This banana cream pie is easy as, well, pie. Can I share a secret with you guys? Just because something is labor-intensive or 100% homemade doesn’t mean it’s the best. Making great food doesn’t have to be hard, and sometimes shortcuts are delicious. This easy banana cream pie is a prime example of exactly that. It utilizes Jell-o pudding and a pre-made graham cracker crust and I guarantee you’ll find it disappears very quickly once served!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix – NOT cook and serve. If you want to play around with flavors, that’s totally fine–I always use vanilla because I hate artificial banana flavor and the vanilla pudding will take on the banana flavors from the bananas, but you can get wild and crazy and use butterscotch, cheesecake, chocolate–wherever your pretty little brain takes you.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Graham cracker or cookie pie crusts – Grab a couple- this recipe makes enough for two pies. You can always make your own Graham Cracker Pie Crust if you’d like as well!
- Bananas – Try to use bananas that are nice and yellow so they are sweet, but not yet browning, so they hold up in your pie and don’t get too soft.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
How to Make an Easy Banana Cream Pie
- First, mix up some pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Set in the fridge to chill.
- In another bowl, whip some heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- Line your pie crusts with sliced bananas.
- Retrieve your pudding mix from the fridge and fold in the whipped cream. Divide the pudding mixture between the two pies.
- Whip up some sweetened whipped cream and spread it on top of the two pies. Place the clear plastic shells back on the pies and allow to chill for several hours. This is actually really important–I tried eating it right away once and the pie wasn’t banana-y at all and the moisture hadn’t absorbed into the crust, so the crust just fell apart.
And there you have it–the best AND the easiest banana cream pie you’ll ever have or need!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Because the bananas can start to break down, this pie is definitely at it’s best the same day it’s made!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make banana cream pie ahead of time?
If you’d like to make your pie ahead of time, I recommend omitting the bananas during the assembly process, since they will brown and soften while they sit. Prepare the pudding filling as directed and fill the pie crust, then refrigerate. Immediately before serving, prepare your sweetened whipped cream. Top your pie with the whipped cream and freshly sliced bananas and serve.
Can I use a traditional baked pie crust for this recipe?
If you prefer a traditional pie crust you can absolutely use that in this recipe. You will just need to pre-bake the crust.
Banana Cream Pie
This is the best AND the easiest banana cream pie you’ll ever make.
Servings servings (2 pies)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3.4- ounce package instant vanilla pudding do not use "cook and serve"
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 8-serving graham cracker or cookie crusts
- bananas 4-5 small bananas, or 2-3 large ones
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.
- In another bowl, whip 1 cup of whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Slice the bananas (probably 4-5 small bananas or 2-3 large bananas) and layer them on the bottom of the crusts. Set aside. Be sure and save the plastic domes that come with the pie crusts–you'll need them later!
- Remove pudding from the fridge and gently dollop the whipped cream on top of the pudding. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well-combined.
- Now divide the mixture between the two pies. Rinse the pudding bowl and beaters and set aside for later.
- Place the clear plastic shells back on the pies and allow to chill for several hours. This step is very important, as without it the crust will fall apart, and it will lack flavor.
- If possible, immediately before serving, combine the remaining heavy cream and ⅓ cup powdered sugar in the bowl you mixed the pudding in and beat with an electric mixer on high until soft peaks form. Spread over the pies. (If you can't do this immediately before serving, it's okay to do the whipped cream step after you put the pudding mixture in the shells.)
Notes
- Store leftover pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Because the bananas can start to break down, this pie is definitely at it’s best the same day it’s made!
- If you’d like to make your pie ahead of time, I recommend omitting the bananas during the assembly process, since they will brown and soften while they sit. Prepare the pudding filling as directed and fill the pie crust, then refrigerate. Immediately before serving, prepare your sweetened whipped cream. Top your pie with the whipped cream and freshly sliced bananas and serve.
- Chunky Monkey Variation: Blend 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter into the pudding/water/sweetened condensed milk mixture (before you fold in the whipped cream). Continue as directed but place in a chocolate cookie crust. Sprinkle with honey roasted peanuts just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 140kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 58mg, Potassium: 30mg, Fiber: 0.05g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 435IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 0.04mg
Calories: 140kcal
Cost: $5
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
I made this for Thanksgiving this year; not very traditional for Thanksgiving but it turned out great!!!! I also have stood over the stove in the past for over an hour making homemade banana cream filling but no longer. When asking the company what kind of pie they wanted everyone asked for Banana cream. I did make this in a traditional pie crust instead of graham, used a deep pie plate so only made one pie. I got compliments from the whole family. Thanks for the recipe!
Bri, yup, still has bananas (otherwise there would be no monkey, haha). You could use chocolate pudding, but I used the vanilla as called for in the recipe.
So is the Chunky Monkey version still have bananas? Is it the chocolate pudding with the peanut butter?
Hey, Beffy! I've never tried Cool Whip, so I can't say, but it might be worth it to go and get a cheap hand mixer–like, seriously, don't spend more than $7-$10 on it. You'll use it all the time and it won't be the end of the world if it breaks or gets left behind.
I don't know if anyone will see this…but could I use something else instead of Whipping the whipping cream? I live in a dorm, and I don't have a blender, but I really wanted to make my BF this for his birthday 😛 Could i use CoolWhip, or something? THanks if anyone knows!
This was really good and super easy and quick. I used french vanilla pudding, shortbread crust, topped with a few extra banana slices, and drizzled with caramel syrup. IThe caramel syrup really gave it an extra "umph"! Thanks for sharing!
Way yummy and way easy!! (The choc. pie crusts make it the best)
Great recipe! I particularly loved it with the chocolate pudding. But a word to the wise: Splurge and buy Keebler crusts rather than the cheap store brand. I tried to save a bit by doing the latter and the crust was nasty! At least the filling was delish.
THE BEST banana cream pie I have ever eaten, more or less made! And so easy.
I've only ever made it with fat free/sugar free, so I can tell you it works great! All of the pies pictures used the sugar free.