This old timey banana pudding recipe reminds me of the banana pudding my grandma used to make. It’s sweet, creamy, and thick with abundant vanilla and banana flavor. The pudding itself has no bananas in it, but they’re layered in the pan with Nilla wafers, making the pudding quite universal for non-banana desserts. The homemade banana pudding is sweet, luscious, and smooth with big nostalgic appeal. The texture from the wafers and the bananas, both suspended in thick and creamy pudding, is pure old-fashioned comfort food! If you’ve never made homemade banana pudding from scratch, you’re going to love it.
Banana Pudding Ingredients
To make this old fashioned homemade banana pudding, you’ll need the following common and easy to find fridge and pantry ingredients:
Granulated sugar All-purpose flour Salt 2% milk Vanilla extract Eggs Nilla Wafers Ripe bananas
Note: All ingredients amounts are listed in the recipe card section when you keep scrolling down.
How to Make Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding
Making homemade banana pudding is like making gravy. It’s easy, but you’ll become best friends with your whisk for about a half hour. Get everything you need out and ready before starting because you’ll be busy whisking. Mise en place.
Make the pudding:
Assemble the pudding:
Make-Ahead Instructions
This old-fashioned banana pudding will last up to 4 days in the fridge, so you’re fine to make it the night before you plan on serving it. Keep the heat at medium because cranking it up will likely cause the mixture to scorch, so just take your time. It took a good 15 minutes of the pot appearing to do absolutely nothing for my pudding to finally begin to barely boil because I was compulsively whisking. I was staring into the proverbial pot that never boils, whisking it. I recommend covering the pudding tightly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on top (although the Nilla Wafers on top should protect most of the exposed pudding). Serve straight from the fridge and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Bananas: I used ripe bananas, but not over-ripe. Save those really freckled and speckled ones for banana bread. They will just disintegrate and biting into slightly firm banana slices is the goal. Nilla Wafers: I used Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers for two reasons. First, the obvious to save calories and fat when possible so you can eat more dessert. Secondly, the Reduced Fat variety are firmer, crunchier, and don’t turn to mush as easily, an advantage here. If you can’t find them, use Classic Nilla Wafers. Topping: If desired, you can top this homemade banana pudding with whipped cream as well as crushed Nilla Wafers. Make it however you grew up eating it!
More Banana Dessert Recipes:
ALL OF MY BANANA RECIPES! Freezer: The vanilla pudding itself can be frozen and thawed no problem, but once you’ve assembled the entire dessert I don’t recommend freezing it. The Nilla Wafers will become soggy and the banana slices will likely become grainy once frozen. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – The BEST banana cake recipe because it’s soft, tender, moist, and bursting with banana flavor thanks to the 4 bananas used! Tangy-yet-sweet cream cheese frosting takes this cake over the top and makes it a guaranteed family FAVORITE! Easy Banana Cream Pudding Pie with Cream Cheese Crust – The no-bake filling tastes like a fluffy slice of heaven and the crust is no-roll!! An easy, goofproof pie that anyone can make in minutes!! Fudgy Banana Bars with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze — Fudgy is the only word that describes these bars! They’re the banana equivalent of moist, fudgy brownies with zero trace of cakiness. Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These cookies are soft, moist, and oh-so chewy. They taste like banana bread and chocolate chip cookies rolled into one dessert! Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake — This upside down cake is super moist thanks to the combination of sour cream, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. It’s so easy to make, and the caramelized banana flavor is impossible to resist! Banana Bread Pudding – Bread pudding meets banana bread in this EASY recipe that everyone will LOVE!! Firmer exterior with a custardy interior and an amazing vanilla sauce that is to-die-for! Six-Banana Banana Chocolate Chip Cake – Yes, 6 bananas in 1 cake means it’s super SOFT, moist, and has robust banana flavor with chocolate chips in EVERY bite! Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – A FAST and EASY dessert that is on the HEALTHIER side with only 1/4 cup butter and no oil!! Bold banana flavor, chewiness from the oats, and plenty of chocolate in every bite!! Banana Cream Pie Bars – Faster and easier than making a banana cream pie and taste AMAZING!! A crunchy crust, tender banana slices, luscious banana pudding, and creamy whipped topping make these layered pie bars WINNERS! Originally published March 2014 and republished with new commentary and photo collage September 2019. Republished again with updated info March 30, 2023.
