I know what you’re thinking… cooking pudding from scratch MUST be hard! Why would I do all that when I don’t have to? Short answer… it just TASTES BETTER! The great thing about recipes… there are SO many different ways to make the same item. Banana pudding is NO different.
My family loves a good, cooked homemade pudding. In this southern-style banana pudding recipe from scratch, we don’t use jello pudding mix and Cool Whip or condensed milk… we grab a saucepan, ingredients and get stirring! Want to learn how to make a banana pudding? It’s actually really simple to make and the flavor is amazing! Most recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, not this one. I never knew to use condensed milk OR jello pudding for that matter. I always felt like that was DIET pudding. But… to each their own. ☺️ I’ll compare some more puddings at a later date but this is my favorite recipe and I stick by it!
Break out the saucepan!
Don’t get scared now… Grab a big ‘ol saucepan and put it on the stove. In that saucepan, add the sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour and whisk together until you have no clumps!
Create the Liquid Gold!
In a separate container, add your egg yolks and milk and stir WELL! Do NOT add any vanilla to this mix yet. Make sure you add the vanilla AFTER the pudding has cooked!
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture on the stove and whisk until no clumps. Drop in the butter!
3 Cooking Stages
As in life, there are processes to this pudding! After you add the butter to the mixture, turn on the stove (medium heat) and melt the butter! That’s the 1st stage of this 3 stage process!
After the butter melts, the mixture will begin to foam. Turn on your favorite song and get your arms ready for a workout! Stay there and stir!! You have to keep the mixture moving so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until the foam subsides. Shortly after begins stage 3 – boiling point!
Once the mixture begins to boil, stir for another 60 seconds and turn the stove off! At this point, your pudding is fully cooked. NOW, you can add vanilla. The pudding will thicken as it cools.
*TIP*: To ensure your pudding is cooked properly after the mixture boils, check the back of the spoon. If the mixture coats the back of the spoon, you’re good to go!
Layer like a LASAGNA!
I like to layer my banana pudding with the pudding still warm. It will continue to thicken and swell around the bananas and the Nila Wafers.
In your baking dish, add your cookie of choice (I love Nila Wafers but Chessman cookies are great too)! Line your pan with the cookies. Next, cut your RIPE banana into 1/8″ slices for your next layer. Last, add a thin layer of the pudding- barely covering the cookies and bananas.
Repeat this layering process until your desired thickness. Be sure to END with the cookies!!!
Allow the banana pudding to completely cool (yes, refrigerate) and thicken before serving (unless you’re a Hungry Hippo like me and you have to have a premature bite! 🙂 )
…and there you have it! A delicious, thick, and creamy banana pudding that’s packed with a PUNCH! Be careful not to overdo it! Your waistline will not forgive you.
REAL Banana Puddin FROM SCRATCH!!! Yes, We’re Cooking PUDDING!
Ingredients
- 3 Cups White Sugar
- 6 TBS All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 8 Large egg yolks
- 6 cups Milk (I use whole milk)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 TBS Vanilla
- Nilla wafers (I use 2 boxes)
- Slightly Ripe Bananas (3-4 bananas)
Instructions
- Grab a LARGE saucepan and add your sugar, flour, and salt. Stir until NO clumps. NO HEAT!!!
- In a separate bowl, separate the egg yolks from the whites
- In a tall bowl, mix milk and egg yolks until well combined
- Pour the milk mixture into the sugar mixture in a saucepan. Stir until smooth!
- Drop a stick of butter into a saucepan and turn on medium heat.
- Stir sparingly as the butter melts. Once the butter melts, you MUST KEEP STIRRING until the mixture starts to boil.
- Once the mixture boils for 2 minutes, turn off the heat. Dip the spoon into the pudding. If the pudding sticks to the spoon, then you're cooking!
- Once the heat is off, add vanilla and stir into pudding.
- The pudding will thicken once it cools!
- As your pudding is cooling, cut (slightly over-ripe) bananas into 1/4" to 1/2" rounds (depends on your preference) 🙂
- In a baking dish (I use (2) 9"x 13" or full 21"x13") add a layer of Nila Wafers (or a cookie of your choosing), cut bananas, and a thin layer of pudding. Like a dessert lasagna! 🙂 If the pudding is still warm, it will continue to thicken as it cools. Continue the layering process until topped with your cookie.
- Sit your banana pudding aside until completely cooled and ENJOY!!!
- Please pace yourself. This is a RICH dessert! 🙂
Video
Did you make this recipe?
PLEASE let me know what you think!! Most people won’t try recipes unless someone has tried it first! Come back and let everyone know how it turned out!.
While I have you here, may I suggest few you try next:
Happy Baking!! See y’all next time!
