This delicious and healthier banana cream pie is completely gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and refined sugar free. A flakey, butter crust is filled with fresh bananas, banana pudding, and whipped coconut cream.
I have a confession… I’d never had banana cream pie before I attempted baking it myself! I had banana pudding as a kid, but never banana cream pie. So I was really excited to attempt making my own version. And I think it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.
I’ve seen banana cream pie made a few different ways. Crust wise, the options seem to be with a cookie crust, graham cracker curst, or with a more traditional pie crust (like I did). The filling tends to be a creamy pudding, topped with whipped cream and layered with bananas. I felt like for something called BANANA CREAM PIE, it needed to be made with banana pudding! So that is just what I did. My version is a gluten free crust, layered with fresh banana, vegan banana pudding (for all that extra banana flavor!), and topped with coconut whipped cream. The entire pie is also refined sugar free, utilizing coconut sugar and maple syrup as the sweeteners. I tried to rely on the natural sweetness of the banana, so this pie isn’t overly sweetened or too sweet in general.
This healthy vegan banana cream pie isn’t all that labor intensive, but it does take time as you have to cook and set the individual components. Be sure to read the recipe in advance so that you make sure to have enough time to actually make and assemble the pie. This can be done in one day, but to plan in setting time, you’ll want to start in the morning.
Healthy Banana Cream Pie (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups 1:1 gluten free flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 cup butter* I used a vegan butter
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup ice water
Banana Pudding
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1.5 cups milk of choice I used a dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot or tapioca starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut Cream
- 2 cans coconut milk make sure it is the canned coconut milk and you chill these cans in the fridge 24 hours before hand.
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- 1-2 more bananas
Instructions
- First, make sure you chill your coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours before starting. You want to separate the cream from the liquid.
Crust
- You will make the crust first. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and coconut sugar. Pulse a few times to mix everything together.
- Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until you have little pebbles. Add the apple cider vinegar and pulse until just combined.
- Pour the dough into a bowl and use your hands to bring it together. If the dough is too crumbly and not coming together, add ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, gently working the dough until it holds together. You do want to work quickly so the butter doesn't all melt.
- Form the dough into a disc, wrap in parchment paper, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, make the banana pudding below.
- When ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Roll it out on a piece of parchment paper until it is about 2 inches larger in diameter than your pie dish. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.
- Transfer the crust to the pie dish (I do this by placing the pie dish upside down over the crust then sliding my hand under the parchment paper and flipping everything). Shape the dough to the dish and use cold water on your finger to fix any cracks. You can flute the edges if desired. Poke the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork.
- Fill your crust with pie weights and bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375F, remove the weights, and bake another 5 minutes until crust is just beginning to golden on the edges and is baked.
- Remove the crust and let it cool.
Banana Pudding
- Combine the bananas, 1 cup of the milk, and maple syrup together in a blender and blend until smooth. Add this mixture to a saucepan and heat on medium-low heat.
- Whisk together the other 1/2 cup of milk and the starch then add it to the banana mixture on the stove. Whisk frequently until the mixture thickens. It should look like pudding.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool to room temperature then place in the fridge for 3 hours, while crust cools.
- Place a medium size bowl in the freezer at this time- the one you will use to beat the coconut cream.
Coconut Cream
- An hour before you are ready to assemble your pie, you'll make the whipped cream.
- In your cold bowl, add the coconut cream from the cans of coconut milk (the solid, white part that has risen to the top of the can. Keep the coconut water for smoothies or drinking). Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until you get a nice, whipped cream consistency and it holds peaks.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and whip to combine.
- Place the coconut cream back in the fridge for the last hour.
Assembly
- When ready to assemble, take 1 cup of the coconut cream mixture and fold it into the banana pudding mixture. Set aside.
- Line the bottom of your pie crust with sliced bananas then evenly spread the banana pudding mixture on top.
- You can using a piping bag to top the pie with the remaining coconut cream or however you desire.
- Decorate with more bananas and enjoy! I do suggest letting the pie set for another hour or so, but it is not mandatory.
- This pie can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
