This shockingly easy banoffee pie recipe combines a crunchy graham cracker crust, soft and sweet dulce de leche, thick slices of fresh banana, and a mountain of billowy whipped cream. Everyone who tries a slice is instantly hooked.
My team and I love all things pie and we’ve worked hard to develop a slew of new recipes over the years, especially around the holiday seasons. Here are some favorites:
- Sweet Potato Pie & Pumpkin Pie
- Nutella Tart
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Apple Pie & Apple Cranberry Pie
- Caramel Pear Pie
- Pecan Pie & Chocolate Pecan Pie
For even more inspiration, here are all of our favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes. But today, I’m showing you how I make banoffee pie:
What Is Banoffee Pie?
A popular English dessert, banoffee = bananas + toffee. A rich combination of different textures and flavors, banoffee pie combines a cookie/biscuit or graham cracker crust with silky dulce de leche, bananas, and homemade whipped cream. I normally have impeccable self control around all the desserts I bake, but I literally could not put down my fork with this pie. Between the soft, crunchy, creamy, gooey, and sweet—there’s no denying banoffee pie’s allure. You’ll be hooked.
Adding to its appeal, banoffee pie is the EASIEST pie you’ll ever make. The 3-ingredient graham cracker crust is pre-baked, but that’s all the oven time required. Just like in strawberry cream cheese pie, baking the crust makes the whole pie more sturdy. Layer the remaining ingredients on top, then refrigerate until ready to dig in. That’s it!
Instead of graham crackers, this pie is also fantastic with a Biscoff pie crust.
What Is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche is similar to caramel, but a little sweeter and creamier. It’s prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk until everything caramelizes. If we’re getting all scientific, I learned that a lot of the flavor comes from the Maillard reaction. Interesting! Dulce de leche is Spanish for candy made/of milk. There are a few ways to prepare dulce de leche including:
- The classic method of cooking down and constantly stirring milk and sugar
- The shortcut method of cooking sweetened condensed milk
We’re using the shortcut method today, but I included a link to a classic dulce de leche recipe in the recipe notes. Both are delicious!
Dulce de Leche Made From Sweetened Condensed Milk
There are a couple ways you can make dulce de leche from a can of sweetened condensed milk. You can boil it—the actual closed can—in a pot of water for a couple hours or you can pour the sweetened condensed milk in a pie dish and bake it in a water bath. I prefer the oven method because I’ve heard some pretty scary stories about the hot cans bursting open after boiling for so long. Items you need:
- large roasting pan
- pie dish
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- aluminum foil
Instructions:
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a pie dish.
- Place the pie dish in a large roasting pan and place the roasting pan in the oven.
- Fill the roasting pan with enough HOT water until it reaches halfway up the pie dish. This is exactly what we do when we bake cheesecake.
- Loosely cover the pie dish with aluminum foil.
- Heat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake until sweetened condensed milk has thickened and caramelized, about 2 hours. Add more hot water after 1 hour, since some of it has evaporated.
All of the “work” is hands-off. After 2 hours, the sweetened condensed milk has turned into golden dulce de leche. Magic. Let the dulce de leche cool, then pour into your pre-baked graham cracker crust. You can make the dulce de leche up to 2 weeks in advance.
After that, we have a layer of banana slices. Make sure you use nice yellow bananas and save mushy spotty bananas for recipes like banana bread and banana muffins.
Have you ever had caramel and banana before? This pie is exactly that, but better. A voluminous mountain of soft homemade whipped cream is the finishing touch! Piled high, this creamy layer balances out all the other textures and flavors in this completely irresistible pie.
Banoffee pie is so simple that you’ll feel like you’re doing something wrong. You’re not—it really is this easy. If pie crust isn’t your thing, banoffee pie is!
For even more delicious flavor combinations with bananas, you’ll want to try this peanut butter banana cream pie next.
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Banoffee Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This shockingly easy banoffee pie combines a crunchy graham cracker crust, soft and sweet dulce de leche, thick slices of fresh banana, and a mountain of billowy whipped cream. Everyone who tries a slice is instantly hooked.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/4 cups dulce de leche**
- 2 large bananas, sliced
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional toppings: chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, or toffee bits for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
- For the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts.
- Spread dulce de leche on top of the crust. Arrange banana slices in 1–2 layers on top of the dulce de leche, then spread whipped cream on top.
- Refrigerate pie uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Garnish with toppings before serving, if desired.
- Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cover the baked and cooled graham cracker crust tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using. Dulce de leche, instructions below, can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. The fully assembled pie can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Store uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I don’t recommend freezing the prepared banoffee pie because it doesn’t thaw very nicely, but you can certainly freeze any leftover slices for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Dulce de Leche: You can use store-bought dulce de leche, but I recommend making it at home. You can make it completely from scratch or use 1 (standard 14-ounce/397g) can of sweetened condensed milk. Instructions: Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a pie dish. Place the pie dish in a large roasting pan and place the roasting pan in the oven. Fill the roasting pan with enough HOT water until it reaches halfway up the pie dish. Loosely cover the pie dish with aluminum foil. Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake until sweetened condensed milk has thickened and caramelized, about 2 hours. Add more hot water to the roasting pan after 1 hour, since some of it has evaporated. After 2 hours, the sweetened condensed milk has turned into golden dulce de leche. (If not, continue to bake.) Let the dulce de leche cool, then pour into your pre-baked graham cracker crust. You can make the dulce de leche up to 2 weeks in advance.
- Bananas Browning: Though I haven’t experienced the bananas browning underneath the whipped cream, you can certainly squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice all over the banana slices before layering them into the pie. This keeps the banana slices fresh, especially if you’re making the pie a day in advance. With a small amount of juice, you won’t detect the lemon flavor.
