This is our idea of the best Homemade Banana Pudding! A dreamy dessert that’s made with a rich homemade vanilla pudding, and abundance of fresh bananas, and two layers vanilla wafer cookies that soak up some of the pudding as they soften to the perfect texture.
Servings: 9
Prep 30minutes minutes
Cook 10minutes minutes
Chill 4hours hours
Ready in: 4hours hours 40minutes minutes
Ingredients
Pudding
- 3 cups (710ml) half and half
- 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
- 3/4 cups (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (32g) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp butter (unsalted or salted)
- 1 (11 oz) pkg vanilla wafer cookies
- 4 medium bananas (just yellow and ripe, not green or spotty)
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Whipped topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour half and half into a large saucepan add seeds of vanilla bean and the vanilla bean pod, and nutmeg to the half and half. Heat over medium heat until it is just simmering.
- Meanwhile whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, salt and egg yolks until slightly pale and fluffy about 1 minute (it will be very thick at first, keep whisking).
- Once half and half is simmering slowly pour 1 cup hot half and half into the sugar egg yolk mixture while whisking. Then pour that sugar egg yolk mixture into the saucepan while whisking vigorously.
- Cook and whisk vigorously (while scraping down the bottom edges as you whisk), until thickened and large bubbles appear. Then cook and whisk 30 seconds longer.
- Immediately pour and scrape mixture into a heatproof bowl. Add butter and stir mixture well. If using vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean add 2 tsp at this point and stir in.
- Cover with plastic wrap clinging it over top of the pudding to prevent skin from forming and chill 2 hours or until cooled.
- Align 30 vanilla wafer cookies into the bottom of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish slightly overlapping them.
- Remove vanilla bean from pudding and dollop half of the pudding over the cookies in spoonfuls then spread even. Slice 2 of the bananas into 1/4-inch thick slices and align evenly over pudding layer, brush top of bananas lightly with lemon juice.
- Align 30 more vanilla wafer cookies over banana layer, followed by spreading over remaining 1/2 of the pudding.
- Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
- In a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip together the heavy cream, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar and1/2 tsp vanilla on medium speed until it thickens then increase to high spread and whip until very stiff peaks form.
- Cut remaining 2 bananas into 1/4-inch slices. Spread slices evenly over pudding layer then brush with lemon juice.
- Spread whipped topping evenly over bananas. If desired you can garnish top with some of the remaining cookies, slightly crushed and some banana slices adding them just before serving so they don’t brown.
Notes
To Make Banana Pudding Cups
- Prepare the pudding as directed and chill.
- Crush 10 oz of the vanilla wafer cookies (setting remainder aside to garnish top). Sprinkle half of the crushed cookies between 6 larger goblets or 9 smaller cups.
- Scoop pudding into a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe half of the pudding over cookie layer in cups (pipe pudding to touch edges up cup).
- Dice bananas or slice if using larger cups, brush with lemon juice. Spread half the bananas over the pudding layer.
- Whip the heavy cream as directed but use 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 3 Tbsp sugar and 3/4 tsp vanilla. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe half of the whipped cream over banana layer (pipe to edges to seal out air).
- Repeat layering process once more with crushed cookies, pudding, bananas and whipped cream.
- Serve right away or let rest in fridge up to 1 day. Garnish with vanilla wafers and a sliced banana if desired.
Nutrition estimate is based on 9 servings.
