This homemade banana pudding recipe has layers of vanilla wafers, banana slices, and thick, creamy vanilla pudding- all topped with whipped cream! It’s a classic that’s perfect for any occasion and one of my favorite desserts!
The hubs and I are HUGE fans of banana pudding. Like, huge. In fact, we love any and all things banana pudding – just refer to all the delicious banana recipes on my site – Banana Pudding Pie (my newest favorite), Banana Pudding Cheesecake, Banana Pudding Popsicles and Banana Pudding Ice Cream Cake – the list goes on. If you can put bananas in it, we love it.
And there’s nothing better than a delicious homemade pudding. This version is a traditional, southern, homemade banana pudding. The classic. It’s a rich, creamy vanilla pudding that’s full of flavor, set on top of layers of Nilla wafers and slices of banana. The key is to let it all rest in the fridge for a bit before serving. It lets the wafers soften up and the pudding take on the banana flavor. This banana pudding is hard to beat!
Why This Is The Best Banana Pudding Recipe
- Big banana flavor. If given enough time to chill in the fridge, the flavor from the bananas layered into the dessert really sets into the pudding. No extracts here. Just real banana flavor.
- Smooth and creamy. The pudding itself is so smooth, creamy, and rich. It’s also nice and thick and sets up just right.
- Simple, made-from-scratch. This recipe uses ingredients you likely have on hand, or at least can easily find. And for a homemade dessert, it comes together quickly.
Ingredients and Notes
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you might already have ready to go! Here’s a look at what they are. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Egg yolks – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large. These will help thicken the pudding
- All-purpose flour – I used flour here to achieve an even creamier texture. If you’d like to use cornstarch, you can. Just use half the amount.
- Salt – Brings out the flavors already present and keeps your pudding from being bland.
- Whole milk – You want to stick with whole milk here. Do not use a milk product that is lower in fat. The pudding will end up too thin.
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter, that would be fine.
- Bananas – Look for nice, yellow bananas. They will last longer in your pudding. Don’t use over ripe bananas.
- Heavy whipping cream – The heavy cream should be cold. If it is too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar works to sweeten the whipped cream and also to stabilize it so it won’t wilt.
How To Make Homemade Banana Pudding
Here’s a quick look at how to make this classic dessert. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
First, whisk together the egg yolks and set to the side.
Combine sugar, flour and salt in a large saucepan.
Add the milk and combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it begins to bubble.
Slowly pour some of the milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the milk mixture.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for about 3 minutes, until thickened, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and butter.
Add a layer of vanilla wafers to an ungreased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Add a layer of banana slices on top of the wafer cookies.
Pour the warm pudding over the top of the bananas. Press clear wrap onto the top and chill.
Once fully cool and chilled, remove the clear wrap from the pudding.
Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pudding. Garnish with vanilla wafers and banana slices.
Tips for Success
This banana pudding recipe is pretty simple but it is important to pay attention to the details. Here are a few pro tips that will help you achieve the best results possible.
- Keep the heat under control. As the pudding is thickening, resist the temptation to turn the heat up to speed up the process. Keep the heat to medium (or even a little lower, not higher) so that it has time to thicken properly.
- Use whole milk. Attempting to use a milk product that is lower in fat will give end you a runny pudding.
- Whisk. Whisk. Whisk. When making the pudding, you pretty much want to be whisking the whole time. If you don’t keep the mixture moving, it is likely to burn and/or cook unevenly.
- Don’t overcook. There’s no need to cook it for more than about 3 minutes over medium heat once it starts boiling. Because the mixture is thick, you may need to stop your whisk for just a moment to notice the bubbling. Keep in mind that the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Temper. It might be tempting to add the egg yolks to the warm milk mixture as is. Don’t do it. They can scramble and negatively affect the texture of the pudding. Instead, whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs first. This will help bring them to temperature before you add them to the pudding.
- Don’t skimp on chill time. The pudding needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to firm up and let the cookies soften before digging in. If you can, allow the pudding to chill overnight. The banana flavor will set into the pudding, and the consistency will be even better the next day.
Can I Use Another Size Pan?
Yes, this dessert can also be made in an 8 or 9-inch square pan. Just cut the recipe in half or add two of each layer. Vanilla wafer, banana slices, pudding, and repeat.
How to Store Banana Pudding
If you find yourself with leftovers, cover the baking dish with a double layer of plastic wrap. You can store banana pudding in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the wafers will get increasingly soggy and the bananas will brown once exposed to air and the longer the pudding sits.
I don’t recommend freezing this dessert. It doesn’t thaw well.
More Banana Desserts To Try
This recipe was updated 7/1/2026. If you’d like the original version of this recipe, download the recipe PDF.
Homemade Banana Pudding
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Ingredients
Pudding
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- ¼ cup (33g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (720ml) whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 40 –50 vanilla wafers
- 6 medium-sized bananas (cut into ½-inch slices)
Whipped Cream
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy whipping cream (cold)
- ½ cup (58g) powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the pudding
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt. Add the milk and whisk together to combine.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it just begins to bubble.
- Slowly pour a small amount (about ½ cup) of the milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly so that the eggs don’t scramble.
- Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the milk mixture. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Allow to gently boil for about 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Keep in mind that the pudding thickens as it cools, so you don’t need it to be super thick before you remove it from the heat.
- Stir in vanilla extract and butter until butter is melted and combined.
Layer Together
- In an ungreased 9×13 baking dish, add a layer of vanilla wafers (about 40-50 wafers), then a layer of banana slices and then the pudding.
- Cover with clear wrap that is pressed against the top of the pudding and set in the fridge to cool completely and firm up, about 3-4 hours
- Prior to serving, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the clear wrap from the top of the cooled pudding and spread the whipped cream over the top. Garnish with additional vanilla wafers and banana slices, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best if eaten within 2-3 days, because the bananas will spoil and the vanilla wafers can end up soggy over time.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Categories:
Easter, Holidays, July 4th, No Bake Desserts, Other Sweets, Recipes, Recipes with video, Sweets and Treats,
My mother in law wanted banana pudding like her momma made, this is it. I have made this for her 3 times since October for her and I’m currently letting it cool right now for Thanksgiving.
That’s so awesome! Glad it’s been a hit!
Hi Lindsay! I made this today but I accidentally used evaporated milk instead of condensed milk… 🙁 I put it in the fridge and still waiting for it to thicken up. it is slightly thickening up now after 5 1/2 hours. It tastes really good!! But do you think it will thicken up overnight? Or the evaporated milk was a big mistake?
I’m not sure if it will fully thicken up or not. Certainly it would be less sweet. But I think that sweetened condensed milk tends to be a little thicker than evaporated milk, so I’m not sure.
Thank you Lindsay. You’re right. I’ll just have to make it again. 🙂
I made this last night and I made the mistake of not letting the pudding cool before adding the whipped cream. However the flavor was absolutely delicious. My husband didn’t care that it wasn’t as thick as it should’ve been. We devoured it. So tasty and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My pudding never thickened 🙁
Made this tonight…Wow! For a gluten free version I used 3 Tbsps. of cornstarch instead of flour and subbed gluten free vanilla wafers for the regular ones. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
I made this recipe over Labor Day weekend. It was delicious and a huge hit. To keep it covid safe, I made the pudding then divided it among 5-ounce plastic containers. Each serving had a few wafers, bananas and pudding. They were perfect! What a great recipe.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Made this today and it is amazing! The recipe was so on point on what to look out for while cooking the pudding and stirring.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
mine has been in the fridge for about 4 hours and not set yet.. will it eventually set overnight or did I screw up somewhere? Thank you!
It’s hard to say. It’s possible that the pudding was a little undercooked, or it might set up. How did it work out?
Mine didn’t set either. I THINK what may have happened was that the pudding wasn’t cool enough before I combined it with the whipped cream. Would it work by putting it in the fridge to cool it faster and later add the whip?
That’s definitely possible. If the whipped cream deflates, that would definitely thin out the pudding. And yes, I think it’d be fine to try adding the whipped cream later. That might be a good solution.
Made this today, just stuck it in the fridge to chill. It’s delicious already! I mashed my bananas instead of leaving them in slices and I’ll layer everything tomorrow. I am so excited.
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
So this is actually vanilla pudding that is served over banana slices…while this seems like a great recipe & I feel more confident about trying homemade now (thank you for that🙂), I really need a BANANA PUDDING recipe…on to the next site😏
If you look at any traditional banana pudding recipe, they’re all vanilla pudding over banana slices. That’s just how it is. To make a banana flavored pudding, you’d need to add banana extract. The pudding does take on some of the banana flavor if you layer everything and let it sit overnight.
I want to make a trial version of this in an 8×8 pan, could I just half the recipe?
Yes, you can.
I made this Saturday afternoon. I also chose to make the Nilla wafers from scratch as well. This took this to another level of amazing. They did not get as soggy as store bought ones. I did make the error of not letting the pudding cool quite enough before adding the heavy whipping cream. But, still worked fine. Amazing desert. Thank you.
this looks seriously delicious as always.
i was just wondering if you could bake some babka and post on here. i so adore babka and would love to see you having a go at it.
if you haven’t heard of it it’s a jewish sweet braided bread 😋
I hope you get a chance to try it! I love that suggestion. I’ll see what I can do.
Are recipies the same if you use lactate milk?
I’m sorry, but I haven’t worked with that milk before so I’m not sure how it changes the results. I’m guessing it would though. Just hard to say how much.
Ok! Thanks, Lindsay!
I suggest that A2 milk be used in place of regular milk if there is a lactose problem. It is real milk from cows that have been bred to eliminate the A1 protein that most people have trouble with.
My personal experience is that once milk is cooked for a long time, such as this, the lactose ceases to be a problem anyway. The sweetened condensed milk falls into this category.
There would need to be a non-dairy whipped cream substituted, so the end result may not be as good. I just use the chewable lacttaid tablets and enjoy myself 🙂
Can you tell me how far in advance I can make the pudding part of this recipe
The pudding should be fine for at least 2 or 3 days.
I LOVED IT
My dad loves banana, so I should make this for him! Looks pretty good! 🙂
Holy moly! I must make this! My favorite dessert! Thank you!