This classic banana cream pie recipe features a creamy vanilla pudding filling layered with slices of fresh bananas in a flaky homemade crust, all topped with whipped cream. There’s great banana flavor in every bite and, despite being made completely from scratch, it’s easy to make!

Banana cream pie with a slice removed to show the layers

I truly love all banana desserts and recently decided to revisit my banana cream pie recipe to see how it could be improved. I played around with filling options, trialing varying amounts of cornstarch, using all eggs or all egg yolks, and even the milk used. That experimenting led to both this improved banana cream pie recipe and my new banana pudding pie (coming soon!).

One issue that often occurs in cream pies like this one, chocolate cream pie, and coconut cream pie, is that the filling is too soft to hold its shape when sliced. This pie uses a combination of cornstarch and eggs to thicken it. I personally like the combination of egg and egg yolks, rather than all whole eggs, because I think it has a more creamy, less gelatin-like, texture. Then you have the buttery, flaky crust and two layers of fresh banana slices, so you really get that banana flavor in every bite. It’s pretty perfect, if I do say so myself!

Lindsay, author of Life Love and Sugar, holding a plate of cupcakes and smiling.

Why This Is The Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Made from scratch. Every part of this banana cream pie is made from scratch, including the pie crust and the whipped cream topping. I think the improved flavor and texture are rewards for the extra effort.
Thick, creamy filling. I played around with different options for the filling before getting it just right. With just whole eggs, the filling was a little firmer, but with the combination, it holds its shape and is a little richer and creamier, which I love. It’s the best of both worlds!
Lots of fresh bananas. One of my biggest annoyances is when banana cream pie doesn’t actually taste like banana. To make sure this pie has banana in every bite, I used 4 large bananas to make two layers of fresh banana slices.

Key Ingredients

Let’s take a look at the ingredients needed to make each part of this pie, including the homemade crust and whipped cream. The full measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Overhead view of ingredients needed to make banana cream pie

Crust

Flour – I recommend weighing the flour for accurate measuring. No one wants a dry crust! If you don’t have a food scale, the spoon and level technique is best, as described in my How To Properly Measure Flour post.
Salt – To add a bit of flavor to the crust.
Butter – I always use unsalted butter. If you happen to use salted butter, skip the salt. It should be cold and cut into ½ inch cubes.
Ice water – It is important to use ice water, not just cool water. The goal is to keep the butter as cold as possible, to ensure a flaky crust.

Filling

Eggs – I use a combination of eggs and extra egg yolks to get the right pie texture that’s both creamy and firm. Be sure to use large eggs at room temperature.
Granulated sugar
Cornstarch – Cornstarch also helps to thicken the filling to get the perfect texture.
Salt – A pinch of salt is needed to enhance and balance the other flavors.
Whole milk – Stick with whole milk to keep the filling thick and creamy.
Vanilla extract – Since we’re using a whole tablespoon, I recommend real vanilla instead of imitation vanilla if possible.
Butter – Just like in the pie crust, the butter used in the filling should be cold and cubed.
Bananas – The bananas should be ripe but still firm and without any brown spots.

Whipped Cream

Heavy whipping cream – Keep the heavy cream in the fridge until it’s needed. If it’s too warm, it will not whip into stiff peaks.
Powdered sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the whipped cream. I won’t ever wilt with a little powdered sugar in it.
Vanilla extract

A slice of banana cream pie on a white plate

How To Make Banana Cream Pie

This pie is surprisingly easy to make, but it does require some time and planning, as the crust itself needs to chill and so does the filling. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the crust

Pulse 3/4 cup flour and salt 2-3 times. Add the butter and process for about 15 seconds until a crumbly dough forms.

Add the remaining flour. Pulse until evenly distributed and the small pieces look sandy.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water. Gently fold together with a spatula until large clusters form. If needed, add 1-2 more tablespoons of water.

