When Andy and I lived in England, we would visit his grandparents nearly every weekend for a roast dinner. I could wax poetic about Nanny’s roast dinner for ages, but you can read about it here. Nanny made everything from scratch, but she rarely made dessert. Yet she always had at least two (if not three) store-bought desserts for us four. There was always a raspberry pavlova (Andy’s favorite) and often both Tesco’s Mandarin Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie (my favorites).
I must take after my English nanny, because until last weekend I had never made Banoffee pie either. But it was Mom’s birthday and I was trying to figure out what to make her for her—it’s a known fact in our family that Mom much prefers pie to cake. Andy and I also happened to speak to Nanny that day and it triggered my memory…Banoffee pie! The whole family would love it.
“Banoffee” pretty much speaks for itself: banana & toffee. A simple, homemade graham cracker crust, a thick layer of dulce de leche, topped with sliced bananas, fluffy whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Aside from reducing the sweetened condensed milk to make the dulce de leche, this pie comes together in less than 30 minutes.
And don’t worry, this pie isn’t about perfection. It will look better if you refrigerate it for a while before slicing and serving, but if you can’t wait (like us), you can slice it and spoon it onto plates with a large serving spoon. But who cares about looks? This pie is sweet, creamy, banana-y heaven.
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, label removed
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 large (or 3 medium) bananas, sliced
- 1 ½ cups chilled heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup shaved (or chopped) semi- or bittersweet chocolate
- Set sweetened condensed milk can in a medium saucepan with water to come ¾ of the way up. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered and adding water as needed, about 3 hours. Remove can from pan; let cool until warm. (Do not open too soon as milk may spurt if can is hot.)
- Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix graham crackers crumbs and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium bowl. Add butter and stir with a fork until well incorporated. Dump crumbs into a 9-inch glass pie plate and spread evenly over bottom. Use a flat-bottomed measuring cup to press crumbs evenly over pan bottom and up the sides. Using each index finger, press crumbs around the top edge to even the crust and secure loose crumbs. Bake until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Whip cream to fairly stiff peaks with remaining sugar and vanilla extract.
- To assemble pie, spread reduced and cooled, sweetened condensed milk over pie bottom, top with bananas, and then the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate and refrigerate until ready to serve (Can be made several hours before serving.)
This pie was awesome!!! But a teeny bit sweet for my taste. If I were making this (and I will be!) I would leave the sugar out of the whip cream entirely. Though…I might replace it with a little booze. Well done!
I wonder at the calorie count on this pie? Any ideas?
I believe there are sites you can go to, plug in the ingredients, and it will give you a calorie count.
This looks fantastic! I’ll have to give it a try soon
Took a bite on Sunday and haven’t stopped thinking about it since!
I love this story and the pie. I’m also a fan of the lack of baking involved here. It’s the perfect summer dessert.
Ooh, yum! My younger sister is headed to London in the fall for a semester abroad–I will have to insist that we get this sweet treat when I go to visit her!
I’m not just saying this because it was my birthday dessert. Banoffee is my new favorite pie. It’s so simple to make. And once you stick your fork into the pie, it’s over. You just keep going back for a little bite… and another little bite… and another!
I’m so glad I simmered 4 cans of the sweetened condensed milk at one time because now I can make this pie in about 30 minutes. How cool is that?!
I respectfully disagree with Sharon about the lightly sweetened whipped cream : ) but flavoring it with a little booze could be very good!
This sounds like the perfect pie. Sweet, easy to make and really delicious!
This reminds me of so many wonderful pies that just seem perfect for a summer crowd. And I love the flavors. But I must agree…a little booze would be good. I never drink the hard stuff but I always have it on hand…I love it with sweet desserts!
I hope Pam had an amazing birthday! There is really no question that this pie was devoured. I need to give it a try in the very near future.
Thanks for reminding me of one of my fave old recipes! I have always made Jamie Oliver’s version with candied almonds on top and the whipped cream is flavored with coffee and a shortcrust pastry base, but I am excited to try it with the graham crust! I bet it’s amazing!
Gotta ask?? You simmer the unopened?
