Description
This Southern Homemade Banana Pudding is a classic, creamy dessert made from scratch using fresh ingredients like ripe bananas, rich custard, and crunchy vanilla wafers. It offers a perfect balance of smooth pudding, sweet bananas, and crispy wafer layers, chilled to perfection for a refreshing treat.
Ingredients
Custard
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Assembly
- 4 medium ripe bananas, sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 2 cups vanilla wafers, crushed
Instructions
- Prepare Egg Mixture: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together in a small glass bowl until smooth and combined.
- Heat Dairy Mixture: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently, but do not let the mixture boil.
- Temper Eggs: Slowly drizzle about a cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while stirring constantly to temper the eggs and prevent curdling. Then gradually add the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan, whisking continuously until fully combined.
- Cook Custard: Continue cooking the custard over medium heat for about 8 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Finish Custard: Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and butter until the custard is smooth and glossy.
- Chill Custard: Transfer the custard to a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent skin formation. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until fully chilled and set.
- Assemble Banana Pudding: In serving glasses or a large bowl, layer approximately 3 tablespoons of crushed vanilla wafers, followed by a third of the sliced bananas, then a quarter cup of chilled pudding. Repeat layers if desired.
- Chill Before Serving: Refrigerate the assembled pudding for at least 1 hour to meld flavors and serve cold.
Notes
- Use just ripe bananas to ensure the sweetest flavor and best texture.
- Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard to avoid the formation of a skin while chilling.
- Do not let the milk mixture boil as this can curdle the custard.
- The pudding thickens as it chills, so don’t overcook it on the stove.
- For extra texture contrast, consider adding an additional layer of crushed wafers on top before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southern American
