You will love this super easy and delicious copycat Marie Callender’s banana cream pie recipe. This old-fashioned banana cream pie is made with fresh whipped cream, ripe bananas, and homemade vanilla custard.
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The Best Banana Cream Pie Recipe
This recipe is simple, yet delicious and full of that creamy banana flavor. You will be using fresh bananas and making your own cream filling.
It also has a homemade whipped cream topping to finish off this Marie Callender’s banana cream pie. Which in my opinion is the best banana cream pie recipe to copy!
It is just like the old-fashioned banana cream pie that your grandma would have made for your family get-togethers. Now with this recipe, you can make your own homemade banana cream pie.
What makes this recipe unique?
Unlike some pies, this recipe does not start with instant pudding, but you will prepare a homemade vanilla pudding to make this cream pie. Fresh ripe bananas make for a much richer and more in-depth flavor. Instead of using a graham cracker crust or a nilla wafer crust, the base of the pie is a homemade pie crust. I know this recipe will soon become one of your favorite pies. Homemade pudding makes a huge difference in flavor.
Homemade Banana Cream Pie Ingredients
One thing I love about this recipe is that you can make this recipe from everything you may already have in your kitchen!
Here’s a list of what you need for the pie:
- Baked pie crust (use store-bought or homemade pie crust)
- Fresh bananas
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Evaporated milk
- Whole milk
- Large Egg yolks
- Butter
- Sliced Almonds
- Vanilla extract
For the whipped cream topping:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Healthier Variation
To switch up the cream cheese with a little bit healthier option, you can use Neufchatel. It is similar in texture to cream cheese but lower in fat and higher in calcium.
Also, if you want to lower the sugar content, you can swap out the sugar for stevia or organic cane sugar.
If you do not want to use a pastry pie crust, you may want to use a graham cracker crust or a Nilla wafer crust.
How to Make Banana Cream Pie
- Heat the sugar, cornstarch, salt, evaporated milk, and milk until it thickens and boils for a minute.
- Then you will carefully mix together the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks.
- After the egg yolk mixture is incorporated you will heat everything again until it begins to boil. Then you need to add in the cream cheese and mix it all together.
- Take the pan off the heat and add in the vanilla and butter and mix it until it is combined. Let it stand for 15 minutes.
- Then just pour it into the baked pie shell in a pie pan, putting an even layer of bananas halfway through.
- Mix up all of the whipped cream ingredients and top the banana cream layer with the freshly made homemade whipped cream and garnish it with sliced almonds.
How do you blind-bake pastry?
When you bake pie pastry, it can balloon up. So in order to avoid this, you need to use a fork to poke holes into the bottom of the pan.
After you have done that, line the crust with parchment paper and pour in some dried beans. The beans will help weigh down the pie crust while it bakes and forms into the pan. Instead of beans you could use pie weights.
Should frozen pie crust be thawed before baking?
For the best results, yes the frozen pie crust should be thawed before baking it. When you use a frozen crust you cannot form the crust the way you need it and can also add more moisture to the pie and could result in a soggy pie.
How do I keep my bottom pie crust from getting soggy?
In order to avoid getting a soggy crust, you need to make sure that the crust was thawed before baking the pie. Also, make sure the crust is completely baked through before adding in the creamy banana custard.
How do you keep bananas from turning brown in a banana cream pie?
This is a fun trick. By treating the banana slices with a form of citrus, like lemon juice or orange juice (just a little) before you put them in the pie, you can slow down the oxidation reaction which is what turns the fruit brown.
Why is my banana cream pie so runny?
The reason for this normally is because the filling was not boiled for long enough. There are a lot of complicated chemical reactions that take place during that time, and if the filling was not able to get thick enough during that time, then it might not have had time to set up enough.
Does banana cream pie need to be refrigerated?
Yes, Marie Callender’s banana cream pie does need to be refrigerated. The pie contains both eggs and dairy so it requires being chilled. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator when not serving it.
How long does banana cream pie last?
When you keep the pie in the fridge it will last up to 4 days.
Can you freeze banana cream pie?
Yes, and it is so good! It almost turns into a banana ice cream pie. Just let it sit out for about 10 minutes to let it soften to make it easier to cut and serve it. When frozen, the pie can last 4-5 months if stored properly.
How far ahead can you make banana cream pie?
Since this pie does have fresh fruit in it, I would not suggest making it more than a day in advance. Otherwise, the fruit can potentially get too soggy and begin to turn color before it is eaten.
Favorite Banana Recipes
Popular Pie Recipes
- Cherry Cream Cheese Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Impossible Coconut Custard Pie
- Kool Aid Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Millionaire Pie
- Rhubarb Custard Pie
- Sour Cream Blueberry Pie
- Sugar Free Apple Pie
Check out more of my easy pie recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Marie Callender’s Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
Banana Cream Pie Crust and Filling
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks, beaten
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese softened and beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 9-inch pastry pie crust, baked and cooled
- 2 sliced bananas
- 1/8 cup sliced almonds
Fresh Whipped Cream Topping
- 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a 2-quart saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, evaporated milk, and whole milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- To temper the eggs, slowly pour half of the hot pudding into the egg yolks in a mixing bowl, whisking constantly until completely incorporated. Then return the egg mixture to the saucepan with the other half of the pudding and continue to cook on medium heat until it reaches the boiling stage again.
- Add cream cheese and mix thoroughly with an electric hand mixer. It will dissolve the cream cheese better and make the pudding lighter and creamier.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and butter. Keep using the mixer until all is blended.
- Let the pudding stand for about 15 minutes, but while it’s still warm, pour half of the pudding into the pie shell. Add a layer of bananas. Then pour the remainder of the pudding on top.
- To make the whipped cream: Pour the whipping cream into a chilled glass or metal bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar until all has been blended. Then slowly add the vanilla until it has also been blended. The mixture should have stiff peaks.
- When the pie has completely cooled, top with fresh whipped cream and garnish with sliced almonds. The whipped cream can be piped through a pastry bag for added effect.
pc
I just made this and I have a few things to say about it. This is a good pie and it is the kind of pie my grandmother would have made, totally a classic banana cream pie.
As I made the custard, I added the vanilla. I tasted it and I wondered what it would be like if I added banana flavoring. I added about 1/2 teasoon of banana flavoring. In general, it was not a good idea. The banana flavoring seemed to throw it off balance and I had to add a few tablespoons of sugar to bring it back. So, if you want to try adding banana flavoring, only add a hint…and if you go to far a few spoon fulls of sugar might help. But don’t go to far on the sugar, this pie is not meant to be super sweet.
Next, I used the smaller sized store bought graham pie crust. The graham part of the crust was fine, but next time I would use the larger size of store bought crust. The banans and whiped cream make this pie and I added extra layers of bananas and a thick topping of whipped cream (I used cool whip to save time).
Lastly, what I would say is that this is not a pie I would make for a pot luck. I would just make it to have at home. This pie is a bit messy to slice and pull out (especially if you cheat like me and add extra layers of bananas). If you want to do something with banans for a pot luck, a banana pudding you can spoon out is a better choice.
Over all a good not too sweet pie to serve on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Stephanie
It is amazing how a tiny change in a recipe than through off other parts of it. I bet this would be good with a tiny bit of banana flavoring. I appreciate the changes you made the to the pie. This pie was to mimic Marie Callendars, and they did not add the extra layers of bananas, but I bet it would be very good lie that!
Liz Nelson
This was delicious! The whole family loved it!