American
Banana Cream Pie
A baked graham crust holds sliced bananas and a cooked vanilla custard. The yolks and cornstarch are boiled until thick, then the pie is chilled.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- The custard is cooked until it bubbles and passes 160°F, so the yolks are not raw.
- Cornstarch needs that boil or the filling will weep in the fridge.
- Bananas go in after the custard has cooled, or they turn mushy.
- A little lemon on the slices slows the browning.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes, until the crust looks dry at the edges. Cool completely.
- 2
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks, then the milk, until smooth.
- 3
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and bubbles. Boil 1 minute, still stirring. It should read well above 160°F.
- 4
Take it off the heat. Stir in the 2 tbsp butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Strain into a bowl. Press plastic on the surface and cool to room temperature.
- 5
Slice the bananas and toss them with the lemon juice. Arrange them in the cooled crust.
- 6
Spread the cooled custard over the bananas. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, until the filling is cold and set.
- 7
Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and the remaining vanilla to soft peaks.
- 8
Spread the whipped cream on the pie just before serving. Slice into 8 pieces.
Pro tips
- If the custard lumps, the strain saves it. Keep stirring the whole time it is on the heat.
- Do not pour hot custard over the bananas. They cook and turn gray.
- The pie is best the day it is made. Bananas soften by the next day even with lemon.
Easy substitutions
- graham cracker crumbs
- vanilla wafer crumbs
- whole milk
- 2 percent milk
- lemon juice
- a pinch more vanilla if you do not mind faster browning
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate covered up to 2 days. The bananas will darken a little even when covered.
Reheating
Do not reheat. Serve cold.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 388
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Oven, Stovetop
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An air fryer with a real basket
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A half-sheet pan
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An instant-read thermometer
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