If you crave a good ol' southern banana pudding dessert but are intimidated by the idea of making banana pudding from scratch, this recipe is just for you! Allow me to break down how to make homemade banana pudding that's rich, fluffy, and full of classic flavor. This dish is regularly called the best banana pudding ever.
And if you enjoy this no bake recipe, you'll love my banana pudding ice cream, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - This homemade banana pudding with real bananas comes together in three basic stages: make the pudding, whip the cream, then set the dessert. I have pro tips included every step of the way so you can get this right the very first time.
Better than Your Favorite Bakery - Now, I don't even eat bananas like that but with this authentic southern banana pudding recipe, you can go toe-to-toe with Magnolia, Paula Deen, and anybody's dessert auntie! This recipe creates a dreamy, thick banana pudding with perfectly tangy custard and the unmistakable old-school flavors of banana, vanilla, and butter.
There's no instant powder from the box involved here. We're not skimping on any of the good stuff to produce a silky, rich, and fluffy treat that will make everybody lick their plates. Ask me how I know!
👉🏾 Generally speaking, I throw down in the kitchen, but putting twists on southern desserts is my favorite, like old-fashioned red velvet cake, bourbon peach cobbler, Soul Food sweet potato pie, sweet tea pound cake, cream cheese key lime pie, and cinnamon roll bread pudding. Don't sleep on my pineapple carrot cake or spiced banana fritters, either!
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"I could only have a taste because I must limit my Potassium. It was delectable! Moreover, it looked great."
-Beatrice
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Cream Cheese adds tanginess that lingers on your tongue, making this pudding unforgettable. Use full-fat block cream cheese--not the spread--for the best taste and texture.
Evaporated Milk has significantly less water than regular milk, so it's richer and sweeter, which translates into the pudding's texture and mouthfeel. You can use regular milk instead, but evaporated milk does make a difference.
Vanilla and Bourbon provide mellow, warm, and rich flavors. These ingredients really set the dessert apart from the box instant pudding version.
Chessman Cookies and Vanilla Wafers because one is good, but both are better! Nilla wafers are crumbled into the base of the pudding, and their flavor gets infused into it. And chessman cookies are the buttery, bougie finishing touch on top. No matter which camp you fall into for banana pudding cookies, you'll be satisfied.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Semi-Homemade - If I haven't convinced you to go the fully from-scratch route--or if you're just pressed for time--feel free to take a shortcut. You can use store-bought whipped cream instead of whipping your own. Or you can doctor up an instant pudding. Just be warned that it won't hit the same.
Bourbon - Rum or cognac can work in place of whiskey if needed. Or if you want to omit alcohol altogether, just use more vanilla extract.
Meringue Topping - Since we're just using egg yolks in the pudding custard, you can keep the egg whites and whip them into meringue. This is a key element of traditional southern warm banana pudding, so it's a kind of crossover.
Minis - Make cute lil' individual nana pudding cups by dividing the pudding, wafer crumbs, and banana slices into small ramekins and top them with mini chessman cookies or Nilla Wafer minis.
How to Make a Banana Pudding from Scratch
- Step One: Prep your ingredients by pureeing one of the bananas, mixing up the cornstarch and some of the milk, and cutting the cream cheese into cubes. (Photos 1-3)
Pro Tip #1
If you like more banana flavor, feel free to add them in this step. And you can make it as smooth or as chunky as you want.
- Step Two: Whisk together the sugars and salt in a small saucepan then mix in the egg yolks. (Photos 4 and 5)
- Step Three: Mix in the remaining milk and turn on heat. (Photo 6)
- Step Four: Cook the custard until it's steaming, stirring regularly, then mix in the cream cheese, banana puree, and cornstarch slurry until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter, bourbon, and vanilla extract. (Photo 7)
Pro Tip #2
Wondering why is my banana pudding lumpy? Don't worry, that's happened to me before, too! This can be the result of not completely dissolving the cornstarch or using cream cheese that's too cold. Just pulse the custard in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Step Five: Transfer the custard to a bowl then place it into an ice bath to cool. (Photo 8)
- Step Six: Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until they turn into whipped cream. (Photo 9)
- Step Seven: Fold the cooled custard into the whipped cream until uniform. (Photo 10)
Pro Tip #3
If you're not assembling the pudding right away, you can cool the custard to room temperature then mix the ingredients, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Pro Tip #4
Make sure to fold the custard and cream gently to avoid knocking air out of the mixture. We want it to remain light and fluffy!
