This Banoffee Pie Recipe is one of our favorite desserts! We top a buttery cookie crust with a thick dulce de leche sauce, sweet bananas, fluffy whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.
Try some of our other favorite banana desserts like these Banana Cupcakes, Banana Cream Pie, or Banana Pudding Recipe (from Magnolia Bakery!)
What is Banoffee Pie?
This is a British dessert pie most commonly made with a buttery biscuit (cookie) base, bananas, cream, and a thick caramel sauce. Some versions include chocolate, coffee, or both!
While we were in the U.K. earlier this year, my husband and I ordered a banoffee trifle at a restaurant. Of all the food we ate on the trip, this treat was the hands-down favorite. And finally the re-creation is making its way here. But, instead of layering everything in trifle dishes, I opted for a pie pan.
Now to make the difficult decision…should the “best Banoffee Pie recipe” (as named by my oldest!), coconut cream pie, or apple pie be a part of our Thanksgiving dessert?! (The correct answer according to my family is all of them!)
Quick Tip
What does banoffee mean? It’s a made-up term combining two key ingredients: bananas and toffee. Banana==toffee=banoffee!
Banoffee Pie Recipe FAQs
What does Banoffee Pie taste like?
Banoffee pie tastes like a sweet blend of caramel-like dulce de leche, buttery graham cracker crust, fresh bananas, and creamy vanilla whipped cream.
Is Banoffee coffee or toffee?
Sometimes this dessert includes both bananas and toffee. The name comes from combining “bananas” and “toffee,” with dulce de leche providing the toffee-like flavor.
How do you keep bananas from turning brown in Banoffee pie?
Covering the bananas with whipped cream slows browning by reducing their contact with air. Brushing banana slices with club soda (not tonic water) can also help, but it’s not necessary if you eat the pie within 24 hours.
How do I get clean slices of pie?
Use a sharp knife for slicing. Run it under hot water, dry it, then cut. Repeat for each slice.
Should Banoffee pie be refrigerated?
Yes, Banoffee pie needs to be refrigerated. Store any leftovers in the fridge, tightly covered to keep them fresh.
This Banoffee Pie Recipe is fairly quick and easy to make, especially if you’re using prepared dulce de leche and a prepared crust! Here’s a quick breakdown:
How To Make Banoffee Pie
- Dulce de leche. You have a few options here — either make it wholly from scratch or make it using a can of sweetened condensed milk (more on this later). Alternatively, you can buy a can of dulce de leche and use that.
- Prepare the graham cracker crust. We wrote a whole post on making the perfect Graham Cracker Crust along with all our tips and tricks! If you don’t have access to graham crackers, use digestive biscuits instead.
- Whip the cream. Combine heavy whipping cream with some sugar and vanilla, plus a touch of salt to create the finishing layer for this pie. A stand mixer whips this all together to perfect consistency in minutes!
- Assemble. Once the crust and dulce de leche are prepared and cooled, it’s time to put it all together. Layer on the dulce de leche, bananas, and sweetened whipped cream — perfection!
- Garnish. If desired, top the pie with chocolate shavings or English Toffee Baking bits on top.
Quick Tip
To make a truly easy Banoffee Pie recipe use a store-bought graham cracker crust — then you won’t even need to turn on your oven!
Making Dulce de Leche from Sweetened Condensed Milk
If you’d like to make your own dulce de leche for this Banoffee Pie Recipe, you can do that with one ingredient! Here’s how:
- Get a 14-ounce can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Empty the contents of the can into a 9-inch pie pan and cover it tightly with foil.
- Place the covered pie pan on a larger pan with sides and place in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it goes up 1-inch on the sides of the pie pan.
- Bake for 2 hours, checking every now and again and refilling water if needed until the color and thickness is achieved.
- Remove, let cool and whisk to smooth out any lumps. Let cool fully (it will thicken even more) before using in this Banoffee Pie Recipe.
Storage
Can you Make Banoffee Pie The Day Before?
The graham cracker crust can be made in advance — bake, cool, then tightly cover and store it in the fridge for 1-2 days before making.
The fully prepared pie can be made 1 day in advance — store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Can You Freeze Banoffee Pie?
This Banoffee Pie recipe does not freeze and thaw very well. The crust gets too soft, bananas seep and brown upon thawing, and the whipped cream gets watery.
More Desserts to Love:
- Cronut croissant-donut hybrid made with puff pastry dough
- How to Make Crepes recipe from a French bakery!
- Churros to dip in dulce de leche or chocolate sauce!
- Magic Cookie Bars with a thick graham cracker crust
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with chocolate buttercream frosting
Banoffee Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 9-inch pie tin
Ingredients
Crust
- 1-3/4 cups (12 full sheets) graham cracker crumbs or digestive biscuits, Note 1
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 can (13.4 ounces) dulce de leche Note 2
- 2 firm, ripe bananas, not overripe
Topping
- 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Tiny pinch salt
- Optional: 1 dark chocolate bar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, blend graham crackers into fine crumbs. Measure 1¾ cups of crumbs and place them in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup sugar and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix in the melted butter until well combined.
- Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Press crumbs along the sides first, then the bottom, using your fingers. Compress with the bottom of a flat 1-cup measuring cup to form a firm crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely. For quicker cooling, place in the fridge. You can prepare and bake the crust up to 24 hours in advance; cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
- Pour 1-1/2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (add more if you like it sweeter), and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a stand mixer bowl. Start whisking on low speed. Gradually increase to high speed until medium peaks form, about 2-4 minutes. (Medium peaks are not soft but not stiff.) Watch carefully to avoid over-beating.
- Once the crust is fully cooled, spread an even layer of dulce de leche on the bottom. Smooth it with the back of a large spoon. Thinly slice two bananas and arrange them in two layers on top of the dulce de leche. Immediately top with whipped cream, smoothing it with a spatula or the back of a large spoon.
- Place the uncovered pie in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up (you can store it up to a day in advance). Garnish with chocolate curls if desired, just before serving. To make chocolate curls, peel a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler directly onto the pie. To serve, use a sharp knife, running it under hot water and drying it off before each cut.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for 3-4 days, noting that the texture will soften and the filling will weep over time. The graham cracker crust can be made 1-2 days in advance—bake, cool, cover tightly, and store in the fridge. The fully prepared pie can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge until serving. This recipe does not freeze/thaw well; the crust becomes too soft, bananas brown, and the whipped cream gets watery.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
