Banana Pudding Recipe

If you are a fan of fruity desserts, this banana pudding recipe is sure to be a hit! This creamy pudding is ideal for parties and potlucks.

This pudding is made with luxurious heavy cream to ensure a smooth texture and a rich taste. This creaminess is perfectly contrasted by the wafers. Moreover, the homemade pudding makes use of the fantastic banana flavor. What’s not to love?!

So if you are eager to make a banana pudding, this delicious yet simple recipe will guide you through the entire process.

What Is A Banana Pudding?

Banana pudding is simply a delectable dessert that is made with cream and fresh bananas. In our family, this famous banana pudding is well-liked and regularly requested.

This straightforward banana pudding recipe is so easy that even people with limited baking skills can give it a try! Not to mention, it’s a no-bake dessert, so you won’t even have to do any cooking.

Banana Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

This recipe calls for a few simple ingredients, all of which should be easy to acquire from your local supermarket. All you need is:

  • A can of sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
  • 1 pack of vanilla pudding mix
  • 3 sliced bananas
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 box of vanilla wafers
  • 1 1/2 cups of ice-cold water
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

To make this glorious banana pudding, all you have to do is:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ice-cold water and the sweetened condensed milk. This should take roughly 1 minute.
  2. Next, pour the pudding mixture into the large bowl and beat the mixture. You should continue beating the mixture until it is smooth and there are no more lumps of pudding mixture. If you are doing this by hand, this should take about 2 minutes, though it will be much faster if you are using an electric whisk.
  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil. Place the mixing bowl in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to let it chill. Some people prefer to leave it overnight.
  4. In another large bowl, beat the heavy cream. You should continue to do this until stiff peaks form. An electric mixer is a marvelous way of speeding up the process.
  5. Gradually add the whipped heavy cream to the pudding mixture and gently fold until these two mixtures are combined.
  6. Put the pudding mixture to one side. Using a sharp knife, chop your banana into tasty banana slices.
  7. Now it’s time to assemble your banana pudding in a trifle dish or trifle bowl. To do this, spread a layer of the pudding mix on the base of the dish. Then, generously sprinkle a layer of the vanilla wafer cookies, ensuring that this layer is even.
  8. Top this layer with the banana slices. Continue this layering process, ensuring that the pattern is always pudding mix, topped by vanilla wafers, and then topped with sliced bananas. However, the final layer should be the pudding mix. The cookies soften thanks to the moisture of this dessert.
  9. If you wish to decorate this homemade banana pudding, you can garnish it with a handful of crushed vanilla cookies. Alternatively, you can artfully place a few banana slices on top of the pudding. Finally, you can also garnish with some fresh whipped cream.
  10. Place the banana pudding in the fridge for 4 hours. Try not to keep the pudding in the fridge for longer than 8 hours before serving, as the bananas will likely start to brown. Serve the pudding on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a handful of banana slices. Enjoy this irresistible dessert with your friends and family!

Equipment

One of the many reasons why we love this recipe is that it doesn’t require loads of rare and specialist pieces of equipment. Most bakers will likely already have the following tools in their kitchen:

  • A trifle bowl or dish
  • A big bowl for mixing
  • A whisk or spoon
  • A knife and chopping board
  • Plastic wrap

Ingredient Notes

To ensure that your cooking process is as smooth as possible, here are some tips for choosing the very best ingredients:

  • Instant vanilla pudding mix is preferable, as it will help you to make this dessert in mere minutes.
  • Any brand of vanilla wafers will do, though our favorite is Nilla Wafers. These adorable little wafers just work so well with this dessert, adding a crunchy texture to the otherwise creamy banana pudding. Plus, they certainly add to the aesthetic!
  • Preferably, you should use fresh bananas, as they will taste sweet yet have a slight creaminess to them. However, if you have overly ripe bananas that need to be used up, this is a wonderful way of getting rid of them.
  • Though store-bought whipped cream is convenient, homemade whipped cream is preferable.
  • If you wish to add to the flavor of the pudding, you can season the sweetened condensed milk with lemon juice or vanilla extract.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Keep Bananas From Turning Brown?

Though fresh bananas are a delicious addition to any dish, such as this banana pudding recipe, they tend to go brown over time. This is due to them coming into contact with oxygen.

To prevent your banana recipes from browning, treat them with juice from citrus fruit, such as lemon juice.

How Long Does Banana Pudding Last?

Our homemade banana pudding recipe should last for approximately 3 days when stored in the fridge. Just bear in mind that unless you treat them, the sliced bananas will start to brown.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, this banana pudding recipe is super simple. It’s quite a deceiving dessert, as it appears as though it will require lots of preparation. This makes it fantastic for dinner parties and other events, as the creamy banana pudding is guaranteed to impress guests.

This creamy pudding has a divine texture and a sweet taste. As a result, it’s sure to become one of your favorite desserts!

Kathryn Sewell

Kathryn Sewell

Hi! I'm Kate and I have been baking and cooking for as long as I can remember. I like to share the most interesting tips and recipes I try here on What Kate Baked for you to enjoy. If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share send it over on social.

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