Made from scratch, easy Banana Pudding Pie features everything you love about banana pudding, including light-as-a-cloud meringue, sliced ripe bananas, a decadent homemade vanilla custard, and a vanilla wafer crust.
If you love Banana Pudding as we do, you will be over the moon with this Banana Pudding Pie! It’s the ultimate southern comfort food and a staple in the South. You would be hard-pressed to find a church supper or potluck without a large dish of it front and center.
It’s so popular in the South that we celebrate it with a Banana Pudding Festival in Irwinton, Georgia, and a National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville, Tennessee. In addition, August 29 is National Banana Pudding Day.
Here’s what’s in it
The ingredients for Southern Banana Pudding Pie are pretty straightforward:
- Bananas – are the star of this show, with their characteristic sweet fruity flavor.
- Vanilla wafers – aka “nilla” wafers, are a classic ingredient in old-fashioned banana pudding. Instead of layers of vanilla wafers, this recipe features a crushed vanilla wafer pie crust.
- Butter – is mixed with the crushed vanilla wafers to form the pie crust.
- Eggs – are an essential ingredient of both the meringue and the creamy custard.
- Cream of Tartar (not pictured) – is meringue’s secret ingredient! It creates a strong, stable meringue.
- Sugar – adds just the right amount of sweetness to both the meringue and the custard.
- Flour, milk, and vanilla extract – are combined with the eggs to make the creamy homemade vanilla custard.
Here’s how to make it
- When you are ready to make your pie, gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Separate the eggs while they are cold. You will need four egg whites for the meringue and four egg yolks for the custard. Set the whites and yolks aside to come to room temperature.
- Put all the vanilla wafers in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until the wafers are thoroughly crushed. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine the crumbs and butter.
- Pour this crumb mixture into a nine-inch pie plate and firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and up the pan’s sides. You can use the bottom of a glass with a smooth surface to help press everything down evenly.
- Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until it has lightly browned. Remove and place on a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes.
- To make the meringue, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium until they are white and frothy. Increase the speed to high and begin slowly adding the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating the egg whites until stiff glossy peaks form and the sugar has dissolved.
- Make the vanilla custard by combining the sugar, flour, egg yolks, eggs, and milk in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the custard thickens. This should take from eight to ten minutes. The mixture should be thick and hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted. Remove from the heat and blend in the vanilla extract.
- Arrange the banana slices on the cooled pie crust.
- Pour the custard over the vanilla wafer crust and bananas. Smooth the surface and set it aside.
- Spread the meringue evenly over the pie. Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
- Bake at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for one hour on a wire rack.
- Chill for at least four hours before slicing and serving.
Frequently asked questions:
The main difference between custard and pudding is that pudding is usually thickened with cornstarch and eggs. Custard is usually thickened with only eggs.
Meringue is the classic topping for both banana pudding and banana pudding pie. You can substitute whipped cream if you prefer. If you do use whipped cream, you will not need to bake the pie. You can find an easy recipe for whipped cream included with my Strawberry Trifle with Angel Food Cake recipe.
Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before starting to make the meringue. Also, be sure to use a squeaky clean glass or metal bowl to whip your egg whites in. Do not use a plastic bowl.
Cover any leftovers and store them in the refrigerator. It’s best to enjoy Banana Pudding Pie just as soon as it is chilled. Although it will still taste fine, it doesn’t keep very well and the meringue will wilt and separate after a day or so.
Make sure the pie filling is still hot when you add the meringue. Also, be sure your pie is completely cooled before you put it in the refrigerator. Feel the bottom of the dish, if it is still warm after cooling for an hour, let it sit out a little longer.
There are lots of methods for separating whites and yolks, but this is what I do: 1. You will need three clean bowls. 2. Crack the egg on the edge of the bowl and gently open it up. 3. Let the whites fall out into one of the bowls and hold the shell with the yolk in it up to keep the yolk from falling out. 4. Pass the yolk back and forth between the shells and do not break it. 5. When most of the whites have come out, add the yolk to a clean bowl and discard the shell. Repeat with the rest of the eggs. Use a clean bowl each time for the whites before pouring them in with the other whites just in case a yolk breaks into the whites.
Sharon’s tips:
- It’s easier to separate cold eggs so do that first and then let your egg whites and yolks come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the pie.
- When separating the egg whites and yolks, it’s okay to get some of the whites mixed in with the yolks, but if you get even a tiny drop of yolk in the egg whites they will not whip correctly. That’s why I use three bowls. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to start all over because, while separating my last egg, the yolk broke and ran into my whites.
- When making the custard, do not try and multitask and turn your back for a minute or quit stirring. The custard will burn on the bottom.
- If there is even a smidge of grease in your bowl, the whites will not whip up correctly
More dessert recipes:
If you like this recipe, you might also like these other delicious and easy-to-make desserts: Pistachio Pudding Recipe, Banana Pudding Poke Cake, Luscious Lemon Swirl Cheesecake, Frozen Lemonade Pie, Easy Key Lime Mousse, Bourbon Ice Cream, Blackberry Pie, or Meyer Lemon Tart with Gingersnap Crust.
Need more ideas, check out all of my dessert recipes on my Dessert Recipe Index. All recipes include easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, nutritional information, and plenty of step-by-step photos.
★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Banana Pudding Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Pie plate
- Electric mixer
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe bananas peeled and sliced
Pie Crust
- 11 ounces vanilla wafers
- ½ cup butter melted
Meringue
- 4 egg whites you will use the yolks in the custard
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Vanilla Custard
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 4 egg yolks you will use the whites in the meringue
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Separate the eggs while they are cold. You will need four egg whites for the meringue and four egg yolks for the custard. Set the whites and yolks aside to come to room temperature.
Pie Crust
- Put all of the vanilla wafers in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until the wafers are crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to thoroughly combine the crumbs and butter.
- Pour this crumb mixture into a nine-inch pie plate and firmly press the mixture down onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You can use the bottom of a glass with a smooth surface to help press everything down evenly.
- Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until it has lightly browned. Remove and place on a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes.
- Arrange the banana slices on the cooled pie crust and set aside.
Meringue
- Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium until they are white and frothy. Increase the speed to high and begin slowly adding the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating the egg whites until stiff, glossy peaks form and the sugar has dissolved.
Vanilla Custard
- To make the custard, combine the sugar, flour, egg yolks, eggs, and milk in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the custard thickens, this should take from 8-10 minutes. The mixture should be thick and hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted. Blend in the vanilla extract.
Assembly
- Pour the custard over the crust and bananas, and then smooth the surface.
- Spread the meringue evenly over the pie. Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
- Bake at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for one hour on a wire rack. Chill for four hours before serving.
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