My Favorite Banoffee Pie
This is my favorite banoffee pie! A chocolate crust is spread with dulce de leche, topped with bananas, and finished with cream and toffee. It is incredible!
I originally posted this recipe for Banoffee pie in 2012. I recently updated the recipe in order to make it better than ever with a new and improved crust, better balanced flavors, and lots of recipe notes to make it foolproof. Enjoy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Made this a few weeks ago and it was fantastic! Everyone requested this pie to make a showing again at Thanksgiving. -Marie
Key Ingredients for Banoffee Pie
- Chocolate cookie crust: The chocolate cookie crust for this banoffee pie is a no-bake crust that chills in the freezer or refrigerator prior to assembling the pie. Chocolate cookies or chocolate graham crackers are used in the crust.
- Dulce de leche: This is a key component to banoffee pie (providing the “toffee” element). I’ve found the La Lachera/Nestle brand of dulce de leche provides a delicious dulce de leche layer without making the pie soupy (as some readers have reported). It may help to lightly warm the dulce de leche so it is easier to spread over the cookie crust.
- Bananas: Bananas are an essential ingredient for this pie! They cut the sweetness and provide a delicious textural contrast to the creamy dulce de leche and whipped topping. Don’t skimp on the bananas! I use three medium-size bananas for this pie.
- Whipped cream topping: The topping for this pie is a combination of cream cheese, brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, sour cream and vanilla. The sour cream balances the sweet flavors of the topping (and pie).
This pie is very straightforward and simple to make! Because the crust isn’t baked and the other ingredients are quickly layered, it comes together really quickly.
Tips for Making Banoffee Pie
- This pie is best served chilled. Refrigerate the assembled pie for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours before serving (keeping in mind that the bananas will start to darken with time).
- This pie is very rich! Cut the pie into thin slices or slivers for serving. Even I (who has a very high tolerance for the richest of desserts) enjoy just a small serving of this pie.
- This pie can be made ahead of time. Make the crust and whipped topping ahead (both can be made several days in advance and refrigerated) and then assemble the pie a few hours before serving.
- This pie can be adapted. Swap out the chocolate cookie crust for a graham cracker crust or a blind-baked pie crust. Additionally, the cream cheese can be left out of the topping for a more classic whipped cream topping (if doing so, reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup total and take out the sour cream, as well).
I’ve been making this Banoffee pie for over ten years. It is one of Brian’s all-time favorite pies, and when I open the door to dessert suggestions for Thanksgiving or his birthday, it is always at the top of his list.
The combination of flavors is unique and so delicious! It really is a showstopper of a pie, especially for anyone that loves banana-cream-type pies.
My Favorite Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs or chocolate graham cracker crumbs (see note for using Oreos)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
Pie:
- 13.5-ounce can or jar dulce de leche
- 8 ounces light or regular cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 medium bananas
- ½ cup chocolate-covered toffee bits
Instructions
- For the crust, in a medium bowl, stir together the crumbs and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 20 minutes (this helps the crust stay put when spreading the dulce de leche).
- For the dulce de leche, lightly warm the dulce de leche if it is thick and hard to spread. Spread the dulce de leche evenly over the cookie crust. Refrigerate while making the topping.
- For the topping, in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and brown sugar. Mix until smooth and fluffy. Add the heavy whipping cream, sour cream and vanilla, and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the mixture is thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
- For the bananas, slice the bananas 1/4-inch thick and layer the slices over the dulce de leche. It's ok if the bananas overlap; don't skimp on the bananas. They are necessary to balance the sweet flavors of the pie.
- Spread the whipped cream filling over the bananas, making sure to spread all the way to the edges of the pie, covering the bananas completely so they don't brown.
- Sprinkle the top of the pie with the remaining toffee bits.
- Chill the pie for at least 2 hours before serving. The pie can be chilled for up to 8 hours (keeping in mind that the bananas will start to darken with time).
- This pie is very rich and can easily be cut into small slices for serving.
