| 💷 Total Cost £3.83 |
🍰 Per Slice 47p |
⏱ Prep Time 25 mins |
⏳ Chill Time 2.5 hrs |
🍽 Serves 8 |
This is a classic British banoffee pie made with a digestive biscuit base, homemade butterscotch caramel, fresh bananas, and whipped cream. The only part that needs your full attention is the caramel — it can burn quickly if the heat is too high, so low and slow is the rule here.
A slice of banoffee pie in a café will typically set you back £5 to £6.50. This recipe produces eight slices for a total of £3.83 — that's 47p each, using ingredients bought from Aldi and Tesco. The only thing the café version has over this one is that someone else is making it.
The reason the cost stays low is straightforward: most of the ingredients are basic storecupboard items. The condensed milk is the biggest single expense at around £1.05 per tin, and you only use three-quarters of it. I've made this twice now — the second time was noticeably better, because I understood what the caramel is supposed to look like before it's ready, rather than guessing.
Prep time is around 25 minutes of actual work. The rest is chilling time — about 2.5 hours total. One honest note: the caramel step is easy to rush, and rushing it is the one reliable way to end up with a burnt, grainy result. Keep the heat low and keep stirring. That's genuinely the only tricky part.
The caramel here is a simple combination of butter, sugar, and condensed milk — the condensed milk provides the sweetened dairy base that thickens as it heats, giving you a smooth, sticky result without needing a sugar thermometer. The butter coats the sugar molecules and prevents crystallisation, which is why the texture stays silky rather than grainy. As for the biscuit base: the ratio of 200g biscuits to 90g butter creates a firm-but-not-crumbly crust once chilled — go much lower on the butter and it won't hold together when you cut it.
Your Questions Answered First
If you're wondering whether homemade banoffee pie is genuinely worth the effort compared to a supermarket version — the honest answer is yes, but with conditions. A supermarket banoffee pie (Tesco's own, for example) runs around £3.50 for six portions, so the per-slice cost isn't dramatically different. What you get at home is a noticeably better caramel — richer and less processed-tasting — and the satisfaction of knowing exactly what's in it. You don't need a stand mixer, an oven, or any specialist equipment. A 20cm loose-bottom tin helps, but even a flan dish works. The one thing you genuinely cannot rush is the caramel; it needs a full 3 minutes of steady stirring over a moderate heat to thicken properly. Skip that and it stays runny.
What Does It Actually Cost?
Here's the full cost breakdown, based on prices checked at Aldi and Tesco in March 2025. Note that only 300g of the condensed milk tin is used — the remaining ~97g can be saved for another recipe or spooned over tinned peaches, which is exactly what I did with mine.
| Ingredient | Amount Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Digestive biscuits (Aldi own-brand) | 200g | 35p |
| Butter (Aldi) | 165g total | £1.33 |
| Bananas | 2 (approx 1.5 used) | 31p |
| Light brown sugar | 75g | 27p |
| Condensed milk (Tesco own-brand) | 300g (from 397g tin) | £1.00 |
| Double cream | 150ml | 57p |
| Total (8 slices) | £3.83 / 47p per slice | |
Ingredients
- 200g digestive biscuits
- 90g butter, melted
- 75g butter
- 75g light brown sugar (demerara or dark brown also work)
- 300g condensed milk (approximately ¾ of a standard 397g tin)
- 1.5 to 2 bananas, sliced
- 150ml double cream
- Optional: a small square of dark chocolate, grated or shaved
Step-by-Step Method
Step 1 — Prepare the Tin
Line a 20cm loose-bottom tin with greaseproof paper. I fold the paper in quarters, place the base of the tin on it, and cut around the edge — this gives you a circle that fits neatly inside. Cut a couple of narrow strips to line the walls as well. A very thin smear of lard or butter around the tin helps the paper stay flat against the sides.
Step 2 — Make the Biscuit Base
Put the 200g of digestive biscuits into a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin until you have a fine, even crumb — no large chunks. Melt the 90g of butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then tip in the crumbs and stir until every bit of biscuit is coated. Transfer the mixture into the lined tin and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon to create an even base. Then use the flat base of a glass to press it more firmly against the walls — this builds a slight raised edge that helps hold the caramel in later.
