Fluffy Roasted Banana Pudding

Banana pudding lovers, your ship has come in. It has taken me 17 years to get a more-or-less traditional banana pudding recipe up on the site, and the wait, if I do say so myself, is worth it.

Vanilla wafers dipped in “banana milk,” layered with roasted banana pudding folded together with whipped cream and sliced bananas for guaranteed banana flavor in every bite.

For more pudding-y goodness, check out all my Custard and Pudding recipes. Or just jump right in so you can make this Southern classic at your earliest convenience!

Fluffy Banana Pudding, At a Glance

✅Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate
✅Skills: Making custard, using a blender, straining, layering
✅Type:Trifle-like dessert
✅Number of Ingredients: 11
✅Prep Time: 45 minutes
✅Cook Time: 45 minutes (custard plus roasting bananas)
✅Chill Time: 12 hours
✅Yield: 12 servings

Jump Straight to the Recipe

Banana Pudding Layers

If you think about it, banana pudding is pretty much a trifle. It has layers of a cakey component, custard, and fruit. Voila: a trifle!

While it doesn’t really matter how you layer these items, I’ll show you how I do it in a bit.

First, let’s take a look at the components:

• The Cakey Layer: vanilla wafers, traditionally, but you could go with shortbread or Chessman cookies. The trick is, you want whatever type of cookie you use to soften up in the fridge.
  
  This happens over time naturally, but I like to give things a head start as well as extra banana flavor. I do that by making a “banana milk” by blending milk, a little sugar, and a roasted banana.
  
  The cookies will soak up all that goodness, and the pudding won’t have to “borrow” moisture from the actual custard. That keeps things nice and creamy.
  
• The Custard: I make a homemade pudding using more banana milk. I added a cut up vanilla bean to mine as well, but if you don’t have vanilla beans, it’s not a big deal. Just whisk in some vanilla extract at the end of cooking.
  
  Two roasted bananas appear in this extra rich pudding made with both half and half and whole milk as well as an extra egg yolk, because of course.
  
  Once cool, fold some freshly whipped cream into the pudding. This yields an extra fluffy, almost mousse-like texture to the pudding. So good!
  
• The Fruit: Fresh, sliced bananas. Slice them fairly thinly, certainly no thicker than 1/4″ (6-7mm) or so.
  
  And there you have it: 3 components, all with banana flavor, for the banana-iest banana pudding in the world. Probably.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make this pudding. I offer substitutions where appropriate. If you just want to get right to it, you may jump straight to the recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this pudding. Note some of the ingredients are used in more than 1 component. Where appropriate, I’ll give you some substitutes you can use.

• ripe bananas: Ripe, or even slightly overripe bananas will work best here, because ripe bananas are sweeter and have more flavor than less ripe (greener) bananas. But even if you don’t have Perfect Bananas, the roasting will intensify the flavor. You’ll need 3 bananas for roasting and 3-4 for slicing, depending on the size of the dish you’re using
• whole milk: This is the main dairy in the pudding, and it also carries the banana flavor throughout the dish. You can substitute 2% milk if you would rather. And if you need to make this dish dairy free, any plant-based milk that can be brought to a boil without curdling will work just fine.
• half and half: Because I want MORE richness, there are 8 oz (1 cup) of half and half in the pudding. You can absolutely use all milk, since we’re going all in with heavy cream in just a bit.
• granulated sugar: Divided among the three components, sugar brings sweetness to the whole dessert
• egg yolks: egg yolks lend color to the pudding as well as helping to emulsify it. It also adds richness and flavor and thickening
• kosher salt: To bring out the vanilla and banana flavor to best effect. Please do not leave out the salt, or your pudding will taste bland and flat.
• all-purpose flour: Used to thicken the pudding as the starches gelantinize when cooked. You may substitute cornstarch if you prefer
• vanilla bean (optional): I cut up one vanilla bean and used it in the pudding. If you have a bean that needs a job, you can too. Otherwise, flavor the pudding with vanilla paste or extract after you cook it. The flavor the vanilla bean yields is simply lovely, but it is by no means a deal-breaker if you don’t have any.
• vanilla extract: Just a splash in the banana milk and (optionally, if not using a vanilla bean) in the pudding rounds out all the flavors.
• heavy cream: Lightens the texture of the pudding when whipped and folded in. It also adds more richness, which is why I won’t be sad if you use all milk rather than using some half and half in the pudding.
• vanilla wafers: Use store bought or go big with homemade vanilla wafers. Other options are shortbread, Lorna Doone cookies, Chessmen cookies, or sable cookies.

