How to make old-fashioned banana pudding from scratch with homemade vanilla pudding, fresh sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream.
When I first decided to make this banana pudding recipe from scratch, I really wanted my grandmother's recipe. I searched all thru her recipe box, even though I knew I hadn't seen it, and I asked family if anyone had it.
Even though I couldn't find Grandma's homemade banana pudding, I came up with a pudding that's really pretty similar. And I came up with a hit; my boys were amazed that we could make delicious pudding without a mix.
Unlike my mom's banana pudding with cream cheese, this is a cooked pudding. It's also a no bake pudding; everything is done right on the stove. Even though I don't prefer a lot of stove time with my recipes, this is one exception I'll make because it really is that good.
Most of the ingredients you likely already have in your pantry or fridge; you may need to grab some bananas and vanilla wafers, though.
And while you can make this a banana pudding with meringue, I chose to use whipped cream. Mostly because I'm still working to perfect my meringue, but also because whipped cream is so easy, and easy is good when it comes to desserts.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my pudding making tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the old-fashioned banana pudding recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
LET'S TALK INGREDIENTS…
Milk: While I use whole milk, you can use 2% milk to make pudding. And while I haven't tried it, almond milk can be subbed for whole milk. I've read that rice milk makes a delicious pudding, but again, I haven't tried it. If you're trying to make this dairy-free, it may just take a bit of trial and error.
Egg Yolks: Be sure to separate your eggs, and only use the egg yolks to make the pudding. If you want to make a meringue, save your egg whites for that.
Vanilla Wafers: I would normally prefer to use gluten-free vanilla wafers, but you can use any type or brand you wish. If you don't have vanilla wafers, graham crackers make a great substitute.
Bananas: While you want ripe bananas, you don't want them to be overripe, like you do for banana bread. You want to use them while they're bright yellow without a lot of speckles or brown on them.
Remember, all of the ingredients and ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
2-qt. baking dish or Trifle Dish or Individual Trifle Dishes – I used my 2-quart clear casserole bowl (that happens to have a lid too).
Whisk and Heat-Resistant Spatula
HOW TO MAKE OLD-FASHIONED BANANA PUDDING FROM SCRATCH
Be sure to gather all of your ingredients before you start the process of cooking your pudding, because once you start cooking, you'll need to stay with it and keep stirring so it doesn't scorch.
HOW TO COOK HOMEMADE BANANA PUDDING
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt.
- Over medium heat, whisk the milk in, stirring constantly 'til the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
- Once your mixture has thickened, reduce the heat to low, and cook 15 minutes longer, constantly stirring to avoid scorching.
- Next pour a small amount of the hot milk mixture over the beaten egg yolks, beating together well.
- Return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture; over medium heat, cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove your thickened pudding from the heat, and add vanilla extract to the mixture, stirring 'til the vanilla is mixed into the pudding.
HOW TO LAYER VANILLA WAFER BANANA PUDDING
Now you're ready to layer everything together.
- Begin by layering a small amount of the pudding on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Add half the vanilla wafers, creating an entire layer of vanilla cookies on the bottom and just up the side.
- Layer half the sliced bananas on top of the wafers.
- Add half the remaining pudding as another layer.
- And then you'll start all over again… Form a new layer with the rest of the vanilla wafers.
- Add the rest of the sliced bananas.
- Finally, spread the rest of the pudding on top of the bananas.
- Add a top and final layer of whipped cream on top, and serve while still warm; or you can chill it and serve it cold.
FAQ:
There may be a few reasons. Pudding can be a finicky thing; even stirring your pudding too vigorously can make your pudding runny. More likely, though, if your pudding isn't brought to a full boil, it won't set correctly and may be runny. If you did bring it to a boil and it's still runny, then it just needs to cook more. if it's still runny after cooking the allotted time, you may have added too much liquid.
Bananas should not be too ripe when sliced. Dipping or sprinkling the bananas with a lemon juice and water mixture will help a bit. Sealing your pudding with meringue or whipped cream can also help keep air from getting to the bananas and turning them brown.
Store banana pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Banana pudding will keep in the refrigerator 1 to 3 days.
HOW TO SERVE BANANA PUDDING
I like to use fancy dessert dishes and top them each individual pudding with crushed vanilla wafers and/or a little dollop of whipped cream.
MORE BANANA DESSERT RECIPES:
GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE
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Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 box 11-15 ounces vanilla wafers
- 6 bananas peeled and sliced
- 8 ounces whipped cream
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt.
- Over medium heat, whisk the milk in, stirring constantly 'til the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
- Once your mixture has thickened, reduce the heat to low, and cook 15 minutes longer, constantly stirring to avoid scorching.
- Next pour a small amount of the hot milk mixture over the beaten egg yolks, beating together well.
- Return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture; over medium heat, cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove your thickened pudding from the heat, and add vanilla extract to the mixture, stirring 'til the vanilla is mixed into the pudding.
- Now you're ready to layer everything together. Begin by layering a small amount of the pudding on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Add half the vanilla wafers, creating an entire layer of vanilla cookies on the bottom and just up the side.
- Layer half the sliced bananas on top of the wafers.
- Add half the remaining pudding as another layer.
- And then you'll start all over again… Form a new layer with the rest of the vanilla wafers.
- Add the rest of the sliced bananas.
- Finally, spread the rest of the pudding on top of the bananas.
- Add a top and final layer of whipped cream on top, and serve while still warm; or you can chill it and serve it cold.
Can I use.gram crackers instead of vanilla wafers?
Yes, Kim, graham crackers make a fine substitute. Let me know how it turns out!
Can I use lactose free milk
I can’t see why not! It will be thinner, so you may need to tweak the amounts just a bit.
Why I’d it tht color? I make homemade banana pudding and it is not this color.
What’s wrong with the color, if you don’t mind me asking?
Could I mash the bananas and add them to the pudding? Would that make the pudding runny? My husband doesn’t like the texture of biting into banana pieces.
I think that would work just fine, Melissa. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
put whole bananas in the pudding and after it all cools you can remove the bananas. You will still have the taste without the bananas. I don’t like the bananas in my pudding either lol