Refrigerate the base for at least 30 minutes. The butter needs time to firm up; if the base feels soft when you add the caramel, it'll slide rather than hold.
Step 3 — Make the Caramel
This is the most important part of the recipe, and the one that rewards patience. Melt the 75g butter and 75g brown sugar together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring as they combine. Once the butter has melted into the sugar and the mixture looks smooth and glossy, add the 300g of condensed milk — that's roughly three-quarters of the tin, not the full amount.
Return the pan to a moderate heat and stir constantly. The key word here is constantly — leaving it unattended for even 30 seconds at too high a heat will cause the bottom of the pan to scorch. After about 3 minutes of steady stirring, the caramel will thicken noticeably; it should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clear trail when you drag your finger across it. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before pouring.
Pour the caramel over the chilled biscuit base and return the whole thing to the fridge for at least 2 hours. The caramel needs to set firm enough to hold the banana slices without sinking.
Step 4 — Add the Bananas
Once the caramel has set — it should be firm but still slightly soft in the centre — slice 1.5 bananas into rounds of about 4mm thickness and arrange them across the entire surface of the caramel, starting from the outside and working inward. Fill any gaps with extra pieces from the second banana. You don't need to be precise here; overlapping is fine.
Step 5 — Whip the Cream and Finish
Whisk the 150ml of double cream by hand or with an electric whisk until it reaches soft peaks — it should hold a shape when you lift the whisk, but not be stiff. Spoon it over the banana layer and spread it out to the edges. If you want to add dark chocolate, use a vegetable peeler to shave a few curls directly over the cream — a small amount goes a long way and adds a slight bitterness that balances the sweetness of the caramel.
Refrigerate for a final 30 minutes before serving. This helps the cream firm up slightly and makes slicing much cleaner.
For UK allergen guidance, visit food.gov.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different type of biscuit for the base?
Yes — digestive biscuits are the most cost-effective and give a neutral, slightly sweet base that pairs well with the caramel, but rich tea or even ginger nuts work. Ginger nuts will add a noticeable spice flavour that some people really like with banoffee. Avoid anything too thick or hard; they don't crush as evenly.
Does the banana go brown in the fridge?
The caramel slows this down considerably because it limits the banana's exposure to air. In my experience, if you assemble the pie and eat it within 24 hours, the banana stays in good condition. Beyond 2 days, you'll start to see some browning around the edges — it's still perfectly fine to eat, just less photogenic.
Can I use single cream instead of double cream?
Single cream won't whip — the fat content is too low. You need at least 35% fat for cream to hold peaks, which means double cream or whipping cream. Double cream from Aldi or Lidl is typically around 55–65p for 150ml, which keeps the cost reasonable.
What can I do with the leftover condensed milk?
The remaining ~97g from the tin can be spooned over tinned peaches, stirred into coffee, or used as a base for a simple fudge. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a covered container — don't leave it in the tin.
Does the type of brown sugar make a difference to the caramel?
Light brown sugar gives a milder, more golden caramel. Dark brown sugar or demerara produces a deeper colour and a slightly more intense, almost molasses-like flavour — both work, and it genuinely comes down to preference. I've used all three and the texture is the same; only the colour and depth of flavour change.
Can this be made a day ahead?
Yes, and it's actually better that way. Making it the evening before and keeping it covered in the fridge overnight gives the caramel more time to set fully, and the base becomes firmer. Add the cream layer on the day of serving if you can — this keeps it looking its best. If you add it the night before, it'll still taste fine but the cream may spread and lose its shape slightly.
Final Thoughts
At £3.83 for eight portions, this recipe works out at 47p per slice — which stacks up well against both café versions (typically £5–£6.50 a slice) and supermarket options (around 55–60p per portion). The actual hands-on time is about 25 minutes; the rest is passive fridge time. One honest caveat: the cost saving over a decent supermarket banoffee pie is relatively small, so the main reason to make this from scratch is the quality of the caramel — it genuinely tastes different to a pre-made version, and that difference is noticeable. If you've made this and found a way to keep the caramel from catching at the bottom of the pan that I haven't mentioned here, I'd be interested to hear it in the comments.
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