How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding
I LOVE and adore banana pudding, real banana pudding. By real I mean the kind where you make the 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 a boxed pudding mix…THAT was not banana pudding! THIS is Banana Pudding!
The complete recipe is listed at the bottom of this page. 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 Banana pudding, we won’t be doing 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!
I just want you to make the pudding, I don’t want you to feel you have to sit through an entire culinary class. That having been said, if you put Cool whip or any type of refrigerated dairy topping on this divine concoction after we are done making it, I will personally hunt you down and haunt you for the rest of your life. ~sweet smile~ We’re going to do this right
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 Nilla 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 this Corning green glass mixing bowl, 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 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 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda), and a dash of salt in a saucepan. 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 Splenda. To me, that keeps it from tasting artificial.
Add milk to saucepan.
When you are done stirring it up it will look something like this.
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 fifteen 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 fifteen minutes straight.
Today I read a few articles from the new issue of PopSci. I love that magazine. This one shows you how you can turn your iPod or even iPhone into a projector that will project movies onto your wall up to 5′ x 7′! All you need are a small cosmetic mirror, a cardboard box, some tape, and a lense from an old slide projector. I actually want to do this. Anyone have an old slide projector? ~grins~
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.
Yes, I need to clean my stove. I started to photoshop that out but then decided…..”eh”.
Now, your pudding isn’t going to get super thick, but after about fifteen 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 scorched pudding or lumpy pudding, just use it anyway and pay attention to me when I tell you to slow down next time!
Add a teaspoon of vanilla and stir.
Immediately pour over your bananas and wafers.
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. YUMM!
Ingredients Instructions
Enjoy!
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jul 9 2008. Filed under Dessert, FEATURED Southern Favorites!, Southern Classics.
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[...] Homemade Banana Pudding [...]
Thank you so much!:]. i used this for a science project, because my project was about organic foods and i made homemade pudding and the pudding out of the box. my class loved the homemade better than the box! thanks again:].
faythe:]
I agree with you about the boxed pudding mix, meringue on top and the Nilla brand wafers. My mother in law did something with the egg whites tho, that I had not seen done before. She whipped them with an electric mixer and added them to the cooked pudding. It really is good that way-kinda gives it an ice cream flavor.
I make my banana pudding the same way you do. A while back I misplaced
my receipe & searched the internet ask friends & any one I could think of
for a true home made banana pudding & all I received was boxed pudding.
Pitiful,thanks for making true banana pudding.
Love it!!! A true Southerner will not even fix her/his mouth to call that instant stuff “Nana Pudding”. This is the real deal!! Thanks so much for “keeping it real”.
To set the mood:
Just received my pre-ordered copy of “Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family”… (had to specify the exact title since I’m sure there are more cookbooks on the horizon…LOL). I cook all of the meals at my house (lots are from your website Christy).
What happened:
Girlfriend (out of the blue) cooked your Homemade Banana Pudding after reading it in your new cookbook. She had never made homemade pudding much less meringue… but she stayed the course.
Outcome:
A great tasting homemade Southern banana pudding with no desire by me to try to “one up her”… THANKS… Great recipe.
I didnt have a clue that Bananna Pudding could be cooked up until a few weeks ago. Now .. I look forward to trying this recipe out on my family
This was great!!! I have just made it and we love it!! ATE IT ALLL!!!!!!!
When I saw your cookbook at Wal-Mart, I had to have it. I am a Texan living in Washington and crave the comfort foods I grew up on. While in line to check out, I noticed the avocado green mixing bowl on the cover and commented to my husband and kids that it is the same bowl that my mama has always made her banana pudding in. I turned to the banana pudding recipe in the book, and to my delight, you mentioned that your mama always made her banana pudding in the same bowl! I have to admit, I never tried to make the pudding from scratch (I left that to my mama). Well, that was the first recipe I tried from your cookbook, and it was delicious! I believe I will double the pudding recipe next time, and if confessions are being made, I will admit that I don’t like merengue, but love Cool Whip on my banana pudding. It’s always how mama did it- and you know how that is!
All i can say is Thank You. I wanted to make Banana Pudding, Homemade that is, (i HATE the kind that’s made with the boxed pudding), but anyways You Instructions were so clear, i looked at about 6 different websites and all of there instructions were confusing. One even told me to heat all the ingredients in the saucepan on High and i totally messed up my pudding. But your recipe helped sooo much. Thank you.
