Banana Cream Pie
A perfect Banana Cream Pie has homemade vanilla pudding studded with fresh bananas, topped with silky whipped cream and tucked inside a crunchy and sweet graham cracker crust. This classic pie is a must-make.
- Prep Time: 00:25
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Sweet Pie
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1-½ cups (6 ounces) graham cracker crumbs (about 11 sheets)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (more as needed, see note)
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar or brown sugar
- pinch salt
For Banana Filling:
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (30 grams) cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 cups (680 grams) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 firm yellow bananas
For Stabilized Whipped Cream:
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 cup (230 grams) heavy cream
- Extra banana slices (optional)
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (see note about no-bake option).
- Place graham crackers in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form.
- Melt butter in a medium pot. Add crumbs, sugar, and salt to the pot and mix together until completely combined.
- Pour the crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate and press the ingredients up the sides to form the edges first. Once the edges are formed, work the crumbs down to evenly distribute into the bottom of the pie plate and pack it down into an even layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant.
Make the Filling:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the eggs and yolks and then the milk.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly and occasionally using a rubber spatula to scrape up any thickened pudding from the edges of the pan, until the pudding has completely thickened and large bubbles are forming and popping throughout, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat; immediately pour through a fine mesh strainer into bowl, using the spatula to push all the pudding through the strainer while leaving behind any bits of cooked egg.
- Whisk in the chilled butter and the vanilla.
- Peel the bananas and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir in the sliced bananas to the warm pudding.
- Transfer the banana pudding into the prepared pie crust and smooth over the top. Let cool at room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. If desired, place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment on top of the pudding to prevent a film from forming.
Garnish the Pie and Serve:
- Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla (if using) together until lightened. Add the heavy cream and whip until medium soft peaks have formed, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Pipe the whipped cream on top of the chilled pie, or simply add it on and smooth it over as desired. Garnish the pie with additional banana slices, if desired.
- Serve immediately or keep chilled until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
Notes
A Graham Cracker Crumb Crust is great with this recipe, but some other options are a Vanilla Wafer and Nut Crumb Crust or a Biscoff Cookie Crust. If you are looking for a butter crust, this Pâte Sablée (Sweet Tart Dough) or Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Pie Crust) would also be nice!
If for any reason your crumb crust is extremely dry, you can add more melted butter, 1tablespoon at a time, to the crumbs until they are evenly moistened. Alternatively, if your mixture is too wet and it is hard to work with, add more cookie crumbs until it is pliable.
Because of the bananas, this pie does not keep well. It's best served within one day of assembling and chilling. The longer it sits, the firmer the pudding sets up and the browner the bananas get. If you do have leftovers, try to consume them within 2 days.
Find it online: https://everydaypie.com/banana-cream-pie/