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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Banana Custard Pie with Caramelized Sugar

Banana Custard Pie with Caramelized Sugar

Adapted by Rose Hattabaugh

8 to 10 Servings

2¼ hours 40 minutes active, plus cooling

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Handmade, freshly baked pies sold by the slice are a specialty of the beach town of Yelapa in Jalisco state on Mexico’s west coast. Inspired by those Yelapa delights, recipe writer Paola Briseño-González created a simple, rustic banana custard pie with a sturdy, sandy-textured crust. We adapted her recipe, blending a banana into the custard mixture instead of only studding it with slices, for a creamy filling suffused with tropical flavor. As with most custard pies, this crust must be prebaked, so you will need pie weights for this recipe (about 2 cups works best to prevent shrinking and slipping during prebaking). And if you own a kitchen torch, this pie is a good reason to dig it out. It’s an optional step, but sprinkling the baked, cooled pie with sugar and brûléeing it until caramelized elevates the dessert, giving it a crackly-crisp surface and a lovely dappled look. Serve slices with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream. Covered well, leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days (though if you caramelized the surface, the sugar crust will gradually soften).

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8 to 10

Servings

Tip

Don’t use underripe bananas, but don’t use overripe ones, either. The bananas should be ripe so they’re sweet and creamy but not so ripe that they’re brown and mushy in texture. Don’t make the dough in advance. It’s easiest to work with when just made. Also, don’t roll it too thin; aim for ¼-inch thickness. If the dough tears when putting it into the pie plate, simply patch it; it’s very forgiving that way.

2¼ hours

40 minutes active, plus cooling

Ingredients

Directions

  1. 01
    Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle position. Peel the bananas and slice them into ¼-inch rounds. Lay as many slices in the pie shell as will fit in a single, tightly packed layer, then set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the remaining banana slices to a blender, along with the whole eggs plus yolk, milk, condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth, 15 to 30 seconds.
Reviews
KRISTI R.
December 1, 2025
A Desert Fav
My family loves bananas, and I’ve made this pie three times now. Always a hit with guests and family. Like other reviewers I wish it was less sweet. I may substitute condensed milk with my own (less) sugar next time.
Alicia M.
August 8, 2025
Big hit with the entire family!
Super easy recipe. I was a little intimidated by making my own pie crust, but even that was easy peasy.
Amber L.
June 26, 2024
Scrumptious
Super easy and absolutely delicious. Everyone was in love with this pie!
Bill O.
May 30, 2022
Great Pie
Wonderful dessert. I don't usually make my own pie crust, but I did for this and it was worth it. Will make again.
Jennifer B.
November 24, 2023
Ok, but doesn't present well
Not so sweet, which is good, but not a beautiful pie either.
Diana F.

The recipe for the banana pie says to line the bottom of the pie shell with bananas. Then pour in the filling. Some bananas might float to the top. Yet in the picture bananas are neatly placed on top. Then torched. Where do the bananas go? Top or bottom

Lynn C.

Hi Diana -

The bananas go into the crust first then the custard gets poured over the bananas. Most of the bananas will, in fact, rise to the top. Then, if you choose to and have a kitchen torch, you can sprinkle sugar over the top of the pie and caramelize the sugar/bananas that floated to the top.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Diana L.

I made this pie. It was good. It was all gone in one night. It tasted like the creme brulee with bananas and pie crust. I felt like the dough was not enough to cover my 10 in dish. I watched making this banana pie on YouTube and it seems there was more dough in the video once it was added to the pie dish. It had thick edges. Next time, I will make more dough. Also, in the YouTube video it shows you how to transfer the dough to the pie dish. I had failed 3 times then watched the video and it finally worked. My dough did shrink after baking it. It didn't end up pretty but the pie was good.

William H.

The recipe calls for a "9-inch pie plate" (step 3).

Jennifer A.

Delicious recipe and super simple! We are definitely making this again, but my custard came out a little grainy. Is there something I might have done wrong? Thank you!

maureen s.

Is there a way to make the crust without using vegetable shortening? It's all hydrogenated at the store and I don't do anything hydrogenated. thanks.

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