Pudding from scratch is so much more delicious than the boxed version! Featuring homemade vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and fresh whipped cream, our banana pudding recipe is the ultimate comfort dessert.
Coming up with dessert ideas for the warmer months can sometimes be tricky. You don’t want to serve something steaming hot in spring and definitely not in summer! But, you also want something that won’t fall apart on a hot day. The perfect solution? Homemade banana pudding! This one works especially well if you need a dessert to feed a crowd. It comes together in just 10 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill! Bring it along to your next picnic or barbecue, and it’s sure to please.
Is There a Substitute For Vanilla Wafers?
If you don’t have any vanilla wafers on hand, or if you simply don’t like them, there are a few substitutes that you can use:
- Shortbread
- Butter cookies
- Graham crackers
The key is to try to use a butter-based cookie. The buttery flavor marries perfectly with the vanilla pudding and sliced bananas!
Do You Put Eggs in Pudding?
Some recipes will require you to use an egg in the vanilla pudding. Ours doesn’t! While this dish isn’t vegan-friendly — due to the butter, whipping cream, chocolate, and heavy cream — it doesn’t contain any eggs.
Bananas:
The key to perfect homemade banana pudding is in the bananas! You want to use the ripest bananas you can find — they should be yellow with little brown spots on the peel. Ripe bananas are much sweeter, and the flavor goes wonderfully with the vanilla pudding and wafers.
How Do You Thicken Homemade Banana Pudding?
The key is in the quick roux! Our recipe calls for you to heat up butter, then whisk in some cornstarch. This adds thickness and will give you the perfect pudding consistency that you’re after. Make sure not to skip this step!
Fruit Variations:
While we love leaving our banana pudding recipe as is, you can feel free to add in some more fruit! Below are some of our favorite combinations — feel free to choose one or pair several together:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Kiwi
- Mango
Troubleshooting: How Do You Keep Bananas From Turning Dark?
Some chefs find that their banana slices tend to turn an unpleasant brown color. You can avoid this by lightly brushing the fruit with a bit of citrus juice, such as lemon or lime. Be careful not to use too much, or it could affect the flavor of the dessert.
Baking Dish Options:
For our homemade banana pudding recipe, we use a 9×9 casserole dish. If you don’t have one at home, you can use something else of equivalent size. A dish that holds about 2.5-quarts will work just fine.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Many wonder how far ahead they can make this dessert without it tasting stale. You can make the vanilla pudding up to 4 days before you plan on eating it. This is great news if you’re throwing a party and have a lot to prepare! Make sure to wait until the day of the event to add the vanilla wafers and sliced bananas. Again, you need to chill it for at least 2 hours before serving it with your homemade whipped cream.
Can I Freeze This Dessert?
This dish is best enjoyed fresh. The texture of the dessert changes completely when freezing, so we don’t recommend it. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days instead!
Storage Instructions
If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Banana pudding will keep for about 3-4 days — just know that the wafer cookies will soften over time.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious dessert recipes:
Watch the video below where Caytlin will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
From Scratch Banana Pudding
Banana Pudding
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large bananas sliced in coins
- 8 ounces 'Nilla wafer cookies
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Banana Pudding
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once completely melted, add in cornstarch and whisk until well combined. Let cook 1 minute.
- Whisk in heavy cream and sugar. Stir continually while slowly increasing the heat to medium-high. When the cream thickens and starts to simmer, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stir in vanilla extract and white chocolate chips until completely melted.
- Cover and place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, or until completely cool.
- Line the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish or trifle dish with wafer cookies, top with half of the banana slices, and then top banana slices with half of the vanilla pudding. Repeat the layers and top with whipped cream and vanilla wafer cookie crumbles, as desired.
- Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Homemade Whipped Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to whip cream with sugr and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
Nutrition
