Creamy and smooth from-scratch custard joins bananas, whipped cream, and a buttery flaky baked pie crust to make one epic banana cream pie. This classic dessert is 100% homemade, like my cherry pie, and the perfect make-ahead option because the layered beauty needs to set before garnishing and serving.
One reader, Stephanie, says: “…This is the first time I’ve used this particular recipe and it was AMAZING. Honestly the best one I’ve made. I will be bookmarking this one for the future! ★★★★★“
This is a completely from-scratch banana cream pie recipe. You won’t find any box pudding mixes or artificial flavors hiding inside. I originally published the recipe in 2016, and have fine-tuned the process over the years. Get ready for a blissful banana experience where you can truly taste the homemade difference. And it will graciously satisfy your heart, soul… and your tastebuds.
Here’s Why You Will LOVE This Banana Cream Pie
- 100% from scratch, and you can taste the difference.
- Creamy and undeniably rich.
- If custard is cooked properly, it’s sturdy and smooth.
- Flaky pie crust shell, or try a graham cracker crust.
- An optional sprinkle of cinnamon adds a special and flavorful touch.
- Perfect make-ahead dessert.
What Is Banana Cream Pie?
The combination of kitchen magic. 😉 Seriously, though, banana cream pie combines homemade pie pastry crust, fresh bananas, vanilla custard, and fluffy whipped cream.
- Baked Pie Crust Shell
- Banana Slices
- Homemade Vanilla Custard: This is a lot like my caramelized banana pudding, only a bit sturdier so it holds a nice slice.
- Whipped Cream
Let me walk you through each layer, so you’re fully prepared when it’s your turn to make it.
First, Bake Your Pie Crust
It’s helpful to review my how to blind bake pie crust tutorial before getting started. Blind baking a pie crust shell = baking it without a filling. Why do we do that? Well, if you have a no-bake pie filling like coconut cream pie or today’s banana cream pie, you need a baked pie crust.
Start with homemade pie dough. I always use this pie crust recipe, or I have an excellent all butter pie crust option. To bake pie crust without a filling, you need to weight it down to help prevent it from shrinking. I’m pretty loyal to these ceramic pie weights; they’re inexpensive and get the job done. You can also use dry beans. (Note: You’ll need 2 packs of the pie weights!)
Here are the steps:
- Make the pie dough ahead of time, and then refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to make the pie. Pie crust must chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
- Roll it out, then fit into your 9-inch pie dish. Crimp or flute the edges.
- Chill the shaped pie crust for at least 30 minutes. This prevents shrinking. Remember that pie dough must be cold when it hits the oven.
- Line with parchment paper, and then fill with pie weights.
- Bake until the edges are lightly brown, about 15 minutes.
- Remove pie weights, then prick the bottom with a fork. This lets air escape the bottom.
- Return crust to oven until the entire pie shell is golden brown.
- Cool pie shell completely. You can do this up to 3 days ahead of time!
This baked pie crust “shell” is crispy, flaky, and ready for your banana cream filling.
Other Crust Options:
- For something easier, you can use a graham cracker crust. Make sure you bake it for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then let it cool completely before filling.
- Or try the peanut butter cookie crust from my peanut butter banana cream pie!
Now Let’s Work on the Filling
Here are the ingredients you need:
Layer in Your Banana Slices
Layer banana slices into your baked pie crust shell. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the banana slices. This is definitely a unique addition to BCP, but wow!!! It tastes unbelievable. I didn’t add it to the pictured pie, but taste testers and readers who have tried it usually rave about it.
Success Tip: Don’t use overly ripe bananas because they can seep liquid and break your thick custard filling. Save your brown spotty bananas for banana bread, and use the yellow ones for banana cream pie.
I squeeze in as many banana slices as I can:
Homemade Custard Filling
I’m here to squash any fears that you may have about from-scratch custard. It’s actually pretty easy—if you know how to whisk, you can make it. You’ll need sugar, whole milk, heavy cream (also needed for the whipped cream topping), and egg yolks. For flavor, you’ll add vanilla and butter. For thickening, you’ll use cornstarch. (The egg yolks and cream help, too.)
