Banana Pudding

Ingredients

• 3 cups 1% milk
• ⅝ cup Granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp Cornstarch
• 4 Eggs (large), yolks only
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• 5 Bananas, sliced
• 30 Ladyfingers (savoiardi), or vanilla wafers
• 1 cup Heavy cream
• 2 tbsp Powdered sugar

Method

1. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan, then whisk in the milk gradually so there are no lumps. Cook over medium, whisking constantly, until it thickens and just bubbles, about 8 minutes.
2. Temper the yolks: whisk a cup of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks, then pour it all back into the pan. Cook 2 minutes more, whisking hard. Skipping the tempering gives you sweet scrambled eggs.
3. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain it through a sieve — a thirty-second insurance policy against any lumps.
4. Layer in the dish: custard, wafers, bananas, repeating and finishing with custard. Press wrap onto the surface and chill 4 hours or overnight.
5. Before serving, whip the cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks and spread it over. The wafers should have gone completely soft — that is the whole point and it takes the full four hours.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Strain the custard. Every professional pastry kitchen does it and it takes half a minute.

🧒 For the kids

Assemble it in individual jars and let each child layer their own.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps 2 days; the bananas darken. Make it the day before, not two.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.