Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Bite taken out of piece of banana cream pie on white plate.

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 40

Chilling Time: 5

Total Time: 6 25

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

1 ½ cups (178 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons (85 g) chilled salted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (36 g) chilled vegetable shortening, chilled
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Banana Cream Filling:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (131 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (38 g) cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 cups milk, preferably 2% or whole milk (don't use skim milk)
½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
2 medium (about 226 g) bananas

Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the pie crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
Add the butter and shortening and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly and the butter and shortening are in pea-size pieces.
Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the ice water and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough starts to come together. Use your hands, if needed, to further combine the dough in a cohesive mass. Don't over work the dough. If the dough is crumbly, add additional ice water a teaspoon at a time until it comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, press in to a disc, cover with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to several days).
When ready to use, roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured counter to 12 inches in diameter.
Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently lift the edges and ease the pie crust into the bottom and sides of the pie plate (stretching or pulling can cause the pie crust to shrink). Trim the crust to 1/2-inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Fold the excess overhang under itself so the folded edge is flush with the edge of the plate. Crimp the crust with your fingers to create a scalloped pie edge.
Refrigerate the pie shell until fully chilled, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line the chilled pie shell with a layer of aluminum foil, covering the edges loosely so they don't burn. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is beginning to turn golden and no longer looks doughy. Carefully remove the foil and beans/weights and bake 5 to 10 more minutes until the crust is golden and fully baked. Let the pie crust cool completely.
For the filling, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Add the milk, half-and-half (or heavy cream), and egg yolks. Whisk until well-combined.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once large bubbles pop on the surface, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for one full minute (moderate the heat if the pudding is sticking to the bottom of the pan). The mixture should be thickened to the consistency of soft-set pudding. It will thicken more as it cools.
Remove the pan from the heat, and if desired, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl to get rid of any possible lumps or little bits of cooked egg. Add the butter and vanilla and mix into the warm pudding.
Let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent a skin from forming across the top.
Pour half of the warm pudding in the baked and cooled pie shell. Slice the bananas and arrange them across the filling. Spread remaining pudding over the top of the bananas and spread all the way to the edges of the pie crust to completely seal the bananas in the pudding layers.
Cover the pie with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming on the pudding. Refrigerate the pie until it is completely chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 6 hours.
For the topping, whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the pie and serve. This pie is best served the same day it is made (so the bananas stay fresh).

Notes

UPDATE: Over the years, I've simplified this recipe to make it easier and more foolproof. If you're looking for the graham-cracker coated pie crust recipe, you can access the original version here.

Pudding Filling Adjustments: For a thicker pudding layer (or to fill a deeper pie plate), use the following ingredient amounts for the pudding:
-2 cups milk
-1 cup half-and-half
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/3 cup cornstarch
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons butter
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pie Crust: You can easily sub in your own favorite (or store bought) pie crust for the one in the recipe and blind bake it according to the recipe instructions. The pie crust can alternately be made using a food processor instead of by hand.