Banana Cream Pie Recipe from scratch

Learn how to make a classic Banana Cream Pie recipe from scratch! It has a flaky homemade crust, the best creamy pudding filling, and a fresh whipped cream topping. You will love how easy it is to make this old-fashioned pie.

I have a soft spot for old-fashioned pie recipes and banana cream pie is one of my all-time favorites. I love the contrast of the flaky crust with the creamy filling and fresh banana slices. 

It’s hard not to be happy when you have a slice of this pie in front of you! Every time I make it people always ask for the recipe.

Why you’ll love this:

• You can make this pie with my flaky all-butter crust or use your favorite refrigerator dough if you’re short on time. 
• The filling is a rich vanilla pudding that is made from scratch! If you’ve never made homemade pudding you’re in for a treat because there’s nothing like it.
• What makes this a banana cream pie is sliced fresh bananas layered with the creamy pudding. 
• It’s finished with a simple whipped cream topping that is light, fluffy and easy to make.

This is a banana cream pie with pudding. Homemade pudding is easy to make and takes it to a whole new level! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Ingredients in Banana Cream Pie

• Sugar: The custard is sweetened with granulated sugar
• Cornstarch: I find that using cornstarch to thicken is the easiest and best way to make pudding from scratch
• Salt: Just a little is important for flavor
• Whole Milk: While you can use low-fat or nonfat milk, I don’t recommend it. Whole milk makes a nice creamy pudding.
• Eggs: Eggs make this a rich custard.
• Vanilla extract: for flavor
• Unsalted butter: For richness – this is an important ingredient to finish your pudding.
• Bananas: Obviously! Use a just ripe banana – nothing with brown spots.
• Pie Crust: Traditionally banana cream pie is made with a pastry crust, but you can also use a no-bake crust like my Graham Cracker Crust or Oreo Crust.

How to make Banana Cream Pie from scratch

Whisk: Place the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk them to combine and then whisk in the milk.

Heat: Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the mixture for seven to eight minutes. Stir it constantly until it’s thick and bubbly.

Temper: Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Add a small amount of the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. This will slowly warm the beaten eggs (called tempering) so you can add the rest of the milk mixture without scrambling the eggs. Pour the eggs into the milk mixture in the saucepan while whisking continuously.

Cook: Bring the pudding to a boil over medium-low heat and then cook it for two minutes.

Strain: Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the pudding into a bowl. This will catch any cooked eggs pieces or other solids so you end up with a creamy, smooth filling for your pie.

Once it’s strained, add in your butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted.

Banana Cream Pie Crust

Once you have your filling made and your pie dough ready you can assemble the pie.

1. Whether you make my all-butter crust or use store-bought pie dough, you will want to blind bake the crust first.

For a frozen crust or refrigerated dough, I recommend following the instructions on the package for blind baking it. If you make my homemade one here’s how to blind bake a pie crust for a cream pie:

• Fit the dough into a 9” pie pan and the chill it until it’s firm, about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Once it’s cold, poke some holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Place a piece of parchment in the bottom and use pie weights or dried beans to hold it down. This will prevent the crust from bubbling up while it bakes.
• Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes at 425°F. Remove the weights and parchment (carefully!) and then bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until it’s cooked through.
• Let it cool before you add the filling.

Assemble the Pie

2. Once the crust is cooled, place some banana slices in the crust in an even layer. Spoon half of the filling over the top. Add another layer of bananas and then add the rest of the filling and smooth it into an even layer.

3. I like to wait to add the whipped cream until I’m ready to serve it. So, you can cover the filling and crust with plastic wrap and chill it until you’re ready to serve it.

Make the whipped cream and then spread it over the top of the filling and then slice and serve!

Make it a No-Bake Banana Cream Pie

It’s easy to turn this into a no-bake banana cream pie recipe by switching the crust. My  is super easy to make and perfect with the flavors in this pie! 

You will save time not having to bake the crust first and it’s an easy way to switch up the flavor.

Crust Options:

• No-bake graham cracker crust
• Oreo Crust
• Shortbread Crust
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

Last Minute PRO TIPS

• Make sure your bananas are just ripe. If they’re too ripe they’ll get brown and soggy too fast.
• Don’t skip straining the pudding. It is important in case there are any bits of egg.
• Want more banana flavor in the pudding? Add 1 teaspoon banana extract with the vanilla extract.

Recipe FAQs

There’s a reason this pie has been popular for so long! No one can resist a slice of homemade banana cream pie. I hope you give it a try!

Banana Cream Pie Recipe

5 from 13 votes

Make my easy banana pudding recipe from scratch! This simple pie is easy to make and full of fresh sliced bananas and homemade pudding.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Yield 8 servings

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 pie crust from scratch or from the store
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup cornstarch
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 cups whole milk
• ▢ 2 large eggs beaten
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced
• ▢ 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢ 3-4 bananas ripe but not spotted

Instructions

Blind Bake the Pie Crust:

• NOTE: this blind baking method in step 2 is for my all butter pie crust. If you are using a frozen or refrigerated crust from the store, follow the package directions to blind bake the crust.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch pie plate and chill until firm while oven preheats. Prick the bottom of the pie crust all over with the tines of a fork. Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pie crust and fill it with pie weights (or beans or similar item) and bake it for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the weights and parchment and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the crust is browned and cooked through. Let cool while preparing filling.

Make the pudding:

• Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbly (about 7-8 minutes).
• Place beaten eggs in a medium bowl. Temper the eggs by whisking the eggs constantly while adding a bit of the hot custard mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the custard while whisking the pudding constantly.
• Cook over medium-low heat until it boils (it will boil quickly) then cook, stirring constantly an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.
• Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps or bits of egg that may have cooked. Cool to room temperature.

Make the whipped cream:

• Make the whipped cream the same day you serve the pie. Beat heavy whipping cream with a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed, adding the powdered sugar and vanilla during mixing, until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the pie:

• Slice bananas. Layer a single layer of banana slices on the bottom of your pie crust. Top with half the pudding, add more bananas, then the rest of the pudding. Chill until ready to serve, then top with whipped cream.
• Store leftovers loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 804IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

This is the BEST Banana Cream Pie Recipe from scratch with pudding! This pie has homemade pudding with a from scratch crust and fresh whipped cream. It’s an easy old fashioned pie!

Last Updated on June 2, 2021