I recall being introduced to the portmanteau banoffee pie, a mashup of banana cream pie, dulce de leche, and banana pudding. I assumed the “offee” in its name was for coffee, but in true British fashion, it stood for toffee. You might be wondering if toffee in a pie adds too much sweetness. I wondered the same thing, but I kept finding myself going back to the fridge for another slice.–Vallery Lomas
Banoffee Pie FAQs
You can change the type of crust, although graham cracker is most often used. Based on our experience, shortbread and flaky pastry are always great choices, too.
We don’t recommend it. stick with the cooked, condensed milk version used here. Using something else, say caramel sauce or anything else from a jar, might sound good but it won’t set up as it should and you’re going to end up with a messy pie that leaks filling everywhere.
The pie can be made and assembled up to 1 day before serving. Store in the refrigerator, uncovered until ready to serve. We do not recommend freezing banoffee pie.
Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
For the graham cracker pie crust
- 14 (about 8 oz) store-bought or homemade whole graham crackers
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
For the banoffee pie
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped and melted
Instructions
Make the graham cracker pie crust
- In the bowl of a food processor, blitz the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse until the graham cracker crumbs are moistened and clump together. (You can also place the crackers in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin or a pot to crush them before stirring in the sugar and melted butter.)
- Place crumbs in a 9 inch (23 cm) pie plate. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly into an even layer in the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If using a glass pie plate, lift it up over your head to a light and let the light shine through to see if there are spots that need more crumbs. Freeze the pie crust for 15 minutes so the butter hardens.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake crust until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before proceeding.
Make the banoffee pie
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and brown sugar. Stir occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in the condensed milk and heat until it starts to boil, thicken, and take on a little color, like a blond caramel, 5 to 7 minutes. Let the mixture bubble for 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring frequently—the bubbles will be slow at first, but then will be more frequent. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt.
- Pour toffee filling into the graham cracker crust and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover and move to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Peel and slice the bananas 1/2 inch (13 mm) thick. Arrange the banana slices on top of the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or using a large bowl and hand mixer), combine cream, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla. Whip on medium-low speed until medium peaks form, 3 to 7 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally.
☞ TESTER TIP: Don’t be tempted to speed up your mixer. The cream and peanut butter need to be whipped at a lower-than-normal speed to properly combine and aerate.
- Dollop the cream on top of the bananas and smooth into an even layer. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the whipped cream. Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I made this banoffee pie for my brother’s birthday and everyone was delighted! Who wouldn’t be–this sparkler of a dessert brings together homemade (dark, and faintly smoky) dulce de leche filling, extra-crisp graham cracker crust, layers of sliced bananas, peanut butter whipped cream, and a piping of dark chocolate.
Banoffee pie recipes can be a bit one-dimensional (texturally and flavor-wise) but this one hits it out of the park, especially with that small filigree of bittersweet chocolate on the very top.
The banoffee pie looked so good that we couldn’t wait to dig in. It took some time to make all of the components but none were difficult and I had most of the ingredients in my pantry.
Stir the toffee mixture more frequently after the first 7 minutes to prevent it from getting too dark. 3 bananas looked like enough, but I wish I had added the fourth. The filling is sweet and the bananas add balance. There was plenty of chocolate and the pie was generously covered.
This graham cracker crust is delicious! The recipe made a generous amount of crumbs and there was enough butter to hold them together.
Well I just made this in my 9″ Pyrex (glass) and the filling doesn’t even reach half way up the side. Should I make the filling again and pour on top? Yes I used the 14 oz. can. Please advise.
lowandslow, you’ll need to leave enough room for the bananas and the whipped cream topping. I’m concerned if you make another batch of filling it will be too full.
You were correct it would have been too full. The pie is delicious but my crust was too thick in the corners and too thin up the sides. Got any tips or techniques to help with that besides the measuring cup? Thanks again.
I’m so happy to hear that it is delicious, lowandslow! I also have difficulty with these types of crusts and getting them to be even throughout the pan. Typically I end up using my fingers to try and press more into the corners and up the sides.