Notes
Chocolate Crust: For the crust, I prefer using chocolate crackers or cookies (rather than Oreos – the cream in the Oreos can make the crust greasy). If using Oreos, either scrape the cream filling out before using the cookies or use whole Oreos, reduce the butter to 5 tablespoons, and eliminate the sugar from the crust.
Dulce de Leche: I’ve found the La Lachera/Nestle brand of dulce de leche provides a delicious dulce de leche layer without making the pie soupy (as some readers have reported).
Toffee Bits: I use the Heath brand of chocolate covered toffee bits. If you can’t find chocolate covered, chop up regular-sized Heath bars.
UPDATE: Over the years, I’ve made changes so this pie is better than ever (a bit less sweet for more balanced flavors, more bananas, crust that holds together better). Those changes are reflected above. If you are wanting the original recipe, click here.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 540kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 91mg, Sodium: 316mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g
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Recipe Source: adapted from Our Best Bites
Recipe originally published June 2012; updated November 2025 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks for a great new pie!! My family loved it! I made one with the cream cheese topping and one with just whipped cream and toffee bits. We preferred the second… not quite as rich. Anyway, this will definitely be making an appearance for Thanksgiving!! You’re awesome!
I made this today but the dulce de leche was way too soupy. The whole pie itself was really sweet too. It was good, but I couldn’t eat a whole “slice”.
It doesn’t help the lessen the sweetness problem but substitute bananas for strawberries!! Thanks for the delicious pie recipe!
We have made this pie mutiple times and love it every single time. It’s one of my husband and brother’s favorite desserts! Thank you for constantly putting out wonderful recipes! My family loves everything I make from your site.
Also one more thing, when my sister and I exchange recipes we’ll be like “it’s Mel’s ” like it is code for make it now or something. We all love you.
You are so cute, thanks, Amy!
Mel – I made this for one of our Thanksgiving desserts this year. As always with recipies I get from your site, it was a hit! Thank you for sharing!
PS I whipped the cream cheese (regular, not light) until it was smooth and fluffy, added the sugars and then added the heavy whipping cream– worked great!
This was delicious– thanks for a great recipe! I did do a few things to cut the sweetness a bit: for the crust used Famous Chocolate Wafer cookies instead of Oreos (just crushed the cookies and mixed them with melted butter using the recipe on the box which eliminated the sweetness from the oreo filling), used 16 oz. of store bought dulce de leche (instead of 20 oz), used three bananas instead of two, and cut the powdered sugar in the whipped cream/cream cheese topping down to 2 Tablespoons (left the brown sugar at 1/4 cup). The pie was still very sweet and very delicious but no problems with “soupy-ness” or anything else. Thanks again!
Would appreciate it if someone could tell me what I did wrong…
while the pie was still DELICIOUS, I had trouble with the topping.
I followed all directions, including room temperature cream cheese – but after adding the heavy cream to the sugar/cheese mixture, it would just barely start to whip up, but then would separate into lumpy liquid. This happened 2x, so I ended up just whipping the cream on its own. Thoughts?
(Still no leftovers and no complaints!)
Lee – Did you use light cream cheese or regular? I’m not really sure what went wrong although I know others have mentioned when they add the cream cheese and cream together (before whipping), the overall mixture doesn’t get as thick for them. I use my blender which whips it up very thick but if it works better for you to whip the cream first and then fold in the cream cheese, that might be a better option.
Could you use plain toffee bits, not chocolate covered?
Viktoriya – Sure. That would work fine.
I made this for company, and not just any company, the kind we had just met and were having over for the first time. I trust you like that 🙂 You did not disappoint…you never do…it was amazing! Everyone loved it – young and old. I only used a 12 oz can of dulce de leche since you said how sweet it was and I wouldn’t use more than that for sure, maybe I’d even use less next time. The flavor combination was incredible and the pie came together so easily. A real winner, Mel!
This was SO good!!! I bought the dulce de lech (found by the evaporated/condensed milk section) and I didn’t have the soupy problem some people are talking about. I had leftovers on day three and it was still amazing!!
This looks amazing! I think I’ll make it for our dessert night on Sunday. Thanks Mel!
