What’s not to like with this popular dessert?! Banoffee Pie is a buttery cookie base covered with banana slices, and creamy caramel, then topped with swirls of fresh cream and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. This recipe also includes a layer of caramelized bananas, which takes it over the top!
Banana + toffee = Banoffee. This Banoffee Pie is next level, due to the additional layer of pan sautéed caramelized bananas, tucked under the cream swirls. Banoffee Pie is popular in Britain and often eaten as a dessert or sweet afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- Cookies: shortbread type of cookies or similar.
- Condensed milk.
- Cream: whipping or heavy whipping cream.
- Bananas.
- Sugar: brown.
- Butter: salted.
- Cocoa powder.
Instructions
Making the Caramel.
Prepare the caramel by placing the condensed milk into an Instant Pot. I like to cook 4 cans at a time, but only 1 is needed. Follow the Instructions with the Dulce de Leche recipe.
The Dulce de Leche will take 35 minutes to cook. Allow the cans to cool for 20 minutes before using. In the meantime start to prepare the cookie crumb base.
Making the Cookie Base
Break the cookies into the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse the cookies until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Melt 4 oz of butter in the microwave and add to the cookie crumbs. Pulse the mixture and stop when blended.
Spread the cookie crumbs into a 9 inch loose bottom fluted pan.
Use a spoon to spread the cookie crumbs up the side of the pan and along the bottom until the surface is smooth.
Slice 2 of the bananas and make a single layer on the base of the cookie crumb base. Cut some of the banana slices in half for the edges.
Fill up the entire base with banana slices.
Pour the cooled caramel (Dulce de Leche) over the bananas.
Use a knife to spread the caramel evenly over the bananas.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks appear. Transfer the cream into a piping bag.
The next step is to prepare the caramelized bananas. This is entirely optional. Peel and quarter the bananas.
Place the remaining 1oz of butter into a skillet or pan to melt and become hot. Brush each of the banana’s flat side with butter and spread on some brown sugar using a spoon. Push the sugar into the banana to help it stick.
Place the banana sugar side down into the semi-hot butter and sauté for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
While one side of the bananas is sautéing , brush butter over the top of each banana quarter.
Cover the buttered side with the remaining brown sugar and using a spoon press it into the banana.
Turn the banana pieces over to allow the other side to sauté.
When both sides of the bananas are golden brown, meaning they have been caramelized, arrange them onto the pie.
Adding the Caramelized Bananas and Whipped Cream
Pipe the whipped cream onto the pie.
Dust with cocoa powder and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to let everything set.
Flexibility
The caramel part of this pie offers lots of flexibility. I suggested using my recipe for Dulce de Leche which involves an Instant Pot. There are also suggestions on that post, how to make stovetop Dulce de Leche .
Canned Dulce de Leche (Nestle brand) can also be purchased at most grocery stores.
Also, caramel candies, (such as Werther Originals) can be melted and cream added. Melt 36 pieces of unwrapped chewy caramels in a pot, then stir in 2oz of cream. Remove from heat and add to the sliced banana in the pie tin.
For the pie base, any type of cookie crumb will work, such as shortbread, graham cracker, oat based cookies or ginger snaps. Some people prefer to use a shortcrust pastry.
Coconut oil can be substituted for butter. Add salt, about half a teaspoon if using coconut oil.
Yogurt or coconut cream can be used instead of whipped cream, but to be honest the whipped cream is not something I would substitute.
Top the Banoffee Pie with chocolate sprinkles, chocolate flakes, or grated chocolate.
Uses for Banoffee Pie
This is a wonderful dessert addition to any dinner party. Banoffee Pie lends itself to casual or formal dinners. It can also be eaten as a mid afternoon treat with a nice cup of tea!
Storage
Due to the presence of bananas and whipped cream, this Pie has a limited shelf life. I recommend eating it within 2 days. With half the bananas submerged in caramel and the other half having been caramelized, these 2 measures will prolong the life of the bananas. Exceeding the 2 day mark will highlight the darkening of the fruit.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator, preferably in a container with a lid.
Do not freeze.
A Tip From Me
This recipe includes pan fried caramelized bananas. I pan fried them because that choice of cooking method gave me the best results. How do I know this? I did an experiment! Here’s what I discovered:
| Procedure | Results |
| Brushing on butter + adding sugar, then air frying for 3-4 minutes. | Banana ended up being too light in color, adding more minutes in the air fryer only caused the banana to shrink and not change color. Bananas ended up being dry. |
| Brushing on butter + adding sugar, then caramelizing with a butane torch. | Even though both sides were covered in butter and sugar, the banana started to oxidize, showing brown and black discoloration hours later. |
| Brushing on butter + adding sugar, then pan frying each side for 3-4 minutes. | This was by far the best method. Bananas had an even, consistent color with a moist texture. This procedure also provided a longer shelf life for the bananas. |
Don’t be afraid to experiment with food!
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
- Can I make Banoffee Pie ahead of my dinner party? No, it’s best made day of, in the morning preferably, then chilled in the refrigerator until needed.
- What is Toffana Pie? It is basically the same style of pie but heavier on the caramel (toffee) part and lighter on the banana part, hence Toff(ee) Ana (banana) pie.
- Where did Banoffee Pie originate? Strangely in England. According to Veruska Anconitano, who authored the book Award-Winning Food Travel Journalist, Sommelier& Outdoor Lover, the recipe was created by Nigel Mackenzie, owner of The Hungry Monk Restaurant in East Sussex, in 1971. He experimented with a recipe involving bananas and toffee topped with cream and the Banoffee Pie was the result.
Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package pecan Sandies cookies 11.3 oz package
- 1 can full fat condensed milk
- 4 bananas
- 5 oz salted butter
- 8 oz cream
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Prepare the caramel by placing the condensed milk into an Instant Pot. I like to cook 4 cans at a time, but only 1 is needed. Follow the Instructions with the Dulce de Leche recipe.
- The Dulce de Leche will take 35 minutes to cook. Allow the cans to cool for 20 minutes before using. In the meantime start to prepare the cookie crumb base.
- Break the cookies into the bow of a food processor and pulse them until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Melt 4 oz of butter in the microwave and add to the cookie crumbs. Pulse the mixture and stop when blended.
- Spread the cookie crumbs into a 9 inch loose bottom fluted pan. Use a spoon to spread the cookie crumbs up the side of the pan and along the bottom until the surface is smooth.
- Slice 2 of the bananas and make a single layer on the base of the cookie crumb base. Cut some of the banana slices in half for the edges.
- Fill up the entire base with banana slices. Pour the cooled caramel (Dulce de Leche) over the bananas. Use a knife to spread the caramel evenly over the bananas.
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks appear. Transfer the cream in a piping bag.
- Peel and quarter the bananas.
- Place the remaining 1oz of butter into a skillet or pan to melt and become hot. Brush each of the banana's flat side with butter and spread on some brown sugar using a spoon. Push the sugar into the banana to help it stick.
- Place the banana sugar side down into the semi-hot butter and sauté for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
- While one side of the bananas is sautéing , brush butter over the top of each banana quarter.
- Cover the buttered side with the remaining brown sugar using a spoon and pressing the sugar into the banana.
- Turn the banana pieces over to allow the other side to sauté.
- When both sides of the bananas are golden brown, meaning they have been caramelized, arrange them onto the pie.
- Pipe the whipped cream onto the pie. Dust with cocoa powder and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to let everything set.
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