The first step is to mix egg yolks and cornstarch together:
I usually do this with a fork in a liquid measuring cup, because we’ll eventually pour this into the cooking milk mixture.
Heat whole milk, cream, sugar, and a little salt on the stove. Once the milk/cream/sugar is gently simmering, slowly stream and whisk a little of this milk mixture into the egg yolk/cornstarch mixture. This is called tempering. The slow and steady stream of warm milk is bringing the egg yolks’ temperature up without scrambling them.
Then stream and whisk the heated egg yolk mixture into the rest of the milk/cream/sugar on the stove. Cook on low, and let it begin to bubble, which happens pretty quickly. Whisk it while it pops and bubbles for just 1 minute. Remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla and butter, and allow to slightly cool.
The custard will be smooth, rich, and silky:
FAQ: Why Isn’t My Custard Smooth?
Do you notice little bits of egg yolks in your custard? You may not have tempered them slowly enough. Remember to *very slowly* stream and whisk some of the cooking milk mixture into the egg yolk/cornstarch mixture, and then *very slowly* stream and whisk it back into the pot. Whisk constantly.
If your best efforts still result in a few chunks, you can strain the finished warm custard through a fine mesh sieve. Or just leave it—you can’t really taste it.
How to Ensure Your Banana Cream Pie Sets
With 4 egg yolks, 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch, and some heavy cream, you can be certain this custard sets into a pretty sliceable texture. Be sure to whisk it on the stove often, and let it bubble and cook long enough for the heat to help bind the cornstarch to the fat. (1 minute is plenty.)
Spread the vanilla custard filling over the banana slices, cover with plastic wrap right on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
FAQ: Can I Make Banana Cream Pie in Advance?
This is a make-ahead dessert. You can make the pie dough in advance and bake the pie crust shell in advance. You can also refrigerate your assembled (but not garnished) banana cream pie for up to 1 day, with the plastic wrap right on top of the surface. And you can make the whipped cream topping in advance, but don’t add it until right before, or up to 1 hour before serving.
You don’t want to decorate the pie with banana slices in advance because they’ll brown. (A brush of lemon juice can extend their freshness by a couple hours, but will affect their flavor.)
Right before, or up to 1 hour before, serving, top the pie with homemade whipped cream. You can decorate it any which way—a thick layer of whipped cream like this banoffee pie, or pretty piped dollops or swirls like the pictured pie. I use Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe it.
You could also use up your leftover egg whites and top it with this marshmallow meringue topping, and toast it with a kitchen torch!
When ready to serve, add banana slices on top. I usually go heavy on the sliced banana garnish. I love texture in desserts, and banana cream pie doesn’t usually deliver on that front. But with lots of banana slices, we’ll get there.
Now savor every flaky, creamy, fluffy bite as it melts in your mouth, because you deserve to. You made this all from scratch!
Print
Homemade Banana Cream Pie
- Prep Time: 4 hours (includes crust)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours (includes chilling)
- Yield: 1 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy and smooth from-scratch custard joins bananas, whipped cream, and a buttery flaky baked pie crust to make one epic banana cream pie. There are plenty of ways to make this banana cream pie recipe ahead of time. See various steps.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 unbaked pie crust (what I used) or all butter pie crust*
- optional egg wash: 1 large egg white beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
Custard Filling
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 yellow bananas (not super ripe yet)
- optional: sprinkle of ground cinnamon
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ or granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- At least 2 hours ahead, make the pie dough: Make the pie crust through step 5 according to my directions and video tutorial in my pie crust recipe. Make pie dough in advance because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out (step 2). The recipe makes 2 crusts, and you only need 1 for this pie, so save the other for another pie.
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely thick edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. If dough is too warm, fluting/crimping will be difficult, so you can always chill it in the refrigerator for 5–10 minutes first. After fluting/crimping the edges, chill the pie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes. Chilling the shaped dough helps prevent the crust from shrinking.
