Here’s a delicious banana pudding pie that doesn’t contain any dairy, eggs, or gluten. I make the crust from shredded coconut and the filling uses a nut milk base. The filling has a really nice nut flavor. An idea for the future — I think using a combination of nut milk with coconut milk would be lovely.
I can think of only one thing that might be disappointing to die-hard banana pie fans — the lack of yellow coloring. 
Once they taste the pie, though, I don’t think they’ll complain. If there is someone who is still wary, ask them this. Would they really prefer a traditional banana pie which offers artificial yellow coloring cooked up in a lab, or this pie which contains whole foods made by God Himself?
Banana Pudding Pie with Coconut Crust
The Crust
- 1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons nut milk*
The Filling
- 3 cups unsweetened nut milk*
- 3 bananas
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon (rounded slightly) agar agar powder**
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Garnishes
- 2 bananas, for slicing
- extra nutmeg, for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Use coconut oil to grease a pie plate. Mix crust ingredients right in the pie plate. Press with fingers or the back of a spoon on the bottom and up the sides, until even all around. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown at edges. Turn off oven, as you will need it no longer.
Blend filling ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into saucepan. Over medium heat, bring all to a boil, while stirring constantly. Turn down the heat as far as you can, but making sure that the filling still simmers. Continue letting it simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from burner.
Slice the remaining two bananas, layering evenly over the crust. Pour the cooked filling over all. (Any extra filling can be poured into another bowl — good for curious taste testers and eager children!) Sprinkle nutmeg over the top of the pie.
Transfer to the refrigerator, uncovered. After a half hour, it should be set enough to cover with plastic wrap. Allow to chill completely for another 1-1/2 hours or more. Tastes great served with Vanilla-Coconut Ice Cream.
*Feel free to use any milk you prefer — rice, almond, hazelnut, cashew, or even coconut milk. Sweetened milks will result in a sweeter pudding. If using coconut milk, the filling will take on a coconut flavor.
**Use up to 1/2 teaspoon of the agar agar if you desire the filling to set more firmly than the pudding consistency which results from using 1/4 teaspoon.
© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon
About Wardeh
We learned early on that Gracie could not keep up condition or milk supply if we...
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I have a wheat allergy so I was drawn by the promise of a desert that I can eat. Looks great. I will try it. Thank you for posting your recipe. Aisha
Hi, Aisha. I hope you like it! -Wardeh
What a good idea using the agar agar to help ‘set’ rather than eggs! My (grown) dau. is allergic to egg yolks, & many of the Gluten Free recipes call for LOTS of eggs!! I have been using coconut flour in many recipes, & coconut milk in most ‘dairy’ applications.
(I intend to try the coconut milk yogurt ideas that I found here as well
Thanks!
I think maybe 1/8 tsp of turmeric would add the yellow color most people would appreciate without any funny taste. Turmeric has some strong coloring properties… Also i think arrowroot or xanthan gum may also be used as thickeners…
Also, I just LOVE Kal Brand stevia. That’s what I would use to sweeten this. I use this stuff all year long for all my homemade teas and kool-aid type drinks. Only 3/4 of a teaspoon sweetens a whole gallon of ice tea… my favorite tea to make is Celestial Seasonings acai-mango tea (10 tea bags) steeped in about 2 cups water. After steeping remove bags and add stevia. When cool pour into gallon pitcher and add water to make one gallon. Yummy and stops us from consuming soda. This mix is a more natural alternative to kool aid type drinks and makes me happy! I also use this as a delicious base for smoothies. Add one cup or so of acai tea add yogurt(unsweetened and low fat) a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries and 5-6 frozen strawberries. Two squirts of flax seed oil(Barleans) and the juice of one lemon. This smoothy is great for the liver. it stimulates bile flow with the combination of lemon and flax oil and can actually help you painlessly pass gallstones… (or you can just enjoy it because it’s super yummy, of course!) Add stevia to taste… I usually add 2-3 baby scoops(comes with the stevia) Enjoy!