This homemade Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust features creamy custard, fresh slices of banana, and plenty of whipped cream in a buttery cinnamon crust.
Banana cream pie is delicious but homemade banana cream pie with a buttery graham cracker crust with a hint of cinnamon is even more delicious! This pie is made with a homemade custard similar to the custard in my Dark Chocolate Cream Pie and Coconut Cream Tarts.
You will need perfectly ripened bananas that are yellow and ripe but not yet at the brown spot stage. They should be firm yet ripe and sweet. Be sure to try my Banana Pudding Recipe or Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting if you love banana desserts!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor - Rich homemade vanilla custard and perfectly ripe bananas come together on top of a buttery cinnamon graham crust.
- Texture - Creamy and smooth custard and firm yet ripe slices of banana are balanced out perfectly by the texture of the crust.
- Occasion - This would be a great cool and creamy pie for summertime or I also love to serve cream pies for Easter!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this homemade banana cream pie with a cinnamon graham cracker crust.
Ingredient Notes
- Graham Cracker Crust - This buttery homemade crust features crushed graham cracker, a little sugar, salted butter, and a delightful touch of cinnamon. You could use a blind-baked butter pie crust instead.
- Milk - I typically use whole milk but any kind of milk would work.
- Eggs - 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks thicken the custard perfectly.
- Extracts - You will need vanilla extract and I like to add just 1 teaspoon of banana extract but you could leave out the banana extract if you don't have it or don't like that flavor.
- Bananas - You will need bananas that are not too green and not too brown for the perfect banana cream pie.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add the milk and whisk until fully incorporated.
Step 2: Whisk the eggs and egg yolks together until well combined.
Step 3: Cook the cornstarch/milk mixture over medium heat while whisking constantly. The mixture should boil and begin to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir about ½ cup of the hot mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
Step 4: Return the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and whisk until combined. Return to the stove and cook over medium heat while whisking constantly until the mixture boils and cooks for 2 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the vanilla and banana extract (if using).
Step 5: Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the custard, pressing the wrap right against the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool until just barely warm. Don't leave out for over 2 hours, place in the refrigerator (on a hot mat) after about ½ hour at room temp.
Step 6: Make the crust while the custard is cooling. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
Step 7: Press firmly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Let cool.
Step 8: Once the crust and filling have cooled to room temperature. Slice 2 bananas into ½-inch thick slices and arrange in a single layer on the bottom of the crust.
Step 9: Spread the mostly cooled custard on top of the layer of bananas. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.
Step 10: Right before serving, whip heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a bowl using an electric handheld mixer until fluffy stiff peaks form. Spread over the chilled pie and top with additional slices of banana if desired.
💡 Top Tip
Be sure to plan for adequate time for the pie to chill before serving. If not chilled for long enough, the pie will be too runny. At least 4-6 hours is required but overnight is even better!
❓ Recipe FAQs
The bananas will turn brown after 1 day, especially after slicing into the pie. One solution is to coat them in lemon juice before placing them in the pie. I don't do this because I can detect the lemon juice in the pie and don't like it but you could try it especially if you won't be eating the entire pie on the first day.
Cornstarch, eggs, and egg yolks thicken the custard pie filling.
Yes. This recipe container 2 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs.
You need to cook the custard filling enough to activate the cornstarch and eggs to thicken the filling. Once the pie is chilled adequately, the custard will thicken and set more.
Banana cream pie needs to be stored covered in the refrigerator and can be kept for up to 3 days. The bananas will discolor as the time goes on.
🍮 More Custard Recipes
Looking for other recipes featuring homemade custard? Try these:
If you tried this Homemade Cinnamon Banana Cream Pie or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
- medium saucepan
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- whisk
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ cup white sugar
- 7 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon banana extract (optional*)
- 2 medium firm (but ripe) bananas
For the Crust: *
- 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup salted butter melted
For the Whipped Cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
Instructions
To make the Custard:
- Whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk and whisk until fully incorporated. Place on the stove over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and just starts to boil. Remove from the heat.
- Temper the eggs by slowly adding about 1 cup of the hot thickened milk/cornstarch mixture to the bowl while whisking briskly. Add the tempered egg mixture back into the pot and turn the heat on to medium again and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to boil. Cook for 2 more minutes while whisking.
- Pour the custard immediately into a heat-safe mixing bowl and add the vanilla and banana extracts. Whisk until combined. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the custard, pressing the wrap right against the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature until just barely warm. Don't leave it out for over 2 hours, place it in the fridge (on a hot mat) after about ½ hour at room temp if you want to speed it up. While the custard is cooling, make the crust for the pie.
To make the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Stir together the graham crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter to combine. Pour the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press firmly onto the bottom and sides of the pan to form a crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Let cool completely on a wire rack until ready to assemble the pie.
To assemble the Pie:
- Once both the custard filling and pie crust are cooled to room temperature it is time to assemble the pie. Slice 2 (or 3 small) bananas into ½-inch slices and arrange in one layer on top of the crust. Cover the banana slices with the custard, smoothing the top with a spatula. Cover the pie, placing the plastic wrap directly against the top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight is best.
To make the Whipped Cream:
- Mix together the whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl, then whip using a handheld electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Top the finished, chilled pie with the whipped cream just before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to add just 1 teaspoon of banana extract in addition to the vanilla but you could leave it out if you don't have it or don't like the flavor.
- You could use a blind-baked butter pie crust instead.
Taryn
I was a tiny bit nervous about making this since pies have never been my forte, but it was actually really straightforward and easy to make! Just note, if you're as unexperienced with making custard as I was, that you don't want to leave it in the fridge too long to cool, because it then becomes very difficult to smooth once you add it to the crust. 😂 But that really didn't matter because I smothered whipping cream all over top of that so nobody was the wiser. 😜 The directions were very easy to follow, and it made the best banana cream pie I've had in a long time!
Naomi
Glad to hear you loved this pie recipe, Taryn! That is a great tip, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the 5-star review!!
Naomi