Easy Banana Pudding Recipe

5 from 2 votes

This Easy Banana Pudding Recipe is creamy, classic, and ready in no time with simple ingredients—perfect for potlucks, holidays, or weeknight treats.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Chill Time2 20

Total Time2 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Lisa Killian

Ingredients

3 cups milk whole or 2%
3 tbs flour
Pinch of salt
¾ cup sugar
1 whole egg
3 egg yolks
1 tbs butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 bananas sliced
8 oz cool whip thawed, you may need more depending on how you layer the pudding in cups or in a trifle dish.
11 oz Nilla Wafers

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, flour, sugar, salt, and one whole egg. Whisk together.
3 cups milk, 3 tbs flour, Pinch of salt, ¾ cup sugar, 1 whole egg
Add the egg yolks and mix thoroughly.
3 egg yolks
Heat mixture over medium heat until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. The pudding is thickened somewhat when you can dip a spoon into the pudding mixture, coat the spoon thoroughly, then run your finger down the back of the spoon, and it creates a line that doesn’t close back up/fill in with pudding.
Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil, then whisk for an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and continue whisking for 20-30 more seconds (this helps prevent burning).
After you’ve sufficiently whisked the pudding, stir in vanilla and butter.
1 tbs butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
At this point, I like to run the pudding through a fine mesh strainer/sieve to make it absolutely smooth, but if you don’t have one, no worries.
Place the pudding in a bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then, cover it with plastic wrap, ensuring the plastic touches the surface of the pudding to prevent a film/skin from forming. Refrigerate pudding until set, ~2 hrs.
Once set, layer the pudding in cups or mason jars with crushed Nilla Wafers, banana slices, and Cool Whip.
4 bananas, 8 oz cool whip, 11 oz Nilla Wafers

Notes

Tips and Tricks

Keep the heat at medium so the sugars melt properly and the pudding will set up correctly.
If you heat too high and too fast, you could burn/scorch the pudding, or it won’t set up like it should.
To make enough for a trifle dish, you will need to double the recipe.
Depending on the size of cups/bowls, this may serve more or fewer than 8.
Store pudding in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition