Do-it-yourself Banana Cream Pie – Sally’s Baking Habit

Creamy and clean from-scratch custard joins bananas, whipped cream, and a buttery flaky baked pie crust to make one epic banana cream pie. This traditional dessert is 100% selfmade, like my cherry pie, and the right make-ahead possibility as a result of the layered magnificence must set earlier than garnishing and serving.

One reader, Stephanie, says: “…That is the primary time I’ve used this explicit recipe and it was AMAZING. Actually the very best one I’ve made. I might be bookmarking this one for the long run! ★★★★★“

This can be a utterly from-scratch banana cream pie recipe. You gained’t discover any field pudding mixes or synthetic flavors hiding inside. I initially printed the recipe in 2016, and have fine-tuned the method through the years. Prepare for a blissful banana expertise the place you’ll be able to really style the selfmade distinction. And it’ll graciously fulfill your coronary heart, soul… and your tastebuds.

Right here’s Why You Will LOVE This Banana Cream Pie

• 100% from scratch, and you may style the distinction.
• Creamy and undeniably wealthy.
• If custard is cooked correctly, it’s sturdy and clean.
• Flaky pie crust shell, or strive a graham cracker crust.
• An non-obligatory sprinkle of cinnamon provides a particular and flavorful contact.
• Good make-ahead dessert.

What Is Banana Cream Pie?

The mixture of kitchen magic. 😉 Significantly, although, banana cream pie combines selfmade pie pastry crust, recent bananas, vanilla custard, and fluffy whipped cream.

1. Baked Pie Crust Shell
2. Banana Slices
3. Do-it-yourself Vanilla Custard: This can be a lot like my caramelized banana pudding, solely a bit sturdier so it holds a pleasant slice.
4. Whipped Cream

Let me stroll you thru every layer, so that you’re totally ready when it’s your flip to make it.

First, Bake Your Pie Crust

It’s useful to assessment my methods to blind bake pie crust tutorial earlier than getting began. Blind baking a pie crust shell = baking it with out a filling. Why can we try this? Nicely, in case you have a no-bake pie filling like coconut cream pie or at this time’s banana cream pie, you want a baked pie crust.

Begin with selfmade pie dough. I all the time use this pie crust recipe, or I’ve a superb all butter pie crust possibility. To bake pie crust with out a filling, you have to weight it down to assist stop it from shrinking. I’m fairly loyal to these ceramic pie weights; they’re cheap and get the job carried out. You may also use dry beans. (Observe: You’ll want 2 packs of the pie weights!)

Listed below are the steps:

• Make the pie dough forward of time, after which refrigerate or freeze till you’re able to make the pie. Pie crust should chill for no less than 2 hours earlier than rolling out.
• Roll it out, then match into your 9-inch pie dish. Crimp or flute the sides.
• Chill the formed pie crust for no less than half-hour. This prevents shrinking. Keep in mind that pie dough should be chilly when it hits the oven.
• Line with parchment paper, after which fill with pie weights.
• Bake till the sides are flippantly brown, about quarter-hour.
• Take away pie weights, then prick the underside with a fork. This lets air escape the underside.
• Return crust to oven till your entire pie shell is golden brown.
• Cool pie shell utterly. You are able to do this as much as 3 days forward of time!

This baked pie crust “shell” is crispy, flaky, and prepared in your banana cream filling.

Different Crust Choices:

1. For one thing simpler, you should use a graham cracker crust. Be sure you bake it for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then let it cool utterly earlier than filling.
2. Or strive the peanut butter cookie crust from my peanut butter banana cream pie!

Now Let’s Work on the Filling

Listed below are the substances you want:

Layer in Your Banana Slices

Layer banana slices into your baked pie crust shell. Typically I add a sprinkle of cinnamon on prime of the banana slices. That is positively a singular addition to BCP, however wow!!! It tastes unbelievable. I didn’t add it to the pictured pie, however style testers and readers who’ve tried it often rave about it.

Success Tip: Don’t use overly ripe bananas as a result of they’ll seep liquid and break your thick custard filling. Save your brown spotty bananas for banana bread, and use the yellow ones for banana cream pie.

I squeeze in as many banana slices as I can:

Do-it-yourself Custard Filling

I’m right here to squash any fears that you will have about from-scratch custard. It’s truly fairly straightforward—if you know the way to whisk, you can also make it. You’ll want sugar, entire milk, heavy cream (additionally wanted for the whipped cream topping), and egg yolks. For taste, you’ll add vanilla and butter. For thickening, you’ll use cornstarch. (The egg yolks and cream assist, too.)

Step one is to combine egg yolks and cornstarch collectively:

I often do that with a fork in a liquid measuring cup, as a result of we’ll ultimately pour this into the cooking milk combination.

