If you love Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie, this is your lucky day! I first made this pie in 2010, not long after I started blogging at A Bountiful Kitchen! The creamy layers of chocolate custard, vanilla custard, and fresh bananas all nestled in a ginger cookie crust and topped with whipped cream is so good, you’ll want to hide a slice for later….
The first time I ate this pie, at a recipe club holiday dinner, I immediately fell in love. I mean, how does it get better than homemade custard, chocolate, and cream?? It simply does not. This is a crowd pleaser pie. One that wins awards at bakeoffs! And you don’t even have to make a pastry. Just crush cookies, press, and bake!
This pie is a variation on classic banana cream pie, but with a fresh twist. I love traditional banana cream pie, but an added layer of chocolate on the bottom of the pie and the gingersnap crust takes this dessert to next-level deliciousness!
I combined a few different methods until coming up with the perfect black bottom banana cream pie that works every time! Here’s why I love it, and I know you’ll love it too!
Why I love Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
- Easy-to-make gingersnap crust
- Rich, homemade custard
- Can be made ahead and served the next day
- Crust can be made weeks ahead and frozen
- Crowd pleaser — everyone loves this pie!
Ingredients for Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
- gingersnap cookies, about 1/2 box or 30 cookies
- unsalted butter
- salt
- sugar
- cornstarch
- egg yolks
- milk
- vanilla
- dark or bittersweet chocolate
- bananas
- heavy cream
- powdered sugar
How to make Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
- Prepare crust and bake; let cool
- Make custard on stovetop
- Divide custard in half; add chocolate to half of custard, whisk, and let melt
- Let custard cool
- Spread chocolate custard in cooled crust
- Layer bananas on top of chocolate custard
- Spread vanilla custard on top of bananas
- Chill pie for 6-8 hours
- Whip cream and chop or grate chocolate
- Top pie with cream and chocolate; serve
How to freeze and store Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
This pie is easily prepared ahead. The crust may be made up to three months ahead and frozen. Follow directions for making crust, then bake, cool, and wrap before freezing. When ready to use, let thaw on countertop before assembly and filling.
To store this pie, cover the pie with a piece of parchment paper, tuck the parchment under the pie, then loosely cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator.
Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups gingersnap crumbs, about 25-30 cookies
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling and Topping:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1-2 medium bananas, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- chocolate shavings, for garnish
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate. Combine gingersnaps with sugar and salt. Pulse in a food processor until no chunks remain. Add melted butter and pulse a few more times. Press the crumbs evenly into the pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Let cool completely. Set aside.
Custard:
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of milk.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the custard is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted. Pour half of the vanilla custard into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the chopped chocolate into the custard in the saucepan until the chocolate is melted. Let cool.
- Once the custard is cooled, spread the chocolate custard evenly into the pie crust and top with the sliced bananas. Spread the vanilla custard over the bananas to cover completely. Refrigerate the pie for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Garnish and serve
- Before serving, whip the cream with powdered sugar. Gently spread whipped cream on top of the pie. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls or finely chop chocolate and garnish.
Notes
- Do not use a pie plate that is too deep. About 1 1/2 inch deep works best.
- I use Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars for the chocolate layer and also for the chocolate garnish.
- For milk, I prefer whole or 2%.
- Be patient when making the custard layer. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. The custard will thicken after it is cooked and will also thicken a bit more after cooling. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the custard after it has slightly cooled to prevent a layer from forming on top of the custard.
- It is extremely important to allow the crust and the custard to cool completely before assembly. Make sure to allow enough time for cooling and chilling the pie after assembled.
- To make ahead, prepare the crust (up to 3 days) early and the custard the day before serving. On day of serving or the night before, assemble the pie and chill for 6-8 hours. The crust can also be frozen for up to three months.
Equipment
- 1 9 x 1 1/2 inch pie plate
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Jasson
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏.I just had a piece 👌😋.Thank you for your effort 🌞😎.
Jillian
Hi Jasson,
Thank you so much! We are so delighted that you enjoyed the banana cream pie!
Best,
Jillian @ABK Team
Linda
We really liked this pie! A lot of times I try to make banana cream pie and it doesn’t set up. This one was easy to make and set up perfectly. I would probably make it with a graham cracker crumb instead of ginger snaps, but everything else was perfect!
Jillian
Hi Linda!
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed this pie. The graham cracker crumb sounds absolutely delicious!
Happy Baking!
Jillian @ABK Team
Sarah
This looks amazing! It it ok if I use unsweetened chocolate? or is it better to have some sugar content in it?
Si Foster
Hi Sarah,
Definitely use sweetened chocolate. If you use unsweetened chocolate you will need to add more sugar to the custard. Hope you love this recipe!
Si
Trisha Burghardt
This is honestly my very favorite pie. I’m bringing it to thanksgiving dinner this week because it’s a necessity.
Si Foster
Trisha,
I’m glad you like this pie. Was it a hit at your Thanksgiving feast? I hope you had a fantastic holiday!
xo,
Si
Tori
I just made this pie, because you know, it is Saturday and I survived the week! My husband put the kids down and I made the pie and we were so excited to eat it, we ate it warm, right after I put it together. Amazing! I can’t wait to try it tomorrow chilled too!
My new favorite pie!
abountifulkitchen
Tori, I’m glad you loved this pie! It is such a great combination of chocolate and banana. Now I want A slice!
Jo Anne
I made this pie for Thanksgiving….should have made two. Hands down the favorite of the day and second fav was the apple cranberry pie. Oh so delicious and very easy…bang for your buck that's for sure. Thanks again, Si!!!
Mary
Thank you for the glimpse of your family and friends. I love the pie you have shared with us today. I love to visit your blog. I never leave empty handed and always enjoy the time I spend here. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Melanie
Oh thank you so much for the wonderful picture you posted! Ha, we love you!
Dzoli
Thank you of letting us in your friends and family life.They all seem a great people that make you life happy and colorful:)
Chris aka Nana
Love the witch and the monkey! Favorite people of mine and the pie sounds yummy!!
Bonnie
This looks wonderful. Don't you love Thanksgiving? It's my favorite holiday.
Natalie
I LOVE this post.
i should try that pie.
sounds heavenly.
barbyb
A. Annaliese is very honored that her picture is now on your blog.
B. Blogging instead of watching the game? (…oh, you want to get it out of the way before BYU plays at 8. I get it.)
C. What are you THINKING posting that deliciousness with chocolate AND bananas… And me thinking I had the menu for Thursday all planned. Sheesh.