I absolute love Nanner Pudding! I used to make it all the time with my MaMaw (R.I.P.) who was from Tennessee. I lost her recipe and am now going off to school. I dare not use store bought Jello..doesnt even taste nearly the same as homemade! I love your blog! Glad I stopped by
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know about a little inconsistency in the recipe. First it says “add a teaspoon of vanilla” below the picture, but then it says in the ingredients list “1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.”
Which is it?
Thanks,
Myles
Myles,
More vanilla is always better than less vanilla! And while you’re at it, take a little sip for yourself or put a bit in your coffee!
Just made this lastnight! Ate it after I refrigirated it, ate some for breakfast, and just had another bowl. This is some deliciously dangerous stuff! The only thing I did differently was to put the second layer of cookies on AFTER I poured in the filling because I like the firm texture of the cookies on top. We like large servings so if I was making it for more than a few people I would double it! Loved your directions and pics. This was my first time making it and you made it easy! Thanks,
Sam
This was the best banana pudding i’ve ever had. It’s so easy to make and it has now replaced my own recipe.
Thank you soooooooo much!
I like adding sour cream to my custard.
[...] 1. Your First Post. The first post I ever wrote for Southern Plate is what got me all started. Back then I didn’t actually have SouthernPlate.com yet, I was just blogging on a little free blog over at vox.com. I posted a tutorial with step by step photos of how to make homemade banana pudding, with a goal of making it easy for anyone to make, regardless of cooking experience. The very next day Vox featured it on their homepage! I was so excited that I quickly put up two more tutorials and both of them were featured the next day as well. By weeks end I was on the phone with my husband saying “I think if I got my own domain I could get four or five hundred readers…”Here is my very first post, Homemade Banana Pudding. [...]
Thank you sooooooooooooo much! This is my moma’s pudding!!!!! My mother has be deceased since the day after 9-11, haven’t found anyone that could make it like her until now! Brings back so many childhood memories.
[...] However, posting a TexMex recipe wasn’t what got me thinking about border patrol, banana pudding did. [...]
My 18 year old daughter made home made banana pudding the other night. My mom taught ME to put it in a 9×13 baking dish. Once you have made your pudding and layered it…cookies, bananas, cookies, bananas, etc. Then I take the egg whites, add sugar, and whip up meringue to put on top. Bake under the broiler until light golden brown…have to stand there and WATCH IT…DO NOT WALK AWAY; it will burn. My mother-in-law makes the banana pudding with the instant vanilla pudding mix and cool whip. I thought to my self, THIS IS NOT BANANA PUDDING!!!!
I also make my chocolate meringue pies the same way, by cooking the pudding on the stove. YUMMY!!!!!
JUST SOOOO GOOD!!!
i love it
Thanks for the recipe. It is just like my Mother used to make and I have lost mine. So glad I found you and I will be coming back, often. Thanks again!
I looked up several recipes and your was the best! thank you for that,,,very instructional and directional,,,the part about the stirring and not rushing was exactly what i needed….all other recipes just say cook or stir but dont really make it plain how important it is to stir so not to burn and how important it is to be patient and wait for the thickening!!! ive thrown out 5 batches of pudding in my lifetime (finally stopped trying) because it was too thin or i had scorched it…so today i had some banana”s ruining on my counter and decided to see if i could make some pudding out of them…(i know your recipe called for ripe) but i wanted to use these before they wasted. So i start,,,first problem, no wafers,,not a huge deal cause no one in family cares for wafers anyway! Second problem,,out of milk…oh look i have evaporated milk,,hmmm lets try this,,,so i pour that in and then add two cans (5 0z) of water to that along with the egg yolks suger flour and a dash of salt……so i start stirring,,,then it dawns on me that my kids dont care for cut bananas in their pudding either,,(they dig the bananas out and put to the side and eat just the puddingf, but they dont want just plain vanilla pudding they like the banana taste)….so i decided to slice the very soft bananas and smash them to mush….so after my liquid thickened up after 15 mins of stirring,,(just like you said, thank you for that)..i take the mushed bananas and add them to the boiler also..turned all the heat off and stirred longer..then i poured that into my special bowl…so now its in the fridge,,,,because we like ours cold….and i cant wait to eat it later…..i will let ya know how it turned out! i mainly just wanted to say thanks for the great instructions! : )
I pour the milk and about 3/4 of a large can of evaporated milk in a saucepan, turn the burner on low heat , Cook until you can skim the film off the hot milk with a fork or whisk.
