Vegan Banana Cream Pie

Cream pies aren't for everyone but I hope they're for you! This Vegan Banana Cream Pie has coconut-vanilla filling and is topped with an obscene amount of banana slices. All of this in a gorgeous, flaky piecrust? Sign me up! This pie is especially important as we now begin the transition from spring into summer but these are ingredients you can get year-round so don't be afraid to make this pie in the winter. There are NO RULES when it comes to pie.

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Worth the Wait

It's kind of interesting to me how much I enjoy cream pies as they were not a part of my upbringing really. Fruit pies? Sure. Pumpkin pie? Every Thanksgiving. Cream pies? Never.

Oh well. The fact that I get to indulge in them in adulthood is enough for me. When working on this pie I had a difficult time creating a filling that would hold together when cut into. There is nothing worse than cutting into a pie and having the filling trickle out into the pan.

I won't lie to you and say this is an easy recipe. It is time consuming and requires a lot of chilling and setting time. That said, I can promise that none of the steps for this Vegan Banana Cream Pie are overly complicated and the result is worth the wait. Let's get into it!

Steps for Making Vegan Banana Cream Pie

1. Make Piecrust: In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Cut in vegan margarine and non-hydrogenated shortening.Add in ice water and stir together with a wooden spoon. Use your hands to bring dough together and form into a disk shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.
2. Make Pie Filling: Add ¼ c nondairy milk and cornstarch to a small bowl and stir together. Add remaining nondairy milk, sugar and salt to a small saucepan. Heat on stove over medium-high until mixture is boiling. Reduce heat to medium low and pour in cornstarch mixture. Continue to heat, whisking frequently until mixture reaches the consistency of a thick pudding.
3. Chill Pie Filling: Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Allow filling to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a different bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Make Coconut Cream: Open your can of coconut cream and scrape the solid cream out of the can and into a clean bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form and cream is light and fluffy. Cover bowl and set in fridge to chill with the filling.
5. Roll Out/Chill Piecrust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and locate a 9 inch pie pan. Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a floured surface. Transfer dough to pie pan and fold under the edges. Crimp them with a fork or using your hands. Place prepared piecrust in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. Par Bake Crust: Remove crust from freezer and lay a sheet of parchment paper into the shell. Fill shell with ceramic pie weights*. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes then remove from oven. Remove pie weights and parchment from pie crust and wrap the crimped edge of your crust in tin foil. Place in the oven for another 15 minutes.
7. Assemble/Chill Pie: After pie filling has chilled, add coconut cream to the bowl. Whisk together vigorously until filling comes together and no lumps remain. Line the bottom of your prepared pie crust with 1 banana’s worth of slices. Pour filling evenly over the top and smooth with a rubber spatula. Cover pie and place in fridge to set 4 hours or overnight.
8. Garnish.Serve: Once pie is set, decorate with remaining banana slices. Add nondairy whipped cream from the can if desired.

Vegan Banana Cream Pie Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is considered to have a moderate/average amount of protein when compared to other flours. A high protein flour would make your piecrust too chewy. All purpose flour will give your pie crust sturdiness without compromising the lightness you desire in pastry.
• Sugar: Added to provide a subtle sweetness to your pastry. You don't want to add too much as the combination of a very sweet filling and a sweet crust would be a bit overwhelming.
• Sea Salt: As vegan butter typically comes pre-salted, only a very small amount of salt is needed here. The addition of salt in pastry is important so as to not allow the pie to become overrun with sweetness.
• Cinnamon: Just for flavor! If you don't like the combination of cinnamon and bananas you can totally leave it out.
• Vegan Butter: Vegan butter is a simple alternative to dairy butter. Non-dairy butter is made up of different vegetable oils and is solid at room temperature. The flavors are nearly identical to normal butter. Make sure it is very cold.
• Non-Hydrogenated Shortening: I really like the combination of butter and shortening when making pastry. I like the butter for flavor and the shortening for structure. Like the butter, make sure your shortening is very cold when you cut it in.
• Ice Water: When making pie crust, a small amount of moisture is typically needed to bring the dough together. Make sure your water is very cold when adding it in!

