How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding From Scratch
You’ve come to the right place to learn how to make homemade banana pudding. This recipe includes making the creamy vanilla pudding from scratch then serving it over Nilla wafers and fresh-cut bananas for the most delicious classic Southern dessert.
I love and adore old fashioned banana pudding – real Southern banana pudding. By real I mean the kind where you make the homemade pudding from scratch and pour it warm over a bowl of yummy Nilla wafers and fresh-cut bananas. That stuff with boxed pudding mix cannot even come close to how this tastes. If you think you’ve had banana pudding before and it involved an instant vanilla pudding mix… that was not banana pudding! This is banana pudding!
I think homemade pudding is such a classic and underrated dessert. This one, in particular, has it all. It features a sweet, rich, and creamy homemade vanilla pudding made from scratch, which is served on top of fresh banana slices and melt-in-your-mouth Nilla wafers. It’s the ultimate comfort food that I know your whole family will love.
Now, you have to be patient when making this homemade banana pudding recipe from scratch, but believe me when I say it’s worth the wait.
If you’re in the mood for more pudding, here are some more of my favorite pudding dessert recipes: frozen banana pudding cups, vanilla wafer pudding with pineapple, chocolate vanilla wafer pudding, and my banana bread pudding sundae.
Recipe Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar (or swerve)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 cups milk
- 1 box Nilla wafers
- 5 ripe bananas
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
How to Make Homemade Banana Pudding From Scratch
Put a layer of Nilla wafers in the bottom of a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Slice a banana over the top.
Repeat these layers until you’ve used up all your vanilla wafers and bananas. It really is important that you put Nilla wafers first, by the way. These are going to soak up all the yummy pudding that settles at the bottom of your bowl.
I use a mixing bowl because that is what my mother always used. She had a Pyrex Spring Blossom mixing bowl and it was enormous! She must have made at least two recipes of banana pudding each time she made it. Seeing that bowl on the counter was always a welcome sight!
Crack your three eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Since we aren’t making a meringue, we won’t be using the whites. You can save them for another use or throw them away (which I did because I just care about my banana pudding right now).
Place flour, sugar (or your favorite sweetener), and a dash of salt in a saucepan.
Cooking Tip
You can use a double broiler for this and not have to fret over it so much, but I just like living on the edge. Muhahaha! My trick for substituting Splenda for sugar in this is to always use just a wee bit less than the recipe calls for. If it calls for a cup of sugar, I might do a cup minus two tablespoons of Swerve. To me, that keeps it from tasting artificial.
Add milk to the saucepan.
Now settle in and BE PATIENT. You need to stir the pot constantly, scraping the bottom so none of it gets a chance to stick and scorch. This will take about 15 minutes, so I usually get something to read while I stand there and stir because I don’t think I’ve ever “just” done one thing for 15 minutes straight.
Seriously, be patient, keep stirring, don’t turn the heat up past four. This is going to take a long time and do nothing, but then ALL OF A SUDDEN it will be thicker.
Now, your pudding isn’t going to get super thick, but after about 15 minutes of stirring, it will suddenly get thicker. The consistency will be about what that boxed pudding is right after you mix it before it sets well. TAKE IT OFF THE EYE! Quick! We don’t want it to scorch or keep getting thicker.
Now if you end up with a scorched pudding or lumpy pudding mixture, just use it anyway andpay attention to me when I tell you to slow down next time!
Add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and stir.
Immediately pour vanilla pudding over your sliced banana and wafers.
Tip
Let this sit for about five minutes so the pudding has time to soak into the wafers.
THIS IS SO GOOD! Eat it warm, then refrigerate leftovers. I prefer to eat the leftovers cold. YUM!
Enjoy!
Storage
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. I don’t recommend freezing this homemade pudding, as the wafers will be too soggy.
Recipe Notes
- I always insist on Nilla brand wafers. I am not a big brand person (alright, I do have a thing about White Lily flour), but if you’re going to make banana pudding, might as well do it right.
- For my homemade banana pudding, I decided not to do a meringue. I like meringue but know far too many people who don’t. Plus that adds an extra step, which may be a wee bit complicated for someone who has never made it before. If you want to make a meringue and don’t know how, just visit my lemon meringue pie tutorial for complete instructions along with pictures!
- Many recipes opt to refrigerate the and then serve it with some form of , whether that’s or .
- If you’d like to transform this banana pudding recipe into a trifle cake, double the recipe and follow the same instructions. You’ll just be adding more layers to a trifle bowl.
- If you don’t have access to Nilla or another type of vanilla wafer, try graham crackers instead.