I mix my sugar, cornstarch, salt, together in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, I beat my egg yolks, add enough evaporated milk to the yolks to make a thinner mixture which I add to the dry ingredients. Mix well. While stirring the milk pour combined mixture into the milk and cook on low heat ( no higher than 4). Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Add vanilla and butter or margarine. Stir until butter melts. Pour over the layers of wafers and bananas. True, this takes another step or two, but makes a very good banana pudding.
Most of my family prefers the banana pudding while it is still warm and without meringue. Refrigerate leftover pudding.
I have learned an important lesson at school: if I make this yummy banana pudding for the tech support guy on our campus, I get my computer issues addressed QUICKLY!
So guess what I am making to take him at school tomorrow? Yep, you got it!
I am so glad I stumbled on your recipe! This is the exact same way my mother use to make it. All of my family members make it that pudding way and I can’t stand it just like you. So many memories….Thank you. And its good!!!!!!
This looks great. I have a box of Nilla wafers and milk and eggs and everything. No bananas, but I’m not a big fan of bananas and I’m afraid they’d go brown a couple hours in the fridge since there are only 2 of us and we wouldn’t be able to eat the whole bowl in one sitting (unless it’s REALLY good
). I’m considering making it without the bananas or using peaches or strawberries instead. Would I be horrible for making it with a different fruit? Peach pudding sounds tasty to me!
My mom use to cook it the same way that you do but i was not feeling the cooked banana pudding but when she made the boxed instant banana pudding i loved it. Regardless of the instant banana pudding hatters I love it.
Long as you’re happy that’s all that matters!
Just made the banana pudding…..I just went ahead and doubled the recipe and made two bowls because I want leftovers for tomorrow. My suspicions were right…..my family is devouring it as we speak!
To celebrate your 10,000+ mark made your ‘Nanner Puddin’ recipe for the first time…yeh, I know…no good excuse for putting it off for so long…I’m hanging my head in shame…DANG! I should’a known it would be DELICIOUS!!!! And it’s made with Splenda!! Made meringue,too…almost cheated and topped it with whipped topping. Remember you said you’d hunt us down if we used it?!! Well, that got me to thinkin’…Woo-Hooooo! A visit from Christy!!! But then you have enough on your Southern Plate right now ;o) I better be good just this once and make meringue. OH MAN!!! Glad I did!!! Put it over the top!!! Certainly won’t wait for 10,000 more SP Family Members to make this again!!! Thanks for such an easy, tasty treat!! Love you and Southern Plate!!
Howdy please pardon my errors, it is not my native language. I found your article on Yahoo “How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding | Southern Plate” was relatively close to what I was seeking for, but after scanning through your post I still was not able find simple answer to my query and this is driving me cuckoo. I enjoy your blog and think it is absolutely handy but I think you can make it even better if you polish your website search to make it easier for people to find required information within your website. It can be easily done by adding WordPress plugin… I think it was called enhanced wordpress search it has a lot of helpful features like search highlight, search comments. If you have any questions about configuring enhanced blog search you can find me me at Manghane96@aim.com Thank you I hope you have a good day
Christy – if we chose to add the meringue would we put the banana pudding into the oven to finish? I’m new to cooking so any help would be appreciated.
thanks in advance! Kim
Hands down, EXCELLENT!
[...] for Sunday dinner, I decided to try it out. I mixed elements of this recipe with one found at southernplate.com. The result was amazing! And I know it will be even better [...]
This is really a typical pudding recipe. I have the recipes in my Amish cookbooks. It is the way we have made it in Pennsylvania since I was a kid anyway and believe me , that has been a long time. To m, it is not banana pudding if it does not have meringue on top. For that, use the whites of the egg yolks u put in the pudding. Put them in a cold bowl, use 2 tbsp of sugar for each egg white, a pnch of salt and tad of vanilla, and beat til it stands in peaks. Spread over the banana pudding, I put mine under the broiler, and believe me, u have to stand and watch it, maybe 3 minutes at the most and turn it a time or two, to get all sides the same color. Sometimes I put coconut over the meringue before I broil it. My Granny used to make this every Sunday.
It wasn’t banana pudding in our house growing up if it didn’t have the meringue!
Too ironic! I just did an internet search for banana pudding with homemade pudding and POOF! you (whom I follow on FB!) had just posted the perfect recipe! Making this pudding this afternoon for company tonight!
Like my dear father-in-law used to say,”so good it’ll make your tongue slap your brains out” and I’ll have to agree !
Thank you you saved my life!!!!
YEAHHHHH!! This is what I am talking about!!!!!
