There’s so many ways to make banana pudding but my version is made as from scratch as possible while still using the classic ‘Nilla Wafers! It uses a homemade pastry cream and whipped cream layered with banana slices and wafer cookies.
There are so many ways to make banana pudding but my version is made as from scratch as possible while still using the classic ‘Nilla Wafers! It uses a homemade pastry cream and whipped cream layered with banana slices and wafer cookies.
Banana pudding is one of my all time favorite flavors. I LOVE baking with bananas in general but the textures from the vanilla wafer cookies with the fresh banana slices, vanilla pastry cream and whipped cream are just the best.
I made this banana pudding cake (one of my all time favorite cakes) a couple years back and then a cupcake version so I thought it was time for a classic version.
How To Make Banana Pudding, Step-by-Step Photos
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Start making the pastry cream by whisking together the egg, sugar, cornstarch and salt until they’re smooth.
Heat the milk and then use it to temper the eggs. Then return the whole mixture to the pot.
Cook the pastry cream for just a couple of minutes, until it starts to thicken, whisking aggressively and then pour it into a bowl with the butter and vanilla.
It’ll split at first but as you whisk, the butter and pastry cream will come back together and be smooth and silky.
Cover the top of the pastry cream with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill.
egg yolks whisked with sugar and cornstarch – smootheggs tempered with milk in saucepanpastry cream cookedpastry cream splits when you add butter but comes back together as you whisk itfinished pastry creampastry cream made with whole eggs instead of egg yolks
Whipped Cream
Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla, once the cupcakes and the pastry cream have cooled completely and you’re ready to assemble.
cream whipped to stiff peaks
Assemble
Thinly Slice the bananas and toss them with a little lemon juice to prevent them from browning in the pan.
Spread a thin layer of the whipped cream on the bottom of a sheet pan or a trifle dish and then top with a generous layer of banana slices followed by vanilla wafer cookies.
Spread a layer of pastry cream on top of the wafer cookies, followed by another layer of whipped cream and repeat until you’re out of ingredients – I usually do three generous layers in a trifle dish.
Top with a few slices of bananas and wafer cookies and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving.
whipped cream topped with banana slicesvanilla wafers on top of banana slicesvanilla pastry cream on top of vanilla waferswhipped cream on top of vanilla pastry creamtop layer of vanilla wafersBanana pudding fully assembled in a trifle dish
How To Store Banana Pudding
Banana pudding definitely needs to be refrigerated for a few hours before serving but make sure to also store it in the refrigerator when not serving. It’s good for a few days but it starts to get kind of soggy after day 3ish so I recommend serving within 1-2 days.
I haven’t tried freezing banana pudding but I would imagine it would get all watery/leaking once defrosted so I don’t recommend it.
Let me know what you think of my version of banana pudding and if you have any questions, please comment down below – those will get answered much quicker than email or through social media.
If you’ve tried this, I would very much appreciate a star rating or review as well.
A classic banana pudding recipe made with homemade pastry cream, whipped cream and fresh banana slices. As from scratch as it gets while keeping the Nilla Wafers lol.
11oz box of Nilla Wafers (I like the minis), may have some extra
Pastry Cream
3largeeggs (OR 9 large egg yolks)* , room temperature
90gramscornstarch (reduce to 75g if using egg yolks)
150gramsgranulated sugar
720mLmilk
113gramssalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2Tbspvanilla bean paste
Chantilly Cream
60gramspowdered sugar
tinypinch fine sea salt
600mLheavy whipping cream, cold
1Tbspvanilla bean paste, OR vanilla extract
Bananas
8largeripe bananas, not over-ripe, just good for eating
30mLlemon juice, juice of 1/2 large lemon
Method
Pastry Cream
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they're well combined.
3 large eggs (OR 9 large egg yolks)* room temperature, 150 grams granulated sugar
Add the cornstarch and a little splash of the milk and whisk aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and runny, with no more chunks.
90 grams cornstarch (reduce to 75g if using egg yolks)
In a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel or nonstick – avoid aluminum), heat the milk over medium heat, just until it comes to a simmer.
720 mL milk
Temper the eggs by streaming half of the milk into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.
Dump the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, while whisking continuously.
Within 1-3 minutes, the mixture should start to thicken, continue whisking.
Once it's starting to stick to the pan, whisk aggressively for another 30-60 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl with the butter and vanilla.
Allow the heat from the pastry cream to melt the butter for a second and then gently whisk it. It may separate at first but it'll come back together as you whisk it.
The pastry cream should be smooth and silky now, if you have any lumps, feel free to push it though a sieve. Allow to cool completely before moving forward. You can make this the night before and refrigerate it.
Chantilly Cream
Sift the powdered sugar and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer).