NO. LEAVE IT UNOPENED. I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE BUT SOME SUPERMARKETS SELL ALREADY MADE DULCE DE LECHE IN THE SPANISH SECTION. OR YOU CAN CHECK A LOCAL SPANISH SUPERMARKET. I WOULD BUY THE PREMADE BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY I DONT HAVE TIME TO WAIT FOR THE MILK TO COOK.
Wow, my relatives in India love this dessert. I had it for the first time on a recent visit there, it was so delicious, I’m so glad I found this recipe!
Boy, would my husband have loved this pie…he loved banana desserts!
Could you use prepackaged dulce de leche rather than making your own? I’m still glad you offered this method of making your own, as I’d like to try that. Thanks for a delicious sounding and easy recipe!
Sure, Bonnie, you can use packaged dulce de leche to make this dessert. Good luck!
Oh my! This is a must to try! I shall make and bring to work for taste-testing lest I eat the whole thing! Thanks for sharing this delectable recipe!
This is also one of my favourites maggy! Also note that it’s equally great when you use strawberries AND if you can’t get dulce de leche you can boil cans of condensed milk. 🙂
just read your recipe and realized you did just that with the condensed milk-doh!
Made this last night, but I microwaved the sweetened milk, which was wonderful idea that I found online! Hubby loved the dessert! Thanks!!!!
@Bob M, yes you simmer unopened…and make sure to add water as needed because if it gets too low the can will explode into an utterly disgusting mess that takes hours to clean. Not that I would know what that would be like, just guessing it could happen;) Another great way to use the Dulce de Leche is spread over shortcrust pastry and lay apple slices on top. Its done when the caramel is bubbling over the apples:) Deeeelicious!
Although it’s not my choice (I prefer my bananas and toffee separate) it is my brother in law’s favourite and my sister makes it quite often for him. It’s always met with a smile 🙂
Made this Saturday and let me tell you there was not a crumb or speck of whipped cream to be had. Unbelievably good and will be made again and again. Thank you for this recipe. Good thing you don’t list the calorie content.
I just ordered a copy of Perfect One-Dish Dinners for a friend who was a guest at my last dinner party, featuring Coq au Vin Blanc with Spring Vegetables, Year-round Classic Gazpacho, a baby spinach salad and Quick Tres Leches cakes for dessert. My guests were so impressed with my departure from my staple of made-ahead beef brisket, Pam’s wonderful books have given me new recipes I can make ahead. I have new confidence in hosting as my comfort level requires making almost everything ahead. I got Pam’s three latest books last Dec., is there a new one forthcoming? I’ll be waiting to snap it up!
I made two of these for a church function on Sunday. People were literally licking the pan to get the last bits of the pie. It was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.
I copied your link and wanted to share it on Facebook and appeared an advertising on Viagra:-C
Why can’t I print just the recipe for Banoffee pie??Nothing I do helps?
Thank you.
I had no idea what you were talking about, Erika, until I also tried posting this on facebook and also got a viagra ad instead! 😛
I don’t think I could wait for this to freeze either!
Love your recipes. Can’t wait to try this one,
Just keep them coming….
I saw Matt link this up…it looks and sounds crazy good. I need this in my life!
Delicioso, Thanks Maggie, it was easy to do it, I did used dulce de leche ready. Max helped me.
How wonderful that Max was able to help, broken finger and all. So glad you enjoyed it. Big hugs from all of us.
OK, I’m going to make this pie. Can you tell me how to pronounce the name? I can’t figure out which syllable to put the emphasis on! My mother in law’s birthday is coming up and she grew up in India – wonder if she knows about this pie. . .
Hey Margo,
The emphasis is on off, so it’s BanOFFee pie. Good luck. Hope it turns out well for you!
I’ve heard you can make dulce de leche in a crockpot – think I’m going to try that. Even better I can set the crockpot outside in the summer to keep the kitchen cool!
This was a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert. I made a few minor changes – I added some kosher salt and a few spoonfuls of rum to the dulce de leche, and another few spoonfuls of rum to the whipped cream. I piped the whipped cream for some elegance, and used Valhrona chocolate balls (available at the gourmet section of an excellent local liquor store) instead of the shavings. It was drop dead gorgeous and just delicious.
This reminds me of a old fav recipe, I’m going to make this tomorrow night! I would love for you to link up this recipe to my linky party, my readers will LOVE this recipe!! http://www.fivelittlechefs.com/2013/01/fantastic-thursday-27.html
I want to make 2 of these for Sunday noon. Can I make them the night before or will everything get soggy? I could at least make the crusts ahead of time. . . (I haven’t made this pie yet, but clearly, I haven’t forgotten!)
They last beautifully. Just make sure that you refrigerate it.
my original recipe for this from England called for HobNob cookies in the crust, not graham cracker. if able to find, you must try!
another way to “cook” the sweetened condensed milk is to pour it into the smallest size crockpot and whisk every half hour until it’s toffee colored.
Made this tonight it was delicious 😉
I have made this pie several times, and love it! I used the canned dulce de leche. This time when I tried to spread the caramel over the crust, the crust fell apart. The only thing I did differently was I didn’t put the 3 Tbsp of sugar in the crust because I used cinnamon grahams crackers and figured they already had sugar. Is that why my crust fell apart? I baked it 15 minutes as usual, and let it cool to almost room temp, it was still a little bit warm in the middle.
Hey Susan,
Sadly, the sugar makes the difference. When sugar heats up and melts, and dries solid, like a lollipop. It’s the “glue” that holds the graham crackers together. Your pie may not look pretty, but it’s still gonna taste great!
I too learned about this little treasure while living in England. The main differences are that we use crushed heath bar on top and use heavy whipping cream with just a little bit of sugar and vanilla. A family favorite!
I made this with LA lechera canned dulce de leche. I heated it up for 30 seconds inin the microwave to make it more pliable and folded the bananas in. This pie came out so good!
My mom used to make the toffee sauce how you described. I loved it on toast. Good memories. Can’t wait to try this!
I always have Banoffiee Pie when I go home to Ireland. I have made it here (in the U.S.) several times and used ginger snap cookies crumbs for the base. It’s a while since I made it but it’s on my to make list now!
Can you simmer the can of condensed milk in a crockpot with water instead of stove-top? I was thinking of starting the process on the stove with water on medium heat until warmed then transferring to crockpot with same water and keep covered on low 3 hours. Any suggestions?
Hi Heidi,
I’m not sure about that, but it’s worth a try. I’m thinking it might take a little longer in the crockpot, but since you can’t open the can until the cooking time is up, it’s hard to say without a test. I think it’s worth a can to give it a try. Let us know how it works if you do it!
I have been hearing about banoffee pie for ages, but have yet to try it or make it until today! I am low on time we well, so I bought the canned dulce de leche near all of the canned milk products to try instead of the cooked down sweetened condensed milk. So hopefully it’s still delicious!
I have seen that a some recipes do bananas on the bottom of the caramel topping, but you put the bananas on top. Any reasoning for that?
Your pie will be totally great made with the canned dulce de leche, Jen. One practical reason for putting the bananas on top is that if you don’t eat all the pie right away, it’s easier to pull them off and replace them.
I have an abundance of bananas (FFA purchase) right now that need to be used today, with the thought of making this pie! I have friends that are visiting later this week. Can I freeze an assembled pie? I don’t think it will last 4 days in the fridge. Thank you. By the way I’ve made this before and is super delicious and easy! So glad I found this recipe.
Sorry we didn’t respond the day you submitted the question, but your instincts were right. You can’t freeze the pie–the bananas wouldn’t hold up–and it wouldn’t be at peak quality after 4 days in the fridge. Hope you had a good time with your friends!
We call that toffe “Manjar”, and you should make it on a pressure cooker. It varies with taste; some people will like it a little darker and firmer, other a little clearer and more “runny”.
I have found that 45 minutes makes a perfect Manjar, much better by far than 3 hours on an open pot!
Hope this tip helps
Banoffee pie is one of my favorite pies, but it’s been difficult finding the perfect recipe. I made the pie and it was delicious! Can it be frozen?
Sorry, no. Bananas don’t freeze well, unless you want to make smoothies or banana bread.