If you’re looking for the BEST Southern banana pudding, look no further. Forget the boxed pudding mixes because you’re about to fall in love with homemade pudding — and once you learn how easy it is to make, you’ll never want to use pudding mix again!
We’ll walk you through the easy process of making this delicious homemade custard, which only takes 10-15 minutes. Then you layer with fresh bananas and classic vanilla wafers. We top the pudding with homemade whipped cream, making this a no-bake banana pudding recipe.
Oh my! This banana pudding is to die for! The best part is that homemade vanilla pudding. I couldn’t stop licking the spoon. I’ll never make banana pudding any other way. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
jenni (FACEBOOK)
Banana pudding in the South is as ubiquitous as it gets. Every roadside diner, church potluck, funeral gathering, and bridal shower… you’ll have homemade banana pudding on the table.
Homemade banana pudding
As a fourth-generation Southern cook, I’ve eaten and made a LOT of banana puddings. I’ve tried the recipes with the instant jello pudding mix, and I’ve tried the recipes with three or four eggs to make homemade custard. I’ve also created a different banana pudding recipe with cream cheese.
This recipe is hands down the best banana pudding I’ve ever tasted. It comes from one of my favorite Southern cookbooks, The Gift of Southern Cooking, by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, who also happen to be two of my favorite Southern chefs.
I’ve adapted their recipe to include traditional vanilla wafers instead of angel food cake. And since I detest meringue, I top my banana pudding with homemade whipped cream instead. But I didn’t touch that custard recipe because it’s absolutely perfect.
Why this recipe is amazing
TASTE – Homemade custard is delicious in almost any form, but this recipe takes it to a new level. The vanilla flavor is layered by steeping the milk and including vanilla beans. It’s subtle and just enough. Heavy cream gives richness to the custard, along with 12 egg yolks — yes, 12! Don’t be scared away by that — give it a try just as is, and you’ll see how amazing this recipe is!
EASINESS – Yes, you’re making homemade custard, and yes, that’s more time-consuming than opening a box of pudding mix and using condensed milk. But the whole process of making the pudding from scratch only takes about fifteen minutes.
NOSTALGIA – When you serve this authentic Southern banana pudding to your family and friends, someone will say, “Oh my gosh, this tastes just like my Grandma’s banana pudding!” Back before pudding mix was invented, cooks made homemade custard. This is that recipe.
To make it a little easier, make the custard one day in advance and then layer the banana pudding just before serving. If not serving warm, I like to serve at room temperature.
But the best is when you layer the bananas with the warm pudding mixture, top it with whipped cream, and serve immediately. I promise your guests will think they’ve died and gone to Heaven!
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Southern banana pudding ingredient notes
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Even though this banana pudding recipe seems decadent, the ingredients are simple. There are just a few things to be aware of:
Whole milk and heavy cream: You’ll use a mix of these, and don’t skimp. Don’t use low-fat milks here. The fat gives the pudding structure.
Vanilla bean: If you don’t have a vanilla bean, then wait and make this banana pudding when you do. It’s that important. You’ll steep the vanilla bean in the milk for about half an hour. No vanilla extract can replicate this flavor.
Egg yolks: This custard has 12, yes, 12 egg yolks. Trust me. This is why it’s the best!
Vanilla wafers: We tested this recipe with angel food cake and traditional vanilla wafers. Testers preferred the vanilla wafers, hands down. One standard box (11 ounces) is perfect for this recipe.
Bananas: Be sure you choose firm bananas, not overripe ones like those used for homemade banana bread.
That’s right — 12 egg yolks and heavy cream are the secret and what sets this Southern Banana Pudding recipe apart from all the rest. You can’t make a to-die-for custard with a measly 3 or 4 egg yolks and regular milk. You gotta have the good stuff and lots of it!
How to make banana pudding
These easy, step-by-step instructions will walk you through making our Southern banana pudding. I encourage you to read through all the steps before you start this recipe.
Step 1. Prepare the milk.
You’ll start by steeping the vanilla bean in milk and cream. Twist the vanilla bean, but don’t scrape it, and then add it to a medium pot with milk and 1 cup of cream. Heat slowly until almost simmering, then cover, remove from heat, and allow to steep.
Step 2. Slice bananas.
While the milk is steeping, slice your bananas so they are ready to layer and prepare your vanilla wafers (we crumble some of them). Making the custard only takes a few minutes, so don’t worry about the bananas getting too brown.
Step 3. Prepare the eggs.
Next, put the egg yolks in a bowl, whisk in the sugar, and then the flour and salt.
Step 4. Cook the custard.
Whisk until the custard is completely smooth, making sure there are no lumps. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and whisk a little of the warm milk into the eggs to temper the eggs.
Slowly whisk the rest of the milk into the egg yolks. Then, put all the goodness back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the custard thickens, whisking constantly. Be sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan while whisking.
This should take about 5 minutes. If you don’t have a whisk with a large, heat-proof handle, you’ll probably want to use an oven mitt to hold it since it can get pretty warm.
After the custard begins to boil, cook for one minute longer and then remove it from the heat. At this point, the custard should be very thick.
Step 6. Strain the custard.
