Small-Batch Banana Cream Pie
By Camila ChaparroPublished on May 21, 2025
Time
1¼ hours, plus 8 hours cooling and chilling
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Filling
2 ripe bananas, divided1¼ cups half-and-half 5 tablespoons (2¼ ounces) sugar 3 large egg yolks ⅛ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon vanilla extractWhipped Cream
¼ cup heavy cream, chilled¼ teaspoon confectioners' sugarBefore You Begin
We like the buttery flavor and flaky texture of homemade pie dough here; however, you can substitute one 9-inch store-bought pie dough round, if desired. Peel and slice the bananas just before using. It’s important to take the temperature of the custard in multiple spots to get an accurate reading; the thickness of the custard is a good indicator of doneness. When straining the half-and-half mixture in step 5, do not press on the bananas or the custard will turn gray as it sits.
Instructions
- Roll dough disk into 9-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough circle around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 6-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are set and just beginning to turn lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and continue to bake crust until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer plate to wire rack and let crust cool completely, about 1 hour.
- While crust cools, peel and slice 1 banana ½ inch thick. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add banana slices and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to boil, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.
- Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain cooled half-and-half mixture through fine-mesh strainer into yolk mixture—do not press on banana—and whisk until incorporated; discard cooked banana.
- Transfer mixture to clean saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 180 degrees and is thickened to consistency of warm pudding, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to bowl, press greased parchment directly against surface, and let cool for about 1 hour.
- Peel and slice remaining banana ¼ inch thick and place over bottom of baked and cooled pie crust. Whisk pastry cream briefly, then transfer to pie crust and smooth top.
- Add cream and sugar to deep bowl. Tilt bowl so cream pools on one side and whisk vigorously, in a side-to-side motion, until thick and nearly doubled in volume, 30 to 60 seconds. Spread whipped cream attractively over center of pie. Refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.
for the filling
for the whipped cream
Time
1¼ hours, plus 8 hours cooling and chillingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Filling
Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Filling
Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Filling
Whipped Cream
Why This Recipe Works
A creamy, cool, and luscious concoction, banana cream pie is a treat you should be able to enjoy anytime, without waiting for a crowd to share it with. To make sure the pie is banana in more than just name, we layer it with banana slices, and we infuse the pastry cream with the flavor of a ripe sautéed banana. A fluffy cloud of whipped cream is the finishing touch.
Before You Begin
We like the buttery flavor and flaky texture of homemade pie dough here; however, you can substitute one 9-inch store-bought pie dough round, if desired. Peel and slice the bananas just before using. It’s important to take the temperature of the custard in multiple spots to get an accurate reading; the thickness of the custard is a good indicator of doneness. When straining the half-and-half mixture in step 5, do not press on the bananas or the custard will turn gray as it sits.
Instructions
- Roll dough disk into 9-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough circle around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 6-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are set and just beginning to turn lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and continue to bake crust until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer plate to wire rack and let crust cool completely, about 1 hour.
- While crust cools, peel and slice 1 banana ½ inch thick. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add banana slices and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to boil, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.
- Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain cooled half-and-half mixture through fine-mesh strainer into yolk mixture—do not press on banana—and whisk until incorporated; discard cooked banana.
- Transfer mixture to clean saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 180 degrees and is thickened to consistency of warm pudding, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to bowl, press greased parchment directly against surface, and let cool for about 1 hour.
- Peel and slice remaining banana ¼ inch thick and place over bottom of baked and cooled pie crust. Whisk pastry cream briefly, then transfer to pie crust and smooth top.
- Add cream and sugar to deep bowl. Tilt bowl so cream pools on one side and whisk vigorously, in a side-to-side motion, until thick and nearly doubled in volume, 30 to 60 seconds. Spread whipped cream attractively over center of pie. Refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.
for the filling
for the whipped cream
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