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This silky banana cream pie is the ultimate comfort dessert! Fresh sliced bananas nestled in smooth vanilla custard, all topped with a cloud of whipped cream in a classic pie crust – it’s irresistible simplicity at its finest.
Banana Cream Pie is a classic American dessert that became popular in the mid-20th century, particularly in diners and home kitchens. While cream pies in general have European influences, banana cream pie as we know it today, with the specific combination of banana custard filling and whipped cream topping, is distinctly American.
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust
- 1-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour Plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 3-6 tbsp Ice Cold Water
For the Filling
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
- 1 oz Unflavored Gelatin (1 Package)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4-6 each Bananas Sliced
Servings: Slices
Instructions
Prepare the Pie Crust
- Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 400°F.
- Use a stand or hand-held mixer to prepare the pie crust. Add the flour, salt, and shortening in a medium-size bowl and mix to combine.
- Add the ice-cold water a little at a time, until the dough clumps together and can form a ball.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch diameter. Fold the dough in half and then in half again and transfer to a 9-inch diameter deep-dish pie plate.
- Press the dough down into the pie pan. Trim if there is more than ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edges. Fold the edges of the dough under, and then crimp together with your thumb or a fork.
- Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dry beans.
- Blind bake (aka “pre-bake”) the crust in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and remove the dry beans or pie weights. Set aside.
Prepare the Filling
- Combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, corn starch, and gelatin in a large saucepan. Stir until well blended and heat over medium-low heat while whisking often.
- When the custard has thickened and becomes difficult to stir, turn the heat off and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside
- Slice the bananas and line the bottom of the pie crust with two layers of sliced bananas.
- Pour the custard over the bananas and smooth the custard out throughout the pie.
Finish & Serve
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- When the baking time finishes, remove pie from oven and cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for a few hours or overnight before serving.
- To serve, top with whipped cream and additional banana slices, and maybe a maraschino cherry, if desired. Enjoy!
Cook's Notes

You can also use a pastry wheel decorator tool to crimp the crust edges together. Never heard of pie weights? You can get pie weights here.