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
I made this homemade recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious, I had to go back for a second serving! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and video. I used to make it homemade occasionally, but my recipe is packed away and I didn’t have time to find it, so I looked for a recipe and stumbled on yours. So glad I made your recipe because there’s no disappointment at all with me, there is nothing but happiness here! Thanks again for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
My mother always made homemade banana pudding and my husband thought it was the best he had ever eaten. I just have a comment. You made the comment about using a “double broiler” for cooking the pudding. I’m sure you meant a double boiler.
I believe your version would be quicker as my mother did hers in layers. A layer of cookies, a layer of bananas, a layer of pudding and repeat ending with pudding then put a layer of cookies on top to prevent the skim that pudding will get when it sits.
This may be my favorite dessert in the whole world! My Mom made a similar recipe like this for as long as she lived and although my recipe is to die for, mine is still not as good as hers!! As she was in the early stages of Alzheimer, she lived with us and we made it many times together. It helped her to do things that were the norm for her so we cooked everything together. Mom and I cooked stewed okra, cabbage with bacon, collards with side meat, wilted lettuce, chow chow!!!! I could go on but most southerners can relate. Love this site and please keep on bringing back these wonderful recipes! Sorry for this long post but have to add .. I made a huge bowl of Mom’s recipe which is about 6 times this one with fresh sliced strawberries marinated in fruit fresh and sugar to take to a work potluck. It was the first dessert gone and I thought that one guy was going to lick the bowl!!!
Be careful! Vanilla error I normally print the recipe out and adjust my ingredients on paper when doubling then use that to cook with because I didn’t grow up cooking like this and print cartridges don’t like me so I used my iPad instead.
This morning I tripled the recipe for a big get together this afternoon and was already at the stove stirring and stirring and stirring and wondering when I was going to spring your incredible grandma’s coconut cream pie on this group of childhood friends and wondering if this was ever going to start thickening then I realized I hadn’t pre measured my vanilla like I had all the other ingredients. No biggie, I looked in narrative and found “add one teaspoon vanilla” and had my sister get it ready for me. 3 teaspoons because I tripled the batch right? I was in a hurry and didn’t even do a taste test because I’ve made this many times before and it’s always a huge hit. This evening I was dishing up the last bit in a to go container for a young man’s lunch tomorrow and licked the spoon when I was finished. Wow vanilla-y.
The ingredients list calls for half teaspoon vanilla but narrative direction calls for a teaspoon.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made this banana pudding recipe many times and get rave reviews. Especially the older generation that appreciate a good homemade anything.
My Momma’s side of the family has a rule that you must have cookie and banana in every bite for banana pudding to be just right.
The triple batch vanilla banana pudding was still a big hit and I came home with a huge empty Pyrex bowl so all is well.
My group has decided that I must redeem myself and make this again with the correct amount of vanilla so they can get the full affect of this delicious old fashioned treat. Plus a request for birthday banana pudding in November.
I love your recipes, they are truly southern, and remind me of my childhood when we didn’t have instant anything lol
They’re so easy to follow plus there’s always a few laughs in the narrative. In years past, I’ve had 2 marriage proposals over the grandma’s coconut cream pie plus they always bring minimum $50-$100 at fundraisers. I declined the marriage proposals and gave the wives the name of your website lol
Thanks for finding the discrepancy in the narrative. All fixed up now. I am glad your group liked it anyway and am hoping they will love the next batch too 🙂
What kind of flour? Do you sift it?
Hi Tracy, You can use whichever flour you like. If there are lumps in the flour then yes I would sift it.
i triple mine as well, I have a big family. I have to make a small bowl on the side of cookie puddin since 2 of mine have textural issues with the bananas, they just weird them out for some reason. My “grandmother-in-law” is from Korea and she gets her a few helpings of banana pudding every time! But she brings home made mondu dumplings as well and I would just about rassle somebody over them.
This yummy banana pudding definitely looks like a winner! I am going to try it out tomorrow, and I may even fold some mashed bananas into the pudding to give it extra banana flavor. I don’t think there will be any leftovers!
My husbands love banana pudding going to make it tonight
Anything Banana and I’m all in! This looks like a winner! I will be giving this recipe a try! Thanks for sharing!