Recipe FAQs
How do you keep bananas from turning brown in a banana pudding?
To keep bananas from turning brown, I recommend brushing the banana slices with lemon juice, which slows down any fruit browning process.
How do you serve pudding?
If it’s for a dinner party, you can opt to serve your puddings in individual parfait cups with crushed wafers on top.
Can I make this pudding ahead of time?
Absolutely! This banana pudding recipe lasts four days covered in the fridge and it tastes great cold, so you could definitely make it the night before and let the pudding soak into the wafers overnight.
Is one banana dessert not enough? Check out these other delicious banana recipes:
Caramel Banana Pie AKA Easy Banoffee Pie
Banana French Toast with Pecans
Recipe for Banana Brownies (with Quick Peanut Butter Honey Icing)
Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar or swerve
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 cups milk
- 1 box Nilla wafers
- 5 bananas
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- dash salt
Instructions
- Place a layer of Nilla Wafers in the bottom of a medium-sized mixing bowl. Slice a banana over the top. Repeat two more times with another layer of wafers and the remaining bananas.1 box Nilla wafers, 5 bananas
- In a saucepot (or double boiler) on medium-low heat, add all ingredients except for the vanilla. Stir well with a wire whisk. Allow to cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thickened - about 15 minutes.1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 3 egg yolks, 2 cups milk, dash salt
- Add in vanilla and stir. Immediately pour over wafers and bananas. Let sit for about five minutes or so before serving, to allow wafers time to absorb pudding. Top with meringue, if desired.1/2 tsp vanilla
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Tried this yesterday. Didn’t know it came in a non-box version until I saw this one of yours. I don’t even particularly LIKE nanner puddin, but something about this kept at me. Soon I found myself with Nilla wafers and bananas in my buggy this week. YUM YUM YUM!!! 😀 Only I was afraid of cooking too long, and ended up not cooking enough. Runny last night. Perfect today. I’ll just have to try again… 😉
I am so glad you tried it…and liked it Candice!!!
Candice, I was happy to read the word “buggy” in your post. I’ve always called a grocery cart a buggy, as my mama and grandma called it. I worked with a snotty Ohio Yankee, and she made fun of me, asking if I carried a horse whip with me to the grocery store. I could not stand her and her snide remarks regarding my southern language/words.
Christy, I have ALWAYS made banana pudding like you. The only vanilla wafers is Nilla. But I have never used a double boiler but my boiler was a very thick one and it would not stick to the bottom. It was the best…never put anything on the top of it……
Just made this and it turned out perfect. It took 16 minutes to make the quick turn from thin to thick. My husband will be thrilled when he gets home!
I hope he enjoys it Sonja!!!!
When I make banana pudding. I layer the pudding with the nilla wafers and bananas as I go along. I have everything out ready to use then after making the pudding; I layer and use up the pudding. I also save my egg whites and freeze them if I am not making a meringue. When I get enough whites then I make an Angel food cake. I only eat the banana pudding right after it is made, I like my nilla wafers crunchy. But everyone else loves it after it sits for a while.
Keep up the great job Christy. Love your work.
Ladies, I am late getting to this post but thought I would offer my 70 year old two cents. I have made Banana Pudding using the recipe on the box of Nabisco Nilla Wafers all of my adult life and have a few comments to add to Miss Christy’s. I have never used a double boiler but do stir constantly to keep from sticking. I sift my flour and sugar (I always sift my sugar! Try it and you will be surprised what is left in your sifter.) together right into the saucepan; next add slightly beaten egg yolks and a small portion of your milk and mix thoroughly. Continue to add the rest of your ingredients. Some like their pudding thin and some of us like it thicker. I like to chew the wafers and if to thin, they will mix into the pudding. I also sprinkle my bananas with Fruit Fresh or a little lemon juice as I don’t like brown bananas in the leftovers.
You can cook it thicker if you desire but your pudding will continue to thicken after removing from the heat source. Layer your wafers, bananas & pudding immediately after removing from the heat. Top with your meringue and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 15 minutes until lightly browned. Nabisco many years ago removed the recipe from the side of the box! The uproar was tremendous! Nabisco returned the recipe to the box and it has been there ever sense.
How thick should the pudding be? Should you pour it while it’s still hot?
Stirring right now. What a dessert!
I’ve made this before, but it’s been a while. I needed a refresher recipe. i’m from South Louisiana, and I moved 2 years ago. You have me missing home!!! Love your website!!! Thanks!!!
I am also very pregnant, and starving all the time, I may just go downstairs and make some of this right now!!!!