Gluten Free Banana Cream Pie
Make a gluten free banana cream pie from scratch with this easy recipe. Learn how to make a simple gf banana cream pie filling and choose from two crusts.
Servings: 8 slices pie
Equipment
- Fine mesh sieve for straining
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld mixer
- Heavy-bottom saucepan for cooking the custard
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch gluten free graham cracker crust please click link for instructions on making homemade crust
For the pie filling
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract with vanilla beans (or just pure vanilla extract)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large bananas (ripe, but not brown-spotty)
Stabilized whipped cream
- 1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream kept cold, plus more if necessary to smooth if it gets curdled looking
- 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the pie crust.
- Prepare the baked or no-bake graham cracker crust in a 9-inch pie plate, according to the recipe instructions.
- If you're making a baked crust, let the crust cool completely before proceeding with the recipe.
- For the no-bake crust, after it's prepared, place it in the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling.
- Place the egg yolks and heavy cream in a large, heat-safe bowl or measuring cup and whisk lightly. Set the mixture aside.
- In a medium-size saucepan, place the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk, and whisk to combine well. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring slowly but consistently, until just beginning to thicken (about 3 minutes).
- Very slowly, drizzle about 1/4 of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk and cream mixture, whisking constantly. This is to increase the temperature of the egg yolk mixture very slowly, so the yolks don't scramble (it's called tempering the egg yolks).
- Pour the warm egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk mixture.
- Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly and slowly, for about 3 minutes more, or until the pudding is thickened to the point where the whisk leaves a very visible trail in the mixture that pauses before it runs back together, and the mixture coats the back of a spoon thickly.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a large measuring cup or medium-size heat-safe bowl.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the mixture through the sieve into the bowl, to remove any solid pieces. Add the butter and vanilla to the strained filling, and whisk to melt the butter and combine well.
- Allow the filling mixture to sit at room temperature, whisking frequently, until no longer hot to the touch.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth it into an even layer with a spatula. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the pie filling and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until set.
- Refrain from finishing the pie until you’re nearly ready to serve it, since the sliced bananas will brown quickly.
To assemble the finished pie, first prepare the stabilized whipped cream.
- In a very small bowl, mix the gelatin and water together, and allow the mixture it to sit until the gelatin swells.
- Microwave on low until the gelatin is just melted, and allow the mixture to cool briefly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large, cold bowl with a handheld mixer, place the cold 1 cup heavy whipping cream. Whip cold heavy whipping cream until it begins to thicken slightly.
- With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted gelatin to the cream. Whip to combine. Continue to whip until the whipped cream reaches soft peaks.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla to the whipping cream, and continue to whip until smooth and holds stiff but not dry peaks.
- Drizzle in more cold cream slowly as the mixer beats if it’s necessary to smooth the whipped cream.
- Set the cream aside briefly. You don’t need to refrigerate it.
Finish assembling the pie right before serving it.
- Before serving, peel and slice the bananas, one at a time, by cross-section into disks. Place the sliced bananas in concentric circles on top of the custard filling, pressing gently to help them adhere to the custard filling.
- Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the pie and spread it into an even layer. Add more sliced bananas, slice, and serve as soon as possible.
- The whipped cream will stay fresh at room temperature for hours without weeping, but the bananas will brown.