Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pie! Made with REAL dairy-free vanilla pudding. Nobody will ever guess this pie is dairy-free! Easily gluten-free using gluten-free pie crust.
It’s time to think about Thanksgiving pies! Hooray! Are you a banana cream pie lover? Banana cream pie usually made an appearance at my house for Thanksgiving growing up.
It was nothing fancy – the kind of banana cream pie made with boxed pudding and cool whip. It always seemed like an afterthought pie and the answer to “what should we do with this extra pie crust?”
I hadn’t had banana cream pie for years until I developed this recipe for homemade dairy-free vanilla pudding. This pudding is so creamy and delicious it definitely surpasses any boxed pudding – dairy or not.
No more afterthought banana cream pie – this one is a showstopper!
The dairy-free pudding is what I like to call real deal pudding. Like the chocolate pudding in this Chocolate Pudding Pretzel Pie, it is made with traditional pudding ingredients.
You also might like these recipes for dairy-free eggnog, dairy-free crème brûlée or dairy-free coconut cream pie.
You also might like this gluten-free banana pudding or this gluten-free key lime pie!
You can use any precooked pie crust you like for this pie. Just be sure it is cooked and totally cool before filling. This pie is best eaten a few hours after it’s made. That way the bananas will be fresh and the crust will still be crisp. To save time on Thanksgiving I would recommend making the crust in advance.
I like to top this pie with So Delicious Coconut Whipped Cream. Nobody will ever guess it’s dairy-free!
Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pie {Gluten-Free}
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Pudding:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 3 Tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the Pie:
- 1 cooked pie crust of choice gluten-free if needed
- 2-3 bananas sliced
- 1 container coconut cool whip I use So Delicious CocoWhip
Instructions
- Prebake the pie crust and allow to cool completely.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks and salt. While whisking, slowly about 1/2 cup of the almond milk.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the remaining almond milk. Cook while whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter and vanilla extract. Let pudding cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place a layer of bananas along the bottom of the pie crust. Pour over the cooled pudding. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set.
- Top with coconut cool whip and more bananas. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
You might also like this Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pretzel Pie!
I’m pretty new to the world of Gluten free cooking though I’ve been dairy free for decades. But now three of my adult kids are GF so I’m learning how to do things. I wanted to make this pie for Thanksgiving but worried about the crust cuz I don’t usually make my own. After checking all the stores in our town for GF options I ended up deciding to make an Oreo crust with GF Oreos. It was so good with this vanilla pudding and the bananas. I was sad when it was all gone. Definitely using this recipe again and I like that I could use it just for pudding as well as for pie. it set up so well compared to my previous attempts at using soy or almond milk to make pudding. I was really happy with it.
Hi Maria, thanks so much for sharing! That’s wonderful you got to enjoy a recipe that met everyone’s dietary needs!
I only made the pudding for this. My sister is allergic to cows milk and i wanted banana cream pie, but sweet and salty. I made a pretzel crust, added a thin chocolate layer to the bottom, and then used this pudding over the banana slices. I tried a different vegan-pudding first, but it epically failed- too sweet, wouldn’t thicken, etc. THIS one was perfect and did exactly what it should. Now I’m just waiting for it to cool in the fridge so I can add the whipped topping and homemade salted caramel. Thank you very much for this recipe! Me and my sister appreciate it.
We’re so pleased you enjoyed the pudding from this recipe, Karyn! That sweety and salty spin on the pie sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing with us!
Can I sub oat for almond?
Hi Mary, yes oat milk can be used in place of the almond milk. We’d just recommend sticking with unsweetened. Happy baking!
Can I use just regular lactose free milk
Hi Brylee, that should work. We hope you enjoy the pie!
My pudding is still runny after 2 hours in the fridge – what did I do wrong?
Hi Jessica, we’re sorry you had this experience! Most likely it wasn’t cooked quite long enough to where the cornstarch didn’t get hot enough to activate and thicken. Other factors can include adding too much liquid or not enough cornstarch. We hope your next bake goes much better!
I have made this a few times and it is always a hit! No one can even tell that it is dairy free! My question is, can I make the pudding part the day before and just assemble the pie the morning of? Thanks!
Hi Ashley, that should work! Let it cool, stirring every so often to avoid pudding skin from forming, then press plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding before refrigerating. Next day, whisk it until smooth and then assemble the pie. We’re so glad this recipe has been such a hit! Thank you for your kind feedback!