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The BEST Banana Pudding

Silky smooth vanilla custard with velvety whipped cream, Nilla wafers, and fresh banana slices—perfect for any barbecue or summer dinner!
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Course: Dessert
Prep Time: 5 hours
Servings: 0
Author: Mae Martin

Ingredients

  • 2¼ cups whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 (15-ounce) box Nilla wafers
  • 5-6 medium bananas, sliced
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Warm the milk and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes, until steaming.
  • In the meantime, whisk together the sugar, egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch until the mixture has lightened in color and is thick and ribbon-like.
  • Gradually stream a few ladles of hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking all the while. Once several ladles of milk have been added, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
  • Cook the custard for a few minutes on medium heat until it begins to bubble, whisking and scraping the sides of the saucepan down all the while.
  • Once you see the custard bubble, whisk for 10-15 more seconds, then quickly pour the thickened custard into a separate bowl. Add in the vanilla and the cubed butter, stirring until all the butter has melted.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic to the surface of the custard to ensure that a skin does not form. Refrigerate from 4 hours to overnight, until the custard is completely cooled (you can stir the custard every now and then to speed up the process, if needed).
  • To make the whipped cream, add the cold heavy cream to a bowl with the powdered sugar and a bit of vanilla (optional). Whip the mixture with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks have formed. Set the bowl aside.
  • To assemble the pudding, place a layer of Nilla wafers across the bottom of a large serving dish, until completely covered. Remove the prepared vanilla pudding from the fridge and whisk the mixture to get rid of any lumps. Add a layer of the pudding on top of the wafers, then top the custard with banana slices. Add a layer of whipped cream, then repeat the process until you run out of custard.
  • Finish the banana pudding with a layer of whipped cream and Nilla wafers, then refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving.