Recipe for Banana Cream Pie From Scratch

Do you love to enjoy a good homemade pie for dessert? This Banana Cream Pie recipe from scratch is delicious, easy to make, and looks beautiful with a homemade meringue piled high on top.

Recipe for Banana Cream Pie

I love making pudding pies. I think the big factor for me is the low baking time, or perhaps the fact that you bake the crust before filling it, so you end up with this perfect, flaky crust every time – no chance for fogginess.

It may even be the big pile of meringue on top, making it look huge, that I love so much about them. Let’s face it, there are a lot of things to love about pudding pies!

This recipe for banana cream pie is a very simple combination of the abovementioned components.

I find that after refrigerating the finished pie for a few hours, the flavor of the sliced bananas on the bottom of the pie shell permeates the whole pie. But you can definitely add a teaspoon of banana extract if you want a little extra flavor punch.

Tip: If you like pudding pies, make sure to try this Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie too!

Ingredients in the Easy Banana Cream Pie Recipe

• Pie crust. You can use a store-bought crust or a Butter Pie Crust would be good! A graham cracker crust would also work here. Just make it with graham cracker crumbs. You could also make a crust with crushed vanilla wafers.
• Sugar. You will need some sugar for the pudding part of the pie as well as the meringue.
• Cornstarch. This will help the pudding filling stay together. You could also use tapioca starch or potato starch if you don’t have cornstarch.
• Salt and Vanilla Extract. These help to flavor your filling. You can use Homemade Vanilla Extract if you have it.
• Milk. You can also use coconut milk or another milk alternative if you’d like to make this pie dairy-free.
• Banana Extract. This is optional.
• Butter. This will help to give your pudding a flavor boost. You can use vegan buttery spread if you need it to be dairy-free.
• Bananas. You will need 3 large bananas for this pie. They should be nice and yellow so they have a sweet flavor.
• Egg whites. These are for making your meringue. Save the egg yolks and use them for something else.

Step by Step Instructions for Making the Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Prepare and bake the pie crust, and set aside to cool.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk and begin heating over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Bring to a boil and allow to boil for one minute while stirring.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and banana flavorings. (optional for extra banana flavor) Dot with butter pieces and allow it to cool.

After the pudding has cooled to room temperature, slice bananas and line the bottom of a baked, cooled pie shell. This is the fun part where you get to add as many, or as few, bananas as you want to.

Pour the pudding into the pie shell on top of the bananas to make the “banana pudding” filling part of the custard. No pudding mix, just delicious from-scratch vanilla custard with bananas!

To Make the Meringue:

Pour egg whites into a clean, grease-free mixing bowl, and beat at low/medium speed using a stand mixer or rotary beater for 1-2 minutes.

Increase the speed and beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Spread evenly on top of the pie, and place under the broiler to brown, watching carefully.

Depending on your broiler setup, this could take 1-5 minutes. Just watch it really closely – the moment you turn your head, it’ll burn!

Chill your pie until ready to serve. The longer, the better to let the flavors intensify! Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after making.

You could also serve your pie with whipped cream on top if you need an extra fluff on top of your fluff!

Need to print this easy banana cream pie to add to your Recipe Binder? Get the recipe below:

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Banana Cream Pie Recipe

How to make your own decedant Banana Cream Pie for dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Banana Cream Pie

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Calories 365 kcal

Creator Merissa

Ingredients

For the Pie:

• 1 pie crust recipe for a 9″ pie a Butter Pie Crust would be good!
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon banana extract optional
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 bananas

For the Meringue:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

Crust:

1. Prepare and bake the pie crust until golden brown, set aside to cool.

To make the pie:

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk and begin heating over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
2. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for one minute while stirring.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and banana flavorings. Dot with butter pieces and allow it to cool.
4. After the pudding has cooled down to room temperature, slice bananas and line bottom of a baked, cooled pie shell. This is the fun part where you get to add as many, or as few, bananas as you want to.
5. Pour the pudding into the pie shell on top of the bananas.

To make the meringue:

1. Pour egg whites into a clean, grease-free mixing bowl, and beat on low/medium speed using a stand mixer or rotary beaters for 1-2 minutes.
2. Increase the speed and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
3. Spread evenly on top of the pie, and place under the broiler to brown, watching carefully.
4. Depending on your broiler set up, this could take anywhere from 1-5 minutes. Just watch it really closely – the moment you turn your head, it’ll burn! Take my word for it – I’m notorious for burning meringues.

Nutrition Facts

Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 365 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Cholesterol 19mg6%

Sodium 237mg10%

Potassium 338mg10%

Carbohydrates 61g20%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 41g46%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 264IU5%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 121mg12%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More Homemade Desserts

• Eggless Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• The Best Fudge Brownies Recipe
• Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake
• The Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe
• New York Cheesecake Recipe
• Canned Apple Pie Filling Desserts
• Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
• Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe
• Amish Oatmeal Pie Recipe

What’s your favorite part of this Banana Cream Pie?

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

The Banana Cream Pie recipe was originally published on Little House Living in November 2014. It has been updated as of November 2023.