Banana Pudding Pie
Homemade Banana Pudding Pie is made with a Nilla wafer crust, fresh sliced bananas, homemade pudding and topped with fresh whipped cream. A luscious dessert!
A DELICIOUS HOMEMADE BANANA PIE
If you are a fan of banana pudding then this banana pudding pie is for you! It is banana pudding in pie form which makes it a bit easier to slice and serve up. It is completely homemade but it is totally worth it! Crunchy Nilla wafers combined with a smooth and creamy pudding and filled with sliced bananas. A deliciously decadent dessert!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Since you’re only using the egg yolks and not the egg whites in this recipe, you will have two egg whites leftover. Instead of a whipped cream topping, you could make a meringue topping with the leftover egg whites. A lot of people prefer meringue with banana pudding since that is more traditional but that is totally up to you if you’re not wanting to waste the egg whites. I have personally never made a meringue since we prefer whipped cream so I could not tell you how to achieve a perfect meringue topping but there are plenty of tutorials out there.
Nope, you can leave that layer out if you prefer. I think it gives more of that banana pudding taste and texture but you can skip that if you prefer and just put down a layer of sliced bananas.
Of course, you can use that if you prefer.
No problem! Just put the Nilla wafers into a large Ziploc bag and pound them with a rolling pin until fully crushed.
This pie needs to be kept stored in the refrigerator. Because of the slices of bananas in the center, they will start to brown after about a day. If you want to stretch this pie longer, don’t add the bananas in the middle. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. Also, making homemade whipped cream means it will break down faster than a whipped topping like Cool Whip.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- vanilla wafers – you do not have to use the name brand Nilla wafers although I tend to find they taste the best.
- salted butter – if all you have is unsalted butter, that is fine, just add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the graham cracker crust mixture.
- ripe bananas – no green bananas here. The best tasting bananas are the ones with some brown on them.
- sugar – I have never made this with a sugar substitute but I don’t see why it couldn’t be done.
- all-purpose flour – this is used to thicken the pudding.
- milk – I use whole milk but 2% could also be used.
- egg yolks – see my FAQ (frequently asked questions) above on what you can do with the leftover egg whites.
- vanilla extract – want a stronger banana flavor? Try using banana extract.
- heavy cream and powdered sugar – these make the homemade whipped cream. You can substitute with Cool Whip if you prefer.
HOW TO MAKE BANANA PUDDING PIE:
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray. Place 45 of your vanilla wafers into food processor. Pulse until cookies are finely crushed (reserve ¼ cup of the crumbs to use to top your pie).
Mix remaining crumbs with melted butter. Firmly press into the pie plate. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove to cool.
For the pudding: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the milk and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and becomes thick (about 7-10 minutes). Reduce the heat to very low.
In the bowl that you have your egg yolks in, add a couple of Tablespoons of the hot milk mixture (this will keep your eggs from scrambling). Add egg mixture to pot very slowly and stir constantly until mixture is thickened to the consistency of pudding (about 3-4 minutes). You may need to turn your heat up slightly to achieve this. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Now you’re ready to assemble. Arrange half the banana slices over the crust. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the bananas.
Top the pudding with the remaining 20 vanilla wafers you set aside earlier. Top the wafers with the rest of the bananas. Then finish it off with the remaining of the pudding. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
Once your pie has fully cooled, start making the whipped cream. Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer (or hand mixer), beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. It helps if your bowl and your whisk are very cold. Spread the whipped cream evenly on top of the pie.
Sprinkle with the reserved crumbs
Slice and enjoy!
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Originally published: June 2011
Updated & Republished: September 2023
Banana Pudding Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 65 vanilla wafers, divided use
- 5 1/3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the pie:
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
For the pudding:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.
- Place 45 vanilla wafers into food processor and pulse until cookies are finely crushed (reserve ¼ cup of the crumbs to use on top of the pie later.)
- Mix crumbs with melted butter. Firmly press into prepared pie plate.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove to cool.
For the pudding:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, flour, and salt.
- Whisk in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and becomes thick (about 7-10 minutes.) Reduce the heat to low.
- In the bowl that you have your egg yolks in, add a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk mixture (this will keep your eggs from scrambling.)
- Add egg mixture to pot and stir constantly until mixture is thickened to the consistency of pudding (about 3-4 minutes.) You may need to turn your heat up slightly to achieve this. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
To assemble:
- Arrange half the banana slices over the crust.
- Spread half of the pudding mixture over the bananas.
- Top the pudding with the remaining 20 vanilla wafers you set aside earlier.
- Top the wafers with the rest of the bananas.
- Finish it off with the remaining of the pudding. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
For the whipped cream:
- Once the pie has cooled completely make the whipped cream. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. It helps if your bowl and your whisk are VERY cold.
- Spread the whipped cream over pie.
- Then sprinkle with the reserved crumbs.
- Slice and serve. Keep pie refrigerated.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Pie keeps for about a day in the fridge (bananas will start to brown). You can coat them in a bit of lemon juice or orange juice to keep them from browning but I think that ends up affecting the flavor of the pie.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Family loves this over regular recipe
Just when I thought homemade Banana Pudding couldn't get any better, this comes along! I made it last night though slightly modified using what I had on hand, and it was scrumptious!! I didn't have enough vanilla wafers for the pie and the crust so I used a large (2-extra-serving size) graham cracker crust… not as good as the wafer one would have been, but it worked out well. And, it fit perfectly inside my 9" pie plate! Thanks for the great recipe, I'll make it again and again.
I can't wait to try this Banana Pudding Pie. My mouth is watering already! I'll let ya know how it turns out. It will definitely be a part of the Easter dinner dessert table!
Thanks!
Sharon
Made this and we all loved it. The only difference is I used a store bought graham cracker crust. Everything else was just as you instructed. Perfect!
I am totally blowing my diet for this!!!
Thanks!
This is a southern favorite and definitely one of mine. Your recipe looks fantastic.
Yum, a pie like this is always a classic. Never knew how good this pie could be. Thank you!
If you put this Banana Pudding Pie with your Beef tips and gravy that's a great meal. So good!
I've been making this recipe for quite a while now and it is wonderful! I'm a meringue person myself, although I have been known to eat cool whip on occasion.
This sounds so yummy! I love banana pudding. I like it both ways…meringue or whipped cream. But I'd have to say the whipped cream is my favorite! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I'll have to give it a try sometime. I know my kids will love it.
Jenn
That pie definitely wouldn't last long in our house. Amazing!
Sounds delish! I LOVE banana pudding, especially the homemade kind w/ a good old fashioned custard! Too bad I'd be the only one in the house to eat it 🙁 None of my boys like banana pudding, even though they love bananas! I guess I should be glad, since it's the healthier option, but oh what they're missing….
Maybe for my next potluck…
Thanks for the recipe! Delicious!