Decadent Homemade Banana Pudding Recipe
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Ready to make old fashioned banana pudding from scratch? Its so easy to create fresh homemade banana pudding with delicious slices of ripe banana, crushed vanilla wafer crust and topping both as well as a delicious dollop of whipped cream. The perfect decadent Southern dessert!
Nothing says spring like fresh banana pudding.
With simple ingredients most likely in your pantry, this banana pudding uses fresh bananas for the most vibrant mouthwatering flavors. And with vanilla wafers and a poof of whipped cream, this banana pudding dessert is sure to stand out from the crowd.
A few things to note when making this quick and easy banana pudding:
- The banana in this pudding is from adding fresh banana. There is no actual “banana pudding” in the pudding. Instead, this classic recipe takes totally creamy and homemade sugar and milk to create a base to fold fresh bananas right into.
- Bananas tend to brown quickly and its not pretty, so place your pudding in the fridge and only assemble when ready to serve.
- Do not add cookies to this pudding top until ready to serve as they will get soft in the fridge.
- Serve your pudding in small dishes as this is a sweet dessert and you wont need much to be satisfied
- Homemade Pudding is best made day before and refrigerated overnight for assembly and flavor
- No jello, instant pudding or sweetened condensed milk needed
- Will likely remind you of your grandmas banana pudding!
Old Fashioned Banana Pudding Recipe
This Southern homemade banana pudding is made from scratch, with the sweet banana flavor coming from fresh bananas. No boxed pudding here, you can easily make your own old fashioned classic banana pudding with a few simple ingredients and some patience.
Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone.
Here is what you need to gather to get started:
- white sugar
- flour
- salt
- milk
- egg yolks
- vanilla
- butter
- vanilla wafer cookies
- fresh bananas
- whipped topping
RELATED RECIPES: Banana Poke Cake, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Banana Pudding Dip, Homemade Banana Pudding, Banana Bars, Crock Pot Banana Bread
Keep your Banana Pudding From Burning
Milk can burn/scorch a bit, which can cause a few chunks to get into the pudding. This doesn’t affect the taste at all, but to avoid this, you need to stay on the burner constantly when I say to! No stepping away! And if you feel any sticking of the pudding, reduce heat but continue to stir.
Substitutions: When talking about desserts, I always prefer FULL FAT dairy like Whole Milk over watered down like 1%. You can also substitute heavy cream for milk.
Banana Pudding From Scratch
Add sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan.
Mix well in the bottom of the saucepan.
Pour in milk and mix over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, about 8-10 minutes.
Mixture will bubble and boil and thicken. Do NOT walk away from this.
You must constantly stir to prevent sticking or burning in lumps. If mixture DOES seem to stick, turn down heat slightly.
After thickened, remove from heat and slowly drizzle in egg yolks while whisking mixture.
Return to medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove pudding from heat.
Stir in vanilla and butter until melted.
Let set to cool.
Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight until completely cool.
To assemble banana pudding
Crush 2 vanilla wafers (you can easily do this with your hands) in small, 4-6 ounce serving dishes.
Add 2 slices of bananas, quartered.
Add more pudding.
Top with 1 additional crushed wafer, 2 banana slices quartered and whipped topping.
Serve immediately.
Serves 6
Decadent Desserts
A few more delicious desserts right here on Salty Side Dish!
Homemade Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-3/4 cups white milk
- 4 egg yolks beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons butter
- vanilla wafer cookies
- 3-4 fresh bananas sliced and quartered
- whipped topping
Instructions
- Add sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan. Mix well.
- Pour in milk and mix over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, about 8-10 minutes.
- Mixture will bubble and boil and thicken.
- Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in egg yolks while whisking mixture.
- Return to medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in vanilla and butter until melted. Let set to cool.
- Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight until completely cool.
To assemble banana pudding:
- Crush 2 vanilla wafers (you can easily do this with your hands) in small, 4-6 ounce serving dishes.
- Add 2 slices of bananas, quartered.
- Add pudding.
- Top with 1 additional crushed wafer, 2 banana slices quartered and whipped topping.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Loved your homemade banana pudding, delish
Trying to get you salty egg casserole sausage,no luck. Susie
Susie, thanks for the feedback! I am sorry my search button didnt get you where you need to go! The recipe I think you are looking for is here https://www.saltysidedish.com/sausage-hashbrown-breakfast-casserole/
Can you substitute sweetened condensed milk for the sugar or would u substitute that for the milk??
Honestly I dont know how that substitution would work in this case.
Thank you so much for this easy recipe. This is my second time making it. It is so delicious. I add banana extract to mine because my niece doesn’t like bananas in hers. It taste much better than box mixes.
Ivey Brown
Ivey, awesome! I am so glad that you found a solution and adapted the recipe that works perfect for your niece! Hopefully much more homemade banana pudding in your future.
Much love,
Trisha
Made this for my hubby. He loves it. This is just like my dad used to make when I was a child,
Thats wonderful!
Can you substitute cornstarch for flour
Its a fair question because cornstarch IS a thicker, but I haven’t done it and truly do not know how the recipe would alter in taste.
I was also thinking the same as I would do a gluten-free and dairy-free version of this.
Either corn starch, tapioca starch, or casava flour or maybe potato starch or a combo of 2 or 3 of these. My go-to is tapioca starch.
I’m thinking a combo of full fat coconut milk and perhaps oat milk might be a good dairy substitute.
Definitely want to try this out.
😀
This was so delicious!! I didn’t have vanilla wafers but we dipped graham crackers in it and ate it like dip!! Wonderful 😋
Wonderful! So glad you loved this banana pudding recipe!
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes. And for the lady Wanted to know about Eagle brand meal. If you, If you place milk Milk, sugarAnd butter And On medium heat For 30 minutes Stirring constantly You will have Eagle brand milk. Oh yes I forgot the egg yolks That is what My grandmother Would do When I was a little girl. These items Most people have In their pantry And a lot cheaper Then eagle brand milk