All-American, old-fashioned, 100% from scratch banana cream pie featuring flaky buttery pie crust, silky smooth vanilla pudding, plenty of bananas and homemade whipped cream. Seriously so delicious and can totally be prepared in advance!
Oh my word!! We’re having pie today!
BANANA CREAM PIE! Yes, I’m screaming from excitement, because I can’t help it! It’s hands down one of my favorite pies ever!
All-American, old-fashioned, 100% from scratch banana cream pie with buttery flaky pie crust, filled with homemade silky smooth vanilla pudding, lots of fresh bananas, and topped with dreamy fluffy homemade whipped cream!
I know, it sounds super high maintenance, but to be honest, it’s not that bad. And it’ll all be worth it at the end. I promise!
We’re using my all-butter pie crust, which never disappoints. It’s so buttery, flaky and super easy to make. I always make a few batches of pie dough at a time and keep them in the freezer. And when the pie craving hits, they’ll be at an arm’s reach. But if you have your own favorite pie dough, you can go right ahead and use it instead. The main thing about pie crust is that it has to be blind baked first until it’s nice and golden.
And as for the pudding, it’s quite easy. Whenever I make french macarons, I get plenty of egg yolks on hand and pudding is my favorite thing to make, after homemade vanilla ice cream. To avoid soupy, runny pudding, make sure to use whole milk (or at least 2%) and cook it until it’s nice and thick. Undercooked pudding is the #1 reason the pie gets soupy. One trick to check the doneness is to coat the back of the spoon with pudding and run your finger right through the middle. If the trail stays separate without running back into the middle, it’s done. And no fat-free or skim milk here.
Don’t be alarmed by the length of the recipe directions. As usual, I tried to be as detailed as possible, so you can enjoy the most delicious banana cream pie ever!
Did I get you craving some banana cream pie yet? Hope you’ll indulge in your very own pie soon. And let me know if you give this recipe a try.
Homemade Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
For pie crust:
- 1 ½ cups 190g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, cut into ½ tablespoon pieces and frozen
- 1 egg yolk
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
For vanilla pudding:
- 2 cups 480ml whole milk (2% will work too)
- ½ cup 120ml heavy (whipping) cream
- 1/3 cup 65gr sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 bananas
For whipped cream:
- 1 cup 240ml heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together flour and salt.
- Add frozen butter cubes and mix until butter is somewhat mixed into the flour with visible chunks still there, while mixer is running on low. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter, instead of stand mixer.
- Add egg yolk and continue to mix until the butter pieces are about pea sized.
- Stir in ice water one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is almost comes together. Depending on humidity, you might not need all the water, or you might need additional couple of tablespoons. That’s why you need to add it 1 tablespoon at a time until big clumps of dough sticks together. Don’t be alarmed if you see pieces of butter in the dough, that’s exactly what you want to see. Those butter pieces will melt during baking and create the most tender and flaky crust.
- Form the dough into a ball and slightly flatten into a disk. Wrap it in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
- To blind bake the pie crust, roll the dough into 10 to 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Wrap the dough around rolling pin and carefully transfer it onto baking pan. Fold the edges out and roll until it meets the pie pan. Crimp the edges any which way you like.
- Using a fork, pierce holes all over the crust to prevent bubbles and air pockets throughout the crust. Place the crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Cover the crust with aluminum foil and pour pie weights, or raw beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, and then carefully remove foil and pie weights. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.
- To make the vanilla pudding, in a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine milk and heavy cream. Slowly bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. This’s called scalding the milk. Once you see small bubbles appearing on the surface, remove it from heat. Be careful not to boil it though, or it’ll scramble the eggs in step 13.
- In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and salt. Whisk the mixture until creamy and doubled in size.
- To temper the egg mixture, slowly add 1 cup of scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture, while constantly whisking the mixture.
- Transfer the tempered egg mixture into the remaining scalded milk. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is nice and thick. (One trick to check the doneness is to coat the back of the spoon with pudding and run your finger right through the middle. If the trail stays separate without running back into the middle, it's done.)
- Run the custard through a sieve for extra smooth texture.
- Cover it with a plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the pudding. This’ll prevent a layer of film from forming on top. Chill the pudding for at least an hour.
- To make the whipped cream, whisk the heavy cream in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment on medium speed. As it starts to thicken, add sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until hard peaks form. (Tip: beating the cream at medium speed yields sturdier whipped cream that doesn't weep quickly. Whisking at high speed incorporates too much air and whipped cream weeps quicker.)
- To assemble the pie, slice the banana and layer 2/3 of banana slices on the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Reserve the remaining banana slices for the topping.
- Pour the cooled vanilla pudding into the pie shell. Smooth the surface and put a layer of whipped cream. Arrange the reserved banana slices on top and serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
It sounds like perfection. I appreciate the very detailed directions. I rarely make such a dessert. Having your expert tips of what to watch for will help along the way. Thank you… Carol
Glad you found my recipe post helpful, Carol. Thank you for your comment. And please let us know if you give it a try!
Hi, I am trying to find vanilla bean paste but our small town doesn’t have it. Can I use something else or leave it out? Thanks, Diane
Hi, Diane. You can simply double pure vanilla extract.
Thank you so much. Going to make it for Christmas day as my mom used to so I hope I get it right Merry Christmas to you and yours
Thank you, Diane. Please let us know how it turns out. Merry Christmas!!
This looks delicious. How do you keep the banana slices from turning brown? Thanks!
Hi, Kris. I don’t treat bananas any special way. If you assemble the pie the day you’re going to serve, they’ll stay fresh. But I noticed they tend to brown when I keep it overnight. I’ve also seen people dip banana slices in lemon juice, or 7UP to extend the fresh look, but I’ve never tried that.