Filling Ingredients

• Nondairy Milk: When you are making your filling you want to choose an unsweetened and unflavored nondairy milk. I would recommend not choosing coconut milk here as you will be adding in coconut cream later and you don't want the flavor of the filling to be overwhelmingly coconut-y.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch will act as the thickening agent in this recipe. When stirred with liquids over high heat cornstarch begins to give any mixture a thick, pudding-like consistency.
• Sugar: Normal, granulated sugar works best here as it dissolves really evenly and doesn't create too much additional liquid. Please do not get crafty here and try to swap out the sugar. It never works out the same.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract will add a touch of vanilla flavor to your filling. It will also hold up against the coconut cream, making the coconut flavor less overwhelming.
• Canned Coconut Cream: Here you are looking for a can of coconut cream and NOT a can of coconut milk. When opened, a can of coconut cream will have solid cream at the surface. Do NOT shake the can!
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is the ideal sugar for making whipped cream as it can dissolve in liquid without heat. When beat with an electric hand mixer, powdered sugar will help give your coconut cream the light airiness we need.

How to Serve/Store Vegan Banana Cream Pie

Serving

Vegan banana cream pie is a delicious and creamy dessert. Here's how to serve it:

1. Chilled: Vegan banana cream pie is best served chilled. Make sure to refrigerate it for at least a few hours before serving to allow it to set and develop its flavors.
2. Slice Carefully: Use a sharp, clean knife to slice the pie. Make each slice clean and even to present a beautiful dessert.
3. Garnish: For an extra touch of elegance, garnish each slice with some vegan whipped cream, banana slices, and also a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
4. Serve with Vegan Whipped Cream: Offer a dollop of vegan whipped cream on the side, so your guests can add more to their individual slices if desired.
5. Pair with Coffee or Tea: Serve slices of vegan banana cream pie with coffee or tea for a delightful and balanced dessert experience.
6. Dessert Plates: Place each slice on a dessert plate to make it easier for guests to enjoy. A fork is the preferred utensil for digging into the creamy goodness.
7. Add a Mint Sprig: For a pop of color and freshness, consider adding a small mint sprig as a garnish. It also pairs nicely with the creamy banana flavor.

Storing

1. Refrigeration: The best way to store vegan banana cream pie is in the refrigerator. As a creamy dessert, it needs to be kept cold to prevent spoilage.
2. Cover or Wrap: Cover the pie securely with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a fitted pie storage container. Make sure it's tightly sealed so as to prevent air and odors from affecting the pie.
3. Use an Airtight Container: If you have a pie container with an airtight seal, that's an excellent option for storing the pie. It provides additional protection against air and moisture.
4. Label and Date: To keep track of its freshness, label the storage container with the date the pie was made or purchased.
5. Refrigerator Placement: Place the covered or container-wrapped pie in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Also keep it away from items with strong odors, as the pie can absorb these odors.
6. Avoid Freezer Storage: Do not freeze vegan banana cream pie. To explain, the texture of the creamy filling may change, and the pie can become watery upon thawing.
7. Consume Promptly: For the best quality, consume the pie within 2-3 days of making or purchasing it. Banana cream pies are best when fresh.
8. Whipped Cream (Optional): If your pie is topped with vegan whipped cream, add the whipped cream just before serving, as it may deflate and lose its texture when stored.

Tips For Making an Amazing Vegan Banana Cream Pie

1. This is a recipe with a lot of steps so if you'd like to get ahead I would recommend making the dough for your pie crust in advance. You can prepare the dough and store it as a disk wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
2. When making pie crust I prefer to use a food processor. I find that it keeps all of the ingredients colder and the result is always more impressive. No worries if you don't have one, a pastry cutter works just fine.
3. You will be "blind baking" your piecrust for this recipe. This means you will be baking the pie alone without the filling inside. I would recommend investing in a set of ceramic pie weights for this but you can also use dried beans, rice etc. The weights will ensure the crust doesn't shrink when you bake it.
4. Refrigerating your can of coconut cream the night before you prepare your pie filling can help with the separating of fat and water. This will make it easier for you to scrape out the coconut cream without including any of the coconut water.
5. Workflow it very important for this recipe. If you plan to make this pie in one day (and then letting it set overnight) I would recommend the following workflow as laid out in the recipe instructions: Prepare the crust and rest in fridge, prepare filling and chill, prepare coconut whipped cream and chill, roll out and bake pie crust, combine filling and coconut cream and add it into the cooled crust. Then chill overnight.

Please remember if you make this recipe to snap a pic and share with @censoredbaker on instagram!

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Recipe adapted from Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie by Lennie.

More Vegan Pie/Pastry Recipes

• Vegan Peach Pie w/Crumble Topping
• Vegan Blueberry Galette
• Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Vegan Nectarine Galette