Warmth entire milk, cream, sugar, and slightly salt on the range. As soon as the milk/cream/sugar is gently simmering, slowly stream and whisk slightly of this milk combination into the egg yolk/cornstarch combination. That is known as tempering. The gradual and regular stream of heat milk is bringing the egg yolks’ temperature up with out scrambling them.

Then stream and whisk the heated egg yolk combination into the remainder of the milk/cream/sugar on the range. Prepare dinner on low, and let it start to bubble, which occurs fairly shortly. Whisk it whereas it pops and bubbles for simply 1 minute. Take away from warmth, then stir within the vanilla and butter, and enable to barely cool.

The custard might be clean, wealthy, and silky:

FAQ: Why Isn’t My Custard Easy?

Do you discover little bits of egg yolks in your custard? Chances are you’ll not have tempered them slowly sufficient. Keep in mind to *very slowly* stream and whisk among the cooking milk combination into the egg yolk/cornstarch combination, after which *very slowly* stream and whisk it again into the pot. Whisk consistently.

In case your greatest efforts nonetheless end in a couple of chunks, you’ll be able to pressure the completed heat custard by means of a fine mesh sieve. Or simply go away it—you’ll be able to’t actually style it.

How you can Guarantee Your Banana Cream Pie Units

With 4 egg yolks, 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch, and a few heavy cream, you might be sure this custard units into a fairly sliceable texture. Make sure to whisk it on the range typically, and let it bubble and cook dinner lengthy sufficient for the warmth to assist bind the cornstarch to the fats. (1 minute is loads.)

Unfold the vanilla custard filling over the banana slices, cowl with plastic wrap proper on the floor to stop a pores and skin from forming, then refrigerate the pie for no less than 4 hours and as much as 1 day.

FAQ: Can I Make Banana Cream Pie in Advance?

This can be a make-ahead dessert. You may make the pie dough upfront and bake the pie crust shell upfront. You may also refrigerate your assembled (however not garnished) banana cream pie for as much as 1 day, with the plastic wrap proper on prime of the floor. And you can also make the whipped cream topping upfront, however don’t add it till proper earlier than, or as much as 1 hour earlier than serving.

You don’t need to beautify the pie with banana slices upfront as a result of they’ll brown. (A brush of lemon juice can lengthen their freshness by a pair hours, however will have an effect on their taste.)

Proper earlier than, or as much as 1 hour earlier than, serving, prime the pie with selfmade whipped cream. You possibly can beautify it any which approach—a thick layer of whipped cream like this banoffee pie, or fairly piped dollops or swirls just like the pictured pie. I exploit Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe it.

You may additionally burn up your leftover egg whites and prime it with this marshmallow meringue topping, and toast it with a kitchen torch!

When able to serve, add banana slices on prime. I often go heavy on the sliced banana garnish. I like texture in desserts, and banana cream pie doesn’t often ship on that entrance. However with plenty of banana slices, we’ll get there.

Now savor each flaky, creamy, fluffy chunk because it melts in your mouth, since you need to. You made this all from scratch!

Print

Do-it-yourself Banana Cream Pie

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  Creator: Sally
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  Prep Time: 4 hours (consists of crust)
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  Prepare dinner Time: half-hour
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  Complete Time: 8 hours (consists of chilling)
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  Yield: 1 9-inch pie
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  Class: Pie
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  Methodology: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

Creamy and clean from-scratch custard joins bananas, whipped cream, and a buttery flaky baked pie crust to make one epic banana cream pie. There are many methods to make this banana cream pie recipe forward of time. See varied steps.

