Featuring a from-scratch, no-bake graham cracker crust, sliced bananas, dulce de leche, and coffee whipped cream, each bite of banoffee pie is the reliable balance of sweet and salty. This creamy pie is speedy and simple to make (no oven required!) – and always steals the show!

Slice of pie on white plate with layers of sliced bananas, dulce de leche, coffee whipped cream, and chopped peanuts on top.

If you are a fellow pie-lover, check out some of our favorite creamy pies for holidays, special occasions, or a “just because” weeknight dessert:

What is Banoffee Pie?

If you aren't familiar with banoffee pie, you're in for a treat. Banoffee pie is a traditional English dessert made with a digestive biscuit base, bananas, cream, toffee (or dulce de leche), and occasionally coffee or chocolate.

The name "banoffee" comes from the combination of ingredients: bananas + toffee = banoffee! Banoffee can be used to refer to any dessert with that flavor combination – in today's instance, we're making pie.

This particular recipe for banoffee pie comes from the legendary pie served at Jim Lahey's now-closed Co Pane restaurant in New York City. The only difference is that the restaurant's version is topped with chopped hazelnuts instead of peanuts.

Three Main Components

Unlike most traditional baked pie recipes, banoffee pie is a no-bake recipe that comes together quickly and easily.

There are three layers to love:

Graham Cracker Crust: A thick, buttery graham cracker crust is the pie base. Instead of classic graham crackers in the crust, try chocolate graham crackers, use other types of crackers/biscuits, or make an Oreo cookie crust.
Filling: Top sliced bananas with a jar of dulce de leche for the creamy pie filling. For best results, use ripe but not too ripe bananas (yellow with just a couple of brown spots).
Whipped Cream: We like adding espresso powder to from-scratch whipped cream for something extra. If you’re not a fan of coffee, omit the espresso powder for classic whipped cream.

Side by side photos of sliced bananas on top of graham cracker crust, then dulce de leche spread over bananas.

Dulce de leche vs. sweetened condensed milk

It's important to note that the original English version of banoffee pie calls for from-scratch dulce de leche (often referred to as "toffee"), but we took a shortcut. If you'd like to make your own dulce de leche, boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.

For detailed instructions, see this post from Serious Eats.

Topping and serving options

No banoffee pie is complete without a fun garnish! Try any or all of these pie toppings:

Your favorite kind of chopped nut
A sprinkle of mini chocolate chips
Chocolate shavings or curls
A drizzle of chocolate sauce or salted caramel

Baker notes

Banoffee pie is a great make-ahead recipe and can be assembled in advance (a wonderful dinner party dessert). There are two options for making banoffee pie ahead of time:

Crust: Make the crust, tightly cover the crust-lined pie plate, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to assemble, let the crust come to room temperature and continue with step 2.
Fully Assembled Pie: Make the pie and refrigerate it uncovered, up to 1 day in advance. We do not recommend freezing the entire pie as the bananas become soggy and wet when thawed.

Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

2 cups ( 198 g ) graham cracker crumbs, (approximately 14 whole graham crackers)
⅓ cup ( 71 g ) light brown sugar
½ cup ( 113 g ) unsalted butter, melted
Pinch salt

For the Filling:

3 bananas, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
14 ounces dulce de leche

For the Coffee Whipped Cream:

1½ cups ( 340 ml ) heavy cream
1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
½ cup ( 99 g ) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Garnish:

Chopped hazelnuts or peanuts
Shaved chocolate

Method

Make the Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and salt, ensuring no lumps of brown sugar remain. Drizzle the melted butter over the graham cracker mixture and toss to combine with a fork, ensuring that the mixture is evenly moistened. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, and pack tightly using the back of a measuring cup. Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
Assemble the Filling: Arrange the sliced bananas on the crust, then spread the dulce de leche over top of the bananas using an offset spatula or back of a spoon.
Make the Coffee Whipped Cream: In a large bowl, whisk the espresso powder into the heavy cream until dissolved. Add the sugar and vanilla and, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip on medium speed until frothy and beginning to thicken (2 to 3 minutes). Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until still peaks form (the cream should look billowy and there should be distinct trails left by the whisk in the whipped cream).
Spread the whipped cream over the filling and garnish with chopped hazelnuts (or peanuts) and shaved chocolate, if desired, and serve. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

Crust – You can substitute other types of crackers/biscuits or use other alternatives like Oreos, chocolate graham crackers, etc.

Bananas – For best results, use ripe but not too ripe bananas (yellow with just a couple brown spots).

Dulce de Leche – we use canned dulce de leche for this pie, but if you wish to make your own, you need to boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk. For detailed instructions, see this post from Serious Eats.

Coffee Whipped Cream – You can substitute plain from-scratch whipped cream ; see the post above for other topping options.

Instant Espresso Powder – Some grocery stores carry it, but we usually buy the King Arthur Flour jar.

Make-Ahead – You can make prepare the graham cracker crust, cover and freeze the pie plate for up to 3 months. The entire pie can be assembled 1 day in advance. We do not recommend freezing this pie.

Photography by Lauren Grant.