My Favorite Banana Pudding {From-Scratch}
This from-scratch banana pudding recipe is our favorite! Homemade vanilla pudding is layered with bananas and Nilla wafers. It is luscious, creamy, and perfect!
Banana pudding is a simple title for a classic dessert that involves layering vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, wafer cookies and topped with whipped cream. This homemade version is fantastic and so easy to make!
Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding
This is one of Brian’s most-loved desserts of all time. Here are all the reasons you should make it!
- Despite being “from-scratch,” this dessert is super simple to make at home. Once the pudding is made, it comes together fast and just needs a little chilling in the fridge to set up.
- While it is delicious any time of the year, it makes an exceptional dessert during summer time. Bring it to your next BBQ potluck get together and prepare to be the most popular one at the party.
- The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd!
- There is the perfect ratio of pudding to bananas to cookies (with a note in the recipe about how to change that up, if desired!).
Bonus: If you happen to have leftovers of this dessert, try adding a scoop to a blender with vanilla ice cream and a splash of milk for a banana pudding pie milkshake. It’s AMAZING.
Key Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: This adds sweetness to the homemade pudding.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch is whisked together with the sugar and egg yolks and is the thickener for the pudding.
- Egg Yolks: Using just the egg yolks adds extra richness (and yellow color) to the homemade pudding.
- Milk: It’s best to use 2% or whole milk for a pudding that is creamy and thick.
- Heavy Cream: This ingredient is used in the pudding and in the sweetened whipped cream (for the top of the banana pudding).
- Butter: A small amount of butter is stirred into the pudding after it cooks for a glossy smooth consistency and texture.
- Vanilla Extract: This is used in both the pudding and the whipped cream.
- Bananas: Choose bananas that are ripe and firm without any brown spots. You’ll need 3 to 4 bananas for this recipe.
- Wafer Cookies: I use the Nabisco brand of Nilla wafers. You’ll need about half of an 11-ounce box for this recipe (about 35 cookies total).
How to Assemble Banana Pudding
- Spread about 1 cup pudding across the bottom of an 8X8-inch baking dish.
- Cover with a single layer of sliced bananas.
- Add wafer cookies across the top in a mostly single layer.
- Cover with pudding and another layer of bananas.
- Spread the remaining pudding over the top.
- Sprinkle cookie crumbs over the top.
Alternate option: I assemble the banana pudding as detailed above and dollop individual servings with sweetened whipped cream. However, you can spread the whipped cream on top of the final pudding layer and then sprinkle with the cookie crumbs for a slightly different assembly method.
Additional Notes
This banana pudding dessert is such a classic. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And mostly: it’s crazy, crazy good.
Here are a few more quick notes to help make it foolproof:
- Pan Size: It helps if the 8X8-inch pan you are using has 2-inch sides. All of the layers make a pretty full pan.
- Pan Variations: You can assemble this dessert in a bowl, small trifle dish, 8- or 9-inch circle cake pan or any other dish with about a 2-quart capacity. The recipe can be doubled for a 9X13-inch pan (preferably a pan that is 2 inches or deeper).
- Make Ahead: Because the bananas can discolor with time, it’s best to serve this dessert within 6 to 8 hours of assembling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Add this to your make-soon list! It’s a keeper of a recipe (and much simpler than this older trifle-style version I have on my site). I hope you love it!
My Favorite Banana Pudding {From-Scratch}
Ingredients
Pudding:
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (39 g) cornstarch
- 3 large (54 g) egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups (665 g) 2% or whole milk
- ⅓ cup (81 g) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bananas + Wafers:
- 3 to 4 bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 35 to 37 vanilla wafer cookies, like Nilla wafers (about half of an 11-ounce box)
Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup (242 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the pudding, in a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt until well combined.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges.
- Slowly ladle the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. This tempers the egg yolks so they don't scramble.
- After all the hot milk has been whisked into the egg yolks, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly as the pudding comes to a simmer. Cook until large bubbles pop on the surface and the pudding has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Immediately remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. This helps remove any small lumps from the pudding.
- Add the butter and vanilla and stir into the pudding until evenly combined.
- To assemble, spread 1 cup pudding in the bottom of an 8X8-inch square or circle baking dish.
- Add a single layer of sliced bananas.
- Add a layer of wafer cookies (about 25) on top of the bananas.
- Dollop half of the remaining pudding (about 1 1/3 cups) in spoonfuls across the wafer cookies and spread to cover.
- Add a single layer of sliced bananas.
- OPTIONAL: You can add another layer of cookies here if you like. We are a house divided. My husband likes the extra cookies in this layer, but I prefer a more creamy pudding without them.
- Spread the remaining pudding (about 1 1/3 cups) over the top. See note below about assembling the rest of the dessert.
- Crush 10 to 12 wafer cookies into coarse pieces/crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the pudding layer.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to set up (or up to 8 hours – it can be refrigerated longer, but the bananas may darken a bit in color).
- For the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together until medium peaks form.
- Serve scoops of chilled banana pudding with a dollop of whipped cream on top and additional crushed wafer cookies, if desired.
Notes
Whipped Cream/Assembling: For an alternate way to assemble, after spreading the last layer of pudding on the dessert, cover and refrigerate until the pudding is fully cooled (don’t sprinkle on the wafer cookie crumbs). When cooled, spread the sweetened whipped cream on top of the pudding followed by the crushed wafer cookies. (I personally like dolloping whipped cream on top of individual servings, but either method works fine, depending on your preference. Keep in mind that the whipped cream can get a bit liquidy if spread on top of the banana pudding and refrigerated for too long).
Pan Size: It helps if the 8X8-inch pan you are using has 2-inch sides. All of the layers make a pretty full pan.
Pan Variations: You can assemble this dessert in a bowl, small trifle dish, 8- or 9-inch circle cake pan or any other dish with a 2-quart capacity.
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 442kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 242mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
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Divine! And so much easier than I imagined.
Yay! Happy to hear that, Kristen!
I’m on team “more cookie.” I definitely like it with more Nilla Wafers. This recipe is pretty good as is, but everyone thought it was kind of bland for Father’s Day and lacking in flavor. I made it again the next day with homemade banana pudding, and it takes it to another level. So much flavor! Essentially, the only difference is sautéing 2 overripe bananas sliced in 1 T butter. Pour in the milk/cream or half and half to the sauteed bananas, bring to a boil, then turn off the stove and cover with a lid. Cool for 45 minutes. Then you can proceed with the recipe as normal but strain out the bananas from the milk/cream with a fine mesh strainer. (I throw the cooked bananas away.) The banana pudding is so yummy this way!
Another helpful tip, to avoid using a fine mesh strainer with the pudding after it’s finished cooking, I mix the egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, and salt in a blender with some of the cooled milk. (If the milk is warm, you will want to add a little at a time to temper the egg yolks.) I get lump-free pudding every time this way as long as I stay diligent in my whisking.
Thanks for the input, Haley!
We made this yesterday, and all of us loved it. We doubled it in a 9×13 dish and made it dairy-free due to a food allergy. I used a full container of dairy-free cream (16oz or 533g) and then used almond milk for the remaining 1,039 grams called for (remember, I doubled it) to get more of the full-fat milk for a creamier pudding, and it turned out great! I made a small batch with graham crackers rather than vanilla wafers to keep it dairy-free. And then we used dairy-free coconut cool whip, as I didn’t have it in me to make dairy-free whipped cream, but otherwise, I followed the recipe as is. Also, that coconut flavor was a hit with the bananas! It was so very tasty. Thanks for sharing another great recipe! Oh, and we did a section with the extra layer of wafers, and we’re Team Mel and preferred it without. Life is Good 🙂
Whoops, I forgot to rate this, definitely a five-star recipe!
I doubled this recipe for father’s day, and it was a hit! I made a small portion with gluten free vanilla wafers, which worked great, and the non gluten free portion, I used homemade vanilla wafers! If you haven’t tried this, I’d highly recommend it. I used the recipe from King Arthur, which was really simple. So delicious! Thanks Mel!
That’s fantastic to hear, Aubri! Homemade vanilla wafers takes this to a whole new level, I bet!! Thanks for sharing.
Ellen! What a wonderful and helpful review on how you made this dairy free. I know that will be so helpful for others looking for a dairy free version. THANK YOU!!
This recipe is, by far, the best Banana Pudding recipe I have ever made. I absolutely love that it is all made from scratch. “From Scratch” recipes are usually the best. I plan on making it for our family get together on the 4th of July. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us.
I’m so happy you loved this, Sharon!! It’s always so fun to share classic recipes with a from-scratch version…this will be perfect for the 4th!
I made this recipe for Father’s Day dessert and it was an enormous hit. My husband loved it so much. He wanted it for breakfast the next morning. Our grandchildren loved it as well and practically licked their plates.
This made me so happy to read, Shelly! Glad this banana pudding was such a hit!
I really appreciate the information provided on the banana pudding
This was very yummy, thank you Mel!
So happy to hear that, Alexandra! Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you for yet another delicious recipe!
Would doubling this recipe be too much to fit in a 9×13 pan? For instance, if you were hoping for two 9×13 pans of banana pudding for a Father’s Day crowd would you triple or quadruple the recipe?
Yes, I would double for a 9X13-inch pan! So if you want two 9X13-inch pans, I’d quadruple all the ingredients.
Yum! Made this for dessert tonight and received rave reviews. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
So happy you made this and loved it – thank you, Michelle!
Mel, this looks delicious. One quick question though, do you use fully ripened bananas, or some just beginning to spot? I’m thinking of the sweetness level here more so than the appearance since the banana slices are covered with pudding and whipped cream.
Thanks
Good question, Stella! I use bananas that are bright yellow. I don’t use bananas that are spotted or turning brown.
Thanks for posting this today. It looks amazing and is now on the menu for Father’s Day!m.
Side note- I’ve been making pudding in the microwave for years and it comes out amazing and is great for a lazy cook like me who likes to use the least about of dishes. I throw all the ingredients in a glass bowl except the butter and vanilla and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every minute and it comes out perfect.
Mel, think I got this idea for another of your pudding recipes and it’s my go to for quick, easy, delicious pudding.
Thanks for the microwave method, Becky! I’ve used the microwave to thicken sauce for spinach artichoke dip, so it makes sense that it would work here. I’ll have to try it!
My son is getting married in early August and has requested homemade banana pudding for the rehearsal dinner dessert. The wedding is 4 hours away and we arrive the day of the rehearsal dinner. We will have access to a limited kitchen several hours before. If I make the pudding portion the day before and then assemble on location, do you think the pudding will travel well without separating? Will the whipped cream survive 24 hours in a separate container? I wouldn’t cut the bananas until assembling and I wouldn’t assemble until a few hours before the rehearsal. Thank you for your help! I always prefer making from scratch!!
Out of curiosity, how many will you be serving? I think your plan sounds perfect and is probably exactly what I would do. Yes, I do think the pudding will travel quite well as long as it stays chilled in a cooler. As for the whipped cream, I think I would either try whipping it on location as you begin to assemble or make stabilized whipped cream so it will travel and stay thick (and not get liquidy on the edges). To stabilize whipped cream, I’ve found the best ways is to use gelatin (you can google how to do this and get better advice than I can give you, most likely!) OR surprisingly using a couple teaspoons of instant vanilla pudding mix is a great way to stabilize whipped cream (and a bit easier than using gelatin).