Freshly made dulce de leche is layered into a gingersnap cookie crust and topped with sliced bananas and freshly whipped cream. This Banoffee Pie is a rich and satisfying dessert!

My opinion on dessert has always been to go all out, or don’t even bother.

“Skinny-fying” sweets has never left me satisfied, to the point where eating slimmed down desserts is counterproductive.

Today’s dessert goes all out, and is rich, flavorful, and bold.

Banoffee Pie - In a Pie Plate with a Slice Being Cut with a Pie Server

If the name “Banoffee” strikes you as a little strange, that’s because it’s not really a word. It’s a mashup of bananas and toffee, though dulce de leche is the commonly used ingredient for that caramelized flavor.

This pie is incredibly simple, and is one of those instances where the perfect combination of a couple ingredients results in something spectacular. Just like the greatness of a simple Rice Pudding, not every dessert needs a million ingredients to be one of the best pleasures on earth. 

You get multiple different textures and flavors at once. I kind of hate the “party in your mouth” phrase but even I can admit that here it totally applies. It’s so good!

How to Make Banoffee Pie:

Make the Dulce de Leche:

Dulce de leche can sound exotic if you’re not familiar, but it’s simply sweetened condensed milk that’s been cooked until caramelized.

If you can find store-bought dulce de leche, feel free to use that. I’ve never seen it at any of the stores I shop at, but fortunately it’s really easy to make it yourself.

For the safest method, pour sweetened condensed milk into a double boiler setup, which is just a heatproof glass bowl on top of a saucepan that’s filled with an inch or two of simmering water:

Pouring Sweetened Condensed Milk Into a Double Boiler

The good news is this method is fairly hands off, as it only needs to be stirred every hour, but it will take 3 hours for it to get dark and thick. 

I have gotten away with cooking dulce de leche in a nonstick pan and stirring constantly over medium-ish heat for 15 minutes, but it’s really easy to scorch the milk and mess it all up. So, the patient way is best.

Make the Crust with Gingersnaps instead of Graham Crackers:

The crust we’ll make is a ground cookie crumb crust, akin to a standard Graham Cracker Crust, but with gingersnaps instead.

It’s standard to use graham crackers, but the gingersnaps are SOOOOOO much better here.

The gingersnaps are bolder and have more spice to them, and they’re super compatible with the other flavors in the pie.

Tip: If you can, try to get the triple gingersnaps from Trader Joe’s that have pieces of candied ginger in them. But any brand will work here!

Grind up the gingersnap cookies in a food processor (or crush it up in a ziptop bag using a rolling pan), then add melted butter:

Pouring Melted Butter Into a Bowl with Ground Gingersnap Cookie Crumbs

Toss everything around to distribute the butter and evenly moisten the cookie crumbs:

Gingersnap Cookie Crust in a Mixing Bowl with Spatula

Dump the crumbs into a 9″ pie plate (I bought the Emile Henry one, which I love, affiliate), then press very firmly using your fingertips and a measuring cup:

Pressing Gingersnap Cookie Crust into Pie Plate with Cup

Compacting the crumbs well now will help the crust hold together better later.

Bake the pie for 10 minutes to let it set, then let it cool on a wire rack.

Whip the Cream:

Combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar in a bowl:

Heavy Whipping Cream, Vanilla Extract, and Sugar in a Bowl for Chantilly Cream

Use a hand mixer to whip to soft peaks:

Chantilly Cream Whipped to Soft Peaks in Bowl

Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready for it.

Assemble the Banoffee Pie!

Once the crust has cooled, spoon in the dulce de leche:

Pouring Dulce de Leche Into Gingersnap Crust for the Best Banoffee Pie Recipe

You can see how thick and dark it gets from cooking!

Spread it out evenly, then layer on freshly sliced bananas:

Adding Sliced Bananas to the Dulce de Leche Layer

I do a double layer of bananas. Be generous with them!

Then, spread the chantilly cream on top:

Spreading Whipped Cream On Top of the Banana Slices

Chill the pie for an hour, which will help firm up the pie and make it easier to slice and serve later. You can also make the pie up to 8 hours ahead of time and keep it uncovered in the fridge.

Before serving, I drizzle the top with caramel sauce:

Banoffee Pie Recipe - Presented in a Ceramic Pie Plate with Caramel Drizzle

Totally optional, but I love the look! I tend not to do dulce de leche on top because it’s so thick, and is tougher to drizzle.

It is also common to top the pie with chocolate shavings, but I personally don’t think the chocolate flavor is compatible to the flavors here.

Here’s an inside view of the pie, also with more caramel on top:

Inside View of Banoffee Pie in Pie Dish

It’s kind of a mess, but a totally delicious mess. Millionaire’s Shortbread is another dulce de leche dessert I love. Enjoy!

More Pie and Tart Recipes That I Love:

Peanut Butter Pie

Lemon Buttermilk Pie

Pie Crust

Strawberry Tart

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Banoffee Pie Slice in a Pie Plate with Pie Server

Banoffee Pie

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
Dulce de leche is layered into a gingersnap cookie crust and topped with sliced bananas and freshly whipped cream.
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Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 2 cups gingersnap cookies to end up with 1.5 cups ground gingersnaps
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted

For the banoffee pie:

  • 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 6 large bananas
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • caramel sauce or chocolate shavings, for garnish optional

Instructions 

  • Start with the Dulce de Leche: Place the sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler setup, by setting a glass heatproof bowl on top of a saucepan with two inches of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook for 3 hours, until thick and butterscotch colored, stirring every hour. You may need to refill the water once or twice. Let cool.
  • Prepare the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the gingersnap cookies in a food processor and grind it into a fine crumb.
  • Pour the ground gingersnaps into a small mixing bowl, and stir in the butter, until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs firmly into a 9" pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Pour the dulce de leche into the crust, and spread it evenly.
  • Peel and slice the bananas about 1/4" thick, then lay them on the dulce de leche, stacked in two layers.
  • Make the Chantilly Cream: Place the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whip to soft peaks on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Spread evenly on top of the bananas.
  • Chill the pie in the refrigerator for an hour before serving, which will help the pie hold together better when serving.
  • It is not necessary to garnish the top, but if desired, drizzle caramel sauce on top, or sprinkle on some chocolate shavings. See blog post for more discussion on garnishes. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 155mg, Potassium: 485mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 769IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post updated with new photos and writing in November 2020. Originally published February 2012.