Banana Cream Pie – This handmade banana cream pie is out of this world. You’ll go insane for it!! A buttery crust, a truly delectable vanilla pudding filling, soft banana chunks, cinnamon for good measure, and gently sweetened whipped cream to boost the ante. Because you deserve it, savor every last bite as it melts in your lips. This is the perfect pie: creamy, smooth, and decadent while remaining light and lovely. You’ll appreciate the creamy, crispy, light, and fluffy aspects working together in each mouthful, which are full of banana flavor and contain no artificial chemicals! A flaky handmade butter crust contains creamy vanilla custard with fresh bananas on top and underneath, all topped with a massive mountain of whipped cream! Even if you’re not a huge banana fan, this pie is hard to top and will be a home run!
Table of Contents
Easy Banana Cream Pie Recipe:
Banana cream pie is one of my all-time favorite pies. Every year, my husband’s grandmother prepares it for our Thanksgiving dinner (along with about a dozen other pies), and it’s always the kids’ favorite. I was astounded to learn how simple it was to make! It not only tastes fantastic over the holidays, but it also makes a great summertime pie because you don’t have to heat up the kitchen with a hot oven. This recipe is very simple, and if you like bananas, you’ll adore this pie. It’s light and fluffy, with a wonderful banana taste. It’s also created using only 5 easy ingredients, one of which being a box of instant banana pudding mix. It doesn’t get much simpler than this!
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Bananas that are ripe yet still stiff
- Whipped Cream
- Granulated Sugar
- a Ready-made pie crust
How To Make Banana Cream Pie?
- Preheat the oven to 425°F for the pie crust. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Put it all together. Grate in the chilled butter and sprinkle with the ice cold water. Using a fork, combine the ingredients. Make a ball out of the pastry dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap or a zip lock bag and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Flatten the dough with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface into a circle at least 1 inch bigger than the pie pan, rolling from the center to the outside, rotating and flouring the dough to keep it from sticking to the board. Fold the dough in half and place it in the pie pan without stretching it, then unfold to fit. Cut the dough 1 inch bigger around than the pan using a tiny sharp paring knife. Fold the edge in and crimp it with your fingers or the tines of a fork.
- Make a slit in your pie crust. To keep your pie crust propped up, use tin foil. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F. Make the egg wash by combining one egg and a splash of heavy cream. Remove the tin foil and brush the egg wash over the crust.
- Now, use a fork or a sharp knife to make a fork-like indentation in the pie crust and place a tent of foil around the sides. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then lower to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until the middle is brown. Remove the pie crust from the oven when the middle is brown and put aside.
- To make the filling, mix together the dry ingredients, then add the milk and stir again. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened.
- To temper the eggs, slowly sprinkle a cup of the hot milk mixture into them. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan while whisking, and simmer for another 2 minutes on medium.
- Mix in the butter and vanilla extract until completely dissolved. Cover and chill till room temperature. In a stand mixer, combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to make the Whipped Cream Topping. Whip on high until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie and smooth it down gently.
- Spread a thin layer of custard across the bottom of the chilled pie crust. Place banana slices on the bottom. Fill the pie shell with the remaining custard mixture, then top with whipped cream and additional bananas.
Tips And Tricks:
- This pie may be made a day ahead of time and served chilled; it is wonderful!
- To make the pie ahead of time, add the bananas and whipped cream shortly before serving. Fresh bananas may become brown and mushy after a few days, so add them right before serving.
- This pie is fantastic drizzled with chocolate ganache or sprinkled with toasted coconut on top. When you serve them, have them both ready so that your visitors may experiment with different alternatives.
- If you want a softer texture, add a spoonful less cornstarch to the filling. It’s a fine line between texture and stability!
- This pie also works nicely with a cookie crust, so don’t be afraid to explore!
- Use vanilla bean paste for an extra vanilla flavor and a wonderful sight with all those little seeds floating about.
Banana Cream Pie Crust:
This pie may be made in either a regular pastry pie crust or a no-bake graham cracker crust, depending on your preference.
- Graham Cracker Crust: There is no need to bake a graham cracker crust. Store-bought graham crusts are typically too thin and do not hold up as well. It simply takes around 5 minutes to make a graham crust.
- Pastry Crust: If you’re using a pastry crust (either handmade or store-bought), you’ll want to blind bake the pie crust (bake it empty).
