Calling all dessert lovers. This easy banoffee pie is about to become your new favourite sweet treat for every occasion! A crumbly buttery biscuit base, oozing with sticky caramel surrounding perfectly ripe bananas, covered with a layer of whipped cream and decorated with chocolate shavings. This is the sort of treat that makes you want to ditch the diet and dive right in!
Did you know that banoffee pie has only been around since 1971? It evolved in a restaurant called the Hungry Monk, in Sussex on the south coast of England, and was originally spelled 'Banoffi'. The original recipe was made with a shortcrust pastry shell and contained both toffee (or caramelised condensed milk) and coffee. The word 'banoffi' may have been coined as a combination of both toffee and coffee.
If you are interested, you can find the original recipe for Banoffi Pie and read the Completely True and Utter Story of Banoffi Pie at this link.
Over the years, banoffee pie has come to be known as a caramel and banana pie and is normally made without the addition of coffee. Also, the shortcrust pastry of the original recipe has been replaced by a base made with crushed biscuits and butter.
The result is a delicious dessert, that requires absolutely no baking. And apart from chilling the crust in the refrigerator for an hour or so, you can put this pie together in less than 10 minutes.
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As with all recipes, there are many different variations. This is my version of banoffee pie and I hope you enjoy it!
What you will need
Equipment
A food processor is the quickest and easiest way to crush the biscuits into crumbs. If you don't have a food processor you could pop the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. If you use a plastic bag I would advise you to leave it unsealed to prevent the bag from bursting.
You will also need a couple of mixing bowls - one for whipping the cream and the other for mixing the biscuit crumbs with melted butter.
And finally, for assembling the banoffee pie you will need a loose-bottomed 9-inch flan dish. You don't HAVE to use a loose-bottomed dish, you could use any 9-inch flan dish. The loose bottom makes it easier to remove the pie from the dish.
Ingredients
This recipe will make one 9-inch pie.
- digestive biscuits - to counteract the sweetness of the filling I used plain digestive biscuits. Use biscuits of your choice.
- unsalted butter - this should be melted as it will be mixed with the biscuits to form the crust.
- bananas - it wouldn't be banoffee pie without bananas!
- caramel - this is condensed milk that has been boiled until it caramelises. Luckily we can now buy this ready-made from the supermarket so there's no need to make your own. You may know this as dulce de leche.
- double cream - you may know this as heavy cream or whipping cream. You can't substitute with single cream - single cream won't thicken when you beat it.
- icing sugar - just a small amount to add sweetness to the cream. Leave it out if you think the pie will be sweet enough without it.
- chocolate shavings - not pictured and also optional - I like to shave curls of chocolate from a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk to sprinkle on top of the pie for decoration.
** You can get the exact quantities of the ingredients on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
What to do
Whizz the biscuits in a food processor until they turn into fine crumbs. Use a plastic bag and a rolling pin if you don't have a food processor.
Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter. Mix well to combine.
Press the biscuit mixture firmly onto the base and sides of a 9-inch loose-bottomed baking dish. Refrigerate for at least an hour to give the crust time to firm up.
Spread the caramel evenly over the base of the biscuits.
Cut the bananas into one-quarter of an inch thick slices and press them into the caramel.
Beat the cream with the icing sugar until the cream forms soft peaks.
Hint: Do be careful not to overbeat the cream or you run the risk of it turning into butter. The cream should just be thick enough to hold its shape.
Spread the cream on top of the bananas.
Optionally use a potato peeler to shave thin curls of chocolate from a chocolate bar and use them to decorate the top of the pie.
Store the banoffee pie in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
Variations and substitutions
I used digestive biscuits but you could substitute these with Graham crackers, Biscoff, Nice biscuits or even crushed Ginger Nuts.
Mary Berry makes her own caramel rather than using a tin. If you would like to try that here is a link to Mary Berry's Banoffee Pie on the BBC Food website. I haven't tried it myself, so I can't vouch for it.
Storage
The pie should be stored in the refrigerator and will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
It is not suitable for freezing.
Top tip
The biscuit crumb base must be chilled before the caramel is added. If the crust hasn't had time to firm up you will find the biscuit crumbs stick to the caramel and you'll end up with an awful mess.
FAQ
To stop bananas from turning brown mix them with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Yes, you can make this pie one to two days ahead of time and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Save for later
If you would like to make this banoffee pie, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Are you looking for other easy desserts? You might like to try one of these:
You can find all these and other similar recipes on my cake, biscuit and dessert recipes page.
📋The recipe
Easy banoffee pie
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Food processor OR
- Large plastic bag AND
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowls
- Flan dish 9" diameter
Ingredients
- 8 ounces / 225 grams plain digestive biscuits
- 3½ ounces / 100 grams unsalted butter melted
- 14 ounce / 397 grams tinned caramel condensed milk
- 1⅓ cups / 300 ml double or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar optional
- 2 to 3 ripe bananas depending on size
- 1 ounce / 30 grams Dairy Milk chocolate approximately for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Whizz the biscuits in a food processor until they turn into fine crumbs. Use a plastic bag and a rolling pin if you don't have a food processor.8 ounces / 225 grams plain digestive biscuits
- Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter. Mix well to combine.3½ ounces / 100 grams unsalted butter
- Press the biscuit mixture firmly onto the base and sides of a 9-inch loose-bottomed baking dish. Refrigerate for at least an hour to give the crust time to firm up.
- Spread the caramel evenly over the base of the biscuits.14 ounce / 397 grams tinned caramel condensed milk
- Cut the bananas into one-quarter of an inch thick slices and press them into the caramel.2 to 3 ripe bananas
- Beat the cream with the icing sugar until the cream forms soft peaks. Do be careful not to overbeat the cream or you run the risk of it turning into butter. The cream should just be thick enough to hold its shape.1⅓ cups / 300 ml double or heavy cream, 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- Spread the cream on top of the bananas.
- Optionally use a potato peeler or sharp knife to shave thin curls of chocolate from a chocolate bar and use them to decorate the top of the pie.1 ounce / 30 grams Dairy Milk chocolate
- Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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