Description
This Easy Banana Pudding is a delightful no-bake Southern classic featuring layers of creamy vanilla pudding, ripe bananas, and crunchy vanilla wafer cookies. It’s rich, smooth, and perfectly sweet—an ideal dessert to prepare ahead for gatherings or a comforting treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pudding Mixture
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
For the Whipped Cream
- 3 cups cold heavy whipping cream
Other Ingredients
- 1 box (about 11 ounces) vanilla wafer cookies
- 4 to 5 ripe bananas, sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the Pudding Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and cold water until fully combined. Add the instant vanilla pudding mix and continue whisking vigorously for about 2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 5 minutes to allow the pudding to set properly.
- Whip the Heavy Cream: In a separate chilled bowl, use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form, which should take about 3 to 4 minutes. Take care not to overbeat to maintain a smooth texture.
- Combine Pudding and Whipped Cream: Gently fold the stiff whipped cream into the chilled pudding mixture until smoothly incorporated. This will create a light, airy pudding base perfect for layering.
- Assemble the Banana Pudding: In a 9×13-inch baking dish or a large trifle bowl, start by layering a single layer of vanilla wafer cookies at the bottom. Add a layer of sliced bananas over the wafers, then spread a layer of the pudding mixture on top. Repeat these layers—wafers, bananas, pudding—until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of pudding on top.
- Chill Before Serving: Cover the assembled dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. This chilling time allows the wafers to soften slightly and flavors to meld beautifully, resulting in a luscious, creamy dessert.
Notes
- For added texture and visual appeal, sprinkle crushed vanilla wafer cookies on top just before serving.
- You can substitute homemade whipped cream with store-bought whipped topping (like Cool Whip) to save time.
- Best enjoyed within 2 days to ensure freshness and optimal flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
