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Classic Banana Pudding Recipe

Classic Banana Pudding Recipe
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★★★★★

4.9 from 26 reviews

A classic banana pudding recipe that features layers of creamy vanilla custard, fresh banana slices, and Nilla wafer cookies, topped with a fluffy whipped cream. This Southern dessert is perfect for any occasion and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Custard:

  • 4 cups (960ml) whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 226g granulated sugar (8 ounces; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
  • 60g cornstarch (2 ounces; 6 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume
  • Yolks from 8 large eggs, straight from the fridge (5 ounces; 140g)
  • 56g unsalted butter (about 2 ounces; 2 tablespoons)

For Assembly:

  • One 11-ounce box Nilla Wafers or other vanilla wafer cookies
  • 5 medium bananas (about 27 1/2 ounces; 775g), peeled and sliced in 1/2-inch rounds

For Whipped Cream:

  • 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon (8g) confectioners sugar

Instructions

  1. In a 4-quart stainless steel saucepan or pot, combine milk and scraped vanilla bean along with its seeds or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover to prevent evaporation, and let steep for 30 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice. Set aside.
  3. In a medium heatproof mixing bowl set on top of a dampened towel (this serves as a stable base), stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks until mixture is pale yellow, smooth, and fluffy, about 1 minute.
  4. Uncover infused milk and remove vanilla bean. While whisking continuously, slowly pour milk into egg yolk mixture in a thin stream, until all of it has been added.
  5. Return mixture to the same pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute. When it begins to bubble, set a timer and continue whisking for 1 minute. (This step is important to neutralize amylase, a starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.)
  6. Off-heat, whisk in butter until melted and thoroughly combined. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heatproof medium bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer bowl to prepared ice bath to chill for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
  7. When ready to assemble banana pudding, whisk pastry cream until smooth. Using a flexible or offset spatula, cover the bottom of the trifle bowl with about 1 cup of pastry cream. Top with a layer of Nilla Wafers. Arrange banana slices on top of cookies. Repeat until you have 4 layers; cover the top layer with the remaining pastry cream. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until wafers have softened and the flavors have melded, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
  8. When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until soft peaks form. Remove plastic wrap from pudding and top with whipped cream. Garnish with crushed Nilla Wafers, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Keywords: Banana Pudding, Southern Dessert, Nilla Wafers, Custard, Whipped Cream

Find it online: https://kitchenbyrita.com/classic-banana-pudding-recipe/