Homemade Banana Pudding – From Scratch

This sweet, rich, and Homemade Banana Pudding goes light on added sugars and big on fresh banana flavor! Whip up this banana pudding from scratch in under 15 minutes, then chill it for an after-dinner treat.

For chocolate lovers, try our Thick and Creamy Chocolate Mousse.

Banana Pudding Recipe

Pudding is an underappreciated dessert. And that’s probably because when we think of pudding, a lot of us think of the instant kind that comes in a box or a plastic cup: gelatinous, overly sweet, with a lingering taste of “fake food.”

Homemade pudding is much easier to make than you might think. It has just 5 simple ingredients and the flavor is so good you might never buy the boxed stuff again. I experimented with this recipe dozens of times to try and incorporate bananas into the pudding, and this final recipe was absolutely the best of the best.

This pudding is rich, creamy, super-fresh, and topped with real fresh bananas and whipped cream. And it takes just minutes to make! Try it yourself, and share the good stuff with your kids.

Ingredients for Homemade Banana Pudding

• Whole Milk – you can use 2% milk, but I wouldn’t recommend using any lower fat milk than that. The whole milk gives this pudding its creamy texture and rich flavor.
• Sugar – granulated sugar is what you will need for this recipe. You will be surprised how much less sugar is needed to make this pudding perfectly sweet, but not overly sweet.
• Egg Yolks – the yolks give pudding a rich tasting velvety texture and deeper yellow color.
• Cornstarch – helps to thicken the pudding
• Vanilla – pure vanilla is a must have for this recipe!
• Salt – helps to bring out the overall flavor profile
• Bananas – the star of this pudding recipe! Use bananas that aren’t overly ripe, but definitely ripe enough to be sweet.

How to Make the Best Banana Pudding

If you’ve never made homemade pudding before, you might not realize how insanely easy it is to make. If you have 10 minutes, you can have this pudding chilling in your fridge. It’s that fast!

The basic process goes like this: whisk the ingredients together in a saucepan, simmer until the mixture thickens, then put the pudding in serving dishes and pop it in the fridge.

Here are a couple of details that help you have the best experience making this banana pudding recipe:

• Add all your ingredients to a saucepan at the same time and whisk them together BEFORE heating. This keeps your pudding super smooth-and lump-free.
• Once the pudding starts to simmer, stay at the stove and whisk it more or less continually. You really only need to whisk like this for 3-4 minutes.
• Watch out for splatters! When the pudding is just about done, the bubbles can start to pop out of the saucepan. If your kids are helping, help them steer clear.
• Chill the pudding for a couple hours and add bananas until just before serving. (If you portion the pudding into individual cups, it’ll chill faster. If it’s in on big serving bowl, it might take a little longer.)
• Have fun with presentation! You can layer the bananas and pudding like a parfait, top it with whipped cream, or even a drizzle of melted chocolate.

Banana Pudding From Scratch

Making homemade banana pudding from scratch is the best and I’ll tell you why:

1. With just 1/4 cup of added sugars in the full recipe, this dessert has less sugar than most desserts.
2. The pudding is absolutely delicious: sweet, creamy, and so fresh you’ll wonder why you ever bought instant pudding.
3. This pudding lets you add an extra serving of fruit to your kids’ day.
4. It has no artificial ingredients or flavorings.
5. It’s quick and easy to make on your stove-top in less than 10 minutes!

More Healthy Desserts Kids Love

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large bananas
• whip cream for serving, optional

• In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, vanilla, and egg yolks.
  

• Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently. Cook until bubbly and mixture begins to thicken, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

• Transfer the pudding into a serving bowl or individual cups. Chill to desired temperature, then place sliced bananas on top and serve immediately.

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 364IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 1mg