Layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding come together in The Best Banana Pudding you’ll ever make!
Lip Smackin’ Delicious!
I have been eating this banana pudding since I could eat food. I can’t remember an Easter that we didn’t have it on the dessert table. And it makes frequent appearances at summer barbeques, family reunions and church potlucks.
My grandmothers made it, my mom makes it and I make it all the time! A family favorite, for sure! It’s one of those desserts that you just can’t go wrong with.
Watch Me Make the Best Banana Pudding
Step into the kitchen with me as I make the Best Banana Pudding you’ll ever eat!
Dessert of Desserts!
Y’all! This is the dessert of all desserts! It’s easy as easy gets. It’s lip smackin’ delicious. And everyone, I mean everyone, loves it!
Crunchy vanilla wafer cookies, fresh sliced bananas, and a creamy pudding mixture of condensed milk, sour cream and cool whip is all layered together to create a show-stopping mouth-dropping dessert for any occasion.
Banana Pudding in 20 Minutes
Whether surrounded by family and friends or curled up on the couch with a good book or movie, this banana pudding is so comforting and will leave you longing for more. M’m! M’m! Less than 20 minutes is all it takes to make this southern classic.
And once your loved ones have enjoyed it, they’ll be begging you to make it again and again!
The Best Easter Brunch Recipes
Plan a festive and delicious Easter meal for your loved ones with this collection of The Best Easter Brunch Recipes. Fresh and flavorful sides, festive snacks and desserts–there’s so much yumminess to choose from.
What Do I Need to Make The Best Banana Pudding?
- Vanilla instant pudding mix
- Cold milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Sour cream
- Vanilla
- Frozen whipped topping, thawed (I use Cool Whip)
- Vanilla wafer cookies (like Nilla Wafers)
- Bananas
How to Make the Best Banana Pudding
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in cool whip until well incorporated and smooth.
- Reserve 12-14 vanilla wafers and 6 banana slices for garnishing. Cover the bottom of a large serving bowl with some vanilla wafers. Cover the wafers with 1/3 of the remaining banana slices. Scoop 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the pudding.
- Repeat layers with 1/2 of the remaining vanilla wafers, half of the remaining banana slices and 1/2 of the remaining pudding mixture. Repeat layers again with remaining vanilla wafer, banana slices and pudding mixture.
- Garnish with the reserved vanilla wafers (some crushed) and banana slices. Let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
More Layers You’ll Love
- Layered Chocolate Pudding Dessert takes a sweet cookie crust and piles on layers of smooth whipped cream cheese, chocolaty pudding, and creamy whipped topping! It’s an easy and delicious dessert recipe that everyone will love!
- Layered Cornbread Salad : Crumbled cornbread, fresh veggies, ranch dressing and bacon take this delicious salad to new heights. Better make a double recipe because everyone will be coming back for seconds!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Cookie Cake: Layer after layer of chewy fudgy chocolate cookies with the most addicting peanut butter filling holding them all together in this a real treat!
- 7-Layer Cornbread Casserole: A large pan of cornbread topped with everyone’s favorite 7-layer dip for a winning game day matchup or any day get-together!
How to Store Banana Pudding
Pudding keeps well covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
Enjoy, my friends! If you make the Best Banana Pudding, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share.
xoxo,
More Amazing Banana Recipes
- Banana Split Cake: An incredible cake with banana split flavor in every bite! This banana split cake recipe has moist banana nut cake layered with all the incredible toppings of a traditional banana split. YUM!
- Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting: This Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting is unbelievably moist and bursting with real banana flavor! It’s an incredible dessert experience like no other.
- Banana Pudding Cupcakes: Put a new spin on a comfort food classic with these moist, creamy Banana Pudding Cupcakes topped with a sweet whipped topping.
The Best Banana Pudding
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 14
- Category: Dessert
Description
Layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding come together in The Best Banana Pudding you’ll ever make!
Ingredients
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I use Cool Whip)
- 1 (12 ounce) box vanilla wafer cookies
- 2 pounds bananas, sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Fold in cool whip until well incorporated and smooth.
- Reserve 12-14 vanilla wafers and 6 banana slices for garnishing. Cover the bottom of a large serving bowl with some vanilla wafers. Cover the wafers with 1/3 of the remaining banana slices. Scoop 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the pudding. Repeat layers with 1/2 of the remaining vanilla wafers, half of the remaining banana slices and 1/2 of the remaining pudding mixture. Repeat layers again with remaining vanilla wafer, banana slices and pudding mixture. Garnish with the reserved vanilla wafers (some crushed) and banana slices.
- Let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Pudding keeps well covered with plastic warp in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
This recipe is pure nostalgia in a bowl! The layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas, and that cloud-like pudding look absolutely divine. What I love most is how you’ve kept the classic Southern charm while ensuring the recipe is approachable for home cooks. Your tip about letting it chill overnight is golden—that patience truly makes all the difference in allowing the flavors to marry.
I can already picture taking this to a summer potluck in my trust insulated tumbler (the wide-mouth kind perfect for desserts!). A tumbler keeps the pudding cool during transport while showing off those beautiful layers—no more messy spills in the car!
Three questions for the Baker Mama:
Have you tried substituting the vanilla wafers with shortbread cookies for a richer twist?
Could this be made in individual mason jars for cute single-serve portions?
What’s your secret to preventing the banana slices from browning too quickly?
This recipe takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen, though I suspect yours might be even better (don’t tell her I said that!). The pudding-to-cookie ratio looks absolutely perfect—so many versions skimp on the creamy layers. Bookmarking this for my next family gathering!
Hi Daisy! I’m so happy to hear you’re excited about our family’s recipe for Banana Pudding. The layers of cookies and pudding and bananas are too taste to be true! To answer your questions…I haven’t tried it with shortbread cookies, but I’m sure that would look and taste great! Yes, you could definitely layer the pudding in mason jars or individual bowls. Such a savvy way to serve it! I don’t do anything special to the bananas to prevent them from browning other than covering the pudding well when we’re not serving it to protect the bananas that are on top of the pudding. I hope this helps and that you get to enjoy it again and again!