Banana Pudding Recipe: 4 Tips for Making Banana Pudding
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 21, 2024 • 3 min read
This easy recipe for banana pudding is a low-maintenance dessert that serves a crowd.
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What Is Banana Pudding?
Banana pudding is a dessert consisting of layers of vanilla pudding studded with fresh banana slices and vanilla wafer cookies. Original recipes for banana pudding called for a top layer of toasted meringue. Over time, store-bought or homemade whipped cream replaced the meringue.
Some banana pudding recipes feature a crust of vanilla wafer cookies, like the graham cracker crust on an old-fashioned cheesecake. Other recipes simply call for layering whole cookies between the pudding and slices of fruit in a trifle bowl.
4 Tips for Making Banana Pudding
Homemade banana pudding is easy to make and customize with toppings and mix-ins, like chocolate chips. Here’s what to know about this dessert recipe:
- 1. Use ripe bananas: The strength of the best banana pudding is in the presentation of banana flavor, much like a banana cream pie. A true banana pudding isn’t overtly banana-y (unless you use banana-flavored pudding, which is an option) but rather features perfectly placed bites of the fruit, accented by rich vanilla custard. To make the most of those bites, use ripe—but not as overly ripe as you’d use for banana bread—bananas, sliced about one inch thick.
- 2. Make your own vanilla pudding: Simplify banana pudding by using an instant vanilla pudding mix—“no-bake” or “no-cook” versions of the dessert contain cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk whisked together with a pudding mix. However, a homemade vanilla custard brings an extra level of finesse and allows better control over the sweetness of the final dessert.
- 3. Serving temperature: Banana pudding is a beloved potluck dessert, mostly because you can serve it chilled, and it won’t suffer when sitting out for some time at room temperature. In the Southern United States, it’s even customary to eat banana pudding slightly warmed.
- 4. Assembling and storing in advance: To save time, assemble banana pudding in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Gently press a sheet of plastic wrap over the top custard layer to prevent skin from forming, and top the dessert with whipped cream before serving. You can store leftover banana pudding in an airtight container for up to three days.
Classic Banana Pudding Recipe
makes
prep time
5 mintotal time
15 mincook time
10 minIngredients
- 1
Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to temperature, slowly stirring until the sugar completely dissolves in the milk. Be sure to keep the milk moving.
- 2
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a medium-size mixing bowl.
- 3
Temper your eggs by slowly ladling a small amount of the milk mixture into your eggs while stirring. Keep ladling in small amounts of milk until the eggs have warmed to a similar temperature as the milk (about 4 ladlefuls).
- 4
Slowly pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepot while stirring everything together. Continue stirring until the egg and milk mixture thickens and becomes viscous enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla extract, season with a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
- 5
Strain the pudding mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl set in an ice bath (or place the bowl in the refrigerator). Allow the pudding to chill for at least one hour until set.
- 6
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Beat until soft peaks form.
- 7
When you’re ready to assemble, line the bottom of a large glass bowl (like a trifle dish), a baking dish, or individual ramekins or glass jars with a layer of wafer cookies. Add a layer of bananas, spritz them with lemon juice to prevent browning, and top with a few scoops of pudding. Smooth into an even layer with a spoon, and repeat with remaining cookies, sliced bananas, and pudding. The final layer should be pudding.
- 8
Top the dessert with whipped cream (and a cherry if using) and serve.
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