Skip the mix and whip up a beautiful Banana Cream Pie! Creamy banana custard, homemade whipped cream and bits of toffee top a flaky chocolate lined crust to create the ultimate bite!
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!
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.
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.
Banana Recipes
Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 pie crust baked
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Filling
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch sifted
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened and sliced into 4 parts
- 3 ripe bananas sliced
Topping
- ¾ cup toffee bits divided
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Garnish
Instructions
Crust
- In a small microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Spread onto the bottom of baked pie crust, transfer to refrigerator and allow to set.1 pie crust, ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add milk and vanilla. Whisk to combine until just below a boil when bubbles begin to form, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from heat.2 cups whole milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined.½ cup white granulated sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch, 4 large egg yolks, ½ teaspoon salt
- On low speed, gradually, in a stream, beat in ⅓ hot milk mixture into yolk mixture to avoid curdling egg yolks. Repeat ⅓ at a time until just incorporated.
- Return mixture to saucepan, whisking continuously until a thick pastry cream forms (about 4 minutes). Whisk in butter until smooth. Remove from heat.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Using a spatula, fold in sliced bananas.3 ripe bananas
- Transfer mixture to a medium-sized bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to avoid browning and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Topping
- Pour cream mixture into prepared chocolate lined crust. Top with ½ cup toffee bits. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill 1+ hours or overnight.¾ cup toffee bits
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat heavy cream on low, gradually increasing speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually blend in powdered sugar. Spread onto pie or serve as a garnish and sprinkle with remaining toffee bits.1½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar
Julie’s Tips
Storage Notes
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days. To freeze, omit whipped cream and toffee. Allow pie to cool. Cover in plastic wrap and freeze 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 fresh whipped cream and toffee crumbles.Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
A) these photos are beautiful B) that is genius and I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, friend!
Looks great. Did you mash the bananas or just slice them up?
Just slice – I prefer the texture.