A southern favourite, traditional banana pudding uses condensed milk and boxed vanilla pudding to get its characteristic flavour. But, if you’re after a version made entirely from scratch that isn’t quite as cloying, then I’ve developed a great option.
My version uses a delicious vanilla pastry cream and layers it with biscuits and banana slices. All topped with some lightly whipped cream, this is one of the most comforting desserts to make.
How to Make Banana Pudding From Scratch
You need to start with making the custard, which is not too dissimilar to my vanilla custard recipe, only that it uses cornstarch as a thickening agent. This makes it slightly easier.
Making the custard is quite simple. Start first with infusing a vanilla bean in some whole milk. Split a vanilla bean down the centre and use the blunt side of a knife to scrape the seeds from it. Add the seeds and the pod to a pot with the milk (and a bit of salt).
Put the pot over medium heat and, stirring every so often, heat the milk up until it’s just below boiling – you’ll know it’s ready when it’s very steamy and small bubbles are forming around the edges.
While the milk is heating, go ahead and add some egg yolks, sugar and a bit of cornstarch to a large mixing bowl. Whisk these together until they are very pale and aerated – this will take a minute or more.
Once your milk has come to temperature, go ahead and remove it from the heat. Whisking constantly, slowly stream the milk into the yolk mixture. Once that is done, discard the vanilla pod and pour everything back into the pot.
Return it to the heat and, whisking constantly, cook the custard until it’s thickened and you notice it begins to bubble.
Once you reach this stage, continue cooking (still whisking!) for a further 2 minutes. Then, remove it from the heat.
Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the custard through it, using a spatula to press it through if necessary. Then, stir in some cold butter, one piece at a time, adding another piece only when the first one has melted into the custard.
At this point, press a piece of plastic wrap over the custard and then refrigerate until it’s completely cooled, at least 2 hours.
After that, it’s time to assemble the pudding! To do this, scrape a quarter of the filling into the bottom of a trifle dish or glass baking dish.
Top the custard with some Nilla wafers. Or, if you’re in Australia like me, use Marie biscuits and in the UK, you can use Rich Tea biscuits. On top of the biscuit layer, add a layer of sliced bananas.
Go ahead and repeat with the remaining custard, biscuits and bananas – ending on a custard layer. Cover the dish with plastic once more and place in the fridge for 8 hours (or overnight).
Once you’re ready to serve, it’s time to whip some cream. Add some whipping cream and a bit of icing sugar to a bowl.
Use a whisk or electric mixer to whip to medium peaks. Then, spread it over the top of the pudding and serve!
Banana Pudding Without Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 1 l (4 cups) whole milk
- 1 vanilla pod split & scraped
- ¼ tsp salt
- 200 g (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) cornstarch/cornflour
- 8 egg yolks
- 50 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter chilled & cut into cubes
- 300 g (11 oz) Nilla Wafers one standard box (see note 1)
- 4 medium bananas cut into 5mm (¼in) slices
- 500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Add the milk, vanilla pod & scraped seeds and salt to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, gently bring the heat up until the milk is steaming but just below a boil. Remove from the heat.
- While the milk is heating, add the sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks to a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale, foamy and aerated. Then, whisking constantly, very slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Discard the vanilla bean.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook the custard until it's noticeably thickened and one or two bubbles escape the top. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes longer, pausing occasionally to ensure it is still bubbling. Remove from the heat.
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and press the custard through it. Then, one piece at a time, stir in the butter, ensuring that each piece is melted before stirring in another. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and chill for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- When the custard has cooled, it's time to assemble the pudding. In a trifle dish (or any large, glass serving dish), add a quarter of the custard and spread it evenly. Then add a single layer of the biscuits, followed by a single layer of the banana slices. Repeat until you have 4 layers, ending on a custard layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Add the cream and the icing sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), whip until it reaches medium peaks. Spread on the top of the pudding. Serve.
Notes
- If you live outside of the USA where Nilla Wafers are hard to come by, substitute any other mild or vanilla-flavoured tea biscuit. In Australia, use Marie biscuits & in the UK use Rich Tea biscuits.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Banana pudding is the perfect sweet, creamy dessert. Packed with banana and vanilla flavour with a craveable texture thanks to the cookies, it’s sure to quickly become a favourite.
Are you after a great banana pudding recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