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Crust

Custard Filling

Whipped Cream

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Directions

1. A minimum of 2 hours forward, make the pie dough: Make the pie crust by means of step 5 in response to my instructions and video tutorial in my pie crust recipe. Make pie dough upfront as a result of it wants to relax within the fridge for no less than 2 hours earlier than rolling out (step 2). The recipe makes 2 crusts, and also you solely want 1 for this pie, so save the opposite for one more pie.
2. Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work floor, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough. Flip the dough a couple of quarter flip after each few rolls till you might have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Rigorously place the dough right into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in together with your fingers, ensuring it’s utterly clean. To make a stunning thick edge, I don’t trim extra dough across the edges. As a substitute, fold the surplus dough again over the sting and use your arms to mould the sting right into a rim across the pie. Crimp the sides with a fork or use your fingers to flute the sides. If dough is just too heat, fluting/crimping might be tough, so you’ll be able to all the time chill it within the fridge for five–10 minutes first. After fluting/crimping the sides, chill the pie dough within the fridge for no less than half-hour and as much as 5 days. Cowl the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than half-hour. Chilling the formed dough helps stop the crust from shrinking.
3. Whereas the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Blind bake the crust: Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (Crunch up the parchment paper first so that you could simply form it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Observe that you will want no less than 2 normal units of pie weights to suit.) I prefer to push the weights up in opposition to the perimeters of the pie crust to assist guarantee the perimeters don’t shrink down. Bake till the sides of the crust are beginning to brown, about 15–16 minutes. Take away pie from the oven and punctiliously raise the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes everywhere in the backside crust with a fork. If desired for a shiny golden crust, brush egg wash on edges. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 14–quarter-hour, or till backside has browned. Take away from the oven, and funky on a wire rack utterly earlier than filling. You possibly can blind bake the crust as much as 3 days forward of time. Cowl cooled crust tightly and refrigerate till able to fill. (Overview this methods to par-bake pie crust web page when you want further assist with this blind-baking step.)
5. Make the custard filling: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch collectively. (A fork works properly for this, or a small whisk.) Put aside. Mix the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium warmth. Whisk till all of the sugar has dissolved, then deliver to a delicate simmer, whisking often. As soon as simmering, take away about 1/2 cup (120ml) of the milk combination and, in a gradual and regular stream, whisk into the egg yolk and cornstarch combination. Preserve these egg yolks shifting so that they don’t scramble. In a gradual and regular stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk combination into the pot. The pudding will instantly start to bubble and thicken. Stand again and use warning because the bubbles could burst. Prepare dinner for 1 full minute, whisking consistently.
6. Take away the pan from warmth and whisk within the vanilla and butter. You should have about 3 cups of filling. In case you discover lots of little chunks of egg yolk, they could not have been tempered correctly. To repair, you’ll be able to run the nice and cozy custard by means of a fine mesh sieve.
7. Place a bit of plastic wrap straight on prime of the nice and cozy pudding to stop a pores and skin from forming on prime. Permit to chill for quarter-hour. I don’t advocate any longer than this, as will probably be too thick to unfold neatly into the crust.
8. Slice 2–3 bananas and prepare slices into the cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Unfold custard on prime (it’s okay whether it is nonetheless barely heat). An offset spatula is useful for spreading. Place a bit of plastic wrap straight on prime of the custard; once more, to stop a pores and skin from forming. Refrigerate for no less than 4 hours and as much as 1 day.
9. When able to serve, or as much as 1 hour earlier than serving, make the whipped cream: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high pace till medium peaks kind, about 3–4 minutes. Medium peaks are between smooth/free peaks and stiff peaks and are the right consistency for topping and piping on desserts.
10. Pipe or unfold the whipped cream on prime. (I exploit Wilton 1M tip.) Slice remaining banana and garnish with banana slices and serve pie instantly, or refrigerate for as much as 1 hour after which garnish with banana slices and serve. (Greatest to garnish with banana slices instantly earlier than serving, however whipped cream can go on the pie as much as 1 hour upfront.)
11. Slice and serve. Cowl leftovers and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days.

Notes

1. Make Forward & Freezing Directions: The pie dough might be ready forward of time and saved within the fridge for as much as 5 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. There are many methods to make this recipe forward of time. See finish of step 2, finish of step 8, and step 10. This isn’t the very best pie to freeze; the filling’s texture is rarely fairly the identical. Nonetheless, in case you have leftover slices and aren’t involved as a lot about style and look, you’ll be able to freeze leftover pie for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge.
2. Particular Instruments: Rolling Pin | Pie Dish | Pie Weights | Pastry Brush | Egg Separator | Whisk | Offset Spatula | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) and Wilton 1M Piping Tip if piping
3. Pie Crust: Each linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You solely want 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for one more use.
4. Crumb Crust Different: To chop again on time, strive utilizing a graham cracker crust. Be sure you bake it for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C), then let it cool utterly earlier than filling. Or you should use the crust recipe and baking directions for the peanut butter cookie crust used on this peanut butter banana cream pie.
5. Entire Milk & Heavy Cream: These are crucial for the custard to set correctly. I don’t advocate any substitutions.
6. Stop Bananas From Browning: Be happy to very, very flippantly spritz or brush banana slices with lemon juice previous to arranging in pie crust shell, and previous to utilizing as garnish. They are going to ultimately brown, so it’s greatest to assemble the pie as much as 1 day upfront (step 8), and garnish with banana slices proper earlier than serving (step 10).
7. Replace in 2023: Recipe used to name for 1 and three/4 cups entire milk and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. For a barely smoother, extra flavorful custard, I now use 2 cups entire milk and a couple of teaspoons vanilla, as now you can see within the recipe.

Key phrases: banana cream pie