Strain the banana pudding custard through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl. This ensures that any cooked egg bits will not be in the pudding.
Immediately whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cream and the three teaspoons of vanilla. Continue whisking until the cream is completely mixed in. Then grab a spoon and taste this little bit of Heaven. It’s amazing.
And that’s another secret to this fantastic Southern banana pudding: whisking in the cream after cooking makes your custard smooth, silky, and utterly delicious.
How to layer banana pudding
Now start layering: Spoon a thin layer of warm custard on the bottom of the dish and cover it with a layer of vanilla wafers. I like to crush some of the wafers and leave some whole.
Add a layer of sliced bananas, then start over with the custard. Continue until you run out of vanilla wafers and bananas, finish with a layer of custard, then crumble a few vanilla wafers over the top.
No bake banana pudding
While the original recipe calls for a traditional baked meringue topping, I don’t like meringue. I prefer a no-bake banana pudding, so I like to top it with homemade whipped cream, which you can make in about five minutes.
Pour heavy cream into your stand mixer, add some sugar and vanilla, and beat for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks form. (Get the full recipe for homemade whipped cream.)
Spread the whipped cream over the top of your custard, and you will have the best banana pudding ever!
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Southern Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Custard:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 12 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Other ingredients:
- 1 box vanilla wafers
- 5-6 bananas, peeled and sliced ¼ – ½ inch thick
Whipped cream topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sugar, (or less)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Custard:
- Twist the vanilla bean but don’t scrape it and then add it to a medium pot with the milk and 1 cup of the cream. Heat slowly until almost simmering and then cover, remove from heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
- Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk in the sugar, then the flour and salt. Whisk until completely smooth and make sure there are no lumps hiding in there.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and add a little of the milk to the egg yolks to temper the yolks. Stir slowly. Slowly add the rest of the milk to the egg yolks, stirring gently.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the custard thickens, whisking constantly. This should take 3-5 minutes. The custard should be very thick and will start to boil. Be sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.
- After the custard begins to boil, cook for one minute longer and then remove it from the heat. The custard will be very thick.
- Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl.
- Immediately whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cream and the three teaspoons of vanilla.
Putting it all together:
- Spoon a thin layer of warm custard on the bottom of the dish, and cover with a layer of vanilla wafers. I like to crush some of the wafers and leave some whole.
- Add a layer of sliced bananas and then start over with the custard.
- Continue until you run out of wafers and bananas, and finish with a layer of custard, then crumble a few vanilla wafers over the top.
- I like to serve the banana pudding while it’s still warm, and usually don’t even bother to add a topping. However, if you like you can add a meringue or a whipped cream topping.
Whipped Cream:
- To make the whipped cream topping, have your bowl and beaters in the fridge for a bit and then take them out and add the cream. Beat with electric mixer until cream starts to get a little stiff, then add the sugar and vanilla.
- Continue beating at high speed until cream holds peaks. Do not over-mix or it will curdle.
- You can make this a little bit ahead of time. Serve a dollop of cream on top of each serving of the banana pudding or spread across the top before crumbling the wafers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tips and questions
- Allow the milk to steep with the vanilla bean for 20-30 minutes for maximum flavor.
- Up the vanilla flavor by making your own vanilla sugar: put some sugar in a container with a vanilla bean and let it sit for a few weeks. It’s so subtle but a nice touch.
- Don’t try to skip out on the whisking constantly step, or you’ll end up with scorched custard, and you will cry.
Banana pudding with homemade custard is best eaten the day you make it. You can keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but the texture will break down and become a little watery, and the wafers and bananas will get mushy. We still eat it, though.
Short answer: NO. The custard would separate and become watery, and the bananas would get mushy.
Just eat it now!
Bananas turn brown due to oxidation (exposure to the air.) When making this banana pudding recipe, wait until the last minute to peel and slice your bananas. Once you have them layered in the dish, they’ll be covered by the pudding and won’t brown as badly.
Update Notes: This post for Southern Banana Pudding was originally published on February 14, 2011, and was updated on March 4, 2025, with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, or new tips.
Can this be made with out the vanilla Bean?
The custard would not taste as good!
@Lucy Brewer,
Can you half this recipe?
Absolutely! I think it would be just fine.
I definitely reccomend trying!
I recently lost my banana pudding recipe and was looking for a similar recipe. I almost didn’t try this recipe because the method was so different from how I’m used to making pudding. I’m used to cooking sugar, milk and cornstarch together, the tempering eggs, let it thicken, add vanilla and butter and put in ice bath. This recipe is better because it gets very thick and you can get it to desired consistency by adjusting the milk you add at the end.
As written, I give recipe 4 stars. It was way too thick and creamy for my taste but the flavor is amazing. I adjusted recipe to 8 or 9 egg yolks, and add mixture of half and half and heavy cream at the end. I also decrease the vanilla since it already has a great vanilla flavor from steeping. This gives a better consistency for my taste and absorbs better into the wafers.
How can you say it was too thick and creamy when you didn’t even follow the recipe?
Mmmm, ‘Nilla Wafers. Looks wonderful
Mmmm, ‘Nilla Wafers. Looks wonderful