Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding

Sharing is caring!

If you’re looking for a basic, homemade dessert recipe using wholesome ingredients right out of your fridge, then why not try some good old-fashioned banana pudding!?

I came across another ripe banana dilemma this weekend, and as always, I did not want to discard them. I had already tried banana muffins, banana crumb cake, banana bread and banana cookies; it was time to try something new. I heard about banana pudding and of how it is a popular dish in the South, and so I decided to give it a whirl.

First, I searched various recipes on the internet. All of them seemed too rich, using too many eggs, heavy cream, and instant vanilla pudding.

I not only wanted a light recipe, but also one that did not require me running to the store to buy ingredients that I did not have. So, when I came across this Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding recipe from Averiecooks.com, it caught my eye immediately.

Now what can be more old- fashioned than having to make HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING!

And all that is needed are 6 basic ingredients; sugar, flour, salt, milk, vanilla extract and eggs, BINGO! I had every ingredient in my house! I was ecstatic! The only ingredient that I modified was the Nilla Wafer cookies. Since I did not have vanilla wafer cookies, I opted to use honey graham crackers instead. They worked out just fine, and they held firm from start to finish.

What is great about this recipe is that you can opt to use low-fat ingredients, like low-fat milk (I would not go lower than 2 percent), low-fat wafer or graham cookies and low-fat whipped cream for the topping.

Another amazing factor about this recipe is that the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the better it tastes! So, next time your bananas get ripe, give this recipe a try. It will not disappoint your palette!! 

Homemade Banana Pudding Ingredients 

To make this banana pudding from scratch, you’ll need: 

• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Salt 
• 2% milk
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Nilla Wafers or honey graham crackers
• Ripe bananas

How to make this pudding?

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make sure you have all of your ingredients together and an 8 X 8 pan with you! I used a glass pan.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, flour, optional pinch of salt, and pour the milk over it.
3. Heat this together over medium heat until it begins to boil gently, whisking quite frequently so that pudding skin doesn’t form on the bottom of the pan. Keeping the heat at medium is advised because higher heat will likely cause the milky mixture to scorch. It can take up to 15 minutes.
4. After you see the mixture boil, whisk until the pudding has thickened & take it off the heat.
5. Whisk in the vanilla; set aside.
6. In a measuring cup, whisk together 3 eggs
7. Add about 1/4 cup of the hot pudding mixture to the eggs, whisking the whole time to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble.
8. Slowly pour the contents of the measuring cup into the sauce pan, whisking the entire time so you don’t scramble the eggs.
9. Return the pan to the stove, and cook over medium heat for about 2 to 4 minutes, whisking the whole time. This cooks the eggs. You’ll know when the pudding is done and you can take it off the heat. It will be thick, creamy, and will look like pudding. It thickens up as it cools so don’t over-cook it or it can get a little too firm. Take it off the heat; set aside, whisking every few minutes so skin doesn’t form.
10. In an 8×8, (9×9 is too big) make one even flat layer of graham crackers, covering the entire base of the pan. I cut the graham crackers in quarters and lined the pan accordingly.
11. Top with banana slices in an even flat layer, covering the graham cookies
12. Whisk pudding & pour half over the bananas, smoothing lightly with a spatula.
13. Repeat the layers, making one flat layer of crackers, another layer of bananas, and top with remaining pudding, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
14. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
15. Before serving, evenly sprinkle the chopped crackers over the pudding
16. Serve with whip cream of your choice. I used Cool Whip topping

Confession: I had a scoop for breakfast with a giant scoop of cool whip on top. OH MY GAAHHHHHHHHH.

Want some more banana recipes!? I’ll link a few of mine down below

• Banana Chia Breakfast Cookies
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie