Trust us when we say that everything that makes this showstopping banana cream pie recipe infinitely impressive is also what makes it so easy to pull off. From the salty-sweet graham cracker crust to the sky-high mountain of peanut-blanketed homemade whipped cream to the yolk-yellow filling bursting with fresh banana flavor, you’d be fooling yourself—and your guests—if you thought it was hard to make.
A food processor helps with the pie crust, which requires just four ingredients, including melted butter for richness and peanuts for extra crunch. Baking the crust yields multiple benefits: It toasts the nuts and grahams for depth of flavor, and it melts the sugar, which, when cooled, helps to hold the crumbs together. After it comes out of the oven, you’ll have a few seconds to adjust any slumping or other imperfections before the crust begins to set in the pie plate.
While some recipes build the pie filling out of a box of vanilla pudding mix, we take the old-school route, mixing up a flavorful vanilla custard on the stovetop before folding in sliced bananas and tipping the filling into the pie shell. It takes at least two hours for the custard to set; if you’re making it a day ahead of time, cover the pie with plastic wrap or wax paper while chilling to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Just before serving, beat sweetened heavy cream to a soft texture shy of stiff peaks and carefully mound it on top of the pie. The final shower of crunchy chopped salted peanuts is more than just a garnish—it provides texture in a way that crushed vanilla wafers never could.
This homemade banana cream pie is best made with ripe but firm bananas. If you’re looking to use up an overripe, mushy bunch, consider BA’s Best Banana Bread or this double-banana layer cake. Taking dessert to a potluck? This cream-cheese-laced banana pudding is highly transportable.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes plus chilling
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Crust
9
¼
½
6
Filling and Assembly
½
¼
2
3
3
2
½
2
4
2
¼
¼
Preparation
Crust
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 350°. Using your hands, crush 9 whole graham crackers (about 5 oz.) into a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Add ¼ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts and ½ tsp. Diamon Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and pulse a few times until incorporated but with some flecks of peanut remaining. Pour in 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, and pulse just until mixture holds together when squeezed in your palm.
Step 2
Press mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a standard 9" pie pan using the bottom of a flat measuring cup or glass. Bake until golden brown, 12–15 minutes. The crust will most likely have slumped down toward the bottom of the dish; remove from oven and press crust back up the sides while still hot. Return to oven and bake until browned, about 5 minutes longer. Let cool.
Do Ahead: Crust can be made 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Filling and Assembly
Step 3
Whisk ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup cornstarch in a large saucepan to combine. Add 2 large eggs and 3 large egg yolks and whisk vigorously, making sure to get into corners of pan, until smooth and pale. Whisk in 3 cups whole milk, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt.
Step 4
Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking often and making sure to get into corners of pan, 8–10 minutes (mixture should be bubbling and thickened). Reduce heat and continue to simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Let pudding cool 5 minutes, whisking every minute.
Step 5
Add 2 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter to pudding and whisk until melted and fully incorporated. Add 4 large ripe but firm bananas, sliced ¼" thick, and stir once to incorporate. Scrape filling into cooled crust; smooth surface. Chill until cold and set, at least 2 hours.
Step 6
Just before serving, using an electric mixer, beat 2 cups heavy cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream over filling, swirling as desired. Top with ¼ cup chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts.
Do Ahead: Pie (without whipped topping and peanuts) can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in our November 2019 issue. Head this way for more of our best banana recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (50)
Back to TopThis is a really good recipe! I’ve tended to be meh toward banana cream pies, but the addition of the peanuts elevates this. Easy to follow directions as well. Nice! (I’m not the only one who totally pictures Chris fussing about what I’m supposed to be doing, right?)
Sahjo Brown
5/8/2022
Can someone clarify what a “whole” graham cracker means? Does it mean a square of cracker, like one would use for a s’more, or a rectangle which is two squares? I ask because they are packaged both ways, depending on the box of crackers purchased. And obviously, the difference between 9 squares or 9 rectangles would be significant. I love this filling recipe but have ended up using a crust recipe from another source because of this uncertainty. Just a suggestion for BA, an additional measurement, either in cups or grams, would be extremely helpful to include as part of the recipe. Thank you!
GH
San Jose, CA
3/2/2022
My boyfriend made this for me for my birthday and it was absolutely flawless. He is by no means a baker and said the recipe is foolproof. It’s my new favorite thing. Cannot recommend it strongly enough. There were no issues with the filling fitting in our standard glass pie plate.
Marv
Portland, ME
4/28/2021
More often than not I find banana cream pie is overly sweet and mushy- this pie is just the opposite. I love the salty notes and crunch from the peanuts, and the custard is just sweet enough. I have made this multiple times and it always comes out perfectly. I make it gluten free by using gluten free graham crackers and the recipe works just as well.
Jessie
Minneapolis, MN
2/28/2021
This was a nice pie. Not too sweet and a nice balance of salt. I had no issues with the quantity or texture of the custard as some reviewers had. I will definitely make this again.
Jim in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
2/22/2021
Hi, could I make this in a tart pan instead??
Anonymous
12/29/2020
Such a wonderful recipe-- I made it exactly as said above. You most likely will need a slightly deeper pie pan, which I had on hand. As for issues with a runny/scrambled egg mixture, it may have been on higher than medium or wasn't whisked fast enough. I found that it thickened immensely around the 6 minute mark of the 8-10 min specified in the recipe. It cooled and thickened to a lovely pudding texture at which I whipped in my butter and bananas. Amazing job, Chris! I will be sharing this at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year with some additions of fresh strawberry on top. :)
Anonymous
San Diego, CA
11/25/2020