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Recipe: Banana Cream Pie

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | August 29, 2011 16 Comments

Last updated on July 14th, 2012

BEFORE MY RECENT TRIP TO THE WEST COAST, reader Brigid asked if I had a recipe for “real” Banana Cream Pie (meaning no instant-pudding allowed). I found such a recipe in my 42-year-old Betty Crocker cookbook, and sent it to her. But the story didn’t end there. For I dreamed about Banana Cream Pie that night.

I also dreamed about the pie while attending my niece’s wedding at a really cool ranch in Calgary. And while eating fresh huckleberries in Coure d’Alene, Idaho. And after dining on coconut shrimp in Spokane, Washington. Yes, I obsessed about the pie the entire time I was away.

Yesterday, my obsession became a reality. A smooth, creamy, vanilla-rich reality. If you don’t make this divine dessert too, I promise you it will envelope your every action. It will even haunt you during yoga class.

Banana Cream Pie
Based on a recipe from Betty Crocker, 1969

9-inch deep-dish Baked Pie Shell
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large, ripe bananas
Sweetened Whipped Cream

First, bake the pie shell. I used a store-bought crust instead of my preferred pate brissee. Why? Because my countertops are filled with tomatoes I’m ripening in paper bags. There was simply no space available for my food processor, let alone my big jar of flour.

Pierce the shell all over with a fork. Then bake it at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan.

And please click on this picture so you can note how clean (for a gardener) my thumb nail is.

Bit by bit, whisk the milk into the dry mixture.

Beat the four eggs yolks into a medium bowl; set aside. I suggest you save and freeze the whites — they will come in handy the next time you wish to make Souffle au Fromage.

Cook the milk mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Then…

Pour half of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking as you do so, in order to avoid scrambling the eggs.

Pour the egg mixture back into the milk mixture, and boil, while stirring, for 1 minute. Then stir in the butter and vanilla.

Let the custard cool for 10 minutes, and then press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface, as shown. This will keep the custard from congealing.

Let cool to room temperature, or, do what I did, and just refrigerate the mix for a few hours. This custard will wait for you while you go make a reservation at that ranch in Calgary I mentioned earlier.

Slice 2 bananas into the pie shell, and then spread on the custard. (If you’ve refrigerated the custard beforehand, and it seems a little congealed, just warm it slightly by setting the pan in a sink of hot tap water for a few minutes,and then whisk until smooth.) Cover the pie with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until decorating/serving time.

How you decorate the pie is entirely up to you. You can spread sweetened whipped cream all over the surface of the custard, and then top with the slices of one banana. Or, just dot the pie with dollops of whipped cream, sticking a banana slice in each dollop as shown.

In the comments field, let me know if you might try this Banana Cream Pie. And if you like the recipes here at A Garden for the House, and would like to burn off a quick calorie, by all means click the “like” button below.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Carole says

    August 29, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Kevin, I don't know which looks more appealing to me, the pie or that ranch in Calgary you linked to.

  2. 2

    Marilyn says

    August 29, 2011 at 5:46 pm

    “And please click on this picture so you can note how clean (for a gardener) my thumb nail is.”

    You crack me up!! Thanks!!

  3. 3

    Gregory says

    August 29, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    Big fan of Banana Cream Pie here. Thanks for the recipe!

  4. 4

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    August 30, 2011 at 1:37 am

    Carole – welcome. It's a real toss up between the two for me, as well.

    Marilyn – 🙂

    Gregory – You're absolutely welcome.

  5. 5

    Adele says

    August 30, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    Great. Now I'm dreaming about Banana Cream Pie. Must make.

  6. 6

    LANA says

    August 30, 2011 at 7:48 pm

    My mom used to make banana cream pie, everything from scratch (she did not have the tomatoes on her counter, so you are excused). I think once she even put a tiny bit of rum into the pudding. You brought back memories for me, ah, I can still taste it. Now I will have to make it cause I'm cravin' it.

  7. 7

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    September 1, 2011 at 1:29 am

    Lana – Ah, rum. I will have to try adding it next time!

  8. 8

    Erin says

    September 5, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    I haven't had Banana Cream Pie since I was a little kid. I'm 55 now, so it was a while ago. I am so going to make this pie.

  9. 9

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    September 6, 2011 at 12:31 pm

    Erin – If you make it, let me know how it turns out for you.

  10. 10

    Marjie Butler says

    April 14, 2012 at 2:57 pm

    OK, clearly, I need to get home and try this recipe. My family loves banana cream pie! We are on vacation in San Diego and need to get back to Washington. So glad to hear you were there in the eastern parts! Hope you enjoyed Calgary too! That is one place I would love to visit.
    Take care,
    Marjie

  11. 11

    Carleen says

    July 14, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    Dear Kevin,

    Thank you! My husband loves Banana Cream Pie and we have a friend who made this pie for him whenever we played bridge at their house. They moved away and in one of our recent times together, I asked her for the recipe and she said it was the Betty Crocker recipe…so to my trusty computer I came. You made my day and I made my husband happy. Now if I can get him behind the wheel of the motorhome, we’ll head to Calgary!

  12. 12

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    July 14, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Hi Carleen – Bummer to lose your bridge partners, right? But at least you have this Banana Cream Pie and a potential excursion to Calgary!

  13. 13

    Christina Mueller says

    July 5, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Kevin,

    I finally got to try this recipe after wanting to make it for some time. It tastes pretty good, though I am a bit disappointed…and it’s all organic, too 🙂 I have a few ideas about why it didn’t work…

    First, let me start by saying I live at an elevation over 5000 ft.

    I made the custard, it got thick, but it didn’t look “clotted” like yours does in the photos (which I didn’t have when I made the recipe).

    Oh yeah, also, I had to use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch (I’m allergic to corn).

    So, do you think it was the tapioca starch, or did I not cook it long enough? it was slightly burning/browning on the bottom (a cast iron enamel pot)…

    Thanks for any insight you have! Christina

  14. 14

    Linda says

    February 28, 2015 at 9:28 am

    Just made the pie. I put 1 tablespoon of rum (thanks Lana for suggestion!) and a teaspoon of vanilla. It tasted delish as I filled the crust! Will be enjoying once chilled later with my mom. Thank you Kevin!

  15. 15

    Laura says

    August 16, 2019 at 10:18 pm

    I have failed at custard so many times but this worked like a charm!!!!!

  16. 16

    Lois Beard says

    January 26, 2021 at 7:12 am

    I’ve made this pie for years while the children were growing up. It is hands down the best! I couldn’t find my old, sticky copy so thank you for sharing . I’m going to surprise my daughter this weekend for her birthday!

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