Traditional Banana Pudding Recipes

BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally., In an ungreased 8-in. square baking dish, layer 25 vanilla wafers, half of the banana slices and half of the pudding. Repeat layers., Press plastic wrap onto surface of pudding. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, remove wrap; crush remaining wafers and sprinkle over top.

OLD-FASHIONED BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the milk in a medium saucepan to a simmer over medium heat. In a second medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar until thick and light. Stir in the flour and salt to make a smooth paste.
• Whisk the scalded milk into the egg mixture, blend well and then return the pan to gentle heat. (Make sure the cream is perfectly smooth before letting it boil!) Whisk until boiling. Continue to cook the cream, whisking constantly, until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl; set aside.
• Place a layer of the vanilla wafers all over the bottom of a medium baking dish (9-by-13-inch). Spread half of the reserved pastry cream on top of the wafers. Place the bananas evenly over the pastry cream in the baking dish. Top with a second layer of wafers. Spoon the remaining pastry cream over the wafers; set aside.
• In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a little at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the pastry cream and spread evenly to cover the entire surface, sealing well at the edges. Using a spatula, make curls and peaks in the meringue.
• Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve immediately, warm or cold.

TRADITIONAL BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in 1⁄2 cup milk and egg yolks.
• In a large saucepan, place remaining 3 cups milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Whisk 1 cup hot milk into egg mixture. Whisk egg mixture into remaining hot milk in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla, stirring until butter melts. Let cool slightly. Arrange wafers in the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish; top with banana slices. Pour pudding over bananas.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 11⁄3 cups sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon over pudding, spreading to seal edges.
• Bake at 350 until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Garnish edges of pudding with vanilla wafers, if desired. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

THE BEST BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat pudding mix and milk 2 minutes. Blend in condensed milk until smooth. Stir in vanilla and fold in whipped topping. Layer wafers, bananas and pudding mixture in a glass serving bowl. Chill until serving.

SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat 2 1/2 cups of the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, and then gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the milk in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it has thickened to a puddinglike consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
• Layer a third of the pudding, half the banana slices and half the vanilla wafers in a 9-inch square baking dish. Layer with half the remaining pudding, all the remaining banana slices and all the remaining wafers. Top with the last of the pudding. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the pudding surface, and refrigerate overnight to soften the cookies.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bring the egg whites to room temperature. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high, and slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar a tablespoon at a time, whipping for 15 seconds after each addition, until glossy firm peaks form. Spread the meringue on top of the pudding with an offset spatula so it reaches the edges of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

BANANA PUDDING IV

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

QUICK AND EASY BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine pudding mix, milk and vanilla. With electric mixer, beat 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
• Add 1 cup whipped topping.
• In a 1 1/2 quart round dish layer half of wafers, bananas and pudding.
• Drizzle with topping.
• Repeat layers, ending with pudding.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup of whipped topping.
• Sprinkle with 3 crushed cookies, if desired.