Homemade vanilla pudding layered with vanilla cookies and fresh bananas make this the ultimate old fashioned banana pudding recipe.
When it comes to certain foods, like brownies or chocolate chip cookies, I’m a recipe collector. No matter how much I may like my recipes, I’m always trying new recipes for those foods.
And then there are the foods like banana pudding. This has always been the homemade banana pudding recipe.
I love old fashioned desserts, and this is a great recipe. I have so many memories of my mom making this banana pudding, and now I make this recipe for my kids.
The banana pudding has layers of creamy pudding, Nilla wafers, and sliced banana with a light and fluffy egg white meringue topping. This delicious dessert is total comfort food!
Ingredients
The ingredients for banana pudding are simple pantry staples. To make this recipe, you’ll need
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Nilla Wafers
- Ripe bananas
How to make banana pudding
Whisk 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt together in the top of a double boiler.
Stir in 6 egg yolks and milk into the flour mixture.
Cook over boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened, whisking the entire time.
Once thickened, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
Spread a small amount of pudding in the bottom of the pan. I used a 10.5×7.5-inch dish (about a 2-quart baking dish).
Layer about one third of the cookies, one third of the banana slices, and one third of the custard.
Repeat the alternating layer of pudding, layer of wafers, and layer of bananas.
Beat 6 egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup sugar over egg whites; continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Spoon egg whites over custard, sealing edges.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm or chilled. Chill any leftovers.
Tips
- Milk: You can use any milk from skim milk to whole milk. Whole milk will give you a richer, creamier pudding.
- Bananas: Use bananas that are just barely ripe. I like mine to have a little green on the ends. Bananas that are just ripe slice well and keep their shape better in the pudding. Overripe bananas turn to mush in this pudding. Save those bananas for banana bread or banana cake.
- Slicing the bananas thinly makes it easier to stack the layers. However, you can slice the bananas thicker if you want the banana to be more noticeable in the pudding.
- Serving: Feel free to serve this pudding as-is or with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
Storage
Leftover banana pudding should be stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge. The pudding isn’t a great keeper.
The topping will start to get weepy, and the bananas will start to get overly soft after a couple of days. So, it’s best eaten within 1-2 days after it was made.
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Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar divided
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 6 large eggs separated
- 4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 Nilla wafers
- 5 barely ripe bananas sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Whisk 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt together in the top of a double boiler.
- Stir in 6 egg yolks and milk.
- Cook over boiling water for 10-20 minutes, or until thickened, whisking constantly.
- Once thickened, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
- Spread a little of the pudding mixture in the bottom of a baking dish. I used a 10.5×7.5-inch dish.
- Layer about 20 cookies, one third of the banana slices, and one third of the custard.
- Repeat layers two more times.
- Beat 6 egg whites to soft peak stage.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup sugar over egg whites; continue beating to stiff peak stage.
- Spoon egg whites over custard, sealing edges.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Serve warm or chilled.
- Chill any leftovers.
Notes
- The bananas should not be too ripe. If they’re too ripe, they will be difficult to slice, and they’ll get very mushy in the pudding.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 4/22/13. Updated with new photos and tips on 7/14/21.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Sammie says
Holy cow what a great dessert. Brought back a lot of memories, just like mom used to make.
Kate says
Thank you!
Liz says
Fantastic! This tastes just like grandma used to make.
Kate says
Thank you! That’s a big compliment. =) And thank you for coming back to comment.
Rob says
Holy cow! this was amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! =)
Hannah says
Made this tonight for a dinner party. My brother and father love banana pudding and this did not disappoint. My dad had 3 helpings and also helped himself to all the kids leftovers, which weren’t much! Thank you for the recipe! I personally prefer a bit more custard/pudding so I am hoping to multiply the pudding measurements by 1 1/2. It was decadent, creamy, and the flavors blended so nicely.
kateheartseating says
I’m so glad that your family liked it!! It’s great that you can find a way to adapt it to make it just the way you like it, too! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave such a nice comment!! =)
Monica says
I am so glad to have found this recipe. My mom and grandmother, along with my aunt’s used to make this and I never stuck around to see how it was made. It is like pulling teeth to get my sister to make it, so now I can surprise my husband with a real banana pudding instead of the pudding mix one that I normally make.
kateheartseating says
That’s awesome!! I love hearing things like this! I hope you and your husband enjoy it!! =)
Joanne/Winelady Cooks says
Love the idea of making banana pudding and using vanilla waffers. It’s definitely comfort food made easy. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.
One of the FFF co-hosts,
Joanne
kateheartseating says
Thanks! This was the recipe that my mom made for us while we were growing up, so this is my favorite way to have banana pudding. Hopefully others enjoy it, too! =)
Marlys @Thisand That says
sounds great. Thanks for sharing on Foodie friends Friday.
kateheartseating says
Thanks! And thanks for hosting! =)
Ruthie says
Be still my heart! YUM! and a beautiful photo too… Thanks so much for coming to share at Super Saturday Show & Tell last week… I hope you’ll come back to party with me again tomorrow! Have a great night! xoxo~ Ruthie
kateheartseating says
Thank you so much! You always leave such nice comments!! =)
Melissa @ Keep Calm and Decorate says
This looks amazing! I have never had old fashioned banana pudding. I am going to have to try to make this. I am visiting from Tater Tots and Jello. :)
kateheartseating says
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy it! =)
Carrie @ Frugal Foodie Mama says
Girl, you are on a roll this week! I want to come to dinner at your house. ;) I have a huge bunch of quickly ripening bananas that are begging me to make them into this.
Thank you for sharing at Marvelous Mondays this week!
kateheartseating says
Thanks so much! Carrie, you would be welcome any time!! =)
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
This sounds so good! Thanks for sharing at Sweet & Savory Saturdays #10!
~Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later!
kateheartseating says
Thanks! =)
Shannon {Cozy Country Living} says
This looks delicious! I love that there is more cookie than pudding:) This is on my “things to make” list for this weekend..I can’t wait:) Yum!
kateheartseating says
Thanks!! I hope you enjoy it! =)
Christy @ Creating a Beautiful Life says
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing. I have a box of Nilla wafers just calling out for this recipe. I’m visiting from It’s Overflowing.
kateheartseating says
Thanks so much for coming by!! I hope you enjoy the pudding! =)
Wendy says
This banana pudding looks great! That meringue takes it over the top. Warm out of the oven this must be amazing! I am a pudding person but the proportions of pudding to banana and cookie look just right to me. :)
kateheartseating says
Thanks!! This is the only way my mom ever made banana pudding. I didn’t know that people made it without meringue until recently! =)
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
Looks like heaven….
kateheartseating says
Thanks!! =)
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
Oh this looks so delicious – perfect comfort food! Thanks for the recipe! :)
kateheartseating says
Thanks! And thanks so much for coming by to check it out!! =)
marcie@flavorthemoments says
This looks so divine! Nothing better than comforting banana pudding!
kateheartseating says
Thanks! I agree! Banana pudding is total comfort food. =)
AMBER SEWELL says
I. Chose recipe because it looked as if it would make more custard than usual and I wanted to make large batch. Indeed I used 9 bananas and box and a half of wafers. I did however cut back on the flour and used half cup. It was very good but next time my personal preference will have me cut back on the sugar to 2/3 of a cup Thank you
Kate says
I’m glad that you liked it! =)