A disc of pie crust wrapped in plastic wrap

Work the dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll the pie crust between two sheets of parchment paper. Drape over the pie plate to shape it. Dock the crust with a fork. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Rice on parchment paper in a pie crust for blind baking

Press parchment paper flush against the crust. Add pie weights. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, then remove the parchment paper and weights. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Make the filling

Whisk the eggs and egg yolks until smooth.

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan until there are no lumps.

Whisking milk into the cornstarch mixture

Whisk in the milk. Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until it begins to simmer.

Temper the eggs by pouring a small amount of milk into the eggs while whisking constantly. Add a little more hot liquid to the eggs, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan.

Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat. Whisk in the vanilla and butter. Stir until completely smooth.

Slice the bananas 1/4 inch thick. Add half of them to the crust.

Pour half of the filling evenly over the banana slices. Add the remaining banana slices then finish with the rest of the filling.

Plastic wrap pressed tightly on banana cream pie

Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pie. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, until completely cool and firm.

Piping whipped cream on banana cream pie

Whip the ingredients for the whipped cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe the whipped cream on top of the pie. Garnish with more banana slices, if desired.

Oh No! Why Is My Pie Filling Runny?

Low-fat milk was used. I always recommend sticking with whole milk to make the vanilla pudding because the fat content helps firm up the filling. Low-fat milk is much thinner to start with and won’t thicken up with the filling as much. It’s worth going to the store to buy some if you typically have low-fat milk on hand.
There wasn’t enough cornstarch. This recipe uses 6 tablespoons of cornstarch, which feels like a lot but it’s the primary ingredient that thickens the filling (along with the egg). Mis-measuring the cornstarch and not adding enough can result in the filling not getting as firm.
The filling isn’t cooked enough (or was over cooked). Once the pudding begins to thicken and comes to a boil, let it boil for a full minute to continue thickening. It should be a bit thicker than the pudding you’d normally enjoy from a bowl. That said, you don’t want to over cook it either. Boiling for longer than a minute or so can cause the opposite to happen – the cornstarch will break down and your pie won’t thicken properly.
The pie wasn’t chilled enough. If the pie hasn’t fully set, the filling will be very soft. It really does need a full 4-6 hours to set. Longer is better, so this is a great pie to make in advance.

Tips for the Best Pie

Now that we’ve done some troubleshooting for a runny filling, let’s talk about some other tips for making the best banana cream pie.

Chill the pie crust. The pie crust needs to be refrigerated at two different points in the process. While it may be tempting to skip it, I don’t recommend it. The dough needs to be cold when it’s baked with little pieces of butter scattered throughout to get that perfect flaky texture. See my full post on all-butter pie crust for more.
Blind bake the crust. The banana filling is prepared on the stovetop and not baked, so the pie crust needs to be completely baked and cooled first. If you don’t have pie weights, rice or dried beans work perfectly. See more tips in my How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust post.
Temper the eggs. To avoid ending up with scrambled eggs, we temper the eggs by adding a small amount of milk while whisking and then a little bit more, before adding the eggs to the other ingredients. Whisking the entire time is also important to avoid the eggs cooking as scrambled eggs.
Press the plastic onto the pudding. Before refrigerating the pie to set, place the plastic wrap directly on top of the pie. This will prevent a film from forming on top.
Use cold heavy whipping cream. Warm heavy whipping cream will not whip up properly to form stiff peaks. Keep the heavy cream in the fridge until you’re ready to start. For more tips, see my full homemade whipped cream post.

Proper Storage

Banana cream pie lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge. I recommend keeping it in an airtight container, like a cake carrier, or tightly covered with two layers of plastic wrap. You can use toothpicks to keep the plastic wrap off the whipped cream.

Watch How To Make Banana Cream Pie

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One Comment

David @ The Pie Addict says:

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Wonderful looking Lindsay! Now I’ve made a couple Banana Cream Pies for friends and always seem to be challenged with keeping it fairly sturdy, so that when I cut a slice the walls don’t break down and it keeps its rigidity like you have your photo. Maybe I’ll give your recipe a go and see how it turns out?

Classic Banana Cream Pie

Why This Is The Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe