This is the best banana pudding recipe! This homemade banana pudding recipe is simple and delicious.
The Fruitarian has been begging, begging I tell you, for another taste of this pudding. Of the hundreds of recipes on this humble blog, this pudding, and the parfait I made with it, are his most memorable.
And, if you can believe it, I almost didn’t share it with him.
Here’s the story. I gave the kids a lunch for school. A ham sandwich, saltine crackers with plum jam, a yogurt, granola bar, and some homemade chocolate pudding. I reminded them to bring their lunch boxes home and rinse out the containers that held the pudding and jam. And how many children actually brought their lunch boxes home?
Zero. Zero out of three. Making me one supremely irritated Mama.
I ask you, how can a self respecting mother send more pudding with children who were irresponsible with their last helping?
But, in the end, I was a softie. I couldn’t say no to the boy who had been begging for months for more banana pudding.
When he spotted me making the pudding, The Fruitarian asked me whether I had been hiding bananas from him.
“Yep,” I replied. “I’ve been hiding them right here on the counter. Out in the open. In plain view.”
He probably saw the zucchini that sat next to them and thought, “Nothing to see here.”
I do love this pudding, though. You can make it nice and creamy by mashing the bananas really well, or you can give it a little texture by leaving some chunks of banana in there.
We chose the chunky stuff.
With whipped cream.
And we’re hoping to revisit this one again soon.
Want more? Try these pudding desserts!
 Chocolate Pudding |
 Strawberry Pudding |
 Chocolate Banana Parfait |
- 2-3 very ripe bananas
- 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- dash salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Place bananas, milk, and cream in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until hot, but not boiling. Mash bananas and mix into milk.
- In a separate small dish, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. When milk mixture is almost boiling, add sugar mixture and mix well.
- In a small dish, lightly beat egg yolks. Place a small amount (about ½ cup) of the milk mixture into the eggs. Mix together, and return mixture to the saucepan.
- Bring pudding to a boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Place in individual ramekins or one large bowl, cover with plastic, and chill for an hour. Pudding can also be eaten warm. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
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I just made this right now. It’s in the fridge cooling down. I love that it actually “tastes” like banana and not the processed banana flavor of the boxes. It smells divine and the spoon sample I had made me quite happy I made it. Thank you for a dilicious recipe my family will enjoy.
Oh, I totally agree. I hate that fake banana flavor! My family loves this pudding, I hope yours does too.
Just FYI, the banana flavor in bananas comes from the chemical isoamyl acetate. This was first produced as an extract back in the early 20th century, when the main bulk of the commercial banana crop was a variety called the Gros Michel, which was sweeter and had more isoamyl acetate. A fungus killed off the majority of those plants, and commercial growers switched to the variety we know today: the Cavendish, which is resistant to the fungus, but less sweet and has less of the chemical. So it’s not that the extract is ‘fake’, or overly sweet; it’s that today’s bananas are less sweet and ‘banana-rey’ than those on which the extract formulas are based.
Was craving some banana pudding and saw this surfing for recipes on Pinterest. Simply divine! This is definitely something I would make again and again. So easy too – Thank you for sharing!
You put vanilla in the ingredients but it’s not used in the recipe! Where do you add it? With the milk and cream in the beginning?
Oops, sorry! I’ll fix that in the recipe card now. Vanilla gets added at the very end after you remove it from the heat. Vanilla is mostly alcohol and will cook out very quickly, so it’s best to add it after it’s done cooking.
Hi Jen! Can I use half and half rather than whipping cream? I am guessing no, but had to ask, as it’s all I have on hand! 🙂
Well, it won’t turn out as creamy, but it might work. Sometimes you just have to make do with what you’ve got!
1 cup milk + 1 cup heavy cream = 2 cups half’n’half
I made it with whole milk yogurt instead of cream because that’s what I had. It was amazing. I will definitely be making this pudding again. Thank you for the recipe!
I just made this about 35 to 40 minutes ago. I didn’t use any whipping cream (although now I know that is to make it creamier). I just used a little flour to help it thicken, doubled up on the recipe and added crushed cookies in layers with pudding. It tasted great when I sampled it, but hubby will have the final say, of course. Thanks for this great recipe. I don’t like pudding much, but I think I will try this again.
What is the shelf life of this pudding? I have the time to make it now for a dinner party I am hosting in3 days.
Great banana pudding! Other recipes just put sliced banana on top of vanilla pudding and call it banana pudding. This is simple and tastes great without adding vanilla wafers or carmel sauce. Yum
I just made this! What a great use for over ripe bananas! It’s wonderful, creamy and full of banana flavor!
