Banana Pudding

This creamy dessert brings back all the childhood memories, is super-easy to make and might just be the best thing ever for a warm day. Homemade banana pudding looks stunning in a trifle bowl but tastes just as good if you serve it in a bowl or casserole dish. If you like impressive desserts, then you should also try my french macarons, decadent bananas foster, or my classic creme brulee! 

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Bananas: You’ll need between 4 and six bananas for this recipe, it depends on their size as well as your dish. They should be nice an ripe with brown spots just appearing on the skin.

Vanilla Wafer Cookies: Nilla Wafers are a classic choice for this dessert but you can use Chessmen or shortbread cookies instead.

How to Make Banana Pudding

1. Combine the cold milk and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl then whisk together. Add the vanilla pudding and whisk until no lumps remain. Refrigerate for 5 minutes or until set.

2. Whip cold cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form then set aside. You want the cream to be on the firm side but be careful not to over-whip as it will curdle.

3. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding.

4. Begin assembling your desert. This looks great in a trifle dish but you can use any bowl or casserole dish. Add a layer of cookies to the bottom then a quarter of the pudding. 

5. Add another layer of cookies followed by banana slices and then more pudding. Repeat until you’ve used all the pudding. You can alternate rows of banana and cookies pressed against the edge of the bowl for an easy and beautiful presentation.

6. Whip one more cup of cream then pile on top and crumble cookies or add more banana slices on top. Chill for three hours to set fully or enjoy immediately if you can’t wait. 

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• If you’re worried about over-whipping the cream then whip until you reach soft peaks then finish it off by hand.
• Use ripe bananas that are still firm.
• If you prefer, whipped topping can be used in place of whipped cream.
• Try adding a drizzle of ganache for a delicious chocolate banana treat.
• Any cookie will work in this recipe so have fun using your favorites!
• If you don’t have a trifle dish then just use a big glass bowl, or assemble in small serving cups.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make banana pudding from scratch?

This recipe is super-delicious but you can of course make the pudding from scratch! Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 tsp salt in a large sauce pot then whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

Whisk three eggs in a bowl and drizzle 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the eggs while whisking then pour the eggs into the milk mixture and cook on medium bringing to a low boil while stirring. Cool before using.  

How do you make banana pudding without bananas turning brown?

You can brush the banana slices with lemon or pineapple juice but they will darken when the pudding chills. If the color bothers you then serve right away or skip the visible bananas and just pop a few slices on top before serving. 

Should banana pudding be refrigerated?

Banana pudding has a lot of dairy so it should definitely be stored in the refrigerator. Your pudding will come together and set after three hours of chill time.

How ripe should the bananas be?

Your bananas should be very ripe but still firm. They’ll be dotted with brown spots but not in banana bread territory yet.

If you’ve tried this Banana Pudding recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!