Easy Banana Cream Pie Recipe From Scratch | Julie Blanner (2024)

An Easy Banana Cream Pie recipe made from scratch is creamy and indulgent. Beautifully rich, scented with bits of sweet toffee and a little secret (hint – it’s chocolate!), it’ll become a homemade pie you’ll make time and time again, no vanilla wafers or pudding mix required!

Have you ever looked back and wondered “what was I thinking”? I do it all the time, especially reflecting on all of the foods I snubbed my nose at growing up. I missed out on some of the best sweets because I wasn’t a fan of pie crust.

Occasionally, I’d scoop the filling out of the crust, which is how I came to love this easy Banana Cream Pie recipe. I love the simple custard filling paired with light and fluffy whipped cream.

I’m not completely against pie crust. I finally realized that I don’t care for soggy pie crust, which is bound to happen with a traditional crust and creamy fillings.

My solution? Line it with a thin layer of chocolate. It seals the crust, adds a little texture and gives the pie a hint of chocolate flavor. Now if I only had the patience to master a beautiful pie crust. If you do, you should check out my friend Ali’s perfect pie crust tutorial.

Anyways, a little chocolate, a little toffee and a fabulous banana cream custard equals the best banana cream pie recipe. Ask Chris – it didn’t make it 48 hours and we didn’t have company. I can’t be held responsible.

It’s makes a beautiful dessert for any special occasion too, especially Easter and Mother’s Day!

Love everything banana? Don’t miss my incredible Banana Bread and Bananas Foster.

Easy Banana Cream Pie Recipe Ingredients

• Pie Crust – Rather than the traditional Nilla vanilla wafers, this easy banana cream pie recipe is made with pie crust as the base. The flaky pie crust combined with the creamy, custard filling is just heavenly.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – This is the little secret that prevents the pie crust from becoming soggy. A thin layer of chocolate in between the crust and custard filling helps to separate the two layers, giving you the best of both worlds.
• Whole Milk – The base of any good homemade custard always starts with whole milk. Low fat milk simply won’t give you the same creamy filling.
• Vanilla – The sweet scent of vanilla is a flavor you just can’t get from sugar. Pure vanilla extract is best.
• Sugar – It is a dessert recipe after all. Granulated sugar is all you need.
• Corn Starch – This is what helps thicken the custard. Corn starch is actually the main ingredient in banana cream pudding mix. But since we are making the banana cream pie recipe from scratch, we can avoid all the added artificial flavors and additives that come along with that little Jello box.
• Egg Yolks – The rich egg yolks help bind all the ingredients together. Use the freshest eggs possible for best results.
• Salt – Fine sea salt is best for all baking recipes. Believe it or not, but salt helps to make the pie recipe taste, well, sweeter.
• Butter – The finishing touch to any homemade custard pie filling. Unsalted, sweet cream butter works best.
• Bananas – Make sure your bananas are ripe, but not too ripe. I like to use bananas that are bright yellow, with just a touch of brown spots on the peel for the best banana flavor.
• Toffee – Another secret that makes this easy banana cream pie recipe a bit different than the classic. The bits of toffee on top of the pie filling offers such a sweet, crunchy surprise to all those lucky eaters!
• Heavy Cream – The finishing touch. Purchase the freshest heavy whipping cream you can find and keep cold until ready to whip.
• Powdered Sugar – The confectioner’s sugar dissolves much easier into the whipped cream topping.

How To Make The Best Banana Cream Pie

1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in 15-second increments on HIGH until smooth. Spread into the bottom of the baked pie crust. Allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, corn starch, egg yolks and salt.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk the milk and vanilla for 3 minutes to warm through.
4. Gradually blend milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, while whisking constantly. Be careful not to curdle the eggs.
5. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and whisk continuously until thick, about 4 minutes.
6. Whisk in butter.
7. Remove from heat and fold in bananas. Pour into chocolate layered pie crust.
8. Top the entire surface of the easy banana cream pie with toffee crumbles, saving a few for garnish.
9. In another large mixing bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream. Gradually blend in powdered sugar until stiff. Chill 2 hours before serving.

How To Prevent Bananas From Turning Brown

The best way to prevent the bananas from browning is to add a bit of citrus or pineapple juice. But this may alter the flavor of the easy banana cream pie recipe.

A little tip? Slice the bananas just before folding into the custard. The less time the bananas are exposed to air, the less chance of browning.

How Long Does Homemade Banana Cream Pie Last?

The easy banana cream pie recipe can be best kept lightly covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How To Freeze Easy Banana Cream Pie

If you are looking to make ahead and freeze, simply prepare the banana pie up until filling with the banana custard filling. Allow to cool, then double wrap in plastic wrap (with the first layer of plastic directly touching the custard), label, date and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

To serve, remove from the freezer the night before serving and place in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with toffee crumbles and freshly whipped cream.

More Pie Recipes

• Lemon Pie
• Peanut Butter S’mores Pie
• Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
• Chocolate Pie
• French Silk Pie
• Pecan Pie