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a slice of banana cream pie on a plate with a fork

Honey-Sweetened Banana Cream Pie

All the details so you can make the perfect honey-sweetened banana cream pie. Each bite is creamy, dreamy and absolutely delicious.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Banana Cream Pie, Pie
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings 8 Servings
Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 tablespoons (2.25 ounces) raw honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups (6.65 ounces) all-purpose flour

Banana Cream Filling:

  • 2 cups milk (see note)
  • 1/4 cup (3 ounces) raw honey
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 medium bananas

Whipped Cream Topping:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons agave or raw honey (see note)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For Shortbread Crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

  2. In a food processor add softened butter and mix a few minutes until smooth. Then add raw honey and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated, scraping down sides of food processor as needed.

  3. Add half of the flour and mix. Then scrape down sides of bowl, add the remaining flour and mix until dough forms a ball. With your hands, press the dough into 9-inch pie pan.

  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

For Banana Cream Filling:

  1. Heat 1 1/2 cups of the milk and the honey in a medium-sized heavy-duty saucepan over medium low heat until bubbles just start to form around edges (about 3 to 5 minutes). 

  2. In a separate medium heat-proof bowl add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and salt. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch until mixture is smooth without lumps. Then gently whisk in egg yolks and set aside.

  3. When milk/honey mixture starts to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl. Whisk quickly and continuously as you slowly pour it in, so that no lumps form.

  4. Return the mixture back to the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until it comes to a simmer and begins to thicken (about 4 to 5 minutes). Then cook for one minute longer, whisking continuously. Bubbles will pop at the surface of the thickened pudding when it is ready. 

  5. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Strain pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or pieces of cooked egg, if desired (see note). Let the filling mixture cool until just warm, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

  6. Peel and slice the bananas thinly on top of the crust and top with pudding filling. Bananas should be completely covered by pudding layer to avoid turning brown. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly over filling surface to avoid getting a skin on the filling. Refrigerate pie until it is completely chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours (see note).

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

  1. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add agave and vanilla and mix well. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve (see note). The pie is best made and served within 24 hours so the banana slices don't get mushy and brown.

Recipe Notes

1. For the milk, I usually use half whole milk and half whole whipping cream in this recipe. You can experiment with half-and-half and 1% or 2% milk. 

2. Straining the pudding is optional. I normally don't for this pie. As long as you whisk quickly when you add the hot mixture to the egg mixture you should be able to avoid the lumps and cooked egg pieces. If you are super picky about a smooth texture, go ahead and strain the produce the smoothest, creamiest pudding ever.

3. If you are using honey for the whipped topping make sure the honey is runny (not crystallized) or the whipped topping will be clumpy. You can set the jar of honey in warm water for a little while to soften it up before using.

4. I have made this pie and served it the next day with success. Just make sure the bananas are completely covered by the filling so they don't turn brown.

5. If you are making the whipped topping layer more than just a few minutes before serving, you may want to stabilize the whipping cream so it doesn’t get runny on the pie. To do that, microwave 4 teaspoons water and 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I use Knox brand) in a small bowl for 10-15 seconds or until clear and runny (don’t overcook or it will get clumpy). Stir and let cool briefly (about a minute). Whip cream until soft peaks and then while the mixer is on, slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.