Easy Southern Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Southern Banana Cream Pie is one of my family’s favorite desserts. They love it in this tasty pie form or also as a cheesecake!

Tips for a Perfect Southern Banana Cream Pie

To make a true southern dish, I believe it takes one special ingredient — lard. After successfully rendering lard from our own pigs a few years ago, I haven’t used store-bought pie crust since. Expert opinions on using lard vary but if you want that old-time flaky style crust, I highly recommend lard.

Are there alternatives to lard? Yes, absolutely! You can use vegetable shortening like Crisco. If you’re going to use the vegetable shortening, look for one that is not hydrogenated to avoid the artificial trans fats. I have used Crisco before and my crusts still turn out tasty. I prefer the butter flavor version. Butter and margarine are also options but I stick to my good ol’ tried and true lard for my best pies.

Most desserts that feature bananas call for very or overly-ripe pieces of fruit. For my pie, I like to use the bananas that have turned yellow and have a few brown spots starting to form. These are sweet and still provide the brighter cream color of a banana. Too ripe and your dessert looks a little sad with brown fruit.

To prevent your pie crust from bubbling, buckling, or shrinking, try a set of ceramic pie crust weights. These are made from natural, food-safe ceramic stoneware and can withstand temperatures up to 480°F.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 Slices

Southern Banana Cream Pie

Print

Bring home a taste of the south with this delicious Southern Banana Cream Pie!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening
• 3-6 tablespoons ice-cold water

Pie Filling

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 ounce package unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4-6 ripe bananas, sliced

Instructions

Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Use a stand or hand-held mixer to prepare the pie crust. Add the flour, salt, and
shortening in a medium-size bowl and mix to combine.

Add the
ice-cold water a little at a time, until the dough clumps together and can form
a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch diameter. Fold the dough in half and then in half again and transfer to a 9-inch diameter deep-dish pie plate. Press the dough down into the pie pan. Trim if there is more than ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edges. Fold the edges of the dough under, and then crimp together with your thumb or a fork.

Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dry beans. Blind bake (aka “pre-bake”) the crust in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and remove the dry beans or pie weights. Set aside.

To make the filling, combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, corn starch, and gelatin in a large saucepan. Stir until well blended and heat over medium-low heat while whisking often. When the custard has thickened and becomes difficult to stir, turn the heat off and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside.

Slice the bananas and line the bottom of the pie crust with two layers of sliced bananas. Pour the custard over the bananas and smooth the custard out throughout the pie.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the baking time finishes, remove pie from oven and cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for a few hours or overnight before serving.

To serve, top with whipped cream and additional banana slices, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Serve topped with whip cream and additional banana slices, if desired.

Use a pastry wheel decorator tool to crimp the crust edges together for a cuter pie!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 618Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 11g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 3/2/2020. Lynchburg Mama is not responsible for incorrect calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening
• 3-6 tablespoons ice-cold water

Pie Filling Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 ounce package unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4-6 ripe bananas, sliced

Optional, to serve:

• Whipped cream
• Sliced bananas

Directions:

1. Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 400°F.
   
   
2. Use a stand or hand-held mixer to prepare the pie crust. Add the flour, salt, and shortening in a medium-size bowl and mix to combine.
   
   
3. Add the ice-cold water a little at a time, until the dough clumps together and can form a ball.
   
   
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch diameter. Fold the dough in half and then in half again and transfer to a 9-inch diameter deep-dish pie plate. Press the dough down into the pie pan. Trim if there is more than ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edges. Fold the edges of the dough under, and then crimp together with your thumb or a fork.
   
   
5. Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dry beans. Blind bake (aka “pre-bake”) the crust in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
   
   
6. Remove the crust from the oven and remove the dry beans or pie weights. Set aside.
   
   
7. To make the filling, combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, corn starch, and gelatin in a large saucepan. Stir until well blended and heat over medium-low heat while whisking often. When the custard has thickened and becomes difficult to stir, turn the heat off and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside.
   
   
8. Slice the bananas and line the bottom of the pie crust with two layers of sliced bananas. Pour the custard over the bananas and smooth the custard out throughout the pie.
   
   
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 20-25 minutes.
   
   
10. When the baking time finishes, remove pie from oven and cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for a few hours or overnight before serving.
    
11. To serve, top with whipped cream and additional banana slices, if desired. Enjoy!