- Non-US Readers: If graham crackers are not available where you live, we have also tested this pie with a crust made from digestive biscuits, and it turned out great. Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 16-17 minutes.
my pie pans are all deep dish. should i increase measurements in the recipe like 1.5??
Hi Kelly, you can use the recipe as is, knowing that it will not reach quite to the top of the pan. Or you can try 1.5 the recipe, knowing that you’ll likely have some leftovers. You could make individual mini pies on the side. We hope you enjoy it!
This is a great recipe and I’ve been tweaking it every time I make it. We now use the Goya chocolate Maria cookies for the base and decrease the sugar. For the dulce de leche I boil then simmer an unopened can of completely submerged condensed milk for three hours – perfect dark and firm dulce de leche. Three bananas. Decreased the amount of sugar in the cream. As long as the crust and dulce de leche have had time to cool and – this is a MUST – the pie is chilled after construction for a minimum of two hours as the recipe states – it will not run. A family favorite
lol.., “ If graham crackers are not available where you live, we have also tested this pie with a crust made from digestive biscuits, and it turned out great.”
Digestive biscuits is the PROPER and authentic base for this dish. It’s Graham crackers that is the substitute 🙂
My crust became very hard and difficult to cut. Why did that happen?
Hi Nimra, be sure to not pack down the crust with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. You can also try reducing the bake time by just a minute or two. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
The Dulce de leche was easier than I thought. My only issue was I made it one day prior and it was more “spreadable” than pourable. I believe, in some ways, that will hold it together more so, I just wasn’t sure if perhaps I should heat it up slightly (like a caramel for ice cream), and pour it in. Haven’t had it yet, but the Dulce sure tastes good! Any insight about the consistency?
Hi Janine, the dulce de leche will solidify over time, so you could reheat it before adding it to the pie crust. Glad you enjoyed this one!
Is there a way to make this into bars so it is easier to serve to a crowd?
Hi Elise, we haven’t tested a bar version of this pie. You’ll likely need to 1.5x the crust recipe and scale the fillings as well. Let us know if you give it a try!
The pie needs to be refridgerated between adding the dulche de leche and the bananas to firm up the dulce, otherwise the bananas could sink into it and ooze out and make it runny.
Pie Soup
Mine was like soup. What did I do wrong ♀️
I loved the recipe, being from British decent I had to try it. The Dulce de leche was so runny when we cut the pie, it spread out all over the pie plate. Is there something that i did wrong? The only thing that i did different was i bought the eagle brand dulce de leche. Taste of the pie was fantastic 100%
Hi Karen, we haven’t tried that specific brand of dulce de leche—we’ve only made it from scratch using sweetened condensed milk—so we wonder if that might be the culprit? It may be a bit thinner than needed for this pie. We’re glad you still enjoyed it!
if its too thin, can i add in some corn starch to thicken it?
Delicious recipe! I used unflavored gelatin to stabilize the whipped cream, otherwise followed the recipe as written. It has kept well and slices nicely. Will definitely make again!
Another yummy, easy recipe! The crust just by itself is amazing & stands up to the filling. Simple ingredients make an delicious pie that anyone can be proud of. Warning: this pie is rich & addictive, so serve small slices to start, then maybe you’ll get to take the rest home for yourself!
Note: I used the Nestle brand Dulce le Leche in the can this time, & it was still super.
Thanks Sally & crew for another winner!
I make the caramel in the crockpot a couple cans at a time (they keep in the fridge for up to a month unopened) Just put the cans in the crockpot, cover with water cook on high for 8 hours. Let cool in the water. Viola’ Dulce De Leche! Its great in this pie, in coffee, on top of ice cream……
This pie was a hit – easy to make, delicious flavors, and that graham cracker crust… I did follow another reader’s suggestion to add a smidge of cream cheese to stabilize the whipped cream and that worked perfect for me. When making the dulce de leche in the oven, I found whisking to reincorporate everything at the hour mark and then kicking the oven down to 300*F for the remaining time (whisking well again at the 30 min mark) helped to prevent the condensed milk from going solid on me.
How much water do you add to the baking sweetened condensed milk after an hour? I would be worried about making it too runny by adding too much.
Hi Mary, you are adding the water to the water bath, and not directly to the sweetened condensed milk.
I had this pie at a cafe in Dublin a couple years ago. I’ve been trying to find it here in the US but everyone that has it – just isn’t the same. I’ve decided to take things into my own hands and made it myself. This turned out almost as good as the pie we had in Ireland. Thanks so much. It was delicious.
Hi Ange, thanks for trying this pie! We’re so glad you loved it.
I am so disappointed! I have been cooking my dulce de leche for 4 hours in the oven and it hasn’t even began to turn dark. I’m not sure what I did unless it was because I put it in a cake pan instead of a pie pan. I am trying to take this to a family gathering and gave myself more than enough time, but I wasn’t planning on this long!
Take the can, clean off label and adhesive and place the unopened can in pot. Cover it with water so there’s about 2” over it and simmer low for 2-3 hours depending on how dark you want the dulce de leche. Turn off heat and let entire thing come to room temp. Open can and voila. No fuss no muss. Takes time but it’s all passive and effortless. Works like a charm.
I am having the same problem. It is not cooking at all as described.
This was a hit at my pie day party! I had a lot of difficulty with the dulce de lece – like many others, I ended up with a curdled/flan like consistency due to cooking for the recommended 2 hours. I realized that was way too long for my oven/dishes and ended up making it a second time for about an hour and 40 minutes.