Banana Pudding from Scratch
I hope you bookmarked last week’s vanilla wafers recipe because you’re going to need it today. As promised, here is my 100% from-scratch, homemade banana pudding recipe. While you can substitute store-bought cookies (and I even had to use some in these pictures because someone ate all of my from-scratch ones… Zach), there is nothing like a truly from-scratch banana pudding. And this one is the real deal. We’re making our own rich and creamy vanilla pudding base, folding in homemade whipped cream, and layering homemade (preferably) vanilla wafers throughout. No boxed Jello mixes, no Cool Whip, just the good stuff. Let’s get to it.
What You Need
Let’s talk about our ingredients briefly before we begin…
Cornstarch. This thickens the pudding and helps keep it from becoming runny. An equal amount of arrowroot or potato starch could successfully be substituted. Flour may also be used but you’d have to use a bit more (I’d use ⅓-1/2 cup) and I don’t care for the texture as much as I do when using cornstarch.Milk. I prefer whole milk, but 2% will work. See the recipe notes for notes on substituting the milk or cream…Heavy cream. Heavy cream is used in two parts: the pudding and the whipped cream topping. In the pudding it adds a richness, making the end result creamy and lush. Double cream or heavy cream could be used to make the topping, but no other substitute will whip as needed for the whipped cream. See the recipe notes for substitution options in the pudding.Egg Yolks. We’re using just the egg yolks for a rich, creamy, and thick pudding. Save the whites to make angel food cake, white cake, or meringues!Bananas. All of the banana flavor in the banana pudding comes from these. Use ripe but not over-ripe or mushy bananas.Lemon or lime juice. Brush your bananas slices with lemon juice. The acidity inhibits browning (and adds a lovely, subtle tartness that accents the sweetness of the pudding beautifully). I’ve used this trick before in my banana cream pie.Vanilla wafers. Use store-bought or make your own using the link in my recipe!Dark chocolate. Optional (well, not in my house). A generous sprinkling of dark chocolate shavings over the top takes this dessert to the next level. To make chocolate shavings, just grab a dark chocolate bar and a potato peeler and “peel” the edge of the chocolate over the banana pudding. I demonstrate this in the video in the recipe.
How to Make Pudding for Banana Pudding
Your first step is to make the pudding. This is very similar to the pastry cream that I use in my eclairs and cream puffs. It will need to be allowed to cool completely before you can serve the banana pudding, so plan ahead! The pudding will need to cool completely before you can use it to make banana pudding. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming and pop it in your fridge for a few hours (this can be made 1-2 days in advance of assembly). SAM’S TIP: The pudding will continue to thicken as it cools, but you still want it to be thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon before you remove it from the heat.
Preparing Whipped Cream & Bananas
SAM’S TIP: The riper your bananas are, the more banana flavor will be infused into your pudding. However, don’t choose bananas that are so (over-) ripe that they’re mushy or they’ll be difficult to handle and prone to browning quickly.
How to Assemble Banana Pudding
Just before serving, crush additional vanilla wafers over the top (don’t do this in advance or they’ll lose their crispness and you want some crunch) and use a potato peeler to “peel” chocolate curls off of a chocolate bar. SAM’S TIP: Toasted coconut is another great addition to the top of banana pudding! Yum!
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Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Breha Update
Well we had a wonderful week+ of Breha following me around outdoors and happily returning to me every time I called her name, but now she’s discovered that her new backyard is full of STICKS. Sticks are wonderful and much more interesting than I am, so guess we have more training to do! PS: Thank you to everyone who left such kind comments on my post about her, I’m still working on answering them all! 💜