Easy Homemade Custard:
Tempering your eggs stops them from cooking and ensures that they are easily integrated into your custard. The conventional procedure entails whisking a part of warmed milk or cream into the eggs and then returning this combination to the pan with the remainder of the warmed dairy before continuing to boil and thicken the custard. If you’ve ever made custard from home, you’ve most certainly used this approach. I have a slightly different approach that is considerably easier and works well.
How To Make The Filling?
- In a medium saucepan, off the heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- In a separate dish, whisk together the eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed.
- Slowly pour the egg/milk combination into the dry ingredients in the saucepan (whisking frequently as you pour) until absolutely smooth.
- Cook, whisking frequently, until the custard has thickened in a pot over MEDIUM heat.
- After the custard has thickened, a little butter and pure vanilla extract are mixed into it.
- Pour the heated custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight. If you cook the custard ahead of time, this pie comes together quickly and easily the next day.
How To Plan Ahead?
To prepare ahead of time This pie has to chill for at least 3 hours before serving to solidify, but it’s much better if you can leave it overnight! Make the dish as directed (without the toppings), then cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. Top with whipped cream and fresh bananas when ready to serve.
How To Keep And Freeze?
- To keep. Cover the pie top loosely with aluminum foil (or plastic wrap) and store in the refrigerator. It may be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To become ice cold. Make the pie according to the package directions, then freeze it after filling the crust. Allow it defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then top with whipped cream and sliced bananas just before serving.
How Do You Keep The Bananas From Browning?
Brush your bananas with a little citrus juice. Lemon, orange, and even pineapple work nicely. If you don’t want to add additional taste to your banana cream pie, slice and arrange the banana on top right before serving.
MORE DELICIOIUS RECIPES HERE:
Did you make this recipe ? be sure to follow me on Pinterest, rate the recipe and tag #saltedcaramelgirl on Instagram!
Banana Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie - This handmade banana cream pie is out of this world. You'll go insane for it!! A buttery crust, a truly delectable vanilla pudding filling, soft banana chunks, cinnamon for good measure, and gently sweetened whipped cream to boost the ante. Because you deserve it, savor every last bite as it melts in your lips.
Ingredients
- The Crust and the Filling:
- Homemade pie crust (recipe yields two crusts; split the crust recipe or freeze the second half)*
- 1 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp of salt
- 4 big yolks of eggs
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
- four bananas
- a sprinkling of ground cinnamon is optional
- Whipping Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Pie Crust: Make the pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) once the pie dough has cooled. Roll out one of the refrigerated dough discs on a dusted work surface (if you prepared the whole pie dough recipe, you may freeze the other half of the dough now).
Turn the dough approximately a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a 12-inch-diameter circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate with care. Tuck it in with your fingertips and smooth it out. Trim the extra dough from the edges with a tiny paring knife.
Make the edges flounced. For 30 minutes, chill the prepared pie crust. Before blind-baking, it should be very cold.
Blind-bake the crust: Line the cooled pie shell with aluminum foil, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights or dry beans, then bake for 20 minutes, or until the pie crust is very lightly browned.
Remove the foil (and weights) gently and continue to bake the crust for another 5 minutes, or until it is a darker brown. As you make the filling, place the pie shell on a wire rack to cool fully.
Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring to a moderate simmer, whisking periodically.
In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until thick and smooth as the milk mixture begins to boil. To gently warm the egg yolk mixture, slowly pour in 1 cup (240ml) of the boiling milk. Then, stir the egg yolk mixture into the pan in a steady stream.
Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and large bubbles begin to break on the surface, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla essence and butter. To avoid a "skin" from developing on top of the heated pudding, place a piece of plastic wrap immediately on top. Allow for a 15-minute cooling period.
2 bananas, sliced, should be arranged in the chilled pie shell. Garnish with cinnamon. On top, spread the chilled filling. Wrap a piece of plastic wrap directly over the filling. Again, to avoid the formation of a skin. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 1 day.
When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream as follows: On medium-high speed, whip the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Spread or pipe the filling onto the chilled pie. Slice the remaining 2 bananas and arrange them on top of the pie. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Preparation Instructions:
The pie crust dough can be be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. You may also blind-bake the crust the day before. At room temperature, keep covered. You may also create the filling a day ahead of time. Before putting the warm pudding in the refrigerator, place a piece of plastic wrap immediately on top of it. This pie does not freeze well. The texture of the filling is never the same.
Time Saving Tip: To save time, make a graham cracker crust. Pre-bake it for about 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then cool fully before filling.
Leave a Reply