This Banana Cream Pie recipe is one of my absolute favorites. This easy dessert harkens back to the traditional banana pudding recipe I used to eat growing up. While this is a recipe to make the banana cream pie from scratch, I will also give you some tips for making a similar version of this pie if you need to make it fast!
Banana Cream Pie
It’s starting to warm up here in Southern California and just around this time every year, I start to get a hankering for Banana Pudding. Layers of bananas, Nilla Wafers, vanilla cream pudding and whipping cream all combined to make a delightful dessert anyone will love!
I stumbled upon this Banana Cream Pie recipe and decided to make it with the Banana Pudding recipe in mind. Instead of making a Nilla Wafer crust, I used our perfectly flaky pie crust recipe. Oh boy, I have to say, it’s like eating a restaurant pie!
How to Make Banana Cream Pie from Scratch
This Banana Cream Pie recipe is mostly from scratch. I don’t make the Nilla Wafers from scratch because I love the original Nilla Wafers. We do make the pie crust from scratch because I love our all-butter pie crust. You could easily use a store bought pie dough for this recipe and simply par-bake it. This just means you bake it ahead. I still place a layer of Nilla Wafers on top of the crust because who doesn’t love hidden cookies in their dessert?!?
The vanilla cream comes together very easily on the stove top and is totally worth making from scratch. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make, and it tastes ahhhhhh-mazing when it is added into this pie.
How to Make a Simple No Bake Version of this Pie
The simple way of making banana pudding is to buy vanilla pudding cups, Nilla Wafers, Bananas and Cool Whip. Layer crushed Nilla Wafers on the bottom of the dish. Then lay slices of bananas on top. Then scoop vanilla pudding onto the bananas. Finally, top the pie with Cool Whip. You can decorate the top with crushed Nilla Wafers. Also, feel free to layer the bananas, Nilla Wafers, vanilla pudding and Cool Whip a few times in a taller clear dish to make a more dramatic dessert. You can also combine some Cool Whip with the vanilla pudding to fluff it up some. This works great if you need to make dessert quickly. And trust me, on a hot day, everyone will love this cool dessert. Just make sure to keep it in the fridge until ready to serve!
How Do You Keep Bananas from Turning Brown in Banana Cream Pie?
Treat the bananas with a little squeeze of lemon juice. You can use lemon, orange or pineapple juice to prevent the browning. If you want to avoid changing the flavor of the pie, you will want to use as little as possible. Squeeze the juice onto the banana slices and toss in a bowl or place the juice in a spray bottle and spritz them. Also, if you cover the bananas with the cream or pudding, they will tend to stay more fresh, so avoid placing banana slices on top until serving.
How Long Does Banana Cream Pie Need to Sit in the Refrigerator?
Once the pie is put together, I suggest you refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. Of course if you can make it the night before and let the ingredients breathe together and combine for more hours, the banana cream pie will taste that much better. If you want it more on the chilled side when serving, try to refrigerate it for at least 5 hours.
Tips for Making Banana Cream Pie
- Par-bake (pre-bake) the pie crust ahead of time and let it cool completely.
- Use fresh ingredients. Don’t use overly ripe bananas for this recipe. Try to get or use yellow bananas.
- Wait to slice the bananas until just before you pour the vanilla cream into the dish. This way they won’t brown. You can also toss them in a little bit of lemon juice.
- Use the leftover egg whites from the make a meringue topping if you like. I prefer whipping cream, but to each their own.
- Chill the pie for 2-5 hours before serving as it tastes better cold!
Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-bake the pie shell. Line the bottom of the pie crust with crushed Nilla Wafers. Save some Nilla Wafers for the top of the pie.
- In a large saucepan, heat the milk until scalded.
- In another saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt and gradually stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- Cover and cook for two minutes longer, and stir occasionally. Get egg yolks ready in a separate bowl. Slightly beat the egg yolks. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks. When thoroughly combined, stir the yolks into the mixture.
- Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla. Let sit until warm.
- Slice bananas and layer onto the pie crust with Nilla Wafers.
- Pour the warm vanilla cream mixture over the bananas.
- In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream on high. Once the whipping cream thickens, add two tablespoons of sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla. Beat until mixture until completely whipped. Use a piping bag or Ziplock bag with tip cut off to pipe whipping cream onto top of vanilla cream.
- Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 2-5 hours. Before serving, add crushed Nilla Wafers to the top of the banana cream pie. Accent with a few whole Nilla Wafers.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!