How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding From Scratch
If you ask most Southerners about their favorite comfort dessert, Banana Pudding is going to come up pretty quick. Not the kind from a box of instant mix. That’s a whole different thing, and we don’t talk about it here. This is the recipe y’all have been asking for. It takes patience at the stovetop, but once you’ve made it this way, you’ll never go back. And if you love this custard base, you’ll also want to try our Banana Pudding with Meringue Topping and our Frozen Banana Pudding Cups for two more ways to enjoy it all summer long!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Homemade Banana Pudding
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: sugar, flour, egg yolks, milk, box Nilla wafers, bananas, vanilla, dash salt
- Why You'll Love It: This homemade banana pudding recipe includes making the creamy vanilla pudding from scratch and serving it over Nilla wafers and fresh-cut bananas for the most delicious Southern treat.
If you have ever wanted to know how to make banana pudding from scratch, y’all, you are in exactly the right place. This is the real deal. Homemade vanilla custard poured warm over fresh banana slices and Nilla wafers, just the way Southern grandmothers have been making it for as long as anyone can remember.
The magic is in the custard. Egg yolks, milk, sugar, and flour come together into a rich, silky vanilla pudding that soaks right into those Nilla wafers and turns the whole bowl into something truly special. It takes about 15 minutes of gentle stirring, and I want you to know every single minute is worth it.
☝️ Before You Get Started
Use Nilla brand wafers. I am not usually a brand stickler (well, except for White Lily flour), but if you are going to make banana pudding, you might as well do it right. Generic wafers just are not the same.
No meringue here. I like meringue just fine, but I know plenty of folks who don’t. So this recipe keeps it simple and skips that step. If you do want to add a meringue topping, head over to our Lemon Meringue Pie for step-by-step instructions and photos that will walk you right through it.
Want to serve it cold? Many folks refrigerate their banana pudding and serve it topped with Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream. Both are delicious. Totally your call.
Making it as a trifle? Double the recipe and layer everything into a glass trifle bowl. More layers, more wow factor, more banana pudding for everybody. Our Creamy Dreamy Fruit Trifle shows you just how beautiful a layered dessert in a trifle bowl can look.
No vanilla wafers on hand? Graham crackers make a wonderful substitute and give this a slightly different but equally delicious flavor.
Ingredients you’ll need for the best classic banana pudding:
- 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 bowls.
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.
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.
Crack your three eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks, and place flour, sugar (or your favorite sweetener), and a dash of salt in a saucepan.
Add milk to the saucepan.
Put this milk mixture on the stovetop on medium-low heat and stir it really well with a whisk or a spoon.
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. 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.
If you end up with a scorched pudding or lumpy pudding mixture, you can still use it (and go a little slower next time!).
Add the vanilla and immediately pour vanilla pudding over your sliced banana and wafers.
💡 Cookin’ Tip:
Let this sit for about five minutes so the pudding has time to soak into the wafers.
IT IS SO GOOD! Eat it warm, then refrigerate leftovers. I prefer to eat the leftovers cold. YUM!
How to Store Banana Pudding
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 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 you are going more casual you can serve this in a ceramic ramekin. If you are serving a crowd and don’t want to worry about dishes I love using disposable cups. If you want to fancy it up a bit it looks really pretty in a glass parfait dish as a trifle.
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)
If you make this homemade banana pudding, I would love to hear how it turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below. It truly means the world to me and helps other folks find this recipe too!
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
Nutrition
Ok, where did I go wrong? Mine thickened really fast and I used white flour. I can taste the flour. Is 1/3 cup too much for this? And Angel, all pudding is a bit runny before it cools. I will make it again but use less flour.
I go exactly by this recipe and it works fine. It sounds like it just cooked too fast. Maybe lower your temperature to half of what it was and make sure you use a thick bottomed pot. I’m sorry it didn’t work out but try again because it is soooo worth it 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
I’m sorry but this looks awful. I have never seen a banana pudding with runny pudding?? True Southerners would be very upset as this is a mockery. 🙁
Nice try but no can do!
I am a true southerner and don’t knock it until you have tried it! It is not runny that pic really does not do it justice but make it just as it is printed and you will eat your words plus have seconds on the Banana Pudding (Southern Home Made Style)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Easter~~~~~~~~~~~
You caught me, Angel. I’m a yankee 🙂 Foiled again!
I have a slight twist to this recipe. Lay down the layer of Nilla Wafers in the dish, then the bananas same as above, but once you get the pudding cooked (and I always use a double boiler, even if it is just one of my metal bowls over a sauce pan), fold in one tub of cool whip (or make whipped cream from scratch for this, although I do not have the upper arm strength/stamina it takes to do that any longer so I cheat with the store bought version). Lay down a layer of the pudding over the bananas/wafers and repeat until all pudding is used. Top with whipped topping and crushed cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Best overnight to allow pudding to soak into wafers to give you that “cake-y” consistency. A big requested dish during the summer cookout season.
Oh, if I had a dime for every time I stirred homemade pudding to keep it from scorching or sticking….! My mom would make a makeshift double-boiler out of a round layer cake pan filled 1/4 of the way with water, then add more water as needed as the mixture in the saucepan cooked. I’d end up needing to put an oven mitt on to keep from scalding myself before all was said and done!
She had a similar recipe for pie filling using slightly more flour…..and yes, it HAD to be White Lily! There’s none better! 🙂
this is my recipe as well, some show 1 cup of sugar..thats a tad sweet for me..my family lovessssssss banana pudding..also i stick a butter knife down between the cookies so some of the pudding gets between the layers,, i have also made it using wafers then banana then pudding then wafter bananas and pudding..repeat as needed and if you have a big bowl just double everything..except cooking time of course 🙂
Hello. Even though my fam is from the South (NC) and folks know how to make it homemade, I grew up on ‘nana puddins’ made with instant pudding. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as homemade banana pudding until a few years ago. (I’ll be 25 next month.) I love cooking and baking, and although I greatly appreciate shortcuts (like canned & frozen foods, instant banana puddings and boxed cakes, etc.) I like knowing how to make things from scratch. I’ll probably stick to my instant ‘nana for the most part, just because of the labor, but this def beats instant.
FYI, I made this to sell, so when I made the custard/pudding, I quadrupled the ingredients (4 orders of ‘nana), except I added about an extra cup of sugar, 10 yolks instead of 12, omitted the vanilla, and added cinnamon. Delish.
I made this with raw milk and wheat flour, also added 1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp for vanilla because of the wheat flour. We love it. The only thing, it does thicken about 3 minutes faster when you use the wheat flour.