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Our Banana Cream Pie layers fresh bananas and smooth homemade vanilla custard in a Nilla wafer crust. Finish it with whipped cream it’ll be the best Banana Cream Pie!
Homemade Banana Cream Pie Is Always Better
I know I’m a pie snob, but I’d argue store-bought is not worth the calories, and there’s just something about a homemade Banana Cream Pie that makes everyone happy! My recipe starts with a simple homemade vanilla wafer crust (or you could do graham cracker or traditional pie crust), then layers of rich vanilla custard, fresh bananas, and fluffy whipped cream. It’s one of those classic desserts that feels extra special but is surprisingly simple to make.
My biggest tip: Go slow tempering the eggs, and make sure to strain the final mixture in case there are any pieces of cooked egg. This is worth the extra step for a creamy and smooth pudding.
Try more of my pie recipes, like Coconut Cream Pie, Banoffee Pie, Lemon Cream Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Lemon Meringue Pie!
How to make Banana Cream Pie:
Bake Crust: Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Pulse the Nilla wafers in a food processor, or crush them in a resealable bag with a rolling pin. Stir the crumbs and melted butter together in a bowl. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before adding the filling.
Cook Custard: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth and set aside. Whisk the sugar, salt, and milk in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until simmering. Very slowly pour a large ladleful of the hot milk into the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly to temper the eggs without scrambling them. Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, stir in the butter and vanilla, and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a storage container. Press plastic wrap directly against the pudding and cool for 30 minutes.
Assemble, Chill, and Serve: Arrange the sliced bananas in an even layer in the cooled crust and pour the pudding over them. Press plastic wrap directly onto the pudding to prevent a skin, then refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours. Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until peaks form and smooth over the pie. Refrigerate uncovered for at least another 4-6 hours before serving.
Troubleshooting and Common Issues:
- Why is my banana cream pie filling runny and not setting?
- Cause: The custard wasn’t cooked long or hot enough on the stove to activate and bind the cornstarch to the fat.
- Fix: Keep the heat on even medium the entire cooking time. Make sure the mixture comes to a full bubble on low heat and whisk constantly for 1 full minute until it’s thick before removing it from the heat.
- Why does my custard have lumps or little egg pieces?
- Cause: The egg yolks were tempered too quickly, causing them to cook or scramble.
- Fix: Temper the eggs. Slowly pour and whisk a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk/cornstarch mixture to temper the eggs before adding back to the saucepan. Strain the warm custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any egg pieces.
- How do I prevent a film/skin from forming on top of the custard? Place a layer of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the warm pudding while it cools to prevent a skin forming on the outer layer of the custard.
Banana Cream Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Nilla Wafer Crust:*
- 2 cups Nilla wafers, , crushed, (about 60 cookies)
- ⅓ cup butter, , melted
Filling:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter, , cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large firm bananas, , sliced
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add Nilla wafers to a food processor and pulse until crumbs (or crush them in a resealable bag, with a rolling pin). Add cookie crumbs to a bowl and stir in melted butter. Use the back of a measuring cup to press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9'' pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding the filling.2 cups Nilla wafers, ⅓ cup butter
- Banana Pudding: Mix egg yolks and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Set aside. To a large saucepan, add sugar, salt and milk to a large, heavy saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it comes to a simmer.4 large egg yolks, ¼ cup cornstarch, 2/3 cups granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 ½ cups whole milk
- Spoon a big ladleful of simmering milk out of the pot, and very slowly whisk the milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour a slow steady stream, to temper the eggs (warm them up slowly, without scrambling them).
- Pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking to incorporate. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, until the mixture has thickened (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Strain pudding through a fine mesh sieve, into a storage container. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.2 Tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slice bananas into the bottom of the nilla wafer crust. Pour pudding over the top. Place a small piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding, so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.3 large firm bananas
- Whip Cream: Add heavy cream and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and whip until peaks form. Smooth whipped cream over the top of the pie.1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe November 2017. Updated November 2019, November 2023, and October 2026.
Do I use unsalted butter or salted butter?
You can use either. If you use salted just reduce the salt in the recipe a little bit 🙂
If you are preparing the pie 1 day before it is being served should u still not put the bananas in the middle?
I’m sure that would be fine. Just toss them in a little bit of lemon juice before adding them 🙂
I’m curious as to the banana flavor if this pie, is it strong? My husband is used to pies that used banana pudding mix but I don’t want to make mine that way. Is this too far of a stretch?
Hi Katelin, one of the things I appreciate from this from-scratch version is that it doesn’t have that strong “artificial” banana flavoring like the store pudding mix, (I think it’s WAY better) and it holds together better to. If you think you’d miss that stronger banana flavor you could always add a tiny bit of banana extract 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try it!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and I feel like I have to come back to comment and tell you how great it is. I’ve never had such great success with homemade banana cream pie before! It’s my husband’s favorite but I really don’t like the flavor of the box pudding. This recipe is really amazing!
I tried this recipe twice and both times were spectacular failures! I used the exact amounts of ingredients both times and cooked it per instructions. It thickened when cooking, but returned to liquid state after chilling!
My first thought was that maybe the corn starch had gone bad. Nope! Corn starch has an indefinite shelf life, as long as it is kept in dry, a sealed container. I thought the only other possibility might have been the quantity of vanilla extract called for in the recipe. At the time, I thought one tablespoon was way too much, but I added it as called for. Perhaps the greater quantity of alcohol in the extract interfered with thickening chemistry.
Has anyone made this recipe successfully using one table spoon of vanilla extract? I wonder if the correct quantity should have been one teaspoon rather one tablespoon?
I had the exact same experience where it was thickened when cooking on the stove, then turned into a watery gravy after cooling in the refrigerator. I have no idea why the recipe didn’t work for me either.
Can I make this with 2 percent milk ?
Hi Susanna, 2 percent milk would work, you will just loose a tiny bit of the creaminess factor. 🙂 Enjoy!
I am allergic to corn derived products such as corn starch. Can you recommend a substitute?
Honestly I couldn’t say for this particular recipe since cornstarch is such an important ingredient. I would just search for a vanilla custard recipe that doesn’t use cornstarch, such as this one http://www.vlhamlin.com/blog/homemade-vanilla-pudding-without-cornstarch/ good luck!
I attempted this and my custard isn’t very custardy. I have let it cool, but it still won’t sit right. I followed the recipe the the letter and don’t know what I did wrong. I am still in the process of making it, so is there anyway I can save the custard?
I made the same mistakes, I’ll try your tips for my next attempt. And I also think I’ll cut in half the sugar, way too sweet.
Can you use 2% milk or evaporated or half-and-half? I don’t have whole milk! Argh!
Hi Tracey, any of those would be great as a substitution 🙂 I’d love to hear how you like it!
I made the banana pie that came out perfect.
However the whipped topping for some odd reason turned into butter.
I don’t know what went wrong.
This is my first time for making this.
Hi Don, the whipped cream will do that if it’s beaten for too long. Next time stop beating it when it’s stiff enough to “hold a peak” when you pull the beaters up, but still very light and fluffy.