Homemade Banana Pudding Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Measure milk and cream. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sugar until evenly combined. Separate 4 eggs and place the yolks in a medium bowl; lightly whisk the yolks until smooth.

Heat milk mixture

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the whole milk, heavy cream and 3 tablespoons sugar. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is hot and steam begins to rise but not boiling (small bubbles at edge), about 5–7 minutes.

Temper eggs

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the whisked egg yolks while whisking constantly to slowly raise their temperature (tempering). Repeat with another 1/2 cup until eggs are warm.

Thicken pudding

Return the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining hot milk, whisking constantly. Add the cornstarch-sugar mixture and salt, then continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 3–5 minutes. Do not boil vigorously.

Finish pudding

Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in the unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until butter melts and the pudding is glossy. Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to ensure silky texture. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature for 20–25 minutes, or until slightly warm but still spoonable.

Prepare bananas and wafers

Peel the bananas and slice them into 1/4-inch rounds. Arrange the vanilla wafers nearby for easy layering.

Layer pudding

In a 9x9-inch baking dish (or similar shallow serving dish), spread a thin layer (about 1 cup) of warm pudding to cover the bottom. Place a single layer of vanilla wafers over the pudding to cover most of the surface (break a few wafers to fill gaps). Arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers, using about half of the bananas. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups pudding over the bananas and spread gently to cover. Repeat with another layer of wafers, the remaining banana slices, and the remaining pudding, smoothing the top. Reserve a few whole wafers for garnish if desired.

Chill to set

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent skin formation and refrigerate the assembled pudding for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, to allow wafers to soften slightly and flavors to meld.

Make whipped cream

Chill a mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for 10 minutes if possible. Pour 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl, add 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2–3 minutes. Do not overbeat.

Top and garnish

When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap and spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the pudding. Garnish with reserved whole wafers or crushed wafers for texture. For a more rustic look, crush 4–6 wafers and sprinkle across the top.