In a lineup of classic Southern pies, banana cream pie wins first place for being literal sunshine in a pie dish. Cold pastry cream filling, fresh bananas, a flaky pie crust, all topped with dollops of fluffy whipped cream? It’s a recipe for smiles. But the best part about cold pies, like this banana cream pie, is that it’s the ideal make-ahead dessert.
In fact, making this pie ahead is a key component to getting it right — the chilling time is as much of an ingredient as the bananas or cream.
What’s in Banana Cream Pie?
- Pastry cream filling: To ensure a sturdy, sliceable consistency for the pie, the pastry cream for the banana cream pie has some added cornstarch for stability.
- Fresh banana slices: They’re not only for decoration! You’ll find a layer under the cream filling as well. To avoid browning bananas, coat the banana slices in an acidic fruit juice such as lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, or even apple juice to inhibit oxidation.
- Flaky pie crust: You can use store-bought or homemade. Or you can sub in a graham cracker crust.
- Whipped cream: For the most delicious results, make your own!
Tips for Best Results
Plan ahead. I suggest breaking up the recipe into two days. On day one, I like to make and bake the pie dough and pastry cream, then on day two, I assemble the pie with fresh bananas and make the whipped cream.