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Thank you for this recipe! Whenever I look for a banana pudding it’s just sliced bananas and not blended. Going to make a pie with this tonight 🙂
How long can this delicious-sounding pudding last in the fridge?
I’ve never had it last more than an hour! 😉 But I suspect it would be fine for a couple days.
Thanks for replying! I made some (this recipe is super delicious), and while pudding generally doesn’t last more than a day or two around here, this was still good 4-5 days later.
i used a diffferent recpie that called for just vanilla pudding with bananas and waffers and whipped cream. but i infused the banana and milk cause i wanted real bananas in the pudding. my problem is its not pudding consistancy i have added more cornstrach but it is still not thicking what can i do?
Ashley, when you adjust the recipe, you’re going to get different results. Without knowing exactly what recipe you’re using, it’s hard to say what the issue is. This recipe uses a ratio of 1 cup of milk to 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, but the mashed fruit changes the consistency a bit. The vanilla pudding recipe I like uses a ratio of 1 cup milk to less than 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, so the rest of the ingredients you use definitely matter. Be sure you are letting the pudding come to a boil, since that is what activates the cornstarch to actually thicken the mixture. Good luck!
This is the first time I’ve ever made any kinda pudding. I always thought it would be too difficult. Not so! Super easy. I have never been a fan of instant banana pudding so i was skeptical. Surprise! Tastes great! I used coconut milk (box) and added Liberte vanilla about 3oz to the coconut milk, and half ‘n half. Hey i live way out in the country and “running out” to the store is nor feasible. Turned out great. Serve it with fresh berries. Thank you so much! Cat cox
Looking to try today. However I only have milk. Any suggestions?
This recipe looks delicious and I plan to try it. However, the first step in the directions says to put the bananas , milk and cream into a saucepan – then to mash the bananas and mix into the milk. Does this mean that you take the bananas out of the saucepan to mash them and then put them back into the milk? Thank you!
No, I put everything in the saucepan, and then use a potato masher to mash the bananas while they are in the pan.
Can I use 2% Milk??? And do the crumbled cookies, for example like vanilla wafers, if added in layers soften ? I assume they do. Can this keep beyond 2 days???? How large are the 4 servings?
I used all 1% milk, no problem. Delicious, although next time I will cut way back on the sugar and try 5 Tbls instead of 8.
Four 3/4 cup servings and I’m not sure if the bananas would turn brown. We ate it all while still warm…mmmm
This was the perfect recipe! I wanted to use my over ripe bananas, but didn’t want to make a vanilla pudding with sliced bananas. I wanted the real deal, and this is it! If it is half as good cold as it tasted warm, we are in for a treat! Oh by the way, I made this with my fresh goat’s milk. Creamy, creamy! I am trying to give it 5 stars, but it won’t let me! ARGH!
I’m actually on the Whole30 diet, and I was completely craving banana pudding! It took forever to find a scratch recipe and I’m glad I found yours. I ended up switching out the cornstarch for arrowroot powder, and the cream and milk for full fat coconut milk (in a can). Replaced the sugar with some all natural maple syrup, AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!! This is an amazing base and it was very easy and simple to make a few changes so I could eat it!
I made this pudding and put it in a homemade pie crust with a meringue topping….GONE in a flash! Have a request for two more pies!
I was craving banana cream pie for weeks. When I finally got around to making one, I didn’t have enough time and the bananas were riper than I wanted. I googled for a recipe for banana pudding and yours came up first. It was everything I was looking for in a recipe. I served it with gingersnaps and almond windmill cookies on the side. My nephews said it was baby food but loved it. SIL asked for the recipe. It is now a family favorite and so satisfying. Thanks
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
This pudding sounds fabulous and I would like to make it to fill a banana cream pie.
I am wondering if the cooked bananas go brown in the pudding like raw bananas would?
Or does the cooking stop the oxidation process?
I make custard and puddings always from scratch frequently, but I wanted a banana pudding recipe without wafers. This was really great!
I used 2 cups whole milk instead of cream because I didn’t have any. I warmed the milk a little and then added the mashed bananas (not completely smooth). It has a nice flavor and is very creamy. I didn’t want vanilla wafers or sliced bananas and this was perfect. Thanks!
Delicious! easy to make and a hit with the whole family!
Hi Jen. Thanks for sharing this. Have you ever substituted the milk in an instant pudding mix with banana purée? Will it set, or will I need to add more cornstarch?