This vegan banana cream pie is just as delicious as the classic, with layers of a crunchy crust, fresh sliced bananas, and extra creamy vanilla pudding. It’s the perfect dairy-free, egg-free pie —with a gluten-free option!
Love vegan pie? Try this dairy-free chocolate pie and vegan sweet potato pie next!
Table of Contents
Cream pies have been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until he late 1900s when banana went from being an exotic, hard-to-find fruit, to a common grocery store item, that the banana cream pie really took off.
There are four basic components to banana cream pie: crust, fresh bananas, vanilla custard and whipped topping.We’re making the classic a plant-based pie by keeping this recipe completely dairy-free and even taking it a step further to keep the crust gluten-free.
If you’ve never made banana cream pie, or a vegan pie for that matter, you’re in the right place. You can skip to the recipe card, but here’s a quick overview of what you’ll learn if you don’t!
In This Post You’ll Learn:
- What the recipe looks like at each step through pictures or a video (where are my visual learners🙋🏻♀️).
- Troubleshooting runny banana cream pie (slash why it might not set).
- Tips to keep bananas from turning brown.
- The vegan brands I love.
- Store bought shortcuts.
Why I Love this Vegan Pie (A Quick Rundown)
- It requires only 10 minutes of baking (the crust). The rest is a no bake recipe!
- Fresh banana slices give it real banana flavor.
- Made with whole foods and real ingredients.
- It’s the vegan version of your favorite classic pie.
- The cream filling is rich and creamy (the best part!), but simple to make.
Ingredients and Brands I Love
Here are the ingredients for this vegan banana cream pie recipe. Skip to the recipe card for exact measurements.
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
- Pre-made vegan cookie or graham cracker: there are so many out there on the market now! I used Siete Mexican shortbread cookies and they were to die for! My next favorite is Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins.
- Not gluten-free? You can use Golden Oreos instead (they’re vegan!)
- Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil: I like Myokos vegan butter, but refined coconut oil is a great option (minimal coconut flavor).
Banana Filling
- Coconut Cream: this is the thick cream that sits on the top of the can of full fat coconut milk.
- Plant-based milk: any unsweetened milk, like almond milk, works.
- Cornstarch: This helps the custard set. You can also use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch to keep it paleo, but we found the texture to be a bit more gummy than cornstarch.
- Sugar: Regular white sugar is standard, but you can use coconut sugar to keep it paleo. It will give it a butterscotch flavor and darken the color slightly.
- Vegan butter: both of these add richness to the cream. Use the same brand as the crust to keep it simple.
- Vanilla: I love using a vanilla bean paste. But, I also tested this with vanilla extract and it was delicious.
- Turmeric: use just a pinch of this for color! You won’t be able to taste it at all. It will turn more and more yellow as it thickens and cools, so don’t overdo it if it doesn’t look yellow right away.
- Bananas: fresh bananas make this pie so good and gives it real banana flavor.
Whipped Topping
We love to use a homemade vegan coconut whipped cream. I also love using a store bought vegan whipped topping, like Coco Whip, if you’re short on time or making this in advance and want to take the whipped topping with you.
Let’s Make Vegan Banana Cream Pie (Step-by-Step)
This dairy-free banana cream pie isn’t hard, but these step-by-step instructions will make sure it turns out every time. Skip to the recipe card if you want to!
Make the Crust
Spray a springform pan with nonstick spray. Blend the vegan cookies in a food processor or blender to create crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter and blend. It should look like wet sand. Press it into the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Success tip: Use the bottom of measuring cup to press it into the bottom and up the sides (see video for example).
Make the Vegan Vanilla Pudding
Add all of the custard filling ingredients to a medium saucepan, without heating, and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until it’s thick and looks like pudding.
Layer the Bananas
Slice the bananas into rounds and layer them in the bottom of the pie crust (we love real banana flavor!).
Success tip: wait to slice the bananas until right before you add the pudding to prevent them from turning brown.
Pour the Pudding and Set
Pour the vanilla pudding over the bananas and smooth it into an even layer. Cover the custard with plastic wrap so that it’s completely touching the custard and chill for 2 hours.
Success tip: Add plastic wrap to the top of the pudding to prevent the “skin” from forming on top of the pudding. This happens when the proteins and sugar become more concentrated and water in the pudding evaporates, resulting in the dry barrier (skin) on the surface.