- While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Blind bake the crust: Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (Crunch up the parchment paper first so that you can easily shape it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) I like to push the weights up against the sides of the pie crust to help ensure the sides don’t shrink down. Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15–16 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all over the bottom crust with a fork. If desired for a shiny golden crust, brush egg wash on edges. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 14–15 minutes, or until bottom has browned. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack completely before filling. You can blind bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill. (Review this how to par-bake pie crust page if you need extra help with this blind-baking step.)
- Make the custard filling: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together. (A fork works nicely for this, or a small whisk.) Set aside. Combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer, whisking occasionally. Once simmering, remove about 1/2 cup (120ml) of the milk mixture and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk into the egg yolk and cornstarch mixture. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don’t scramble. In a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot. The pudding will immediately begin to bubble and thicken. Stand back and use caution as the bubbles may burst. Cook for 1 full minute, whisking constantly.
- Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter. You will have about 3 cups of filling. If you notice a lot of little chunks of egg yolk, they may not have been tempered properly. To fix, you can run the warm custard through a fine mesh sieve.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the warm pudding to prevent a skin from forming on top. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. I do not recommend any longer than this, as it will be too thick to spread neatly into the crust.
- Slice 2–3 bananas and arrange slices into the cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Spread custard on top (it’s ok if it is still slightly warm). An offset spatula is helpful for spreading. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard; again, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
- When ready to serve, or up to 1 hour before serving, make the whipped cream: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts.
- Pipe or spread the whipped cream on top. (I use Wilton 1M tip.) Slice remaining banana and garnish with banana slices and serve pie immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour and then garnish with banana slices and serve. (Best to garnish with banana slices immediately before serving, but whipped cream can go on the pie up to 1 hour in advance.)
- Slice and serve. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie dough can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. There are plenty of ways to make this recipe ahead of time. See end of step 2, end of step 8, and step 10. This is not the best pie to freeze; the filling’s texture is never quite the same. However, if you have leftover slices and aren’t concerned as much about taste and appearance, you can freeze leftover pie for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools: Rolling Pin | Pie Dish | Pie Weights | Pastry Brush | Egg Separator | Whisk | Offset Spatula | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) and Wilton 1M Piping Tip if piping
- Pie Crust: Both linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You only need 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for another use.
- Crumb Crust Alternative: To cut back on time, try using a graham cracker crust. Make sure you bake it for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then let it cool completely before filling. Or you can use the crust recipe and baking instructions for the peanut butter cookie crust used in this peanut butter banana cream pie.
- Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: These are imperative for the custard to set properly. I do not recommend any substitutions.
- Prevent Bananas From Browning: Feel free to very, very lightly spritz or brush banana slices with lemon juice prior to arranging in pie crust shell, and prior to using as garnish. They will eventually brown, so it’s best to assemble the pie up to 1 day in advance (step 8), and garnish with banana slices right before serving (step 10).
- Update in 2023: Recipe used to call for 1 and 3/4 cups whole milk and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. For a slightly smoother, more flavorful custard, I now use 2 cups whole milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla, as you can now see in the recipe.
Keywords: banana cream pie
Just a thought- The butterscotch pudding you have on here (fantastic btw) would probably be fantastic in place of the vanilla. I’m thinking of trying it out, but I feel graham cracker crust is mandatory for a BCP. Do you think that the butterscotch filling combined with the graham cracker crust would be too overwhelming? Or perhaps omit the cinnamon when using graham cracker crust?
Hi Sabrina! Butterscotch pudding and a graham cracker crust is a wonderful combination– both flavors work very well together. I also think keeping that sprinkle of cinnamon would be delicious, too!
I made this with the butterscotch pudding and a sprinkle of cinnamon and it was so good everyone ate it even though the pudding didn’t set. It’s my fault it didn’t set, I think. It looked like a bit of the egg scrambled so I put it through a sieve and carried on hoping it would still work out. I will make this again and again and again even if the pudding never sets. You are my go to baking site, thanks for all the great recipes.
★★★★★
Can I just use the pudding and top with nila wafers and whipped cream instead making it a pie? First time trying this and wanted more of banana pudding than banana cream pie – but I trust you with all my recipes!!!!
Absolutely! I’ve actually served this pie that way before– as little parfaits. Everyone loved it.
