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The most incredible (and easy) Banana Cream Pie recipe with homemade custard filling that holds together perfectly, layered inside a Nilla wafer crust. You'll never use a box pudding mix again!
You can browse all of my delicious pie recipes, and be sure to try the Key Lime Pie, Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, or a Lemon Sour Cream Pie.
What I love about this pie:
- The Filling: To make a truly excellent Banana Cream Pie, the pudding NEEDS to be made from scratch! This recipe if flavorful, holds together, and so velvety smooth.
- Nilla Wafer Crust really shines in this pie, and reminds me of banana pudding. If you prefer something else, you can use a graham cracker or traditional pie crust.
- Make Ahead: you can make this beautiful pie 1-2 days in advance, but I recommend reserving the bananas for topping on individual pie slices while serving, rather than inside the pie.
How to make Banana Cream Pie:
Prepare Crust: Add Nilla wafers to a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs (or crush them in a resealable bag, using a rolling pin). Add cookie crumbs to a bowl and stir in melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” pie plate. Bake crust for 10 minutes, and then allow to cool completely.
Make Filling: Mix egg yolks and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Set aside. Whisk in sugar, salt, and milk in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it comes to a simmer.
Temper Eggs: Spoon a big ladleful of simmering milk out of the pot, then 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).
Cook Pudding: 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).
Strain: 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 then cool for 30 minutes.
Layer Pie: Slice bananas into the bottom of the Nilla wafer crust, into an even layer then pour pudding over the top. Cover with plastic wrap again, so a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.
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 old fashioned banana cream pie, or pipe around the edge. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4-6 hours before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Nilla wafer crust can be made several days in advance, stored at room temperature or in the freezer. Banana Cream Pie can be made 2-3 days ahead, but I recommend adding the bananas while serving the pie, and not placing them inside, so they don't get brown.
To Freeze: Don't add bananas, but otherwise make as instructed. Allow the pie to cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Homemade Pies:
- Cherry Pie
- Lemon Sour Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Oreo Cheesecake Pie
- Lemon Chiffon Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Triple Berry Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
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 custard filling.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 and November 2023.
I have made this pie for a while and everyone loves it!
But this will be my first time making a day ahead. Wonder if I can add the banana layer or not?
You could but I would suggest adding them on top of each slice when serving, instead.
This is my hubby’s favorite pie and the first time I made one from scratch. He said it is the best one he has ever eaten and I agree! So delicious!
I’ve made this recipe three times now, and it never sets. I tried adjusting time, heat, cooling and setting time and it never sets. I like the flavor but will be looking for a different recipe.
I’ve made this pie twice. My family loved it, but the consistency was off. I followed the recipe step by step the first time and tried changing it a little the second time. both times the pie did not thicken enough, it turned out to be more like a very tasty banana pudding, definitely not a pie.
Perfect pie…followed instructions to a tee …it worked!
I made this with graham cracker crust, sweetened with a generous tbsp of granulated sugar, and a smidge less sugar in the custard. Recipe works perfectly, and the cook time for thickening of the custard is pretty close. Maybe +2 minutes. I can see how too much cooking would create the wrong texture. My advice: Make two. With a wife who doesn’t really like cream pies and two teen boys, she loved it anyway and the boys “evened” up the remaining pie until they’d eaten most of it in three hours time. Next time will try flavoring the custard with overripe bananas and see if I can adjust to get the desired texture of the custard again.
Followed recipe exactly, didn’t thicken though.
Flavor is amazing, but I had an issue with the consistency. It was very thick while cooking, but after chilling it has become very thin. I’m not sure what went wrong. I’ll probably make ice cream with it.
So delicious! This is the second time I’ve made it and it does not disappoint!
I’m wondering if you could add something to make the custard have a banana taste instead of vanilla flavor. I love vanilla but think I would like a banana custard. thanks!
exactly, maybe make a mush from bananas and then pour that through a sif?
Banana liquer instead of vanilla will work.
I took out 1/2 of the milk and added that amount of liquefied banana then before refrigeration added 1 small banana cut into small chunks.