Top with Coconut Whipped Cream
To make coconut whipped cream, dd coconut cream to a bowl cream on medium high speed until slightly fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat again until combined. Top the set pudding with cream!
Alternate store-bought option: Cocowhip or Truwhip are great store bought vegan whipped cream brands.
Recipe Shortcuts
Feel free to use one option, or all 3 to make it as easy as you’d like:
- Store bought pie crust: surprisingly, most store bought graham cracker pie crusts are vegan. Check the ingredients first!
- Boxed vanilla pudding: follow the instructions to make instant vanilla pudding with a plant-based milk and let it set on top of the sliced bananas.
- Store bought vegan whipped topping: check the freezer aisle for your favorite brand of vegan whipped cream (Cocowhip or Truwhip are most common).
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Check the expiration date of your cornstarch (or other starch) if you’re pudding isn’t setting to a pudding consistency. It also might be that you didn’t measure it correctly or cook it long enough to thicken. The starch needs heat to thicken, so make sure to cook it long enough. Triple check you used coconut cream and not liquid coconut milk.
First, add the fresh bananas right before pouring the pudding on top. Second, use just ripe bananas—overripe bananas will turn brown faster. And if you’re still concerned, brush a little fresh lemon juice or pineapple juice on top of the bananas to prevent oxidation (which is what causes them to brown).
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Make-ahead: prep the crust up to 5 days in advance and make the crust and pudding up to 3 days in advance. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap so that it’s touching the surface. No one wants a weird film on the top of the pudding! Top with cream and serve when you’re ready.
- To freeze: cover the pudding with plastic wrap then wrap the entire vegan banana cream pie in foil and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge or at room temp then top with coconut whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.
- Storage: wrap up any leftovers in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Vegan Banana Cream Pie
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Ingredients
Cookie pie crust
- 30-40 (about 2 bags/boxes) vegan crunchy cookies like Siete Mexican shortbread or Simple Mills Honey Sweet Thins cookies (Note 1 non-gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter or melted coconut oil (we used Myokos)
Vegan vanilla pudding
- 1 ½ cups full-fat canned coconut cream (Note 2)
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened plant-based milk like almond milk
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Pinch turmeric for color (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 bananas sliced
Coconut Whipped Topping (sub store bought)
- 2 cups coconut cream chilled
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate bar for shaving
Instructions
Cookie Crust
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan or a deep dish pie pan with non-stick spray then preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender and pulse a few times to create a crumb. Pour in the melted butter or coconut oil and pulse again a few times until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Press the crust into the bottom and sides of the prepared pan. I recommend using a small measuring cup to press firmly down on the bottom and into the sides.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes then remove it to a wire rack to cool.
Vegan Vanilla Pudding
- While the crust is baking and cooling, make the vanilla pudding. Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan without heating. Whisk them together until the clumps are gone and the cornstarch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture for 5-7 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until the pudding thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should leave small ribbons of custard on the surface when you lift the whisk out of the saucepan.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Layer and Chill
- Arrange banana slices in an even layer over the cookie crust so they’re touching, then pour the slightly cooled pudding on top and spread it out into an even layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the pudding and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until cold. This prevents any sort of film to form on the custard. You could also freeze it for an hour or so if you’re in a rush.
Coconut whipped topping (optional if using store bought)
- Add the chilled coconut cream to a medium glass bowl with a hand mixer or the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat the cream on medium high speed until slightly fluffy and smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar or maple syrup and vanilla and beat again until combined.
Serve
- Remove the chilled vegan banana cream pie from the fridge or freezer and spread the coconut whipped cream on top. Use a hand peeler to shave the chocolate bar over the coconut whipped cream.
- Serve right away or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days until you’re ready to serve.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan or deep dish pie dish
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was very good! I didn’t have vegan butter so used coconut oil instead. Used 2 bags of the Siete Mex Sugar cookies (4.5 oz each). I don’t know if this was necessary, but I only used the solid part of the coconut cream, not any of the liquid, so this set very nicely. Also used an immersion blender to help make the pudding super smooth, after it was finished. Next time I might try steeping bananas in the almond milk for awhile, to enhance the banana flavor. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks Laura! Love the details and tips!
This was my first vegan banana cream pie. It was incredible. 4 ⭐️‘S