Mel!! I made this pie yesterday (in honor of Pi Day 😉 ) and well, my extremely picky boyfriend just said this: “Well, I don’t like bananas, or toffee, but damn, that’s a good pie.” You know that’s a winner!! He wasn’t even going to try it because of that but he said that after one bite. The best feeling in the world is converting a skeptic! Thanks for the amazing recipes!
you need to put unflavored geletin in the whipped cream, it makes it firm and keeps for days!
A friend made this and it is truly one of the best desserts I ever tasted!
My husband went to Scotland on his mission and this is his favorite dessert from there. I found a cheater recipe that tastes divine and he likes, so I can’t wait to try this one! Thank you so much!!!!!!
My Goodness! I made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing it! Next time, and there WILL be a next time, I will up the quantity of bananas so there is a good two layers of them because, yes, they balance the sweetness. I pressure cooked my cans of sweetened condensed milk for 16 minutes instead of the recommended 15 and maybe that helped the consistency hold up and not ooze too much. Thank you again for making me a star this Thanksgiving! 😉
Hi Michelle – I made this pie, too, for Thanksgiving and made the mistake of using two small bananas, which meant the banana layer wasn’t very prominent and the overall pie was WAY too rich and sweet. It made me realize that a thick layer of bananas is needed to offset the sweetness.
I’ve noticed if we have leftovers (lasting more than a day or so) that the pie gets a bit soupy. I’m guessing the dulce de leche thins out a bit upon standing with the other ingredients. But yes, it is kind of a “softer” pie. I can cut it into slices but I kind of scoop them onto plates. It doesn’t hold it’s shape like, say, a pumpkin pie. Hope that helps!
I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and I think I may have done something wrong because it was a total mess when I cut it. There’s about half of the pie left and the empty half of the pie plate is flooded with thinned out dulce de leche. Does that happen for you? I pictured the dulce de leche staying in a firmer layer and being able to see all the distinct layers of the pie. I’m not sure why it thinned out so much in the pie. I also found the whole thing to be too sweet for me.
The good news is, we love the dulche de leche. It is SO easy! It’s like magic to come down in the morning and sure enough, it turned into dulche de leche over night! It was perfect for dipping apples and pretzles, or fingers (my 5 year old daughter). I’m pretty sure this will be the Christmas treat we make to give away to friends/teachers, etc. this year. It will be cute in mason jars with an apple on top all in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon or raffia. Thank you for supplying me with such an easy, delicious idea!
I am English, this is a favorite for my family. Just thought I would share…….
I gave my daughter -in-law ‘death by chocolate’ at her baby shower, she had her baby that night. Must be the chocolate factor ha?
Wow!!! That’s a description! I wish I had more excuses to make desserts, because if it is not a special occasion then I eat it all myself (not good)! This, for sure, will be made for the next get together.
Brittany – I adapted the recipe from one I spied on ourbestbites.com (listed in the Recipe Source under the recipe above) but I don’t know where they got it from. I have come across several other banoffee pie recipes since then that are quite different so it looks like there are a lot of variations out there.
Megan, I tried that dulce de leche brownie recipe last week and it was terrible–the brownies were super, super dry and crumbly and I cooked them 10 minutes less than it called for. They looked great though. 🙂
I have made this pie twice now. I love bananas and caramel so it’s right up my alley. The only problem is that it is almost too sweet so I’m going to have to tweak it a bit to make it less so (like the toffee bits aren’t really needed, etc.) . Also, it’s super hard for me to spread the dulce de leche on the cookie crust. Paula Dean’s recipe says to just pour it over the bananas so that is what I started doing and it works much better for me.
Mel, just out of curiosity, where did this recipe come from? I have been researching other banoffee pie recipes and most of them use digestive biscuits or graham crackers for the crust and straight whipping cream (no cream cheese) for the topping, so I was curious how this recipe came to be. It’s a keeper!
Thanks!
I took this to a friend’s house for dinner and her daughters were absolutely not going to have any cause they thought it sounded weird. But then they tasted it, and oh, they inhaled it. I didn’t take any home and they told their mom she HAD to get this recipe. So thanks! It’s awesome.
haha… love the labor story!! The pie looks and sounds delicious as well!!!
