Banana Pudding Recipe

Warm the milk

Pour 3 cups whole milk into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until steam appears and small bubbles form at the edges, stirring occasionally to prevent skin—do not boil.

Mix dry thickener

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 teaspoons cornstarch and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar until evenly combined.

Temper the yolks

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk 4 large egg yolks until smooth. Add half a cup of the warm milk to the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly to temper and avoid scrambling.

Cook the custard

Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan with the remaining warm milk. Add the cornstarch-sugar mixture and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 4–6 minutes. Do not let it boil vigorously.

Finish custard

Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated. If lumps are present, pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap touching the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 30 minutes until slightly cooled but still spreadable.

Prepare bananas and wafers

Peel 4 ripe (but firm) bananas and slice them into 1/4-inch rounds. Arrange vanilla wafers (10 count) nearby for layering; reserve additional wafers for garnish if desired.

Layer pudding

In a 9x9-inch dish or trifle bowl, spread a thin layer (about 1/3) of the chilled custard on the bottom. Place a single layer of vanilla wafers over the custard (break wafers to fit if necessary). Arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers, covering them evenly. Spoon another 1/3 of the custard over the bananas and smooth gently. Repeat with another wafer layer and banana layer, then spread the remaining custard to cover. Reserve a few banana slices for the top.

Add whipped cream

Whip 1 cup sweetened whipped cream (or fold 1 cup prepared whipped topping together with 1 tsp powdered sugar if desired) until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top layer of custard to finish. Arrange reserved banana slices and additional wafers on top for presentation.

Chill before serving

Cover the assembled pudding loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and wafers to soften. For best texture, chill 4 hours or overnight. If serving after long refrigeration, add fresh wafer garnish at serving time to keep crisp.

Spoon the banana pudding into individual bowls, making sure each serving has custard, banana slices, and softened wafers. Garnish with a dusting of grated chocolate or cocoa powder and a couple of whole wafers if desired. Serve chilled.