This Hairy Bikers banoffee pie recipe from Perfect Pies has a chocolate Hobnob base, homemade hob toffee, and five bananas layered with whipped cream at around 600 calories per slice. It serves 12 with no baking needed, and the whole thing comes together in about two hours including the chill time.
Si and Dave say to “forget the calorie counting” with this one, and after making it I understand why. The toffee is cooked on the hob in three minutes from butter, dark brown sugar, and condensed milk, which means no boiling a can for hours and no risk of it exploding in your kitchen.
The base needs chocolate oaty biscuits like Hobnobs, not plain digestives, because the cocoa adds a second flavour layer under all that toffee. Most online versions get this wrong and end up with a flat, one-note base that disappears under the filling.
Hairy Bikers Banoffee Pie Recipe
Description
A no-bake dessert with three layers: crunchy chocolate biscuit base, rich buttery toffee, and bananas folded into soft whipped cream with grated dark chocolate on top. Si and Dave call it their best ever, and it has earned that title in my kitchen too.
Ingredients
For the Biscuit Base:
For the Toffee Filling:
For the Topping:
Instructions
- Make the base: Melt the butter in a small pan, then crush the Hobnobs to crumbs in a food processor or by bashing them in a strong plastic bag with a rolling pin. Stir the melted butter into the crumbs until everything is thoroughly combined, then tip the mixture into a 23cm deep loose-based tart tin and press firmly into the base and sides. Chill for 30 minutes until set.
- Cook the toffee: Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and stir in the dark brown sugar over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks smooth with no oil floating on the surface. Add the condensed milk and bring to a gentle simmer while still stirring, then cook for 3 minutes until the mixture turns a deep, creamy caramel brown. Pour the toffee gently onto the chilled biscuit base, smooth over the surface, and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
- Assemble the topping: Just before serving, lightly whip the cream until it stands in very soft peaks, since anything thicker will look over-whipped once mixed with the bananas. Diagonally slice 4 of the bananas and scatter half of them directly over the toffee, then fold the remaining slices gently into the cream and spoon it on top.
- Decorate and serve: Slice the last banana into a bowl with the lemon juice and toss very gently so it does not brown. Poke the lemony slices into the cream randomly, then sprinkle with grated chocolate or chocolate curls. Serve in fairly thin slices because it is very rich.
FAQs
Can you freeze banoffee pie?
The biscuit base and toffee layer freeze well together for up to a month if you wrap the tin tightly in cling film, so you can build that part weeks ahead and store it flat in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before adding the fresh topping.
The cream and bananas do not survive freezing though, because the cream weeps and the bananas turn to mush once thawed. Always add those two layers fresh on the day you plan to serve, which only takes 10 minutes of slicing and whipping.
How long does banoffee pie keep?
A fully assembled banoffee pie keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, but the bananas are the weak link because they darken and soften after the first 24 hours. The toffee and base actually improve overnight as the flavours settle, so the pie often tastes better on day two if the bananas still look decent.
If you know you will not finish it in one sitting, assemble only the slices you need and keep the rest as base and toffee in the fridge. Add fresh banana and cream to each portion as you go, and the leftover base stays good for 4 to 5 days.
Can you make banoffee pie the day before?
Yes, and Si and Dave designed this recipe for exactly that. The toffee can chill on the base for up to 8 hours, which means you can build the bottom two layers the night before and forget about them until serving time.
Leave the cream and bananas until 10 to 15 minutes before you bring the pie to the table, because whipped cream deflates slowly in the fridge and the bananas start browning once sliced. The assembly is the quickest part of the whole recipe, so there is no reason to rush it early.
Can you use carnation caramel instead of making the toffee?
It works as a shortcut, but the flavour is noticeably different because shop-bought caramel is made from condensed milk alone without the butter and dark brown sugar that Si and Dave add. Their hob toffee has a richer, more buttery depth with a slight molasses edge from the dark sugar, while carnation caramel tastes sweeter and thinner.
If you do use it, spread it slightly thicker than you think because it sets softer than the homemade version. You will also miss the darker colour that the brown sugar gives, so the toffee layer ends up a paler blonde rather than a deep caramel brown.
Do bananas go brown in banoffee pie?
The four bananas inside the pie are mostly protected by the toffee below and the cream above, so they stay pale for several hours as long as the pie is kept cold. The slices on top are the ones at risk because they are exposed to the air, which is why Si and Dave toss the fifth banana in lemon juice before decorating.
A ripe but firm banana also browns slower than a soft spotty one, which is why the recipe calls for that exact ripeness. If you need an extra safety margin, brush the toffee surface with a thin layer of lemon juice before laying down the first round of banana slices, since that creates an invisible barrier underneath them too.
