Banana Pudding Recipe

Prepare eggs and thickener

In a medium bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until smooth and slightly pale. Set aside.

Heat milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Warm over medium heat until it is steaming and small bubbles form at the edges but not boiling, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Then slowly pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking continuously.

Thicken custard

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or whisk, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5–8 minutes). Do not let it boil. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Cool the pudding

Transfer the pudding to a clean bowl or shallow pan. To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Chill in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours (or until ready to assemble).

Slice the 4 ripe bananas into 1/4-inch rounds. Toss the banana slices gently with 1 teaspoon lemon juice to prevent browning. Keep chilled until assembly.

Whip cream

If using fresh cream, beat 1 cup heavy cream (or prepared whipped topping) with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional) until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until assembly.

Assemble banana pudding

In an 8x8-inch dish or individual serving cups, arrange a layer of vanilla wafers (about one-third of the wafers), then add a layer of banana slices, then spread about one-third of the chilled pudding over the bananas. Repeat two more times (wafer — banana — pudding) finishing with pudding on top.

Top and chill

Spread the whipped cream over the final pudding layer and garnish with a few crushed wafers or a whole wafer on top. Chill the assembled pudding at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours or overnight, to allow wafers to soften and flavors to meld.

Serve

Scoop or slice into individual portions and serve cold. Leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; bananas will continue to brown over time.