Creamy, luscious, homemade custard makes all the difference in this Southern Banana Pudding.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Servings: 10servings
Calories: 569kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer
Ingredients
Custard:
2cupswhole milk
2cupsheavy cream
1vanilla bean
12egg yolks
¾cupsugar
⅓cupall-purpose flour
¼teaspoonsalt
3teaspoonsvanilla extract
Other ingredients:
1box vanilla wafers
4-5bananas, peeled and sliced ¼ - ½ inch thick
Whipped cream topping:
1cupheavy cream
¼cupsugar, (or less)
1tspvanilla 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.