Banana Cream Pie

Indulge in the ultimate comfort dessert with this easy banana cream pie recipe. This pie will satisfy your sweet cravings with a graham cracker crust, creamy filling, and fresh bananas.

My husband and daughter are huge banana fans, and this is one of our favorite cream pies. I mean, it’s off-the-charts crazy good! If you like this recipe, try homemade banana pudding, chocolate chip banana bread, banana cake, and banana nut bread.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Graham crackers: Crush your graham crackers with a rolling pin or a mini food processor, or use graham cracker crumbs. Or pick up a prebaked graham cracker crust.
• Butter: preferably unsalted, but salted will work in a pinch; remove any added salt.
• Milk: preferably whole or 2%
• Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
• Powdered sugar: also known as confectioners’ sugar

How to make Banana Cream Pie

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

Start by combining the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press them into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for about 7 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack.

Then, in a medium saucepan, whisk the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and cornstarch over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture simmers and slightly thickens. 

Remove 1 cup of the hot mixture and slowly whisk it into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan in a very slow stream, cooking until bubbly and thick, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter.

Cool for 15 minutes, whisking several times so a skin does not form. While the pudding is cooling, place sliced bananas in the bottom and up the sides of the graham cracker crust. Pour the cooled pudding into the crust and cover it with plastic wrap. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium, whip the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe the cream onto the pie. Finally, top with banana slices and graham cracker crumbs. For best results, serve promptly.

Preparation Tips

• This pie is also delicious with traditional pie dough. Cookie crusts made from vanilla or chocolate wafers, vanilla or chocolate Oreos, shortbread, or pecan sandies cookies also taste delicious. 
• To keep the banana slices at their optimum, bake the crust the night before, then make the pudding in the morning. Add the banana slices and pudding to the crust. Now refrigerate until close to serving or at least 4 hours. Then top with the whipped cream, more banana slices, and graham cracker crumbs, and serve.
• To keep the vanilla pudding texture smooth and creamy, whisk almost continuously.
• Even though the bananas in your pie may turn slightly brown, the pie will still be incredibly delicious.

How To Freeze It

The whipped topping is best added to the dessert right before serving. Follow the directions up to the point of pouring the custard into the pie crust. Then, place it on a level surface in the freezer and flash freeze. Once frozen, wrap it with several layers of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw for several hours in the refrigerator, prepare, and top with the whipped cream and fresh banana slices. For best results, serve promptly.

Storage

The whipped cream topping should be made and added right before serving or up to 24 hours in advance if making stabilized whipped cream.

Store the dessert in the refrigerator until serving, and all leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.