My hubby suggested a Banana Cream Pie, I think he was getting sick of the breads I’ve been baking. This was a big hit! The custard was delicious. It was fun to get away from the fall experimental baking I’ve been doing!
★★★★★
I can’t wait to try this pie. It’s in the fridge now. Thanks for sharing.
Just curious though – how do you figure 4 hours prep time? I used a Nilla wafer crust, but even if I made my butter crust, I might have been at it an hour.
That includes the time the pie needs to chill. I hope you enjoy it!
Do you use ripe or over ripe bananas? I never know which is best.
Hi Cindy, for this pie I use bananas that are starting to get small brown spots. If you scroll through the post you can see a couple of photos that show what my bananas look like. Enjoy!
This recipe came out perfect. I only had three eggs and so I looked up a couple other banana cream pie recipes (using 3 eggs)and used 3 egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and left everything the same and my pie still set up perfectly and is very delicious. I want to use this recipe as a base for banana pudding with the vanilla wafers in it.
★★★★★
This is hand-down the best banana cream pie recipe in the world!! It all starts with the absolute richest custard I’ve ever had: four egg yolks, no whites, AND heavy cream?! Wow, no watery, breaking mess here. This will be my go-to banana pudding recipe from here on out. Oh, and the cinnamon on the bananas was brilliant! Adds little flecks here and there in the filling and adds a hint of flavor. Instead of lining the pie shell with the bananas and pouring the custard on top, I just stirred the bananas into the custard- all of them! I was looking for that big, diner-style slab of pie, and the full amount of bananas in the recipe beefed up the filling just perfectly. I admit I used my own favorite pie crust recipe and stabilized whipped cream recipe. I definitely want to try your whipped cream next time, because mine was a little too sweet with the richness of the filling. I recommend using bananas at the ripeness level you would want to eat them. Not over or underripe. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!! It’s going right to the top of my lifetime favorites!
★★★★★
Hi Jennifer, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this so much! Thank you for sharing and I’ll have to try mixing the bananas into the filling next time!
Do you have a recipe for chocolate banana cream pie? Or is there a way to add chocolate to this filling?
Hi Deanna! I don’t, sorry. How about melted and slightly cooled chocolate? Let me know what you try!
Can I use banana extract instead of vanilla?
I can’t see why not! Reduce the amount a bit as it’s likely much more flavor concentrated than vanilla extract.
I added 1/8 of a tsp. to mine and cut back a little on the vanilla, and it was heavenly! I wouldn’t use it without the vanilla though. What Sally said above, I can verify! It is way more concentrated than vanilla.
This is the best pie I’ve ever made. I’ve baked many fresh fruit pies like peach, have a reputation for that, but this is the most delicious dessert I’ve ever created! Had a piece last night after dinner and I had another piece for breakfast, it’s got bananas, milk and Graham crackers! It’s health food!
★★★★★
Hi!
I’m just wondering how long does it take for the graham cracker crust to cool completely? This website is also my favorite baking blog (BTW). I just made your Brown Sugar Peach Crumble not too long ago and it was delicious. 🙂
Hi Paulina! Thank you so much for trusting and baking my recipes! The graham cracker crust should cool down within about 1 hour at room temperature.
I’ve used many different recipes for banana cream pie. This is BY FAR my favorite! I made it with the graham cracker crust and when I put the vanilla in I lessened the extract and added banana liqueur. I could not ask for a better recipe. So thank you so much! If I could give a higher rating than 5 I totally would.
★★★★★
Hi, this was my first attempt at a banana cream pie ever. I left it to cool in the fridge overnight and the cream was still SUPER runny. Do you know what I could have possibly done wrong? I felt like I followed the recipe but clearly I messed up somewhere.
Hi Sarah! So sorry you had trouble the first time trying homemade banana cream pie. If the filling is too runny, I fear the stovetop pudding wasn’t thick enough. Make sure it thickens on the stove before removing from heat. Make no substitutions in the filling. Big bubbles will burst on top when it’s ready to come off heat.
A big thank you for all your recipes!
