Banana Cream Pudding is an old-fashioned dessert brought back to life. A homemade, vanilla pudding is folded together with whipped cream until light and fluffy. Layered together with the classic Nilla wafers and sliced banana, each spoonful is loaded full of fluffy, sweet goodness!
What are the Layers of a Banana Cream Pudding?
When it comes to Banana Cream Pudding, the more simple, the better. This is just a classic dessert that doesn’t need to be messed with! Here’s a breakdown of the different layers:
- Nilla Wafers – just try to not eat half of the box while you make these, I dare you. Better yet, I recommend having two boxes on hand just fo this occasion haha! The Nilla Wafers can be left whole (pushed up against the side of the glass for presentation) or slightly crumbled. Personally, I like a mixture of both.
- Whipped Vanilla Pudding – with a simple homemade vanilla pudding, the flavor is out of this world! Folded together with whipped cream until light and fluffy, this layer is like a vanilla cloud.
- Bananas – this one is pretty straight forward. I like to grab the perfect yellow bananas – not too green and not too brown. Cut these up last and right before assembly as they do like to turn brown. They can be brushed with a bit of lemon juice to help keep their color if desired.
How to Assemble
Now, not only is this dessert simply scrumptious, but it’s pretty darn fun to assemble! Plus, there are several different options to go about it! Here’s some ideas:
- Individual glasses: perfect for individual portions. Guests could even build their own if it’s set up as a banana cream pudding bar! How fun would that be? Toss in some extra toppings just for the fun of it. I love these glasses from Crate & Barrel.
- One large trifle: the ultimate center piece. Make sure to push the Nilla Wafers and banana slices up against the sides of the glass to get the fun, defined layers. Here’s a classic trifle dish.
- Top it all off with additional whipped cream! I mean, you just can’t go wrong with that! Plus, a dusting of crushed Nilla Wafers never hurt nobody.
To me, this dessert just screams comfort and nostalgia. Take a spoonful of this Banana Cream Pudding to see what I’m talking about!
Looking for other dessert recipes? Look here!
Banana Cream Pudding
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Banana Cream Pudding is an old-fashioned dessert brought back to life. A homemade, vanilla pudding is folded together with whipped cream until light and fluffy. Layered together with the classic Nilla wafers and sliced banana, each spoonful is loaded full of fluffy, sweet goodness!
Ingredients
For the vanilla pudding:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (if you have vanilla bean, that would be delicious too!)
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the layers:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 11oz box Nilla Wafers
- 3 yellow bananas
Instructions
For the pudding:
- Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium-sized saucepan until clump free. Slowly whisk in the milk until combined without clumps.
- Bring to a simmer over low heat, whisking occasionally to prevent from clumping or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes while occasionally whisking to allow to thicken without clumps.
- Remove from the heat and gently whisk in the vanilla (extract or bean) and butter. Pour into a bowl, gently cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap touching it so it doesn’t form a “crust” and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours in advance.
To assemble the layers:
- Whisk together the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form to create whipped cream. Set a couple large spoonfuls of it aside for topping.
- Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the pudding until evenly combined. Slice the bananas into 1/4 inch rounds.
- Use glass cups or a trifle dish to assemble the layers in. Start with Nilla Wafers, pressing them up against the sides of the glass for display and filling the inside ring that you created. Top with the pudding mixture, then layer with the bananas as you did the Nilla Wafers. Top with the pudding mixture again and repeat these layers until your glass or trifle dish is full.
- Top and decorate with the saved whipped cream and crushed Nilla Wafers. Enjoy!
Notes
- The pudding can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Slice the bananas right before assembling and serving as they tend to turn brown over time. If needed, they can be brushed with a little bit of lemon juice to help them keep their color if you need to assemble the trifle or pudding cups in advance.
- Prep Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
