Old Fashioned Southern Banana Pudding
This old fashioned Southern Banana Pudding is made with layers of homemade vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and Nilla wafers. It’s topped with a pillowy meringue topping that’s toasted to perfection.
Oh my. While I love a quick banana pudding with sour cream, this is one of those recipes where the “from scratch” route really makes all the difference. I was blown away by how tasty this homemade version is!
I found this recipe for Old Fashioned Southern Banana Pudding in a 1980 church cookbook from Charlotte, North Carolina. It was labeled “old fashioned” in 1980, so it must date back at least a few decades before that.
The difference between this and other old fashioned banana puddings is one ingredient: cornstarch. It’s used instead of flour to thicken the vanilla pudding, and it creates a much silkier pudding than flour does. I hope you love it as much as I did.
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Ingredients
- Ripe bananas are best here, for plenty of banana flavor. I found that I liked them sliced quite thinly so they almost melt into the vanilla pudding.
- When separating the eggs, make sure there are no yolks in the whites. The fat content in the yolks will make the meringue fall.
How to Make Old Fashioned Southern Banana Pudding
- Place the sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and milk in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened, about 10–12 minutes.
- Place rows of Nilla wafers and banana slices in an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Top with a layer of pudding.
- Add another layer of Nilla wafers, banana slices, and pudding. Repeat once more for a total of three layers of the ingredients.
- Top with the remaining vanilla pudding.
How to Make The Meringue Topping
- Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. The peaks should not flop over when you lift up the beater. Add the sugar and beat to combine.
- Pile the egg white mixture on top of the final layer of vanilla pudding mixture.
- Bake for 5–8 minutes, or until toasted to your liking (I like it extra toasty, others may prefer that only the peaks are toasted).
- Serve warm OR let cool completely and then chill, and serve chilled.
Kate’s Tips and Troubleshooting
- Be sure to continue whisking the vanilla pudding as it cooks, especially near the end of the cooking time, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and the eggs yolks don’t curdle.
- I used ¾ of a box of Nilla wafers by lining up the wafers 4×4 in each layer. If you really squeeze them in, you’ll probably use the whole box.
- Make sure the 8×8-inch dish is at least 2 inches deep. A glass Pyrex dish works well.
- Be sure there are NO egg yolks in the egg whites before you whip them into the meringue. If there is any trace of a yolk, the meringue will not whip into stiff peaks.
- When you life the beater out of the whipped egg whites, they should hold a stiff peak (not flop over). If they flop over, continue beating until stiff.
Serving The Banana Pudding: Warm or Cold?
Warm or cold? That’s up to you. To serve warm, give it at least 30 minutes to cool after baking before spooning it into bowls. The pudding will still be slightly runny.
To serve it cold, let it cool at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator UNCOVERED. Covering it will cause the meringue to form little liquid drops on top. For the best results with the meringue, serve the banana pudding within six hours of making it. The pudding will get thicker in the refrigerator.
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Southern Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs separated
- 3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (11 oz) box vanilla wafers (you may not need them all)
- 4 –5 ripe bananas sliced thinly
Instructions
- Place the 1¼ cups sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and milk in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat until thick, whisking often, about 8–12 minutes. Near the end, the mixture will bubble up a bit. Keep whisking constantly while cooking for 2 more minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Place a layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking dish that's at least 2 inches high. Top with a layer of banana slices.
- Pour ⅓ of the pudding mixture over the top and spread (I use a ladle to ladle it over the top).
- Place another layer of banana slices on top, another layer of vanilla wafers, and another ⅓ of the pudding mixture.
- Repeat the layers of banana slices, vanilla wafers, and pudding once more.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff with an electric mixer. When you lift up the beater, the mixture should stand straight up and not droop over. If it droops over, keep beating. Beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.
- Spread the mixture over the top of the final pudding layer, covering the entire surface so it touches the edges all around.
- Bake for 5–8 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