- Step Eight: Crumble the Nilla Wafters in the bottom of your dish then slice the remaining bananas and layer them over top. (Photos 11 and 12)
- Step Nine: Spread the pudding over top of the cookies and bananas then top with Chessman cookies and chill. (Photos 13 and 14)
Pro Tip #5
Chilling banana pudding overnight further develops the flavors and infuses the fresh banana and Nilla Wafer flavors into the dessert. This softens the cookies, though. To work around this, you can leave the Chessman cookies off until you're ready to serve and crumble a fresh Nilla Wafer onto your plate then scoop the pudding over top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Banana pudding gets better with time, so you can make it a day or two ahead and it will taste wonderful. Beyond that, the cookies and bananas can get too mushy for some folks' liking.
Cover your banana pudding snugly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container then store it in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to four days.
You can freeze all the elements together but the bananas will turn brown pretty quickly and the cookies will be far too soft after thawing. Instead, I recommend freezing the pudding by itself in an airtight, freezer-safe container until you're ready to use it then thawing, assembling the dish, and consuming it within 24 hours. Frozen pudding keeps for up to three months, just note that the texture will be different once you thaw it.
How to Serve
This is the only banana pudding to bring to the Black family cookout as it's a real crowd pleaser. And it's equally delicious to cap off a Soul Food Sunday dinner, southern Thanksgiving feast, or even as part of your Easter menu---for brunch or dinner!
Either way, serve your quick banana pudding from scratch nice and cold straight out of the fridge. I like to add a dollop of whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg for extra razzle dazzle.
More Favorite Dessert Recipes
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I hope you'll enjoy this banana pudding recipe from scratch soon and soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Southern Banana Pudding from Scratch
Equipment
- 1 Blender or food processor, optional
- 1 knife
- 1 whisk
- 1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- plastic wrap optional
Ingredients
For the Pudding
- 3 bananas
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 cups evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus one tablespoon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon bourbon whiskey or another teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the Whipped Cream
- 3 cups heavy cream cold
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
For Serving
- 48 Nilla Wafers
- 22 chessman cookies
- fresh grated nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Prep Your Ingredients: Use blender or food processor to puree one banana until smooth. Alternatively, you can mash it by hand with a kitchen spoon, fork, or mortar and pestle. Cut cream cheese into roughly one-inch cubes. Dissolve cornstarch in ⅓ cup milk in a small bowl. Set aside.3 bananas, 8 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups evaporated milk, ⅓ cup cornstarch
- Make the Custard: Whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and sea salt in small saucepan. Mix in the egg yolks, followed by remaining milk, then place saucepan on stove top over medium-low flame.½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, 6 egg yolks
- Whisk mixture regularly (every 10-20 seconds or so) and cook until heated through (about 10 minutes, do not bring to a boil) then stir in the cream cheese, followed by the banana puree, and the cornstarch slurry, fully incorporating each ingredient before adding the next.
- Keep stirring until mixture is thickened then remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla extract, and bourbon. If your pudding is lumpy at this stage, see recipe notes for remedy.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon bourbon whiskey
- Transfer the custard to a medium mixing bowl then fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice water and carefully place the bowl of custard into the ice bath to cool.
- Make the Whipped Cream: While the custard cools, add heavy cream and powdered sugar to bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment fitted or mixing bowl with hand mixer and beat on medium speed until mixture is uniform, thickened, and fluffy (about 15 minutes).3 cups heavy cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- Assemble the Pudding: Add Nilla wafers to oblong baking dish and use kitchen spoon to crush them into pieces in the bottom of dish. Slice remaining bananas and layer them on top of the cookie crumbs.48 Nilla Wafers
- Gently fold the cooled custard into the whipped cream until uniform then spoon and spread pudding into oblong dish in an even layer. Be gentle when adding the pudding (don't plop it in) and avoid dumping it all in one spot so that the cookie crumbs and banana pieces don't move around too much. Smooth out the pudding as much as possible then top with chessman cookies, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set (at least five hours). Serve with fresh grated nutmeg, if desired.22 chessman cookies, fresh grated nutmeg
Beatrice Szalai says
I could only have a taste because I must limit by Potassium. I was delectable! Moreover, it looked great.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Beatrice! I'm so glad you could try this one and enjoy it. The presentation on this one is simple but so nice.