Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Name: Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 210 min
Ingredients: 2 cups graham crackers (crushed); ⅓ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 3 firm bananas (divided); ⅔ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup cornstarch; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 3 cups whole milk; 4 egg yolks (beaten); 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 8 oz container Cool Whip

The recipe prices will vary based on fluctuating grocery costs. Please use what is posted as a guide.

Recipe Cost $7.81

Recipe Serving Cost $0.97

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This Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is creamy, dreamy, and made with pantry ingredients. This pie is nostalgic and the perfect way to finish any meal.

This pie costs around $7.81 to make. It makes eight servings for approximately $0.97 per serving.

If you love banana desserts as much as I do, you will definitely want to check out my Homemade Banana Pudding, High Altitude Banana Bread, and Banana Cinnamon Muffins.

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie is a creamy and dreamy dessert. I love making it for Easter, Father’s Day, summer parties, or coming up with any other excuse to make it because it is that good!

This vintage-like dessert is a classic recipe that has stood the test of time. When a gathering is held in the spring and/or summer a fresh homemade Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is the way to go.

It is always one of the first desserts to go and it is easier to make than you think. Best of all, you can smell the banana when you slice them up to serve!

A fork taking a chunk out of a piece of the finished Banana Cream Pie recipe.

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.97

Recipe Cost: $7.81

2 cups graham crackers – $0.80
⅓ cup unsalted butter – $0.75
¼ cup granulated sugar – $0.04
3 bananas – $0.75
⅔ cup granulated sugar – $0.32
¼ cup cornstarch – $0.10
½ teaspoon kosher salt – $0.01
3 cups whole milk – $0.18
4 egg yolks – $0.84
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – $0.28
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract – $1.50
8 oz container Cool Whip – $2.24

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. I updated the pricing for this recipe in February 2023.

How To Make Banana Cream Pie

***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Next, crush the graham crackers in a food processor. Then add them to a large mixing bowl.
Mix in the melted butter and sugar. Spread and press the mixture into the pie dish.
Bake the pie crust for ten minutes. Allow the crust to cool before placing it in the fridge to chill.
Next, mix the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan until combined.
Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until the milk mixture thickens without boiling.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another one to two minutes until the milk is the consistency of thick syrup.
Turn the heat off and beat your eggs in a mixing bowl. Then temper the eggs by whisking in one cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs.
Turn the stove to medium heat and slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan.
Cook for two to three minutes until the mixture is a thick custard consistency and then remove the heat.
Whisk the butter and vanilla extract into the custard mixture until smooth. Let the custard cool for ten minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Then, remove the pie crust from the fridge and slice two bananas to place into the bottom of the pie crust.
Pour the custard over the bananas and use a frosting knife to smooth the top of the custard.
Next, evenly spread the Cool Whip over the top of the custard layer.
Finally, place the pie in the fridge to chill for three to four hours and then garnish with banana slices before serving.

Recipe Variations

If you’re short on time, you can use a pre-made graham cracker crust.
Instead of using Cool Whip, you can make your own whipped cream. Just whip 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Storage & Serving Tips

MAKE-AHEAD: This dessert can be prepared the night before kept in the refrigerator. Just wait to garnish the top with banana until right before serving.

SERVE: Garnish the top of the pie with additional banana slices just before serving.

STORE: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

FREEZE: You can freeze leftover banana pie. It’s best to wrap the pie in two layers of plastic wrap, followed by two layers of aluminum foil.

THAW: Remove the pie from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep bananas from turning brown in a banana cream pie?

You can brush the bananas with lemon juice before placing them in the pie to help keep the bananas from turning brown. If you do this, I caution you to spread the juice on the bananas lightly so as to not alter the overall taste of the pie.

Why does my banana cream pie get watery?

If your pie gets watery, this could be a result of not cooking the custard long enough before spreading it onto the pie crust. Be sure to temper the eggs before adding them to the custard mixture to avoid the eggs turning to scrambled eggs as this will also alter the consistency of the pie.

The finished Banana Cream Pie with a slice taken out of it so you can see the interior.

More Desserts

A slice of the Homemade Banana Cream Pie being taken out of the pie.

This Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie is creamy, dreamy, and made with pantry ingredients. This pie is nostalgic and the perfect way to finish any meal.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bananas, Pie, pie crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings: people

US Customary – Metric

Calories: 462kcal

Author: Jillian – a Food Folks and Fun original!

Ingredients

GRAHAM CRACKER PIE CRUST:

2 cups graham crackers crushed
⅓ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
¼ cup granulated sugar

FOR THE CUSTARD:

3 firm bananas divided
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks beaten
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:

8 oz container Cool Whip

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

PREP OVEN:

Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350F.

MAKE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

Crush graham crackers in a food processor or crush them in a plastic zip-top bag with a rolling pin.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the graham crackers, cooled melted butter, and sugar until well combined.
Spread and press down the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie dish with your hands.
Bake the pie crust in your preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
Then place the crust into the refrigerator to chill until ready for use.

MAKE THE CUSTARD:

Mix the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan until combined. Pour in the milk slowly, constantly whisking until the milk mixture thickens, keeping just under a boil, for about 6-8 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for another one to two minutes until the milk is the consistency of a thick syrup. Turn off the heat for the next step.
Beat your eggs in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Begin to temper your eggs by pouring 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.
Return the saucepan to cook on medium heat. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the saucepan, stirring constantly, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is a very thick custard consistency (the custard should coat the back of your spoon and not run off). Remove from the heat.
Whisk the butter and vanilla extract into the custard mixture until smooth. Allow the custard to cool for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent a film from forming.

ASSEMBLE PIE:

While the custard cools, remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and slice two bananas to place into the bottom of the pie crust.
Pour the cooled custard over the top of the bananas in the pie crust. Use a spatula or frosting knife to smooth out the top.
Next, spread the Cool Whip over the top of the custard layer.

CHILL PIE:

Place the banana pie in the refrigerator and chill for at least 3-4 hours to allow the custard to fully set or overnight.
When ready to serve, garnish with slices of the remaining banana.
Slice and serve.

Notes

Troubleshooting Tips:

If your custard becomes runny, you didn’t cook your custard long enough. Make sure the custard is very thick before allowing it to cool.
Fattier milk helps with custard thickness. Skim milk may end up with a runny filling.
Brushing lemon juice on your bananas will prevent the bananas from browning in the leftover pie.

Nutrition

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A slice of Dutch Apple Pie on a white plate with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.