Banana Pudding Recipe

Prep dry ingredients

In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch, flour, and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar until evenly combined; set aside.

Warm milk and cream

In a medium saucepan combine the whole milk, heavy cream, remaining granulated sugar (1 tbsp) and light brown sugar. Warm over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge, about 5 minutes; do not boil.

Temper yolks

Whisk the 4 egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly ladle 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them.

Thicken custard

Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, add the dry starch mixture, and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 3–5 minutes. Make sure it does not boil.

Finish custard

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of kosher salt until butter is melted and fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.

Cool quickly

Transfer the custard to a shallow bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour (custard will thicken more as it cools).

Prepare bananas and wafers

When the custard is chilled, slice the bananas into 1/4-inch thick rounds. If using, lightly crush a few vanilla wafers to create a base layer rather than whole wafers.

Layer pudding

In a 9x9-inch dish or individual serving glasses, spread a thin layer (about 1/3 cup) of chilled custard to cover the bottom. Arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers (or crushed wafers) over the custard. Top the wafers with a layer of banana slices (about 1/3 of the bananas). Spoon another 1/3 cup of custard over the bananas to cover, smoothing gently. Repeat with another wafer layer, banana layer, and custard. Finish with the remaining custard as the top layer.

Top with whipped cream

Whip the lightly sweetened whipped cream (or use whipped topping). If whisking fresh, beat the whipped cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the final custard layer.

Chill to set

Cover the assembled pudding and refrigerate at least 2 hours (best overnight) to allow flavors to marry and wafers to soften to a pleasing texture.

Before serving, garnish with crumbled wafers and an additional banana slice or two on top. Serve chilled. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; bananas will darken over time—press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to minimize exposure.