There’s not much that beats this banana pudding. Silky smooth vanilla custard, sweet homemade whipped cream, fresh bananas and those vanilla wafer cookies. They start out crunchy and then that magic moisture turns them into soft and tender goodness. An overnight stay in the fridge is non negotiable if you want maximum flavor and the absolute best texture.

finished blue tray of banana pudding and scoop lying next to the tray this recipe
Table of Contents show

Make the vanilla custard

Did you know that the most famous banana pudding in the entire world comes from a box??? My mind was blown. Magnolia Bakery in NYC uses instant vanilla pudding in their recipe. Nothing against instant stuff, but if I’m going to the trouble of making something fancy and layered up like this, it’s going to be really good. It’s a little bit of extra work, but more than worth it.

I’ve used this custard recipe for almost everything. It’s probably the most loved recipe in my kitchen, making it a natural place to start when I began developing this banana pudding. Thick, stable and unbelievably creamy and rich, be sure to add the butter at the end to get the best mouthfeel.

Whipped cream

pan of layered banana pudding with scoops removed and scoop on top
cup of banana pudding with whipped cream and vanilla cookies and spoon

Also homemade. We’ve gone this far and made the custard at home, might as well just make the whipped cream. A few things to consider when making it yourself:

  • Make sure the bowl and whisk attachment (both preferably made of metal) are completely chilled. I usually put both in the freezer before starting the recipe.
  • Like the bowl and whisk, keep the whipping cream as cold as possible.
  • Get the cream to soft peaks before adding the powdered sugar. If the cream has a chance to build up some structure first, it really cuts down the risk of running or weeping after the sugar is added.
  • Make sure the peaks are FIRM. As long as everything is nice and cold, it’s not likely that things will separate into butter, even with extended whipping.

Fold the whipped cream into the custard in 2 halves, just to make things more manageable.

Bananas & Cookies

The classic choice for banana pudding are vanilla wafer cookies, but I’ve used Pepperidge Farm Chessmen squares as well as Salerno butter cookies. All three are fantastic, so don’t be afraid to get outside the box! I wouldn’t encourage anything that isn’t basically vanilla, though.

Just like with an icebox cake, the vanilla wafer cookies soak up ALL the delicious moisture overnight in the fridge, turning them into soft, cake-like bites that have the best texture ever.

And the bananas? Of course you need them. This is BANANA pudding, after all. They shouldn’t brown too much inside the actual layers, but I don’t encourage decorating the top of the pudding with them. They will definitely brown in record time when exposed to air.

pan of layered banana pudding with scoops removed and scoop on top

Storage

The longer this banana pudding rests in the fridge, the more incredible it tastes. The max amount of time to store it? Surprisingly long, I kept a control container of it for a week, and on day 8, it started to break a little and lose the creaminess. I can almost guarantee you won’t have leftovers for that long, but just in case you’re hiding some to eat all by yourself, now you know 😉

Print
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cup of banana pudding with whipped cream and vanilla cookies and spoon

Banana Pudding

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  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Chilling Time: 12 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 12 hours + 50 minutes
  • Yield: 15 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Stovetop, Refrigerator
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This banana pudding is one of my favorite recipes. Homemade vanilla pudding and fluffy whipped cream makes it totally dreamy and the BEST dessert for picnics/potlucks.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the vanilla pudding

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 TB pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

For the whipped cream

  • 2 cups heavy cream, very cold
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

To assemble & serve

  • 2 – 11oz boxes of mini vanilla wafers
  • 2 large bananas

 

Instructions

  1. Make the pudding. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, whole eggs, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Whisk vigorously until thick and pale and set aside. In a large saucepan or saucier, heat the milk until scalded, or 150F/65C. Slowly stream the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly, until all the milk has been incorporated.
  2. Add the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and place back onto medium heat. Whisk constantly until very thick and and pudding-like. It will take a while, close to 6-7 minutes. Be patient and just keep whisking. When it approaches the right temperature for setting, it will seem as though it’s starting to curdle. It is NOT. Continue to whisk vigorously until the whole pot has thickened and the whisk leaves noticeable trails that stay behind.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and butter. Whisk until the butter is melted and the everything is incorporated. Spread the hot pudding over a large plate or platter and cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming as it cools. Allow to chill completely in the fridge, about an hour. 
  4. Make the whipped cream. Once the pudding has chilled, add the 2 cups heavy cream to a cold metal stand mixer bowl and use the whisk attachment to whip on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue whipping on high speed until VERY firm peaks have formed. Rap the whip attachment on the side of the bowl to clean it out, and set the whipped cream aside.
  5. Remove the cold pudding from the fridge if you haven’t already, and use a rubber spatula to scrape it into a large mixing bowl. Beat it with the spatula until it’s smooth and creamy. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding in 2 additions, making sure the first addition is completely blended before starting the second. Keep the finished pudding mixture in the fridge until needed.
  6. Assemble. Separate out 1 cup of mini vanilla wafers and add to a plastic Ziploc bag or food processor. Pulse in a food processor until you’ve reached sandy crumbs, or use a rolling pin to crush them in the plastic bag. Set the crushed cookies aside. Slice 2 large bananas into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
  7. In a deep 9 x 13 baking dish, (mine has 3 1/4 inch sides and this came up with about 1/2 inch to spare.) Add 1/4 of the pudding mixture and spread it to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of vanilla wafers and sprinkle with some of the crushed wafers. Add another 1/4 of the pudding mixture and then the sliced bananas, sprinkled with more crushed wafers. Add another 1/4 of the pudding mixture before another layer of wafers and crumbs. Finally, Add the last 1/4 of pudding mixture and arrange the last layer of wafers on top. Garnish as desired with sliced banana, the remaining crushed wafers, or more whipped cream.
  8. Allow to chill for at least 12 hours in the fridge to allow the vanilla wafers to soften and for the flavors to meld.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 371
  • Sugar: 31.2 g
  • Sodium: 455.6 mg
  • Fat: 18.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 9.6 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 47.6 g
  • Fiber: 0.9 g
  • Protein: 5.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 109.9 mg

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