This Homemade Banana Pudding recipe is a classic Southern dessert made with layers of sliced fresh bananas, an easy homemade custard, Nilla wafers, and topped with a light and fluffy meringue! It's the perfect way to finish any Southern meal!

My family goes through phases where I can't keep enough bananas on hand or they go ripe on the counter. When they do, I like to make Banana Bars, my Best Easy Banana Bread (a reader favorite!), or Coconut Lime Glazed Banana Bread (also delicious but with a fun flavor twist!).

small jars filled with southern banana pudding


Here's a truth:  I don't really like bananas. Unless they are in a creamy, dreamy dessert like this Southern banana pudding. Or baked into banana bread. Or sliced into banana cream pie. Okay, so I like bananas, just not plain bananas.

We just got back from spending Spring Break with our kids in Georgia and South Carolina and ya'll, the food there is seriously fabulous.

At one point, we were checking into our hotel and the desk clerk smiled at my girls and asked "how ya'll doin' today?" in a thick Southern accent. They looked at her quizzically so she repeated herself. At which point they looked to me for help.

"She's asking how you all are doing," I translated. "In the South they say ya'll instead of you all."

I've been to over 20 countries but don't know that I ever felt like I stuck out as a tourist quite as much as I did in that moment. We ate our way through Atlanta, Charleston, and Savannah on our trip and loved all of the delicious foods.

I've got a whole bunch of Southern goodness coming your way, but figured I ought to start out with one of our all-time favorite desserts: homemade banana pudding! And we are making it the true Southern way, with a billowy toasted meringue on top rather than whipped cream. 

An image of three banana puddings with meringue on top.
An image of a banana next to a serving of homemade banana pudding with a spoon in it.

Of course, if you want to top your banana pudding with whipped cream rather than meringue, I totally understand. We like it that way too and I'm not gonna judge if you choose whipped cream instead! 

But for the sake of authenticity, a true Southerner is most likely to make these with a light and fluffy, towering meringue. I actually made multiple batches of banana cream pudding when I was recipe testing and I definitely preferred it with clouds of meringue on top.

This is the first recipe I'm sharing celebrating foods from Georgia (the state, not the country) as part of my American Eats series. It's really eaten all over the South, but I had to share it for Georgia since it was my favorite dessert at Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah.

If you love southern food like I do, you might also want to check out the dishes I shared for Alabama as well.

Banana Pudding Ingredients

Here is what you need to make homemade banana pudding from scratch:

  • flour
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • milk
  • vanilla
  • salt
  • butter
  • Nilla wafers
  • bananas

How to Make Southern Banana Pudding from Scratch

If you have never made banana pudding from scratch - or any pudding from scratch for that matter - it's actually super duper easy to do. And the flavor and texture is leaps and bounds beyond that of boxed pudding mixes. 

  1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks and ½ cup of the milk. Save the whites for a meringue or add them to omelets or make macarons or something!
  2. Pour the remaining milk into a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan. Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until combined to temper the egg yolks. 
  3. Pour the tempered yolks into the pan with the remaining hot milk, whisking to combine.
  4. Continue to cook and stirring constantly over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the pudding has thickened. You may prefer to use a double boiler to prevent scorching, but I've never had a problem as long as I keep my heat at medium and stir constantly. Once the pudding has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
  5. Layer Nilla wafers in the bottom of individual serving dishes like ramekins, mason jars, or glass cups. Or make one big banana pudding using a large bowl, pie plate (affiliate link), or 7 x 11-inch baking dish. Pretty much anything goes. If you are feeding a crowd, you can double the recipe and use a trifle dish or a 9 x 13-inch pan.
  6. Slice half of the bananas over the Nilla wafers, then spoon half of the pudding over the bananas. Repeat the layers with the remaining Nilla wafers, bananas, and pudding. At this point, you could chill and top with sweetened whipped cream, if you decide to go that route.
  7. To make the meringue, beat the reserved egg whites and cream of tarter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.
  8. Spread the meringue on top of the banana pudding, using the back of a spatula to push the meringue to the edges of the pan or container and create peaks and swirls in the meringue.
  9. Finish by baking the banana pudding for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly browned on top. Or, for individual banana pudding servings in mason jars or ramekins, I will broil them just until the top of the meringue is toasted or even use a kitchen torch on them. Garnish with Nilla wafers, if desired.
An image of flour, sugar, egg yolks, and milk in a bowl with a whisk.
An image of homemade vanilla pudding in a pan with vanilla being swirled into it and bananas off to the side.
An image of sliced bananas and vanilla wafers in a glass jar with homemade vanilla pudding.

