Banana Pudding

Name: Banana Pudding
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 4 h 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 cups whole milk; 4 large egg yolks; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 (11 oz) box vanilla wafers (about 60 cookies); 4 ripe medium bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds; 2 cups heavy whipping cream; 3 tablespoons powdered sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for whipped cream)

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

To make banana pudding, whisk together a cooked vanilla custard, layer it with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, and top with whipped cream or meringue. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving so the cookies soften and the layers set.

Jump to Recipe

Banana pudding is not really about bananas by themselves. It is about what happens after vanilla custard, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers spend several quiet hours in the same dish and stop behaving like separate ingredients. This version starts with a cooked custard made from whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla. It needs steady stirring over medium heat because custard is patient right up until it suddenly is not; after several uneventful minutes, it thickens quickly enough to punish anyone who chose that moment to investigate a text message.

Layer the warm custard with wafers and bananas, then refrigerate the pudding for at least four hours—overnight is even better. That resting time is part of the recipe, not an administrative delay. The wafers absorb custard and soften into a cake-like layer while the banana flavor settles through the dish. Choose fruit that is ripe and yellow with a few spots: green bananas bring very little flavor, while severely overripe ones can darken and collapse. Just before serving, cover the top with vanilla whipped cream and crushed wafers if you like. The finished pudding is cold, creamy, soft, and nostalgic enough to make a perfectly rational adult start guarding the corner piece with the territorial instincts of a farm dog.

Prep20 minutes

Cook15 minutes

Total4 hours 35 minutes (includes chilling)

Serves10 servings

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (11 oz) box vanilla wafers (about 60 cookies)
4 ripe medium bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for whipped cream)

Instructions

1In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, and salt until combined.
2In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks into the milk until smooth. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
3Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble — about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not walk away from this. The custard will seem like nothing is happening for several minutes and then it will happen all at once.
4Once the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and holds a line when you drag your finger through it, remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
5Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
6While the custard cools slightly, slice your bananas. Choose bananas that are fully yellow with a few spots — too green and they'll taste like nothing, too brown and they'll turn the whole pudding gray.
7In a 9x13-inch baking dish (or a deep trifle bowl), arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers across the bottom.
8Spread about one-third of the warm custard over the wafers. Add a layer of banana slices in a single, slightly overlapping layer.
9Repeat: wafers, custard, bananas. Repeat once more, ending with the final third of custard on top. You can press a few wafers into the top layer if you want the ones that will soften into something almost like a ladyfinger.
10Cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. The cookies need time to soften into the custard and become part of something greater than themselves.
11Just before serving, beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe over the top of the pudding.
12Serve cold. Garnish with crushed vanilla wafers, a few banana slices, or nothing at all — it does not need the help.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 10 servings.

520Calories

7 gProtein

59 gCarbohydrates

29 gTotal Fat

16 gSaturated Fat

2 gFiber

40 gTotal Sugars

200 mgSodium

170 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk if you can avoid it. It fights the custard the whole way and the result is looser than it should be. Whole milk from a regular carton is what this recipe expects.
The custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line. If you have a thermometer, you're looking for 170°F to 175°F. Pull it off the heat the moment it gets there — overcooked custard goes grainy and then you have to start a support group.
Layer while the custard is still warm, not hot. Warm custard clings to the wafers. Cold custard slides off them like it has somewhere else to be.

Substitutions

whole milk → 2% milk Works but produces a slightly thinner custard. Do not use skim — you will be sad.

heavy whipping cream → Cool Whip (8 oz container) Structurally sound, as the church lady insisted. Fold it on gently rather than spreading with force.

vanilla wafers → ladyfingers or shortbread cookies Ladyfingers soften faster and produce a slightly more elegant texture. Shortbread stays crunchier longer, which some people prefer.

unsalted butter → salted butter Fine — just omit the 1/4 teaspoon of added salt in the custard.

Storage Instructions

Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The bananas will darken slightly after day one, which affects appearance more than flavor. Do not freeze — the custard breaks and the texture becomes deeply upsetting.

Make Ahead

This pudding is genuinely better made the night before. The cookies soften completely, the custard firms up, and the layers meld in a way that same-day banana pudding never quite achieves. Add the whipped cream topping within 2 hours of serving.