Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• This banana cream pie has a buttery graham cracker crust, luscious vanilla pastry cream filling and plenty of bananas!
• This is a crowd pleasing dessert that’s perfect for any occasion.
• There are a couple of components to this recipe, but they may all be done in advance.
• The crust may be made gluten free, and the pastry cream may be made dairy free according to instructions in the ingredient notes below.

Recipe ingredients

The great part about this banana cream pie recipe is that it doesn’t take a lot of fancy ingredients. They’re all easy to find, and you probably have most of them on hand already.

Ingredient notes

• Bananas. Be sure to use bananas that are ripe but firm. Brown, spotted overripe bananas will be too soft and mushy, which would affect the texture and color of the filling.
• Milk. I recommend using whole milk for richness. If you are following a dairy free diet, coconut milk would be a great alternative.
• Butter. For a dairy free option, try substituting the butter with vegan butter.
• Graham cracker crumbs. Make a gluten free graham cracker crust by using gluten free graham crackers. Simply process them in a food processor until finely ground.
• Whipped cream. I did not include the whipped cream ingredients in this recipe as they’re included in a separate post. See my posts for homemade whipped cream or stabilized whipped cream for more information.

How to make this recipe

This banana cream pie with graham cracker crust is very easy to make by pie standards. Unlike my pumpkin pecan pie, there is dough to roll out — the ingredients are simply mixed together and pressed into the pie plate.

The filling is pastry cream, which requires having all of your ingredients at the ready as the recipe comes together quickly.

The pastry cream must be tackled first as it requires chilling for a minimum of two hours.

Pro tip: make the pastry cream 1-2 days in advance.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

1. Fill a large bowl with ice, and add enough water to fill the bowl halfway. Place a medium bowl in it with a fine mesh strainer nearby along with a piece of buttered wax paper. Set aside.
2. Place the sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Add the cornstarch and and whisk vigorously until smooth.
3. Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium low heat until just before it begins to boil (it will be smoking). When the milk is hot enough, add 1/3 of it to the egg mixture in a slow steady stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Once 1/3 has been added, add the rest while whisking constantly until combined.
4. Place the mixture back in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until the mixture begins to boil. Continue to cook for another minute until very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and softened butter.
5. Strain the pastry cream through the sieve into the bowl over the ice bath using a rubber scraper to gently press it through as needed.
6. Cover the pastry cream with the buttered wax paper to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 2 days in advance.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium bowl for one minute or until melted.
8. Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and pinch of salt, and stir well until the crumbs are coated with the butter.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan and press an even layer from the middle out to the corners and up the sides. This can be done easily with the bottom of a measuring cup.
10. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
11. Gently toss sliced bananas into the chilled pastry cream until completely coated, reserving some for the top if desired. Pour into the pie crust and spread evenly. From here, chill for about 30 minutes.
12. Pipe the whipped cream decoratively around the edges and in the center (I used a 1M tip), or simply spread it over the top. Garnish with sliced banana just before serving, if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

Recipe notes

• Pro tip:  Make the pastry cream and whipped cream up to 1-2 days in advance.  The whipped cream will separate, so just whisk a bit before serving the pie!
• If you’d like to decorate the pie in advance, be sure to use stabilized whipped cream recipe to ensure that the whipped cream holds its shape.
• Store leftover banana cream pie in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
• Nutrition information does not include the whipped cream as it is included in a separate post.