Banana Cream Pie – Freezer Recipe

Learn how to properly make your own Make-Ahead Banana Cream Pie that can be frozen for fast dessert preparation.

You’ll Need:

• 2/3 c. Sugar
• 1/4 c. Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 c. Cold Milk
• 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 T. butter, room temperature
• 3 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tsp Banana Extract (available in the baking section of the grocery store)

Mix sugar, cornstarch & salt in a heavy 2 qt saucepan, stirring well, add in cold milk, whisking continually over medium heat.

Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute.

Remove from heat, pour approximately half of the mixture in the beaten eggs, mixing (fast!) and thoroughly. (This process is called Tempering) Pour the tempered egg/mix back into the saucepan.
Boil and stir 1 full minute.

Remove from Heat, stir in butter, banana extract, and vanilla, mixing well.
]Place on a cooling rack for 16-18 minutes. Do NOT cool for too long as a film will form on the top of the filling.

Carefully spoon into a vacuum seal bag. (It’s quite helpful to fold down the top of the bag to prevent a mess from getting on the edge of the bag, preventing a good seal.)

If you don’t have any help holding the bags, it’s helpful to place them in a dish with rolled hand towels between each bag to hold them steady for easy filling.

In this photo, we divided this batch of filling in half.

Vacuum Seal the Warm Filling, try to remove as many air bubbles as possible. Label & Toss it into the freezer.

To Use the filling

• Remove it from the Freezer and place in the refrigerator. DO Not attempt to thaw this on the countertop- for several reasons- it contains milk, butter and eggs (which can spoil), thawing on the counter will cause the filling to separate.
• Thaw in the fridge- 1 full size package takes approximately 6 hours to thaw completely. (Of course, this is entirely dependent on the temperature of your fridge!)
• Prepare your favorite pie shell (prepared pastry shell, phyllo shell, or crumb crust, as desired.
• Layer the bottom of the prepared pie crust with 2 layers of sliced bananas.
• Pour the contents of the bag into a mixing bowl, mix well by hand until creamy & smooth, spoon over bananas in prepared crust.
• Smooth the top, Add Fresh Whipped Cream! Garnish with Banana Slices, if desired. Serve Immediately

To Create Banana Cream Pie Bites– as pictured in the top photo, make tiny tart shells (using phyllo dough), add a slice of banana to the bottom, a spoonful of banana cream pie filling, a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a banana slice. Serve immediately.

Banana Cream Pie Freezer Recipe

Article or recipe authorAuthor: Melissa 'Liss' Burnell

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preparation timePrep 20 minutes mins

cook timeCook 12 minutes mins

total timeTotal 32 minutes mins

This make-ahead banana cream custard filling freezes beautifully for a quick 9-inch pie or mini tartlets later. Estimated total batch cost is $5.58, or about $0.93 per serving for 6 slices, before the crust, fresh bananas, and whipped cream used for serving.

ServingsServings 6 servings

CourseCourse Dessert

CuisineCuisine American

Budget101 Price BreakdownApprox Cost: $5.58

Ingredients

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• ▢ ⅔ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 cups cold milk
• ▢ 4 egg yolks lightly beaten
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
• ▢ 3 teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ 2 teaspoons banana extract

Equipment

Heavy 2-Quart Saucepan

Whisk

Mixing Bowl

Cooling rack

vacuum sealer bags

Instructions

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1. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a heavy 2-quart saucepan.
2. Gradually whisk in the cold milk until smooth.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a rolling boil.
4. Boil for exactly 1 minute.
5. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk about half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper them.
6. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
7. Return to the heat and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 full minute.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and banana extract.
9. Cool on a rack for 16 to 18 minutes.
10. Spoon the warm filling into vacuum-seal bags, seal, label, and freeze.
11. To use, thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, stir until smooth, then spread into a prepared crust layered with sliced bananas and top with whipped cream.

Recipe Size Alteration

💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.

Notes

Yield estimate: enough filling for 1 standard 9-inch pie, about 6 generous slices.
The estimated cost covers the freezer filling only and does not include the pie shell, fresh bananas, or whipped cream for serving.
Prep and cook times are editorial estimates based on the stated steps.
Freeze airtight for up to 2 months for best quality.
After assembling the pie with bananas and whipped cream, refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days.
Thaw only in the refrigerator, never on the countertop.

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