Dive into this old-fashioned Banana Pudding recipe made with nilla wafers. This easy no-bake pudding has become a family favorite. Make this dessert from scratch for a homemade delight.
Don't skip this southern style dessert. It goes great with any bbq but also makes a tasty and fun Easter and spring dessert. We love to make it a layered trifle dessert. The nilla wafers, whipped cream, and pudding pair perfectly together.
We first saw this recipe made by Paula Deen herself and then a version of it at Magnolia Bakery. We wanted to make our on variation to capture those same soul-food feels.
If you love this recipe, you will love our Oreo Trifle. It has quickly become a favorite viewed recipe. Try our other creamy pudding desserts like Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, and Black Bottom Pie.
For more banana-inspired recipes try our Banana Cookies, Banana Bread, and Banana Pumpkin Muffins.
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Ingredients in Banana Pudding
We've tried our best to make this recipe as easy as possible. From instant box pudding, to quick trick and tips, this recipe is family friendly and approved.
- Vanilla Pudding- For best results use the Jello Brand instant pudding. This is a no-bake recipe, don't use the cook and serve pudding.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk- Our favorite brand to use Eagle brand, it has a consistent texture and consistency.
- Milk- Make sure to use cold milk so the instant pudding forms properly.
- Heavy Whipping Cream- After you've whipped the heavy whipping cream, divide it so you can easily use it for each layer and to mix with the homemade pudding.
- Nilla Wafers- Buy the family size box, you will be using a lot.
- Powdered Sugar- We found when testing this recipe that the leftover whipped cream used for topping the pudding at the end tasted great sweetened or unsweetened.
- Lemon Juice- Use lemon juice to help the Bananas stay fresh looking. Without the lemon juice, the bananas turn brown quickly.
- Bananas- while testing this recipe, we found that bananas that were still slightly green worked and tasted better than bananas that had started to turn brown. The bananas that had started to turn brown were mushy and hard to work with. Our taste testers also preferred the flavor of the slightly green bananas, as they felt is helped them more enjoy the pudding without being over powering.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Homemade Banana Pudding
Follow our step by step instructions for the best cooking experience. Use the process photos below to help with each step.
Mix the cold milk and the boxes of instant pudding in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until thick and smooth.
Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until a smooth mixture forms.
Fold the heavy whipping cream into the banana pudding and sweetened condensed milk. Don't over-mix to keep it light and fluffy.
Slice the bananas into even ½ inch slices. Lightly toss with lemon juice so they don't turn brown.
Layer the pudding mixture, nilla wafers, and bananas into four distinct layers.
Top the complete layer with lightly sweetened whipped cream and nilla wafers for looks. Chill for at least 2 hours and enjoy within 24 hours.
Hint on how to keep Bananas from turning brown: To keep your bananas fresh-looking, toss in or brush on a bit of lemon juice.
Substitutions and Variations
Strawberry- Add a strawberry flavor by replacing half the bananas with a pound of sliced strawberries and use them with the bananas. We love the added flavor and it also makes for a fun spring and summer look.
This can be made with cool whip instead of heavy whipping cream by using 12 oz tub cool whip. This will be much sweeter. When recipe testing we found that it was too sweet for some people.
How to Serve
This makes a delicious trifle dessert, and it's also visually appealing. Another fun way to serve this is in individual cups. Make this similar to how you would make a dirt cup with layered pudding, cookies, bananas, and whipped cream. It would make a great baby shower, bridal shower, or birthday party dessert.
Learn From Us
Be sure to portion out the Banana Pudding for each layer. The first time I made this, I didn't leave enough pudding for the final layer and wasn't able to finish the look I was wanting. When I portioned it out the next time, I had enough for each layer.
How Long Does Banana Pudding Last?
We recommend eating this pudding dessert within 24 hours of assembly for the best texture of the bananas and nilla wafers. Nilla wafers go a little soft in about 8 hours, fairly mushy after 24 hours.
Store uneaten pudding the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. You can also store unassembled pudding in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Assemble and enjoy.
Can you freeze Banana Pudding? You can freeze banana pudding but if you make a layered dessert with bananas and nilla wafers, the textures will become mushy. If you need to freeze the dessert, it's best to freeze the pudding and whipped cream separate.
Top tip
Be sure to use bananas that are still slightly green on the tips. We found that if the banana is too ripe it gets mushy and brown really fast. When it has a little green still, it holds it form and still tastes great.
Related
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Recipe
Banana Pudding Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2- 3.4 ounce packages vanilla instant pudding we used Jell-o
- 2 cups cold milk
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided after being whipped
- 15 ounce box Nilla wafers family size
- 8 bananas medium
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Filling:
- Measure milk into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle boxes of vanilla pudding over the top and whisk until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl using the whisk attachment on a mixer, whip the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. See photos above for a visual reference. If it becomes grainy, you've gone too far (See notes below for a quick fix). Scoop about ¾ of the mixture into the pudding mixture. Fold to combine then place in the refrigerator. Add the powdered sugar to the remaining whipped cream in the bowl and whip to combine. Place in refrigerator.
- Slice bananas and toss in the lemon juice to prevent browning.
Assembly:
- Reserve 3-5 Nilla wafers to decorate the top. Layer ¼ of the remaining Nilla wafers along the bottom of the trifle bowl. Layer ¼ of the bananas, then the ¼ of the pudding mixture. Repeat 3 more times. I like to place each layer neatly around the edges for a visually appealing edge then spread the rest around to fill in. After the final layer of pudding, top with the extra whipped cream and remaining wafers and crumbs.
- This can be served immediately, if desired but is best after refrigerating 2 or more hours. We recommend eating within 24 hours for the best texture.
Notes
- Make sure you save enough pudding mixture for the last layer! The first time I made this recipe I used too much pudding in my first 2 layers and didn't have enough for my top layer.
- You can substitute thawed Cool Whip for the whipped cream if desired. Use 12 oz. Just be warned this is already a sweet dessert and will be made even sweeter with Cool Whip.
- To sweeten the last bit of whipped cream that goes on the top for decorating, simply add 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar to it and beat until combined. We found it was good sweetened and unsweetened.
- Many banana desserts are designed to be used with ripe or overripe bananas. This is Not one of them. Ripe bananas can be mushy and hard to work with. We recommend using bananas that are still a little green on the tips.
- If your whip cream gets too whipped and becomes grainy, simply add about a Tablespoon or so more whipping cream and whip just to combine.
Andrea says
When I saw the Paula Deen version of this Banana Pudding Recipe in a magazine I was excited to try it. This recipe goes above and beyond though, it's soooo good!