This homemade banana pudding from the famous Magnolia Bakery is so good yet simple to make, and can be served in either a large trifle bowl or individual dishes. My friends go crazy over it every time I make it!
…And when I say crazy, I mean CRAZY. It’s light, fluffy, and addictive, so there are hardly ever any leftovers unless, maybe, I make a double batch. Just the other day, I told my friend I was about to make this for the blog and, well, let’s just say I didn’t get a reaction quite like that even when I told her I was getting married. I guess pudding is more exciting than marriage, though. Just kidding. Kind of.
This recipe makes a large batch, enough to feed quite a few hungry guests like the ones I usually have. It’s light, airy, delicate, and melts in your mouth, and the combination of flavors is heavenly – vanilla pudding mixed with lots of whipped cream, fresh bananas, and cookies. Even a friend of mine who hates bananas loves this pudding. Need I say more?
The first step is mixing together water, pudding mix, and condensed milk until the pudding dissolves and the mixture is smooth. You then need to refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, or until it sets up to a pudding consistency. This waiting time makes it a perfect make-ahead dessert.
Next, you’ll need to whip the cream to soft peaks – read through this post to understand what soft peaks means. Gently fold one third of the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until incorporated, then repeat twice more. The mixture should be very smooth and delicious (which means it’s finally time to try it!).
Assembling the dessert is simple, and you can layer the ingredients in either a large trifle bowl or individual dishes. For a single large bowl, place ⅓ of the wafers, followed by ⅓ of the bananas, then ⅓ of the whipped pudding, and repeat the layering twice more. For individual dishes, divide the ingredients evenly between the dishes, then layer them in each dish.
I recommend serving this dessert within the first 24 hours after assembly. Any longer than that, and the cookies will start getting soggy. I will not deny the fact, though, that in the very rare case of leftovers, I’ll place it in the back of the fridge where Erez never looks and enjoy every single bite, even a couple of days later. Please don’t judge me.
Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water
- ⅔ cup (100 g) instant vanilla pudding mix*
- 1 can (400 g/14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups (720 ml) heavy cream
- 1 box (340 g/12 oz.) vanilla wafers (or dry butter cookies)
- 5-6 bananas , sliced
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, whisk together water, pudding mix, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until it sets up completely.
-
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Working in thirds, fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well incorporated.
-
In a 3-quart (3-liter) trifle bowl or in individual trifle dishes (12 dishes, 1 cup/240ml capacity), layer wafers, sliced bananas, and pudding mixture, then repeat until you've used up all the pudding. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving, but no later than 24 hours to prevent sogginess. Leftovers will keep for another 1-2 days, but the cookies will get soggier over time.
Recipe Notes
* You don’t need to make an actual pudding before using the instant pudding mix. Simply mix in the powder as is.
Recipe adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.
ZazaCook says
Joli blog 🙂 I love your photos! And your Banana Pudding looks so delicious!
Shiran says
Thank you so much!
Winnie says
קינוח מעלףףףףףףףףףףףףף
זה פשוט ניראה כמו מעדן גן עדן!!
Shiran says
Thanks Winnie!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I just love how easy these banana puddings are to make. I definitely am trying out the recipe for dessert tonight – they look awesome.
Nadia says
Hi, I tried making this earlier but I never made it again because I don’t know what to do about the bananas that become brown so quickly, I tried dipping them in lemon juice but that doesn’t help much. Can you please give me some advice?
Shiran says
Hi Nadia, please read this. For some reason, the bananas never turn too dark in my pudding, but I do cover them completely with custard, and usually serve the pudding the day it’s made. I hope it helps!
angela says
Hi Shiran! I too am a sweets addict and I have to say that you have a lot of mouthwatering recipes in your blog.I just wanted to ask you if there is any alternative for using vanilla pudding mix when making banana pudding.Please suggest if u have any.
Shiran says
Hi Angela! Thank you for your sweet words! There’s no alternative for the pudding mix for this recipe because it affects both flavor and texture. If this product isn’t available in your area, you can make an homemade version. Another option is to make it the “old-fashioned” way, and make a vanilla custard from scratch to use as the filling.
angela says
Thank you Shiran! I will surely try this pudding.
Benigna Brigida says
Hi, Shiran! If I want to make the vanilla pudding from scratch, do I need to mix them with water and condensed milk overnight like with instant mix? Also, do you have the recipe for homemade vanilla pudding or if you have any recommended recipe for us to try? Thank you 🙂
Shiran says
Hi Benigna! It’s different if using vanilla pudding from scratch. Generally, you can use it as is or fold in some whipped cream to lighten it up, it depends on the recipe.