A very long time ago on the blog, probably within the first year of it’s inception, I shared a recipe for my favorite banana cream pie. It was modeled after my favorite pie from a bakery I would frequent growing up. For me, the best part was the toasted sliced almonds on top. It’s just perfection. Anyhow, bear with me here. About a year or two ago my website went through an update and I unfortunately lost a few recipes. One of them being said banana cream pie. I didn’t think anyone would miss it, but I’ve since received a few messages asking what happened to that recipe. Since it was lost, and some of you missed it, I figured it was time to reshoot it and share it once again. So here we are. I present to you my favorite banana cream pie, back from the dead and better than ever.
To make the pie crust, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and cut in with a pastry blender or your hands until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add as much of the ice water as needed to create a shaggy dough that comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap, forming into a disc, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
**Not: The pie dough can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a day or frozen for a couple months. Just thaw the crust in the fridge overnight.**
To make the filling, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly stir in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and it has come to a boil. Cook for 1 minute.
In a small bowl, temper the eggs by whisking the egg yolks and 1⁄2 cup of the heated milk mixture together. Then pour this into the rest of the milk in the saucepan. Stir rapidly and constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
**Tip: It’s always best to add the vanilla or any other flavorings at the end so that the flavor doesn’t cook off completely from the heat.**
Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until cool.
**Tip: I like to cool down the mixture by placing it into a larger bowl that has been filled with ice water. I don’t like to place it in the fridge right away because the heat from the custard will raise the temperature of the fridge as well.**
Roll out the chilled pie dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 1⁄4-inch thick, slightly larger than your pie plate. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
When ready to bake, use a fork to poke holes throughout the bottom of the pie crust. Top with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven until the crust begins to turn golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove the weights and parchment paper and return to the oven to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until evenly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
**Note: Make sure the crust is completely cooled before filling. If the crust is warm, it’ll warm up the custard and you don’t want that.**
Once ready to assemble, spread half of the chilled custard filling onto the bottom of the baked and cooled crust. Top with banana slices and then spread the remaining custard on top, spreading out evenly. Chill once more until ready to top.
To make the topping, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Pipe the cream on top of your chilled pie or spread with an offset spatula.
Top with toasted almonds and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until set, before slicing and serving. It’s best to let the custard fully set so that the pie slices up easier.
It’s is one of my favorite pies of all time, and although there are quite a few steps, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s the type of pie you make when you want to really impress. It’s perfect for parties, potlucks or gatherings. Don’t skimp out on the toasted almonds. The texture from those alongside the creaminess from the whipped cream is just perfect.
If you remember this recipe from way back in the day, then you’ll know it’s a keeper. But if you didn’t even know it existed, then I’m glad I brought it back from the dead because it’s out of this world. If you give it a try, let me know what you think below and as always thank you so much for reading and following along.
Banana Cream Pie
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Pie Plate
- Pie weights
- Rolling Pin
- Piping bag
- Wisk
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 3/4 cup whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 medium bananas sliced
Topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds toasted
Instructions
- To make the pie crust, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold butter and cut in with a pastry blender or your hands until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add as much of the ice water as needed to create a shaggy dough that comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap, forming into a disc, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- To make the filling, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly stir in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and it has come to a boil. Cook for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, temper the eggs by whisking the egg yolks and 1⁄2 cup of the heated milk mixture together. Then pour this into the rest of the milk in the saucepan. Stir rapidly and constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Roll out the chilled pie dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 1⁄4-inch thick, slightly larger than your pie plate. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- When ready to bake, use a fork to poke holes throughout the bottom of the pie crust. Top with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust begins to turn golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove the weights and parchment paper and return to the oven to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until evenly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Once ready to assemble, spread half of the chilled custard filling onto the bottom of the baked and cooled crust. Top with banana slices and then spread the remaining custard on top, spreading out evenly. Chill once more until ready to top.
- To make the topping, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Pipe the cream on top of your chilled pie or spread with an offset spatula. Top with toasted almonds and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until set, before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Jonathan — this looks really great! My grandmother used to freeze banana cream pies and coconut cream pies and they were like ice cream. Is that do-able with this recipe?
this is one of those classic desserts that, for some reason, I’ve never tried, and wouldn’t know where to start, so thank you!