as…oh, I won’t say it. Just open a package of refrigerated pie crust, flip it into a pie plate, parchment side up, fill it with dried beans and rice, and bake. Now it’s flaky and crispy and ready to fill.

How to Make Banana Cream Pie

  1. Bake the crust: Let the pie crust sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes. Unroll the crust into a pie pan, prick the pie crust with a fork, crimp the edges decoratively, and then put parchment paper on the crust and fill the pie with dried rice, dried beans, or pie weights. Blind bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
Baked pie crust in pie plate.
  1. Make the filling base: In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Cook over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble and thicken, then reduce the heat so that it bubbles slowly for another 2-3 minutes and thickens up further.
Woman whisking a pan of custard.
  1. Temper and add the eggs: Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Constantly whisking slowly, pour a few tablespoons of the hot filling into the egg yolks, until blended. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Allow to come to a boil and stir for about 2 more minutes.
  2. Finish the filling: Remove from the heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Transfer to a container and place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
Woman placing plastic wrap on custard in a glass bowl.
  1. Assemble: When the crust and the custard are cooled to at least room temperature, slice the bananas about 1/2 -inch thick. Lay the bananas across the bottom of the pie crust. Carefully dollop the custard on top. Top with whipped cream
Woman adding slice bananas and whipped cream to pie crust.
  1. Finish and enjoy: Refrigerate the pie for 4 to 6 hours, until fully chilled. Top the pie with chocolate curls if desired. Slice and serve.
Banana Cream Pie topped with chocolate shavings in pie plate.

How to Top a Pie With Whipped Cream

You can simply dollop whipped cream on, OR if you want to create those lovely swoopy peaks and valleys you see on those awesome pies at the bakeries, you can make that happen. The best tool for this job is a mini offset spatula. A small offset is perfect for creating gorgeous swoops in whipped cream toppings or making perfect peaks and valleys in the meringue for a Lemon Meringue Pie.

Just let your hand gently move in a circular motion through the cream, up and down in a swirly motion, without over-stirring the whipped cream (you don’t want to push out the air, which is what makes whipped cream whipped). Just play around with it until you get the knack of it, and create a pretty rolling landscape of whipped cream atop your pie.

Mini offset spatula spreading whipped cream onto a Banana Cream Pie.

Topping with Chocolate

A bar of chocolate and a vegetable peeler will get you some pretty chocolate curls for the top. Mine were a bit flaky because my chocolate was cold, but if you warm your chocolate slightly you will get curlier curls.

Woman peeling chocolate onto a Banana Cream Pie.

Storage

Cover in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pie is best within the first two days, but I’m sure you won’t have any problems finishing it by then.

What to Serve with Banana Cream Pie

More Pie Recipes

Banana Cream Pie slice on pink plate near whole pie on table.

More Banana Recipes

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It
5 from 1 vote

Best Banana Cream Pie

A slice of this sweet comfort-food banana cream pie is like having an old-school diner in your very own home.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10 People
Save this recipe!
We’ll send it to your email, plus you’ll get new recipes every week!

Ingredients 

  • 1 rolled refrigerated pie crust
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large firm but ripe bananas
  • 4 cups sweetened whipped cream (double the recipe)
  • 1 thick bar semisweet chocolate

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F. Let the pie crust sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes, then unroll the crust and fit it into an 8 or 9-inch pie pan with the parchment on top. Prick the pie crust with a fork in a number of places. Remove the parchment (reserve it!) and crimp the edges decoratively. Fit the parchment back into the pie crust and fill the pie with dried rice, dried beans, or pie weights. For more on blind baking a pie crust click here.
  • Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven, carefully remove the parchment and weights, and return the crust to the oven. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. Set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Place the pan over medium-high heat until it starts to bubble and thicken, then reduce the heat a bit so that it bubbles slowly for another two or three minutes and thickens up further.
  • Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot filling into the egg yolks, whisking all the while, until blended. Slowly pour this egg mixture back into the pan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, so that it is all smooth and blended. Allow to come to a boil ( big bloopy bubbles will rise to the top and pop) and stir for another 2 minutes until the mixture is quite thick.
  • Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter is melted. Transfer to a container and place some plastic wrap directly on the surfaced of the custard. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour, until it is fairly cool and evenly thicker.  
  • When the crust and the custard are cooled to at least room temperature, slice the bananas about 1/2-inch thick. Distribute the bananas on the bottom of the pie crust. Carefully dollop over the custard and use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to smooth the top.
  • Use a spoon or a piping bag to cover the top of the pie with the whipped cream. If you used a spoon, then use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula again to make nice swirly swoops in the whipped cream. Refrigerate the pie for 4 to 6 hours, until fully chilled. Top the pie with chocolate curls if desired: Use a vegetable peeler to scrape down the side of the chocolate bar, so that thin pieces of the chocolate fall off in curls. 
  • Slice and serve.

Notes

The custard is made by thickening a sweetened milk mixture on the stove. Then, a small amount of the hot mixture is whisked quickly into the eggs so they don’t scramble. This is called tempering – because you are bringing the eggs up to a higher temperature, closer to the temperature of the custard, before you add them in.

Nutrition

Calories: 332.69kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.21g, Protein: 5.06g, Fat: 17.74g, Saturated Fat: 9.16g, Cholesterol: 92.13mg, Sodium: 218mg, Potassium: 238.54mg, Fiber: 1.29g, Sugar: 23.97g, Vitamin A: 461.15IU, Vitamin C: 2.05mg, Calcium: 107.29mg, Iron: 0.84mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

You May Also Like:

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating