Where I come from, the person who brings banana pudding is the most popular person at the party. From church potlucks to birthday celebrations, any gathering of over a dozen people usually included this sweet, creamy treat. You can find a recipe for various versions in just about every Junior League cookbook ever published. It’s fallen out of fashion a bit with the younger crowd, but when people went nuts over the banana pudding I made for a friendsgiving, I knew I had to share my recipe with the world.
Tips for Making Banana Pudding
Fresh Meets Functional
The key to making banana pudding that will both please a crowd and spare your bank account? Strategically using fresh ingredients layered with shelf-stable or classic pantry ingredients. Lots of people grew up with the fully fake kind, and tend to have a specific, nostalgic taste in mind when picturing banana pudding. Adding fresh banana and cream whipped by hand keeps the pudding from tasting too stale or fake.
Assembling a Trifle
While you can use just about any deep bowl to make the pudding, my personal preference is to use a glass dish and make a carefully layered pudding or “trifle.” But before you scamper off to spend $79 at Williams Sonoma, know that just about any glass dish can function as a trifle. Large glass jars with lids work especially well, because they’re easy to carry and have a built-in cover. I got mine at a local grocery store, but I’ve had a lot of success finding serving items like punch bowls and trifle dishes at thrift stores.
How to Assemble Banana Pudding
The layers in my banana pudding trifle are a perfect palindrome – 14 layers bookended by bananas and Nilla wafers. The key to a beautiful presentation? Use whole cookies on the bottom and top. Gaps in the cookies are welcome, as you want the moisture from the pudding and cream to seep into the cookies and soften them. Slicing your banana in thinner slices will help the bananas go farther in larger dishes.
This is the order in which I layer my trifle:
- (bottom layer) Nilla wafers
- A whole sliced banana
- 1/3 of the pudding
- 1/3 of the whipped cream
- Nilla wafers
- A whole sliced banana
- 1/3 of the pudding
- 1/3 of the whipped cream
- Nilla wafers
- A whole sliced banana
- 1/3 of the pudding
- 1/3 of the whipped cream
- Nilla wafers
- (Top Layer) A whole sliced banana
How to Make Banana Pudding
Banana Pudding
Equipment
- electric mixer optional
- 2 mixing bowls
- Measuring cups & spoons
- rubber spatula
- whisk
- Trifle dish or large bowl
- Paring Knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 Bananas ripe and fresh
- 11 oz Box of vanilla ("nilla") wafers
- 3.5 oz Box of french vanilla instant pudding
- 1 ½ c Whole milk
- 14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
- 8 oz Sour cream
- 8 oz Original Cool Whip thawed, but still cold
- 3-4 drops Yellow food coloring optional
- 2 c heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 c Powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together vanilla pudding, milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
- Mix in sour cream and Cool Whip. If using, mix in yellow food coloring until thoroughly incorporated.
- Beat cream and powdered sugar together into stiff peaks (this will help it stand up in the trifle). This is easiest with a stand mixer, but you can do it with an egg beater or hand mixer as well.
- Assemble your trifle in this order: an even layer of Nilla wafers, an even layer of fresh banana slices, 1/3 of the pudding, and 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat 2 more times, then top with the remaining Nilla wafers and banana slices.
- Chill at least 2 hours, but you may also do overnight. Serve to a satisfied crowd.
Leave a Reply