In my opinion, banana puddin’ made from scratch is one of the best desserts ever. That homemade custard is so comforting and actually really easy to make. This recipe is inspired by the banana pudding at Gillie’s Seafood in Charleston. They serve theirs in little mason jars, but I like to make it in a large casserole dish to feed a crowd.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- One 11-ounce box vanilla wafers, plus additional crushed wafers, for garnish, optional
- 5 medium-size ripe bananas, sliced, plus more for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Make the pudding: Combine the milk, sugar, flour and salt in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick, about 8 minutes. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and beat lightly. Whisk a little bit of the milk mixture into the egg yolks until tempered. Slowly add the egg mixture to the milk mixture, and whisk until combined. Cook 2 more minutes to cook the eggs, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring to melt the butter. Let stand until cooled, about 30 minutes. (You can also chill the custard over an ice bath for 10 minutes.)
- Make the vanilla bean whipped cream: Chill a mixing bowl and beater in the freezer. Scrape the vanilla seeds from pod with a paring knife into the chilled bowl. Add the whipping cream and sugar to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- To finish: Arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of sliced bananas on top. Cover with half of the pudding. Repeat the layers once. Top the last layer with the whipped cream. Garnish with the crushed vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, if desired. Cover and chill 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 452 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 66 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 159 mg |
| Sodium | 166 mg |
Reviews
Made this yesterday.. I’m not sure what the flour is doing because it didn’t thicken at all. I would recommend to half or omit the flour and use corn starch to thicken instead. We did the recipe as is but ended up having to add 4 tbs of corn starch. Then cooled it then used an electric mixer to smooth out lumps. Taste wise it’s great but it may not thicken for you
I’ve been searching for a recipe for banana pudding for years. None of them came close to this one. Thank you Delicious Miss Brown!
How would you incorporate cream cheese into your banana pudding?
This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!
Thanks for the recipe…. It reminds me of my grandmother Mrytle ‘Banana Pudding Famous Recipe’ 🙂 🙂 It’s a good dessert to enjoy.
Pudding would not thicken
This recipe carried all the flavors perfectly, however, I struggled with getting the custard to set up properly. It seemed thick enough when I pulled it off to cool but was still quite runny after it went into the ice bath to cool. I assumed it would get thicker as it cooled . Not sure where I went wrong:(. Normally I don’t have these kinds of problems so when I make it again I will have to make a couple tweaks to my most likely user error
Hi Kardea, I am from the other Carolina. North. I think our recipes are very similar. I love Banana Pudding and yours is delish! I usually make mine with meringue, but I enjoyed the fresh whipped cream. Thanks Barb