Homemade Banana Pudding With Nilla Wafers And Fresh Whipped Cream

This homemade banana pudding recipe is something I tend to make every holiday. The combination of crunchy Nilla wavers and sweet vanilla pudding mixed with fresh bananas and whipped cream is one of my favorite things to eat!

And can we just be honest? Leftovers the very next day are THAT much better! When the vanilla wafers soften and sort of melt right into the pudding, I almost love this old fashioned dessert that much more!

Homemade Banana Pudding With Nilla Wafers And Fresh Whipped Cream

Here’s one of my little dessert secrets. Whenever I find myself at Penn Station in NYC, I always stop at Magnolia Bakery to pick up a few cupcakes and a small banana pudding. A lot of people rave about their cupcakes… and yes, they are delicious. BUT I LOVE THEIR PUDDING! It is just SO GOOD! I think it is better than their cupcakes, but we won’t get into that right now.

I am such a huge old-fashioned banana pudding recipe kind of girl, that I HAD to have this recipe on my blog for you guys! It is probably a TOP TEN TREAT for me.

Homemade Banana Pudding Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-3 bananas, sliced
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• nilla wafer cookies

How To Make Banana Pudding With Vanilla Wafers

Add sugar, salt and flour to a saucepan and mix well. Stir in half and half and eggs. Whisking constantly, heat over medium-low heat for about 10-12 minutes until mixture is thick.

As a heads up, the consistency will be runny pudding. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes. 

Cover with plastic wrap and continue to cool in the refrigerator for about two hours. After the first hour, remove the plastic wrap and mix well. Return plastic wrap and continue to cool. 

In a mixing bowl combine whipping cream and powdered sugar and whisk on high until stiff peaks are formed. Pipe 1/3 of the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a tip. Use the remaining whipped cream for layering the pudding in the serving dish. 

To assemble the pudding, layer a small amount of pudding into the bottom of a serving bowl. Add wafer cookies around the outside.

Top with bananas and whipped cream. Add another layer of pudding and top with piped dollops of pudding, banana slices, and wafer cookies. 

Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.  Serves 6-8

Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding Tip

It’s so important to constantly whisk the banana pudding while you are making it. Otherwise, it will burn/stick to the bottom of the pan. Then you’ll be scraping bits off the pan and into your pudding.

It will NOT affect the flavor and often not affect the texture but it looks better when you don’t have brown bits in your homemade banana pudding recipe! So, consider this your official HEADS UP! Stir and stir often.

How Do You Keep Bananas From Turning Brown In Banana Pudding?

There are a few ways to try to make sure your bananas don’t turn brown. Don’t cut them up until you are ready to assemble your dish. The less time they spend exposed to air – the better.

Also, make sure the bananas are completely covered with pudding. I mean…cover them completely!

If you’d like, you could also toss them in a bit of lemon while prepping, but this might change the TASTE of your pudding – so I wouldn’t consider this as a viable option unless you were in a panic.

How Long Does Homemade Banana Pudding Last?

In my house, banana pudding with Nillas does NOT last very long, but if you keep your leftovers in the refrigerator with an airtight seal, you could keep this dessert for up to 4 days.

Does Homemade Banana Pudding Need To Be Refrigerated?

In order for this homemade banana pudding recipe to work, you do need to refrigerate your pudding and allow it to set for several hours. So, yes. This recipe is one that takes some time. But I promise you – it will be worth it!

Are you ready to check out this great recipe? I really hope you do give it a shot! It truly is one of my favorite desserts. Next time you are in the store, grab some ripe bananas, egg whites, and some half and half and get your list started!

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