Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Banana Cream Pudding 4.5 (2) With layers of homemade banana pudding, sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream, it's a total winner. Prep Time: 1 hr Total Time: 7 hrs Servings: 12 Jump to recipe Banana cream pudding is one of the best desserts for feeding a crowd, and a favorite at all kinds of parties and potlucks. This dessert is also a winner for the cook, since it needs to be made ahead to chill thoroughly. You can make it the day before, then turn your attention to other prep. Many banana pudding recipes start with vanilla pudding mix, but ours is from scratch. We infuse the easy homemade vanilla pudding with banana to amp up its flavor. Some recipes call for Cool Whip, others opt for a soft meringue, ours includes a layer of whipped cream and more whipped cream. It's assembled in a dish that shows off its delectable layers. Don't forget to crumble some Nilla wafers on top for a final flourish. Credit: Photographer Bryan Gardner; Food Stylist Laura Rege; Prop Stylist Paige Hicks 19 Recipes That Make the Most of Overripe Bananas How to Serve Banana Pudding We like to serve our banana cream pudding in a glass trifle bowl with a stem or a large glass bowl so that everyone can see the layers in this luscious dessert. You can layer the dessert into individual dishes, such as glass dessert bowls or cups, but we prefer to make the dessert in one big bowl for a grand finale to the meal. Making individual portions is more time-consuming and lacks the wow factor. Directions Slice and chop bananas: Chop one banana and thinly slice the remaining 5 bananas; set aside. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 1/4 cups sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Add milk and chopped banana: Whisk milk into egg mixture until combined; stir in chopped banana. Cook mixture, stirring, until thickened: Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and is bubbling, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Sieve mixture; add butter and vanilla: Remove pan from heat and pour mixture through prepared sieve into bowl; use a spatula to push any extra liquid through sieve (discard solids). Stir butter and vanilla into pudding until combined. Cover pudding with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until cooled completely, about 2 hours. Whip heavy cream with sugar: In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with remaining 1/4 cup sugar until firm peaks form. Assemble pudding: Whisk the pudding until smooth. Spoon about a cup of the pudding into the bottom of a large glass bowl. Layer about 1/2 of the cookies over the pudding, slightly overlapping them, followed by about half of the sliced bananas. Continue layering pudding with whipped cream, cookies, and sliced bananas: Top with about 2 cups of the pudding and half of the whipped cream. Repeat layering with the remaining cookies, sliced bananas, pudding, and cream. Refrigerate pudding: Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to overnight. Garnish with crushed cookies and serve cold. Credit: Photographer Bryan Gardner; Food Stylist Laura Rege; Prop Stylist Paige Hicks 14 Impressive Holiday Trifle Recipes That Are Easy to Make Storing If you have leftover banana pudding, either cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate, or transfer a smaller amount to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. The cookies will get softer as they sit in the pudding. Freezing Banana pudding does not freeze well. Frequently Asked Questions Do bananas need to be ripe for banana pudding? Yes, bananas should be ripe for banana pudding. Ripe bananas are sweeter and you want that for the dessert. Underripe bananas are hard and bitter and will not taste good in banana pudding. Where does banana pudding come from? Banana pudding is generally thought to be southern, and is a favorite dessert in the South, but the earliest recipes came from Massachusetts and Illinois. The dessert became better known in the 1940s after it was promoted by the National Biscuit Company because it used their vanilla wafers (later known as Nilla Wafers.) Can I substitute other cookies for the vanilla wafers in banapudding? No, we do not recommend substituting other cookies for the vanilla wafers in banana pudding. The dessert is best made with vanilla wafers. In a pinch, you can substitute butter cookies or graham crackers, but the finished dish will be slightly different as these cookies are thicker and have a different texture. How far ahead can you make banana pudding? You can make banana pudding up to 12 hours before serving (and you must make it at least 4 hours in advance to allow for chilling). We do not recommend making it further in advance than 12 hours as the vanilla wafers can get soggy. Do not add the crushed cookie topping until you are ready to serve. Other Banana Dessert Recipes to Try: Mini Banana Puddings Martha's Banana Cream Pie Banana Cake Banana Cupcakes With Honey-Cinnamon Frosting Chocolate, Banana, and Graham Cracker Icebox Cake Chocolate-Covered Bananas Banana Fritters Banana-Caramel Ice Cream Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the decorvow recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.