Baked Banana Pie is rich and creamy, featuring a baked banana custard nestled in a flaky crust. It’s a comforting, crowd-pleasing dessert that highlights real banana flavor.
This homemade banana pie uses mashed or blended ripe bananas folded into a smooth custard—no boxed pudding or artificial flavors. If you usually turn ripe bananas into quick breads or cakes, try baking them into this custard pie for a different, elegant dessert that still uses soft bananas to great effect.
This recipe is straightforward and made from real ingredients: bananas, eggs, cream, cream cheese, and a touch of sugar and spices. The banana puree is mixed into a creamy custard, then baked in a flaky cream cheese crust. You can use a homemade crust or store-bought to save time.
⭐️ Why You’ll LOVE This Baked Banana Pie
- Perfect use for ripe bananas. Overripe bananas are ideal—their sweetness and flavor shine in the custard.
- Bananas are baked into the filling, so you don’t need to worry about slices browning. That makes the pie easy to prepare ahead.
- No artificial flavors. The filling is entirely homemade—no pudding mixes or cornstarch thickeners, just eggs as the thickener.
- Flaky cream cheese crust. A cream cheese crust adds richness and a tender texture that complements the custard.
- Quick shortcuts. Use a store-bought crust or graham cracker base if you want to make the pie faster.
- Memorable and versatile. This is a lovely alternative for holidays or any time you want a unique banana dessert.
🛒 Key Ingredients
Most ingredients are pantry staples. The essentials are:
- Ripe bananas — overripe is best; brown spots indicate great flavor. Frozen thawed bananas also work.
- Eggs — act as the primary thickener for a custard-like texture.
- Cream cheese — adds tang and richness to both crust and filling.
- Heavy cream — for a silky custard; evaporated milk can be substituted.
- Sugar — just a small amount is needed because bananas are naturally sweet.
- Salt and cinnamon — salt enhances flavor; cinnamon adds warmth and depth.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full details.
✏️ Substitutions
- Heavy cream: swap with evaporated milk.
- Granulated sugar: use light brown sugar or coconut sugar for a deeper taste.
- Cream cheese: replace with full-fat sour cream or lower-fat cream cheese if desired.
🆒 Variations
- Use coconut extract in place of vanilla for a banana-coconut profile.
- Try pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead of cinnamon for a different spice blend.
- A graham cracker crust is a tasty alternative to a pastry crust.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Below is a clear step-by-step guide for making the crust and the baked banana custard filling.
- Make the crust: In a bowl combine flour, cold butter cut into cubes, cold cream cheese, sugar and salt. Cut the fat into the flour until pieces are pea-sized.
- Add ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time and mix just until the dough comes together. Form a disc, wrap, and chill 20–30 minutes.
Tip: Handle the dough minimally for a flaky crust.
- Prepare filling: Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.
- Stir in cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream (or evaporated milk).
- Peel and mash or blend the bananas into a smooth purée. You want about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups (315–350 mL) of puree—this is forgiving so a little variance is fine.
- Mix the banana purée into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Roll out chilled dough to about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) and fit into a 9″ pie dish. Crimp the edges as desired.
- Pour the banana filling into the crust. Bake on a lower rack at 400°F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and bake another 25–30 minutes. Cover edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
- Remove the pie and let it cool on a rack. The filling should be set at the edges and may be slightly jiggly in the center; it will firm up as it cools.
- Once completely cooled, chill the pie 2–3 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream for the best presentation and flavor.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake 15–30 minutes until the peels are brown and shiny. Let cool before peeling and using.
Banana custard is made from bananas, heavy cream (or evaporated milk), eggs, sugar, a bit of cinnamon and salt, and cream cheese for added richness.
Custard is thickened primarily with eggs, while pudding is usually thickened with cornstarch or flour and may or may not contain eggs.
Yes. The pie keeps well chilled and can be made ahead. For best texture serve within 1–2 days, though it remains safe to eat for several days when refrigerated.
Yes—fully thawed and thoroughly mashed or blended frozen bananas work well in this recipe.
❄️ Storage
Refrigerate: After cooling, refrigerate the pie. For best texture enjoy within 1–2 days; leftovers are safe up to 5 days when covered.
Chilled banana custard slices cleanly, making it ideal for serving at gatherings. Pro tip: top with whipped cream right before serving for the best presentation.
🍌 More Unique Banana Recipes
Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls-
Strawberry Banana Bread
-
Banana Coffee Cake
-
Banana Cream Pie Bars
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating and a comment in the recipe card below if you made it—I love hearing from readers. Sharing with friends and family is appreciated!
📝 Printable Recipe
Baked Banana Pie
Equipment
- 9″ pie dish
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
- 3 oz cold cream cheese, cubed
- ⅓ cup ice-cold water (more as needed)
For the filling:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk)
- 1 1/3–1½ cups banana purée (about 3 large bananas)
- Optional: whipped cream for topping
Instructions
For the crust:
- Combine flour, salt, sugar, cold butter, and cold cream cheese. Cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour until pea-sized pieces remain.
- Add cold water a tablespoon at a time and work until the dough holds together. Form into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate 20–30 minutes.
For the filling:
- Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Stir in salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and heavy cream.
- Blend or mash bananas into a smooth purée and add to the mixture.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll the crust to ¼ inch thickness and fit into a pie dish. Pour the filling into the raw crust.
- Bake on a lower rack at 400°F for 15 minutes, then lower oven to 350°F and bake another 25–30 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly. Cool fully, then chill 2–3 hours before serving.
- Top with whipped cream if desired and serve.
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 5 days. The pie can be made ahead; for best texture serve within 1–2 days, as the crust may soften slightly over time.
Baking note: Thin metal pans may bake faster than thick ceramic dishes—check for doneness a few minutes earlier as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 431 kcal | Carbs: 48 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 24 g | Sugar: 23 g