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old fashioned banana pudding
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Banana Pudding

Southern Banana Pudding with it's layers of wafers or biscuits, sliced bananas and custard and topped with whipped cream is the perfect dish for gatherings.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pudding
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 573kcal

Ingredients

Banana Pudding

  • 150 grams / ¾ cup superfine/caster sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 80 grams / ½ cup plain flour
  • 750 milliliters / 3 cups milk
  • 54 grams / 3 large egg yolks
  • 42 grams / 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large or 4 medium bananas
  • 200 grams / 7 ounces malted milk biscuits / nilla wafers / sponge fingers

Topping

  • 25 grams / ¼ cup malted milk biscuits / nilla wafers / sponge fingers finely crushed
  • 14 grams / 1 tablespoon butter
  • 375 milliliters / 1 ½ cups double cream
  • 14 grams / 1 tablespoon superfine/caster sugar

Instructions

Custard

  • Place the sugar, salt and flour into a heatproof bowl and stir together.
  • Whisk in the milk a little at a time until smooth.
  • Place the bowl over simmering water in a saucepan, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
  • Whisk until the mixture being is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Place the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl and whisk lightly.
  • Add in a small ladleful of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
  • Add another ladleful of hot milk into the egg yolks and combine.
  • Repeat with the remaining milk mixture until the egg yolks and milk are fully combined.
  • Return the custard to the double boiler on medium heat and whisk as it thickens and leaves a trail when you are whisking.
  • Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Assembly

  • Meanwhile, get your biscuits out and slice up your bananas into even ¼ inch slices.
  • Lay your biscuits down in a flat glass baking dish or in serving glasses (whichever is your preference).
  • Lay the sliced banana down on top in an even layer.
  • Spoon over enough custard to cover the tops of the bananas, but leave a little of the biscuit base visible.
  • Repeat another layer of the biscuits, bananas and custard, leaving ½ inch from the top of your dish.
  • Ensure you keep approximately 2-3 of your biscuits aside, but use all the custard and sliced banana (any extras can be layered in glasses if you are making your pudding in a dish).
  • Refrigerate to chill and then cover to chill fully for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Topping

  • Place the finely crushed biscuits and butter in a saucepan on medium heat and stir until golden and bubbly, approx 2 minutes.
  • Remove and place into a small bowl to cool. Set aside.
  • Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks just form.
  • Spoon the cream over your pudding and smooth out.
  • Sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs, spoon into serving dishes and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Nilla Wafers/Malted milk cookies/sponge fingers: Nilla wafers are thin round vanilla cookies, that don’t exist much outside America. So the best replacement a milk biscuit or malted milk biscuit. Alternatively, sponge fingers also work, though, they’re thicker so it’s best to halve before using in your pudding.
  • Banana: Cavendish or Finger bananas work great in your pudding. They need to be just ripe - not green and not too ripe.
  • Warm custard: To create a similar texture as would be found in the South; it's best to top your biscuits or sponge fingers with warm custard to soften.
  • Biscuit crumbs topping: The buttery and crisp biscuit crumb topping is optional for the pudding. Though the flavor adds (in addition to the smell that will waft through your kitchen when you make this) will only make your banana pudding better.
  • Best served: The banana pudding is best served within 1 day of making or better yet, served within 2 hours of topping with the whipped cream. This is best kept refrigerated when not serving.
Adapted from the Spruce Eats

Nutrition

Calories: 573kcal