Is there a dreamier dessert out there than banana cream pie?
Yes there is. Boozy banana cream pie.
That is all.
Bourbon Banana Cream Pie: Recipe Instructions
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Stir the crushed cookie crumbs with 6 tablespoons of melted butter until the texture resembles wet sand. Press the mixture into a standard pie plate and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
Ok, time to make pudding!
Have more joyful words ever been spoken? Shout, “time to make pudding!” to your kitchen ceiling. Instant mood boost.
Making vanilla pudding from scratch is a cakewalk. Here’s how: In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place the pan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the milk. Continue to heat up the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Keep stirring and cook another 2 more minutes, and then remove the pan from the burner.
Whisk a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately whisk the egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook over low heat for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the stove and whisk in the last 2 tablespoons butter, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons bourbon until the mixture is smooth. Let the pudding cool completely. If the pudding gets too thick as it cools, whisk in a bit more milk (a little at a time) until you reach the desired consistency.
Slice the bananas into the cooled baked piecrust.
Top with the cool pudding mixture.
And cover and chill for an hour.
For the whipped cream, make sure that your cream is cold! If you’re in a hot summer kitchen, try placing the mixing bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice (this will help the cream whip up nicely). Whip the cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon bourbon until peaks begin to form.
Top the pie with the whipped cream…
(you can use the flat side of your knife to kind of tap the surface of the cream to create those little waves and peaks).
…and then gratuitously sprinkle the pie with more cookie crumbles!
You can chill your bourbon banana cream pie for another 30 minutes or so, and it’ll slice up nicely. Tip: use a sharp knife that’s been dipped in warm water to slice the pie.
This banana cream pie has got to be one of my all-time favorite desserts. It’s creamy, fluffy, perfection in a pie plate.
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Easy Bourbon Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups finely crushed graham crackers (can substitute vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, or digestive biscuits)
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons or 115 grams melted; divided)
- 2/3 cup white sugar (plus 1 tablespoon)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups milk (2% or whole milk preferred)
- 3 egg yolks (beaten)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons bourbon (divided)
- 4-5 ripe bananas (sliced)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir crushed cookie crumbs with 6 tablespoons (85 grams) of melted butter until the texture resembles wet sand. Press the mixture into a standard pie plate and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place the pan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the milk. Continue to heat up the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it's thickened slightly and begins to simmer. Once simmering, cook another 2 more minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the burner.
- Gradually whisk 1/4 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and then whisk the egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook over low heat for 2 more minutes, and remember to keep stirring! Remove the mixture from the stove. Whisk in the last 2 tablespoons (30 grams) butter, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons bourbon until the mixture is smooth. Let the pudding cool completely. If the pudding gets too thick as it cools, whisk in a bit more milk (a little at a time) until you reach the desired consistency.
- Slice the bananas into the cooled baked crust. Top with the cooled pudding mixture, and cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
- For the whipped cream, make sure that your cream is cold! If you're in a hot summer kitchen, try placing the mixing bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice (this will help the cream whip up nicely). Whip the cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon bourbon until peaks begin to form.
- Top the pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with more cookie crumbles! For easier slicing, chill the pie in the refrigerator for another 20-30 minutes.
This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever made, and then eaten… almost entirely myself, haha. To be fair, I did stretch it out over a few days, and it actually kept quite well in the fridge. Loved the splashes of bourbon, and I may even add more this time. So excited to make this again to celebrate finishing off a dessert fast I’ve been on.
Thank you so much for that high praise, Katie! It’s one of my all-time favorites too!
This was delicious! I didn’t have bourbon, so I used some aged rum instead. Soooo goood. Going to pretend this doesn’t say 10 servings because I’ve already devoured a quarter of it… Also didn’t bother making whipped cream because lazy.
Thank you so much, Anna! Next time, definitely try it with the whipped cream—takes it to another level!
This is a great recipe. The fact that you mention to temper the egg yolks with hot mixture is just plain good information! Thank you.
Now, because I don’t have the need for extra egg whites I whipped them with a tablespoon of sugar until they held soft peaks and folded them into the hot prepared custard. Made a Bourbon Chiffon Banana Pie. The new family favourite! Thank you.
Love the idea of a banana chiffon pie, Judy! So happy you enjoyed this. :)
Made this today and followed the step-by-step exactly, with only slight adjustment in amounts for crust and pudding (keeping same proportions) to account for a different size pie dish – it was awesome!
Thank you so much, Rob! Man, now I have a craving for this pie.
My pudding mixture didn’t thinking up it’s very loose. What should I do?
Hey Dawna, it will thicken as it cools! If it’s completely cooled and still loose, you could try heating it up again and stirring in some cornstarch slurry (a little bit of cornstarch mixed with water), until the mixture thickens up some more. You could also try chilling it further, as it will firm up in the refrigerator.
My pudding is totally cool but not real thick what can I do?
Hey Charlene, how loose is it? You can always freeze the pie before putting the bananas on top. It’ll be a different texture experience, but still delicious! Frozen pudding pie with cool whip was one of my aunt’s specialties growing up.
I have made the dairy-free version of this multiple times, and it is a crowd pleaser! Everyone loves it! Thanks for such a great recipe.
You’re welcome!