Homemade Banana Pudding Recipe | Family Favorite

Some recipes become family favorites from the very first time the recipe is served. If your family likes banana pudding, you may find this made-from-scratch recipe becomes their favorite just like it has been a favorite dessert for my family from the first time I served it as a young bride. 

Let's just leave it at MANY years ago . . . 

H O M E M A D E   B A N A N A   P U D D I N G 

Family Favorite | Made From Scratch 

I learned to cook at a young age, well before I graduated from high school. Both my mother and grandmother were good country cooks who made everything from scratch and often without a written recipe. No frozen dinners, hamburger helpers, store-canned green beans, or cornbread from a mix. 

In the same tradition of French Country cooks. 

In addition, ingredients like eggs and milk often came fresh from my grandparents' farm. Vegetables and fruits from the garden were canned all summer for winter meals to come. 

My mother worked outside the home and got home around 5:30-6:00 p.m. each night. Since my dad had been a Mess Sergeant in the US Army, he knew how to cook. After leaving the enlisted army life, he worked as a civilian for the army in Huntsville, Alabama and got home around 4:30 p.m.

As the oldest of four children, it was my job to help my dad cook dinner each night so it was ready to put on the table when my mother got home from work. My dad was a man before his time . . .  in an era when few men cooked family dinner on a regular basis . . .  after working all day himself. 

That is how I learned to cook and learned ingredients are the key to every recipe. 

F R E S H   I N G R E D I E N T S  are the key! 

For this homemade banana pudding to taste yummy, be sure to use 

whole milk 

fresh eggs 

real vanilla extract  

cane sugar, no sugar substitutes 

ripe bananas 

You may be thinking this is not a healthy recipe, but it is a dessert. For me, if it is worth my time cooking it and eating it, it has to taste YUMMY. Otherwise, I do not want it. I will just skip dessert, which I often do. 

And, if you rarely eat dessert, this dessert is worth it to splurge a little in your diet for whole milk and cane sugar. 

WARNING: Once you have had homemade banana pudding, you will be hooked and, banana pudding made with boxed instant pudding will never be the same again. 

You will catch yourself saying, "No thanks, no dessert for me tonight." 

I do use a recipe with precise measurements, found on the back of the box of Nabisco vanilla wafers many years ago before I was married. So, the recipe is not completely made from scratch since I use boxed vanilla wafers. 

Oh, another thing, I make a double recipe (shown) whenever I make homemade banana pudding. Which means you have to cook the pudding longer than a single recipe states. 

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BA N A N A   P U D D I N G 

S O U R C E : Nabisco Vanilla Wafer box, adapted

Y I E L D : Serves 6

P R E P  T I M E : 20 minutes, pudding | 10 minutes, meringue 

C O O K  T I M E : 20 minutes, pudding | 10 minutes, meringue 

T O T A L  T I M E : 1 hour 

I N G R E D I E N T S :

2 cups milk

3 eggs, separated 

⅔ cup sugar for pudding 

¼ cup sugar for meringue topping 

⅛ teaspoon salt 

2 Tablespoons cornstarch 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

4 bananas

48 vanilla wafer cookies 

D I R E C T I O N S : 

① Arrange round-cut banana slices and vanilla wafer cookies in  layers in an oven-proof baking dish. Alternate layers of vanilla wafers with banana slices beginning with vanilla wafers as the bottom layer. Set aside until pudding is cooked. 

② Separate egg yolks from egg whites into two different large mixing bowls. 

③ Scald milk in a double boiler over direct heat, stirring continuously to prevent sticking to the pan bottom. 

④ Beat the egg yolks, and continue beating while adding ⅔ cup sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Carefully combine a small amount of the scalded milk with the egg yolk mixture. Continue to add small amounts of the scalded milk to the egg yolk mixture, stirring them together, until all milk is added. Adding too much scalded milk at a time to the egg mixture will scramble cook the eggs. 

⑤ Return all mixture to the double boiler, and cook until thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir continuously. Remove from heat, and add vanilla extract. Cooking time can be longer depending upon the amount of custard being made. Doubling the recipe increases the amount of time needed for the custard to thicken. 

⑥ Pour custard pudding over arranged vanilla wafers and banana slices. 

Preheat oven to 350°. 

⑦ Beat egg whites until thick and creamy to make the meringue topping. While continuing to beat, gradually add ¼ cup sugar. Beat until peaks form. 

⑧ Spread the meringue over the prepared pudding in the baking dish. Brown the topping in the oven for about 5-10 minutes at 350°. 

Watch carefully to prevent burning the meringue. While charcoal makes you pretty, according to my late mother-in-law, I prefer my meringue lightly browned. 

~~~~❦~~~~ 

Another family favorite recipe is Black Pepper Cookies.  

For more tempting recipes collected because they look like they are worth my time making them and eating them 😉, see my Pinterest board, Cuisine.