60 grams powdered sugar, tiny pinch fine sea salt
Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean paste on top and beat at medium-low speed for about 1-2 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
600 mL heavy whipping cream cold , 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract
Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't over-beat passed this.
Use the rubber spatula to scrape the edge of the bowl and fold it a couple of times to make it smooth and silky.
Assemble
Slice the bananas thinly and drizzle some lemon juice on top so they don't brown.
8 large ripe bananas not over-ripe, just good for eating, 30 mL lemon juice juice of 1/2 large lemon
Spread about 1/4 of the whipped cream on the bottom of the pan or trifle dish. Place a generous layer of banana slices (about 1/3 of the amount you have – I like to do two thin layers of bananas) on top, followed by about 1/3 of the vanilla wafers (again, I like to do two layers of the mini wafers).
11 oz box of Nilla Wafers (I like the minis) may have some extra
Then spread about 1/3 of the pastry cream on top of the vanilla wafers, followed by about another 1/4 of the whipped cream. Repeat doing the same thing for the next two layers, saving just a few banana slices and vanilla wafers to decorate the top.
Refrigerate the cake for at least a few hours or overnight!
Notes
*I generally make my pastry cream with just egg yolks for more flavor and color but it can be made with whole eggs instead so we don’t have to waste so many egg whites. This is such a large quantity so I opted for using whole eggs but you could also do both whole eggs and extra egg yolks if you have yolks to use up.Replace 1 egg white with 3 egg yolks – so you could do 1 whole egg with 6 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs with 3 egg yolks, etc. It’s great either way and hardly noticeable. If you replace all the egg whites with just egg yolks, reduce the cornstarch to 75 grams. **A lot of recipes mix their pudding with the whipped cream, you can mix these two and use them that way but I love seeing the different color variations, tasting the different components and feeling the different textures.
Do not follow this recipe 3/4 cup of cornstarch is and insane amount every single other recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch starch at most. I made this recipe twice thinking I messed up the first time and each time the pudding turning into glue
Hi Sarah, thank you for your review. I’ve tested this recipe so many times and looked it over repeatedly after the last comment, and I cannot believe I missed that the milk measurement was a typo. This is a triple batch of my standard pastry cream, and somehow I tripled everything except the milk. I’m soooo sorry! The recipe has now been corrected to 3 cups (720mL) of milk. If I could send you a box of eggs to replace the ones you used, I absolutely would.
I tried this and there is no way it is correct. 2/3 cup of cornstarch will not whisk in to 9 egg yolks. It becomes a solid dry mass. Nothing like the picture. I had to throw it all away.
Bernice Baran
Hi Melody, you were right and I owe you an apology. Another reader recently had the same problem, so I compared this recipe with my standard pastry cream again and finally found the typo. This is supposed to be a triple batch, but somehow I tripled everything except the milk. It should have said 3 cups (720mL), not 1½ cups (360mL). I’ve corrected the recipe now, and I’m genuinely so sorry that you wasted your ingredients—especially after you brought it to my attention and I told you the amount was correct.
As for whisking the egg yolks with the cornstarch, I did test this again too – whisk them first with the sugar to loosen them all up and then add the cornstarch. It does take a bit of effort but you can also loosen it with a little milk too before heating the rest of the milk.
Do not follow this recipe 3/4 cup of cornstarch is and insane amount every single other recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch starch at most. I made this recipe twice thinking I messed up the first time and each time the pudding turning into glue
Hi Sarah, thank you for your review. I’ve tested this recipe so many times and looked it over repeatedly after the last comment, and I cannot believe I missed that the milk measurement was a typo. This is a triple batch of my standard pastry cream, and somehow I tripled everything except the milk. I’m soooo sorry! The recipe has now been corrected to 3 cups (720mL) of milk. If I could send you a box of eggs to replace the ones you used, I absolutely would.
That’s way too much cornstarch. I think it’s a typo.
Hi Melody, it’s a triple batch of pastry cream so the cornstarch is right for that amount.
I tried this and there is no way it is correct. 2/3 cup of cornstarch will not whisk in to 9 egg yolks. It becomes a solid dry mass. Nothing like the picture. I had to throw it all away.
Hi Melody, you were right and I owe you an apology. Another reader recently had the same problem, so I compared this recipe with my standard pastry cream again and finally found the typo. This is supposed to be a triple batch, but somehow I tripled everything except the milk. It should have said 3 cups (720mL), not 1½ cups (360mL). I’ve corrected the recipe now, and I’m genuinely so sorry that you wasted your ingredients—especially after you brought it to my attention and I told you the amount was correct.
As for whisking the egg yolks with the cornstarch, I did test this again too – whisk them first with the sugar to loosen them all up and then add the cornstarch. It does take a bit of effort but you can also loosen it with a little milk too before heating the rest of the milk.