As you can see, the actual pudding part of this dessert isn't actually banana flavored. It's really just a vanilla pudding with bananas in it. Just like banana cream pie is a pie shell filled with vanilla custard and sliced bananas.

I have seen other recipes that call for banana extract or mashed bananas to be added to the pudding to flavor it, but I prefer this old-fashioned banana pudding recipe with a vanilla custard instead.

An image of jars filled with homemade pudding, sliced ripe bananas, and Nilla wafers for Southern Banana Pudding.

Do you eat banana pudding hot or cold?

I have strong feelings about this. We definitely prefer to eat our southern banana pudding while it is still warm. I've been told that this is also how most southerners prefer to eat it as well. But lots of people like to make the homemade banana pudding ahead, chill it in the fridge and serve it cold, adding the meringue and toasting it right before serving.

jars full of southern banana pudding

More Classic Southern Desserts Everybody Loves

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Southern Banana Pudding

5 from 11 votes
Amy Nash
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
This Homemade Banana Pudding recipe is a classic Southern dessert made with layers of sliced fresh bananas, an easy homemade custard, Nilla wafers, and topped with a light and fluffy meringue!  It's the perfect way to finish any Southern meal!

Ingredients
  

Pudding

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 egg yolks save whites for the meringue
  • 3 ½ cups milk divided
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 box Nilla Wafers
  • 4-6 bananas not overripe

Meringue

  • 6 egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. 
  • Add the egg yolks (save the whites for a meringue) and ½ cup of the milk, whisking again until smooth and combined.
  • Pour the remaining milk into a heavy saucepan and warm over medium heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan.  
  • When the milk is hot, slowly pour 1 cup of it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until combined to temper the egg yolks.  Then transfer the tempered yolks to the pan with the remaining hot milk, whisking constantly to combine.  
  • Continue to cook and stirring constantly over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the pudding has thickened.  You may prefer to use a double boiler to prevent scorching, but I've never had a problem as long as I keep my heat at medium and stir constantly.  
  • Once the pudding is thick, remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  
  • Layer Nilla wafers in the bottom of individual serving dishes or a large bowl, trifle dish, pie plate (affiliate link), or baking dish.  Add half of the sliced bananas.  Spoon half of the pudding over the bananas, then repeat the layers with the remaining Nilla wafers, bananas, and pudding. 
  • Beat the reserved egg whites and cream of tarter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks begin to form.  Add the granulated sugar while beating and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.  Spread the meringue on top of the banana pudding, using the back of a spatula to create peaks and swirls in the meringue.
  • There are a couple of ways to finish the meringue depending on what container or presentation you are using for your banana pudding.  If I'm making a big bowl or casserole dish of pudding, I will bake it for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly browned on top.  For individual servings in mason jars or ramekins, I will broil them until the top of the meringue is toasted.  Garnish with Nilla wafers, if desired.

Notes

This recipe fits a 7 x 11-inch baking dish, but isn't enough for a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  You might want to make a double batch and use the larger 9 x 13-inch dish if feeding a crowd.  

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 449IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @HouseOfNashEats or tag #houseofnasheats!

More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • IdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa • KansasKentuckyLouisiana • MaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNew JerseyNew YorkOregonPuerto RicoSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTexasUtahWisconsin

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About the author

Hi, I'm Amy

I enjoy exploring the world through food, culture, and travel and sharing the adventure with mostly from-scratch, family friendly recipes that I think of as modern comfort cooking.

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Reader questions and reviews

  1. Classic southern dessert! And in my family it is definitely eaten cold! By the way, don't offer me whipped cream and instant pudding--really poor excuse for banana pudding!

  2. I tried the banana pudding recipe and it was so good. Now I wish I had made a small one for the house. I took it to a dinner. It was so good!!!

  3. I am from Kentucky and I grew up eating banana pudding warm. This is one of my favorite dishes from childhood and once or twice a year, I’ll indulge myself. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  4. Made this for a Sunday evening dessert. The whole family loved it. Super easy to make.  The hardest part is waiting for it to chill! 

    1. Hi! At the top of every recipe page is a button that says "jump to recipe". This will take you straight to the recipe card with measurements and instructions for the recipe. Hope that helps!

  5. Will the meringue separate from the pudding like in a pie? If so, how do you keep that from happening if there are left overs?

    1. Meringue can be tricky. Fresh, unbaked meringue should be consumed within 24 hours. You can add the meringue right before serving. If you might have leftovers you can just skip the meringue and do fresh whipped cream or scoop the meringue off if its longer than 24 hours. But the nilla wafers can also get a bit soggy if sitting too long so really this whole dessert is best consumed the first day, maybe the second but not past that.