This is the first pie I ever made and it turned out so good
My husband absolutely loved it
Really appreciate your detailed instructions and videos
I have made your carrot cake many times and it’s a huge hit in our house
Thank you
Sally, I’m a a California-native living in the UK and this recipe translated beautifully! I’ve always been scared about tempering eggs, but I trust your recipes and techniques and it gave me hope! I did a half digestive, half Hob Nob base (oat cookies) and replaced the heavy cream with double cream (closest I could find out here). It set up lovely and the flavor was divine!! My British family were so pleasantly surprised and there were no leftovers! 🙂 Thank you for another winning recipe!
Hi Sally, I just finished making the pudding. Wow! It is fantastic! I dont usually comment blogs but this was so good and you put so much effort into fine tuning the recipe that I wanted to take a minute to let you know. I doubled the recipe and didnt have cream but used one cup of half and half and the rest whole milk because that’s what I had on hand (again, I made a double batch ). I was skeptical about the quantity of cornstarch but followed your direction anyway. Even tasting along the way I thought the cornstarch was going to be too overpowering. But somewhere in between waiting for the pudding to boil and taking it off the heat after it has boiled, something magical happens. The pudding is firm, silky smooth, absolutely delicious, and best of all, without that chalky cornstarchy taste/texture that I abhor. Bottom line: Excellent recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Made this and took it to an event today, and it was absolutely perfect! The whole thing was gone within a matter of minutes, and I got rave reviews! You’ll be the star of any party for bringing this amazing pie! Thanks Sally, it’s the best!
Wonderful! Glad it was a hit!!
Hi Sally,
I was wondering if the heavy cream is the same as the heavy whipping cream. At the store, I’ve been seeing a lot of heavy whipping cream and not heavy cream. Please let me know if this is the same.
There is a very small difference in the amount of fat but you can use either one!
Hi Sally,
On your graham cracker crust recipe, you say to chill the crust for no-bake recipes. But here, you say to pre-bake it. I’d consider this Banana Cream Pie recipe a no-bake recipe, no? Which is right? Does it even matter?
I’ve made this with a graham cracker crust 3 times now and it is to die for. Thank you!
Always follow what the particular recipes say. Some no-bake pies call for simply chilling it while others (like this!) require a pre-bake. Glad you love it!
Thee best banana cream pie ever! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this pie (with the homemade crust) and it was soooo good! Everyone loved it! The cinnamon really is a great addition! Everything turned out perfectly. Great recipe!!
Hello! For the blind bake, do you think I could use a slightly smaller pie dish that fits inside the crust as the pie weight instead of beans or actual pie weights? Thanks!
I can’t see why not
I made it for pie day with a small modification. I cooked up a banana in a little coconut oil on the stove and stirred that into the pudding before pouring it into the pie crust. It also was amazing. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m glad you’re trying out some recipes! Let me know what’s next. I really love those red velvet cupcakes.
Hey Sally, thank you so much for this! I just made it and everything went really well except…the pudding was rich and smooth after taking it off the heat. After allowing it to cool for 15 minutes it wound up with a little balls or chunks…basically no longer smooth. Any suggestions on what might have went wrong or what I could do differently next time? Thanks!
Sally, would you recommend using really ripe bananas for this recipe? I know for banana bread, the riper the better. Or does it not matter? I look forward to making this!
It doesn’t matter– though ripe bananas are super sweet and perfect for it!
Sally, my daughter was returning to college and wanted a special dessert before she left. I made this pie and it was delicious, she was so happy. Thank you for the recipe.
I made this with your graham cracker pie crust it was the best banana cream pie I have ever had!!! Banana Cream pie is my favorite pie so I’ve made and bought many Banana Cream Pies! I will never buy or make a different recipe this is the winner for the most AMAZING Banana Cream Pie!!! I would love a recipe for Coconut Cream Pie some time, that is my second favorite pie flavor!!!! Thank you Sally for another awesome recipe!!!!
Made this today exactly as directions read. It’s delicious perfect creamy and not to sweet with your pie crust to balance it out. I was thinking maybe one day you could put a peanut butter twist on it. Thanks for a great recipe!