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 ⅓ Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the pie:
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
For the pudding:
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ 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.
Video
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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Wow this sounds and looks delicious!
What a perfect combination! Looks wonderful and yummy…
I LOVE banana pudding (but I'm kind of picky on what constitutes good banana pudding). 🙂 This pie looks amazing! I'm definitely with you in the whipped cream camp, and to serve this up in pie form sounds absolutely delightful! I can't wait to try it!
Fabulous!
I don't think I have ever sought out a homemade banana pudding pie. Mmmmm, it looks so good and I appreciate you taking the time to make this from scratch. Most people would just buy the flavored mix and call it good. Great Job!
WOWSA…does that look great. My dad is a huge banana pudding fan. I'll have to save this recipe for his next visit 🙂
Blessings!
Gail
"Pies will be the new cupcake" – it sounds like a prophecy :). This banana pudding pie looks amazing!
I am really happy to hear that pie will be the "thing" this year. Pie is way better than cake in my book.
Banana cream pie reminds me of my childhood. It is the only dessert that my Dad makes but he does 2-3 layers of whole vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas and whipped cream. I think he would LOVE this!
Banana pudding pie? It just doesn't get any better than that. yum! My mom used to make this wonderful banana pie for Easter than had lemon juice of some sort in it. I don't know if she dipped the banana slices into lemon juice or what…haven't thought of it in years….but it was a cross between a banana pudding pie and a lemon icebox pie. It was soooo good. I was going to be good today and make banana muffins…now I'm not so sure! Great recipe! I don't think we've seen the last of the cupcakes but you gotta a love a good pie, right? Thanks for stopping by to see me and encouraging me today! This pie might just blow that smoothie out of the water. haha Candace
I KNOW my hubby would love this…it's been eons since I've made his favorite banana cream pie! I may just have to surprise him with this soon 🙂
It totally is the combination of all those flavors that works magicaly on us all! Thank you for sharing 🙂
i don't think cupcakes will disappear anytime soon but pies are welcomed anytime.
since today is pie day I may bake one when i wake up later today.
yours look delicious.
thanks for sharing, hope you're having a wonderful weekend
I’ve never made a cooked pudding before. So good!
I read that about pie being the new cupcake and I couldn't be happier! My daughter is a big banana fan, this would do it for her! Love it!
I keep hearing the same thing too about pies, they tried to make it whoppie pies but that didn't work. I don't think cupcakes are going away, and pies have always been popular, but I guess its up to us to kick them up a few notches….it should be fun!
I know that banana pudding pie looks like it would be fun to eat!! I do love banana pudding!
Cheers
Dennis
It looks really lovely and sounds delicious..
I'm going to need to plan to make a pie now! I'm definitely in the whipped cream camp too!
You really are trying to make me nostalgic aren't you?!? My Grandma made a pie very similar to this when I was growing up. Ah the food memories…
Mmmm I love bananas! This is my favorite pie!!
Becky – no I don't dip the bananas in any kind of acid. My friend told me to crush up a powdered vitamin C tablet and sprinkle that over them so that way you don't get any cross-flavoring. But I still haven't tried that yet either. And to be honest, this pie is usually completely eaten before those suckers have a chance to turn brown. lol
Your pie looks so good, just perfect for National Pie Day1 You can lightly dip your bananas in lemon juice or orange juice, which helps the bananas from turning brown. Or did you do that?
Double Yum!!! I love banana pudding and yours look so so good!
My dad would be in love, this is his all time favorite pie!
Yeah for the pie. I would love to see more of them this year. Yours sounds yummy. My kiddos would have it gone in no time at all.
I love banana pudding and often make it with coconut milk! This pie sounds fantastic!