4.87 from 23 votes

Homemade Banana Pudding (From Scratch!)

By Sam MerrittUpdated Mar 11, 2026

45 Comments

Servings: 12 servings

1 hr 5 mins

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My homemade banana pudding recipe is made completely from scratch and is way better than any boxed pudding! If you’re intimidated by the thought of making this classic show-stopper 100% homemade, don’t be! I’ll walk you through all the steps and I’ve included a step-by-step video!

Closeup of homemade banana pudding with a spoon in a clear glass bowl

I hope you bookmarked last week’s homemade vanilla wafers because you’re going to need it for my homemade banana pudding!

While you can substitute store-bought cookies, there is nothing like a truly from-scratch banana pudding.

And this one is the real deal. We’re making our own rich and creamy vanilla pudding base, folding in homemade whipped cream, and layering homemade (preferably) vanilla wafers throughout. No boxed pudding packets, no Cool Whip, just the good stuff.

Let’s get to it.

What You Need

Let’s talk about a few of our ingredients briefly before we begin.

Cornstarch. This thickens the pudding and helps keep it from becoming runny. An equal amount of arrowroot or potato starch could successfully be substituted. Flour may also be used but you’d have to use a bit more (I’d use 1/3-1/2 cup) and I don’t care for the texture quite as much as I do when using cornstarch.
Heavy cream. Heavy cream is used in two parts: the pudding and the whipped cream topping. In the pudding it adds a richness, making the end result creamy and lush. Double cream or heavy cream could be used to make the topping, but no other substitute will whip as needed for the whipped cream. See the recipe notes for substitution options in the pudding.
Egg Yolks. We’re using just the egg yolks for a rich, creamy, and thick pudding. Save the whites to make angel food cake, white cake, my macaron recipe, or meringues!
Bananas. All of the banana flavor in homemade banana pudding comes from real bananas. Use ripe but not over-ripe or mushy bananas.
Lemon or lime juice. Brush your bananas slices with lemon juice. The acidity inhibits browning (and adds a lovely, subtle tartness that accents the sweetness of the pudding beautifully). I’ve used this trick before in my banana cream pie recipe.
Vanilla wafers. Use store-bought or make your own using the link in my recipe!
Dark chocolate. Optional (well, not in my house). A generous sprinkling of dark chocolate shavings over the top takes this dessert to the next level. To make chocolate shavings, just grab a dark chocolate bar and a potato peeler and “peel” the edge of the chocolate over my banana pudding. I demonstrate this in the video in the recipe.

How to Make Homemade Banana Pudding (Step-by-Step)

Make the pudding

Whisking banana pudding, straining, and whisking in the vanilla extract.

Your first step is to make the pudding. This is very similar to the pastry cream that I use in my eclairs and cream puffs. It will need to be allowed to cool completely before you can serve the banana pudding, so plan ahead!

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Separately, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks (get them nicely whisked so the yolks are well beaten). Pour wet ingredients into dry. Whisk constantly as you do this to prevent any lumps.
Whisk the pudding constantly over medium heat until it thickens. This will take a while so have patience! It’s important that the mixture is heated slowly enough that the sugar has time to melt. If it cooks too fast, you could end up with a runny pudding (this could also leave you with bits of cooked egg in your pudding… I love scrambled eggs, but not in my homemade banana pudding!).
Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer. This is important to catch any lumps or tiny bits of cooked egg that might’ve accidentally happened and guarantees a smooth banana pudding.
Whisk in butter and vanilla until combined. The butter adds a silky mouthfeel and of course the vanilla adds excellent flavor.

The pudding will need to cool completely before you can use it to make banana pudding. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming and pop it in your fridge for a few hours (this can be made 1-2 days in advance of assembly).

Sam’s Tip

The pudding will continue to thicken as it cools, but you still want it to be thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon before you remove it from the heat.

Prepare the Whipped Cream & Bananas

Mixing the whipped cream, folding the whipped cream into the pudding, slicing the bananas, and brushing the sliced bananas with lemon juice.

Use an electric mixer to whip together remaining cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until you have a thick, billowy cream.
Fold approximately half of your whipped cream into the pudding mixture (no need to measure, this recipe is forgiving!). This thickens the pudding and adds a lovely, more stable consistency.
Slice 2-3 ripe but still firm bananas into thin slices.
Brush each banana slice on both sides with lemon or lime juice to inhibit browning (the browning is harmless, but it’s unappealing and one of my biggest pet peeves and something I wanted to absolutely avoid when I set out to make a homemade banana pudding recipe)!

Sam’s Tip

The riper your bananas are, the more banana flavor will be infused into your pudding. However, don’t choose bananas that are so (over-) ripe that they’re mushy or they’ll be difficult to handle and prone to browning too quickly.

Assemble

Layering the banana pudding with banana slices, vanilla wafers, and pudding.

Spread a bit of pudding in a baking dish then top with vanilla wafers and top each of those with a banana slice (or two, if the slices are small!).
Layer half the pudding over the banana slices. Gently smooth it over the banana layer.
Add another layer of vanilla wafers, gently nestling them into the pudding, then top with sliced (lemon-juice-brushed) bananas.
Spread the remaining pudding evenly over the top. You can top with the remaining whipped cream now, or add it just before serving.

Sam’s Tip

Just before serving, crush additional vanilla wafers over the top (don’t do this in advance or they’ll lose their crispness and you want some crunch) and use a potato peeler to “peel” chocolate curls off of a chocolate bar. For a tropical twist, top with toasted coconut!

Finished banana pudding from scratch, close up in a blue dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my banana pudding runny?

Usually this is a result of 1) heating the mixture too fast (which doesn’t give the sugar the chance to melt properly) or 2) simply not cooking for long enough. It takes time, but make sure the pudding is thickened before you remove it from the heat. It may be helpful to watch the video before beginning.

Can I use a different size serving dish?

Yes. You can make homemade banana pudding in a 9×13 pan, just use a thin layer of pudding on the bottom and you will have just a single layer of vanilla wafers and bananas topped with the remaining pudding and then whipped cream.
You may also make this in a large trifle dish or in individual serving dishes (mason jars work well!).

What do you put on bananas to keep them from turning brown in banana pudding?

Bananas will naturally begin to turn brown after they’re sliced simply due to oxidation (being exposed to the air). This won’t cause any problems in taste or texture, but it is much less pretty. To keep your banana slices from turning brown in homemade banana pudding, brush them with a little bit of acidic juice (I use lemon or lime juice) and make sure they’re completely covered by the pudding so they’re not exposed to air. The acidity from the juice slows the browning and the pudding blanket keeps air from reaching the slices so they don’t turn brown too fast.