Banana Cream Pie

Update: I've made this twice for different occasions now, and both times it was a hit! One was for a potluck at work, and my co-worker said it was 'the bomb' :) I dollop the whipped cream around the side of the pie, then drizzle with caramel sauce in a zig-zag pattern over the top!

• foofoodie

• 9/28/2019

If you are a confident starch + egg yolk custard maker you'll be ok with this recipe. I am not a confident custard maker. My custard appeared thick and ready to take off heat. I followed the recipe carefully. It did take more than 6 minutes for my custard to start to thicken, maybe 10. I cooled it and stirred occasional as instructed. I assembled and refrigeated the pie.... and 3 hours later ... yup SOUP... just like everyone else who said avoid the recipe. I managed to save it by scraping it all out, saving the crust and adding a package of jello instant pudding. The bananas got all mixed in. Put it back in the frig and 2 hours later it was slice-able. If I do it again I'll cook the custard more and take it's temp before taking off heat. I may practice making 'from scratch' custards before attempting this again. There's a pretty good explanation of why egg + starch based custards fail to set here: www.craftybaking.com/learn/baked-goods/custard/problems-and-solutions.

• alukasik

• Lowell, MA

• 7/24/2017

Regarding the comments about the filling not setting up, the recipe calls for whisking during the entire 6 minutes of cooking. Try whisking to combine and then switch to a wooden spoon or heat proof spatula. Corn starch is fragile and a whisk can break the threads, causing them to fail to hold. Corn starch only requires 1 minute to set up once it reaches a boil (more like a plop-plop in the case of pudding), so try cutting down that time to 1-2 minutes. Over cooking corn starch also causes it to break down. My rating of the recipe is based on poor instructions only.

• sisterchef

• Dallas, Texas

• 7/7/2017

This was an AMAZING pie!!!! The banana in the crust made it taste like candy!

• erettke

• Lynchburg, VA

• 5/10/2015

Loved the banana in the crust. Would be delicious with a chocolate cream filling. The filling thickened fine but was way too sweet for our taste. Glad I didn't waste a vanilla bean on this, just used more extract.

• merylsue

• Hollywood, FL

• 4/12/2015

I followed the recipe exactly; the pie was easy to make and the custard boiled and thickened right around the 6-minute mark as the recipe stated. The custard itself was very good, if subtly flavored. However, the assembled pie was bland and lacked texture--the overall taste and feel is of mushy banana. I think the banana puree in the crust is part of the problem--the pie would be much better with a plain graham cracker crust that stays crunchy/sandy and has its own flavor. This crust is soft and tastes of banana--just like the filling. I do love banana cream pies, just not this one.

• anoncook

• 2/3/2015

far from a soup if you cook it long enough, im 23, and male with no prior cooking skills really and figured this out. crust could be lowered to 2, 1 3/4 gave you barely enough for the top crust area. custard before bananas tastes great, can't wait to make it again.

• kempson

• bellingham, wa

• 9/23/2014

I was soooo excited to make this recipe and what a let down.. it was soup.

• Maryblaise

• Madison, CT

• 8/22/2014

Recipe makes too much crust, it should be thinner and lighter, reduce the GC crumbs by 1/2 cup. Makes a pretty good pie, I like the banana pieces, better than a smooth "baby food" filling.

• mbrekkie

• Toronto

• 9/9/2013

The custard was delicious. The guests cleaned their plates and I got lots of compliments. I did not have trouble with it setting up, but I did end up with small lumps in my custard (the guests didn't seem to notice, but I did). Next time I'll strain the thickened custard through a sieve before setting it aside to cool. I also confess to not using the recipe's crust. I used my own pecan shortbread crust. Have to say... it was a winner combination!

• cbrand

• Boulder, CO

• 7/9/2013

Easy as pie to make. Next time I will decrease the sugar to 1/3 cup. Also, I always make a cream pie by chilling custard in the pan, baking crust as close to serving time as possible, allowing it to cool for a bit and them assemble pie just before serving. Crust is much better if it never hits the fridge. Also, bananas will not darken.

• lesliedumont

• New York, New York

• 4/9/2013

This recipe is so easy and tastes so good!

• foofoodie

• 1/17/2013

I haven't made the pie yet, but am going to try for Christmas. I am commenting in case it is helpful to other cooks...if you let the custard set and then disrupt it (cool completely and then put in pie crust), it will get soupy every time (this si the same with all custard pies). The starches bind the custard together as it cools. Once cooled you cannot stir it, etc., otherwise it will disrupt the binder and get soupy. The trick is letting the filling cool from hot to warm and then filling the crust. Hope this helps.

• yabadabadoo

• Phoenix, AZ

• 12/23/2012

I had this pie at the restaurant, then made it yesterday. Remember to top it with whipped cream and then drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup as they do at the restaurant. Also, use very ripe bananas. That makes a huge difference. Cool the custard with the vanilla bean in it for extra vanilla flavor.

• mbird1

• Southern CA

• 8/11/2012

Don't let the bad reviews fool you -- follow the recipe exactly and the read the directions ... the result is a PERFECT banana cream pie. AND it's easy!! The only addition I made was from previous reviewers recommending a mashed banana into the filling as it's cooling.

• EBartyzal

• 2/13/2012