Let’s Talk About Roasting Bananas

Let’s face it. Roasted bananas are just unattractive. But what they lack in looks, they make up for with deep flavor.

Roasting bananas in their skins intensifies the banana flavor and concentrates the sugars. And it is 100% worth doing.

And bonus? Roasting the fruit kills off the enzyme that causes bananas to get brown and mushy, so your banana pudding will stay a pretty pale yellow. Yay!

To get all that roasted banana goodness into your pudding, you’ll need a blender.

Making Roasted Banana Milk

Making banana milk is actually pretty straightforward.

1. Combine roasted bananas, milk, and a little sugar in a blender.
2. Blend until bananas are completely liquified into the milk.
3. Strain (although it’ll be pretty smooth. There should be very little “stuff” in the strainer after pouring the banana milk through).

What you end up with is a slightly thickened milk with a pretty intense roasted banana flavor that you will then use in two components of the recipe. And you will be very happy!

How to Make This Roasted Banana Pudding

Making this dessert, in a nutshell.

1. Roast 3 large bananas. Let cool, split the skins, and pull out the roasted fruit. If there are any weird banana “threads” from the peel stuck to the fruit, peel them off now and compost or discard.
2. Blend the three roasted bananas with 24 oz (3 cups) of whole milk. Blend thoroughly so the bananas liquefy. Strain (although there probably won’t be too much “stuff” left behind in the strainer).
3. Reserve 1/3 of the banana milk and use the rest when you cook the pudding. Chill the pudding for 2 hours.
4. Whip cream and fold together with the cool pudding.
5. Layer up your banana pudding, dipping all but the top layer of vanilla wafers in banana milk. Top the pudding with plain vanilla wafers, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 12 hours to make sure the top layer of cookies have softened.

Layering the Pudding

As I said at the beginning, there’s no real right or wrong way to layer your pudding. So I’m showing you a way, the way I did it, but not the way.

Note I made my pudding in a 1 1/2 quart casserole and knew I’d be mounding the pudding up nice and tall. If you don’t have a 1 1/2 quart casserole or don’t want to mound it up like this, then using a regular 9 x 12 or 13 pan or 2 quart casserole will hold all the components without any mounding.

1. Spread a thin layer of the pudding mixture in the bottom of your dish.
2. Top with banana milk-dipped cookies.
3. Add a layer of thinly sliced fresh banana.
4. Spread half the remaining pudding on top of the bananas.
5. Dip more vanilla wafers into the banana milk and add on top. (NOT PICTURED: Add another layer of sliced bananas, and spread the last of the pudding on top, mounding it up if necessary)
6. Top with a last layer of vanilla wafers, this time not dipped in banana milk.
7. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for about 12 hours, or until the vanilla wafers on the top are soft.

PRO TIP: Use a large disher for serving. Then you banana pudding will look like big scoops of ice cream when you serve it. Also, it’s easier!

Variations

You can make these as individual desserts by layering in small trifle bowls or ramekins.

If you are a particular fan of the cakey layer, do double layers of vanilla wafers.

Add an extra layer or two of sliced bananas if that is your favorite part of the dessert.

And for a less intensely banana experience, you can leave out the roasted banana in the pudding. Then you’ll have vanilla pudding layered with the bananas and cookies.

Last, for a grown up twist, consider adding some banana liqueur to the banana milk or even to the pudding. Rum would also be a nice addition.

For folks who are happy to have a less traditional banana pudding, try my dulce de leche banana pudding. Good stuff!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.

Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.

If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.

A Note About Measurements

My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.

For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.

I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.

This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.

Please Consider Rating, Reviewing, and Sharing. Thanks!

And there you have it. I have never had Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, but I think theirs is nice and fluffy like mine.

Whether or not it’s a “copycat” is up for debate, especially because I’ve never had theirs. But what is not up for debate is that this is a most excellent fluffy roasted banana pudding, and I hope you make it and love it!

Take care, and have a lovely day.