I saved it, YUMMY!
Mmmm…delicious! Thank you for sharing! I made this the other day when we had the missionaries over for dinner. I am always looking for a new experiment to try when we have them (my philosophy: even if it’s a major dud, those boys will eat it anyway – haha!), and this pie did NOT disappoint! Everyone agreed that the bananas were a nice surprise to bite into. It was so yummy, I did not send them home with extras like I usually do…but I did tell them I would make it again the next time they come over 😉
Love your blog! I haven’t tried a recipe yet that I haven’t looooved!!
I love Banoffee Pie! I make a very tiny version though because one piece is enough for everyone and the whipped cream seeps in the fridge.
Brittany – nope, don’t scrape out the Oreos. Use the whole cookie.
Darci – I think this pie really needs the bananas to offset the sweetness. Sorry! That’s a bummer to be allergic to bananas, man.
I loooove banoffee pie! Yours sounds delicious!
What if you are allergic to bananas? I want to try this so bad, it looks delicious. Can you think of anything to substitute instead?
So this is probably a weird question, Mel, but I have oreos to use for this crust. Do I have to scrape off the creme part of the Oreo and just use the cookie part or is it okay to use all of it?
Thanks!
gigi – nope, I don’t bake the crust. I’ve made it before with a chocolate cookie crust that I did bake and it worked fine that way, too, I just prefer it this way.
I’m still chuckling at the thought that with the other ingredients in the list you still offered the lighten up the cream cheese option. Yep, make mine the light version so I can have another slice!
You don’t have to bake the crust ?
I almost didn’t even click on the post because I thought the “offee” in “Banoffee” was coffee….. and the coffee/banana combo did not appeal to me, not even a little.
I’m glad it’s toffee…. and I’m glad I clicked. 🙂
This may be the only time I wished I weighed more so I could also eat my body weight in Banofee Pie…for World Records sake of course because who would eat it for fun…right? Ok fine! I would! Where have you been my whole life Banofeeeeeeeee?!
This look delicious. I almost passed it up because I though it might have coffee in it, and I don’t like coffee. Instead it has everything I like bananas, toffee, dulce de leche, cream cheese and whipping cream. What more can I ask? I will be making this very soon. Thanks for sharing.
I like the chocolate crust! I will try it this way next time.
How about a picture of a cut slice??? That might convince me – I love to see the inside of what I might make before I make it! 🙂
Sounds wonderful, but I think using a chocolate wafer or chocolate graham cracker crust would lessen the highly ‘sweetness’ of the pie…it IS very sweet, but bananas chocolate, caramel and cream cheese? well , that spells heaven to me !
no doubt aboot it (that’s my impression of a canadian accent), banoffee pie is ridiculously good. it seems like a random combination, but it’s simply amazing.
marybeth – I’ve never bought dulce de leche, I’ve always made it myself (there is a link in the post to the homemade kind) but I think I’ve spied it in the Mexican foods aisle of the grocery store.
auntiepatch – hmmm, I wouldn’t leave out the bananas – they help to cut the sweetness and add necessary texture. Sorry!
Can this be made without bananas? We really aren’t banana lovers……
This sounds incredible! I need to try this!
My husband lived in England for a few years so I have made the “English” version using chocolate Hob Nobs for the crust and a Flake chocolate bar for the topping. I will have to try your vesion as trying to find Hob Nobs and Flake bars isn’t always an easy task. I find your comment about it putting you into labor quite comical. I am reaching my due date of August 12 and as it gets hotter and I get more uncomfortable, I just might have to see what this pie can do for me.
can you tell me where to look in grocery store for the dulce de leche?????
Sounds wonderful. I’ll probably wait till this next weekend to try it, but I know we’ll
love it!
I have never even heard of this pie but it sounds delicious! It would be a easy dessert for company.
We love Banoffee pie in my family. I will have to try this version. We always make it with a graham cracker crust topped with unsweetened whipped cream and orange zest.