Banana Pudding Pie

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It’s a combination of two favorites in one!

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This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue.  It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Most cities (or at least regions) have their own unique recipes that have become synonymous with the city itself. Upstate New York has Garbage Plates and Chicken Riggies. New York City is known for its pizza and bagels. Chicago is known for its hot dogs and deep-dish pizzas. Kansas City has its own take on barbecue. The list goes on and on…

Today we’re talking about a new addition to the list: Banana Pudding Pie. This one might not be quite as established as the other foods mentioned above, but I suspect it will get there. This Banana Pudding Pie recipe is a unique creation found at Buxton Hall in Asheville, NC.

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Buxton Hall was a BBQ restaurant located in the South Slope area of Asheville. (They recently closed their doors permanently.) While their BBQ was tasty (order the hushpuppies!), one of their desserts takes center stage. Some folks actually ordered their Banana Pudding Pie as a side dish! Don’t just take my word for it, though – look at some of the reviews about this pie:

“I know this pie has star status but even that doesn’t give this pie the credit it deserves. It’s what my dreams’ dreams are made of.”

“Hands down the best Banana Pudding pie around! We go here annually for my husbands birthday just for the pie.”

“This was the best dessert I have ever had.”

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Banana Pudding Pie

Ok, so now that we’ve established that this dessert has rock star status…what exactly is it!? A Banana Pudding Pie is a cross between a Banana Cream Pie and a Lemon Meringue Pie. Think creamy banana filling topped with a light and fluffy meringue. It’s a mash-up of two favorite desserts…and it’s definitely worth making!

This recipe is not Buxton’s Hall’s recipe. Their version is incredible. However, I am partial to my own banana pudding pie and meringue, so I went with those instead. This version is certainly inspired by Buxton Hall – we’ll call it a close cousin. This pie is quite tasty, and I promise it’ll have everyone in the neighborhood talking!

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Ingredients in Banana Pudding Pie

This Banana Pudding Pie isn’t terribly difficult to make, but it does take some time. It’s worth it – trust me!

  • Vanilla Wafer Crust
    • Vanilla Wafers – feel free to use graham crackers if you prefer. I just think vanilla wafers and banana pudding go together like Shaggy and Scooby.
    • Brown Sugar – adds a sweetness that’s a little deeper than granulated sugar
    • Melted Butter – binds everything together
  • Banana Pudding Filling
    • Sugar, Flour, Cornstarch, Salt – this combination of dry ingredients brings flavor, but also helps soak up extra liquid – the result is a creamy, delicious filling.
    • Eggs – act as a thickener and an emulsifier to create better texture
    • Whole Milk and Butter – Adds fat which in turn adds texture. Puddings without enough fat won’t have that indulgent, creamy texture that makes pudding great.
    • Vanilla – Adds flavor
    • Bananas – Turns a delicious vanilla pudding into a delicious banana pudding!
  • Meringue
    • White Sugar and Brown Sugar – a combination of sugars brings flavor to the meringue
    • Egg Whites – when whipped, the egg whites provide volume and structure
    • Cream of Tartar – gives more stability to your fluffy meringue.
This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Ok, so that’s a lot of ingredients. Most of them are fairly basic pantry staples, though. And be warned – that banana pudding will need to rest in the fridge overnight. The banana flavor actually comes from the sliced bananas just sitting in the vanilla pudding. If you try to rush this recipe, the banana flavor won’t be as strong.

If you’re looking for a tasty dessert that’s sure to have friends and family talking, then this pie is it. I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we did here in our house – happy baking!

Did you make this Banana Pudding Pie at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Banana Pudding Pie

This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Refrigeration Time: 8 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 560kcal

Ingredients

For the Crust

For the Filling

Instructions

For the Crust

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Spray a 9” pie dish with nonstick cooking spray; set dish aside.
  • Using a medium mixing bowl, add vanilla wafer crumbs, brown sugar and butter; stir until well combined.
  • Press mixture firmly into bottom and sides of the prepared pan. (Tip: A flat bottomed glass is helpful for this step.)
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and let cool to room temperature.

For the Filling

  • Meanwhile, using a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and eggs; set mixture aside.
  • Using a medium saucepan, and the milk and place over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until milk begins to boil.
  • Remove pan from heat and gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly while you pour.
  • Once fully combined, transfer the filling back into the saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. (Note: Stir the mixture constantly at this stage to prevent it from burning.)
  • As soon as mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
  • Pour half of the filling on top of the baked pie crust. (Tip: The crust doesn’t need to be completely cool.)
  • Spread the sliced bananas evenly on top of the filling and then pour the remaining filling on top of the bananas.
  • Press parchment paper or plastic wrap directly to the surface of the filling; refrigerate overnight.

For the Meringue

  • Using the bowl of a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients and stir until well combined.
  • Place bowl over a saucepan filled with 1” of simmering water. (Note: Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.)
  • Whisk gently but often until mixture reaches 160°-165°F, approximately 6-8 minutes.
  • Transfer bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
  • Remove the pie from the refrigerator and discard parchment paper or plastic wrap. Spread meringue over filling, making sure that the meringue is touching the crust all the way around the pie. Use a spoon or an offset spatula to gently create swirls on the surface of the pie.
  • Preheat oven broiler to high heat. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. (Tip: You might need to rotate pie every ~30 seconds to ensure the meringue browns easily. Alternatively, you can use a torch instead of the broiler. Just sweep the torch back and forth ~2” from the top of the pie until meringue is well browned.)
  • Slice pie into wedges using a wet knife; clean knife in between slices.
  • Serve immediately. (Note: Topped pie can be refrigerated up to 4 hours before the meringue begins to weep.)
This Banana Pudding Pie features a creamy banana pudding base topped with a light and airy meringue. It's a combination of two favorites in one!

Looking for more iconic Southern desserts? Check out some of these favorites, too:

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18 Comments

  1. Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had banana pudding pie before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work

  2. I’m pretty sure what you guys call wafers are not what we call wafers so i guess you could use whatever biscuit seems suitable … This looks soooo good david! I am not a fan of bananas due to the texture but i think i could go with this beauty! I don’t mind the taste of ’em so much. Have a fab weekend.
    cheers
    sherry

    1. Haha – the translation bug bites again! Vanilla wafers are basically vanilla cookies…or vanilla biscuits as you call them I think. This is a really fun dessert in that it’s a mashup of 2 favorites. Thanks, Sherry!! Have a great weekend yourself. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    Ya know, I’m not quite sure if I’ve ever had banana pudding pie. I’ve certainly had banana pudding, but not pie! Well, that has got to change!! This pie looks so delicious, David! Creamy, tasty and such a treat. We always love to have a little dessert planned to enjoy over the weekend, so this homemade pie is great timing! Have a good one, my friend!

  4. When traveling, we love trying specialities from different places – it’s kind of fun even though many of them can be quite similar:) This banana pudding pie is something new to me, and it looks absolutely delicious and appealing!

    1. It is fun to see similarities in foods and how they change (or don’t change) from place to place. Definitely put this pie on the menu soon, Ben – it’s fantastic!

    1. Interesting! I had never come across banana cream pie with meringue until recently…but now I’m hooked. This is one of my favorite desserts now! Thanks, Karen!

  5. 5 stars
    I love how you’ve combined the creamy banana pudding with a light meringue topping, it’s like the best of both worlds in one dessert.

    1. You can say that again, Raymund – this dessert really is the best of two worlds combined in one! It’s great for hot summer days!

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