Easy Banana Cream Pie (with pudding mix!)
By Rebecca St. Clair
This easy banana cream pie made with pudding mix is rich with intense banana flavour! This easy dessert is soft, silky and filled with slices of fresh banana. Layers of smooth banana pudding is then garnished with rich, sweet whipped cream and even more fresh banana on top!
All of this deliciousness is layered inside of a golden flaky crust for the ultimate decadent dessert!
How to store Banana Cream Pie with pudding mix
Banana cream pie made with pudding mix is full of dairy so it must be stored in the fridge. This will also help keep the pie solid. The pie can be left out at room temperature for 2 hours and then should be moved to the fridge for storage.
Fridge
Store this pie in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend any bananas used as a garnish should be reapplied just before serving the pie. Any exposed bananas will brown when exposed to the air.
Lightly cover your pie, or store leftovers in an airtight container, to keep the pudding from drying out in the fridge.
Frozen
Banana cream pie is a great option to make ahead and freeze for later. Follow these steps to freeze the pie,
- Make the banana cream pie but omit the whipped topping and banana garnish
- Wrap the pie completely in plastic wrap and then again in tin foil
- Store the pie in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you are storing left over slices of banana cream pie, remove any topping and banana garnish before wrapping or storing the slices in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reapply fresh whipped cream and banana slices on top before serving.
What crust to use for banana cream pie with pudding mix
This versatile pie pairs perfectly with a variety of crust choices. However, since this pie is no-bake, the crust must be fully cooked before adding the filling.
These are a few of our favourites,
- Graham cracker crust
- traditional pie crust
- oreo crumb pie crust
- Puff pastry
- Shredded coconut crust
- Sugar cookie crust
How long for banana cream pie to set
Banana cream pie made with pudding mix sets pretty quickly. Allow the fully assembled cake to chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge.
Problems with setting
Banana cream pie made with pudding mix has a great semi-solid setting texture and is pretty reliable if you follow the box directions. Pudding mix that does not set may be due to not cooking the pudding for long enough or for adding extra ingredients into it before the pudding has set. For example, some artificial flavouring liquids.
Topping for banana cream pie
Banana cream pie can be served topped or untopped depending on your preference. These are some of my favourite ways to top a banana cream pie.
Whipped cream
For this recipe of banana cream pie I used this option, however it would be just as delicious if you used one of the other alternatives. Whipped cream is made from whipping and aerated heavy cream (typically about 35% milk fat) with powdered sugar, until it holds a stiff peak. Whipped cream is often flavoured with vanilla. This is referred to as Chantilly cream.
This semi-solid fluffy white cloud of cream is the perfect topping a sweet smooth banana cream pie because of it’s sweet but neutral flavour and soft light texture.
Stabilized whipped cream
As the name suggests this type of whipped cream stays more reliably whipped for a longer period of time. As time goes on, whipped cream will become less solid and can have a little bit of liquid leak out.
Stabilized whipped cream will prevent this from happening to the whipped cream topping, helping this pie to look and retain the same texture as the day you made it!
Meringue
This is made from whipping and aerating egg whites with sugar. Sometimes an acid like cream of tartar is added to help the whipped egg whites hold their stiff peak.
In pie desserts, the most common is lemon meringue pie. The white and fluffy topping is piled high and then baked in a 400 °F (200 °C) oven for 7 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
This fluffy soft foamy topping pairs perfectly with this creamy banana dessert because of the light as air texture and the delicately caramelized flavour it lends to the pie.
How to make banana cream pie with pudding mix
Ingredients
1 recipe for pie dough (check out my favourite here!)
1 Box banana pudding mix (I used cooked Jell-O banana cream)
(Ingredients listed on your box recipe)
3 bananas
¾ cups heavy cream 175 ml
1 Tablespoons powdered sugar 15 ml
½ teaspoon vanilla 2.5 ml
Method
Crust
- Line a glass or metal pie plate with pie dough and trim or crimp the edges.
- Chill the pie dough for 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C)
- Line the pie dough with parchment paper, all the way up the sides.
- Pour pie weights, dried beans, or rice into the parchment lined pie plate. Spread them out and all the way to the sides of the pie plate. (This is going to prevent the dough from puffing up in the oven.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights.
- Pierce a few holes into the bottom of the pie dough with a fork. (This will allow steam to escape and will prevent the bottom of the pie from puffing up.)
- Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes or until the bottom is cooked and browned.
- Set aside to cool.
- (Or prepare your favourite pie crust recipe!)
Filling
- Prepare the boxed pudding mix according to the package direction and set aside to cool.
2. Slice 1 banana and layer into the bottom of the pie crust.
3. Layer on top, half of the pudding and smooth it out to cover the bananas.
4. Arrange on top 1-1½ sliced bananas
5. Layer on top the remainder of the pudding and smooth it out to cover the bananas.
Garnish
- Whip the cream until it is starting to thicken.
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Continue to beat the cream, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go, until it holds a stiff peak.
4. Spread the cream on top of the pie or place the cream in a piping bag and decorate the top of the pie.
5. Chill until ready to serve.
6. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the pie, to garnish right before serving
Banana Cream Pie with Pudding Mix
Smooth intense banana flavour! This easy dessert is soft, silky and filled with slices of fresh banana. Layers of rich banana pudding is then garnished with rich, sweet whipped cream, and even more fresh banana on top!
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for pie dough (check out my favourite here!)
- 1 Box banana pudding mix (I used cooked Jell-O banana cream)
- (Ingredients listed on your box recipe)
- 3 bananas
- ¾ cups heavy cream 175 ml
- 1 Tablespoons powdered sugar 15 ml
- ½ teaspoon vanilla 2.5 ml
Instructions
Crust
- Line a glass or metal pie plate with pie dough and trim or crimp the edges.
- Chill the pie dough for 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C)
- Line the pie dough with parchment paper, all the way up the sides.
- Pour pie weights, dried beans, or rice into the parchment lined pie plate. Spread them out and all the way to the sides of the pie plate. (This is going to prevent the dough from puffing up in the oven.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights.
- Pierce a few holes into the bottom of the pie dough with a fork. (This will allow steam to escape and will prevent the bottom of the pie from puffing up.)
- Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes or until the bottom is cooked and browned.
- Set aside to cool.
- (Or prepare your favourite pie crust recipe!)
Filling
- Prepare the boxed pudding mix according to the package direction and set aside to cool.
- Slice 1 banana and layer into the bottom of the pie crust.
- Layer on top, half of the pudding and smooth it out to cover the bananas.
- Arrange on top 1-1½ sliced bananas.
- Layer on top the remainder of the pudding and smooth it out to cover the bananas.
Garnish
- Whip the cream until it is starting to thicken.
- Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Continue to beat the cream, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go, until it holds a stiff peak.
- Spread the cream on top of the pie or place the cream in a piping bag and decorate the top of the pie.
- Chill until ready to serve.
- Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the pie, to garnish right before serving.
Notes
The pie can be left out at room temperature for 2 hours and then should be moved to the fridge for storage. This will also keep the pie solid and perfectly sliceable.
Store this pie in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend any bananas used as a garnish should be reapplied just before serving the pie. Any exposed bananas will brown as they sit out.
Looking to make a creamy pie without the boxed pudding mix? Check out this creamy from scratch chocolate cream pie!
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