Thanks for bringing back the good ole Southern recipes, just like grandma used to make.
My dad was the pudding maker in our family, and the recipe you gave is very similar–only we used (and still do), whole eggs–just beat them up really good. Mom had a flat Tupperware sheet cake kind of container that she made hers in when i was a teenager. I’ve had it since she passed away in 1994, and that is what I make my banana pudding in. Good ole Tupperware container is probably about 38 years old–and still going strong!
My children (when they get to come home) love my banana pudding. Just waiting for them to ask for the recipe.
Christy, Thank you!
Even my late-lamented primitive baptist grannies’ church cookbook used STORE bought puddin’ mix! Her own daughter knew better, always making banana pudding as you do (mac and cheese, too) the hard way!
I don’t have Mom’s recipe…but you do. Thank you and Merry Christmas from a very southern ex-patriot residing happily in Portland, Oregon.
My father announced a Banana Pudding contest at Thanksgiving with the winner to get $500. One SIL brought in Paula Deen’s pudding, another brought in a beautifully meringued bowl and I brought in my ugly little puddin’ in a glass mixing bowl, made via your recipe while channelling my great-grandmother. I used whole milk, free range eggs, and loosely measured the vanilla, sugar and flour.
I won the blind taste test and the $500. : )
WoooHooo!!! Congratulations! That just tickles me pink for you!
I had been craving banana pudding for a while and knew one person that made great banana pudding but didn’t measure anything therefore could not tell me (a beginner) how to make it. I searched high and low for a recipe that did not use box pudding (I grew up on REAL BANANA PUDDING). Finally, I found this recipe and I must say it is absolutely perfect and just what I remember having when I was little. I always thought it would be so hard to make but the directions are great and it is so easy. The only thing I found is that I have to double the recipe to have enough pudding for the wafers to soak up. I love this recipe and I thank you so much for sharing it!
Just like my Mommy used to make it, only she DID make meringue with the egg whites, topped the pudding with it and baked until golden brown! This was always requested for church functios and it was an Easter dinner staple!
Banana pudding is a perfect dessert! Tasty and easy to make.
Used ur recipe it was o.k….. a little too thin for us… but tha flavor was there…
Hi Christy! I too LOVE Ideal! They even have powdered ideal now!! I used it in all of my Christmas baking this year, I make a bunch of stuff and then give it away. Nobody noticed that it wasn’t the real stuff!!! I find it at HEB in the Houston and Katy TX area BUT all HEB’s do not have it. I have to drive a lil to get it and just buy a few bags of each kind so I don’t run out. I still use splenda (generic) in my coffee and sweet and low (generic) in my ice tea. I guess I should try the ideal in them as well. I also love the pillsbury 1/2 splenda blend cake and brownie mixes as well!!
Happy Baking!
Debbi
This is absolutely delicious!! My Southern husband is in heaven
I’m so gonna try this thanks
Mmmmmmmm. Nanner Puddin!!
Nilla wafers are required for banana pudding. I use store brands for most things but I’m stuck on Nillas for this. Not only do they taste better but they look prettier. Many store brand vanilla wafers are yellow, instead of white, inside and don’t look so good when you cut through them during serving. Love REAL banana pudding. Single women, it’s a good way to get a man!
[...] live your life without trying a particular recipe. Like my Chicken Stew, Apple Dapple Cake, or Banana Pudding. Well today I’m adding Vanilla Wafer Cake to that list. This cake is the kissing cousin of my [...]
[...] tip to Southern Plate. This entry was posted in Fud is gud, I like food, The fam damily. Bookmark the permalink. [...]
Wanted to find a receipe with cooked banana pudding….this sounds and looks good, seems simple and easy. Love the great reviews. Thanks. I’ll let you know how it was!
Shyneea you will enjoy many of the southern dishes you should try the ones you like and go by the recipes on this site.
Good Luck
I’m making banana pudding for the first time. Wish me luck
These recipes are bringing back good old memories of when I was a little girl in the south. My family on my mother’s side of the family still used these recipes and everyone loves them,
I will always say southern dishes ever and anyone who hasn’t had had a good old fashion southern meal is missing out of something special
Love the pics…took me by the hand…just what I needed… I have always been a little timid of banana pudding, but with this recipe it will be one of my go to dishes!! And yes, it turned out awesome!!
This was SO GOOD! I have been wanting to make the banana pudding my mom used to make and when I saw the picture, I knew I found it! She doesn’t have recipes for alot of the stuff she used to make.
This was perfect!
Thanks!