My Favorite Banana Pudding

This is the best banana pudding you’ll ever eat. Rich and creamy pudding made with cream cheese, whipped cream, and sweetened condensed milk, layered with crumbled vanilla wafers, even more whipped cream, and sliced bananas.

I have something a little different for you today, a good old-fashioned Southern dessert, banana pudding! This is the absolute best banana pudding I’ve ever eaten, and I think you’re going to LOVE it.

Banana pudding layered in a jar with whipped cream, bananas, and vanilla wafers. - 1

Incredibly Good Banana Pudding

This method of making banana pudding is a Southern classic, but I first stumbled upon it Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Table cookbook .

When I saw that this was a pudding that involved both cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, I HAD to try it, and after one bite, I knew I had to share it with you.

This pudding is decadently rich and creamy. Smooth, unapologetically sweet, and SO indulgently good. If ever there were a desert for a treat yourself day, this is it.

Is this the pudding from Magnolia Bakery?

Magnolia Bakery banana pudding (according to the recipe they’ve shared online) is made with whipped cream, instant pudding mix, and sweetened condensed milk. This recipe is extremely similar, but it has one notable difference.

This recipe includes a block of cream cheese. (I know, I’m excited about it too.)

So I’d argue this banana pudding is even better than the Magnolia Bakery version. The cream cheese doesn’t make the pudding taste “cream cheesy;” it just adds an extra smooth texture to the pudding and a tiny bit of tang that is SO GOOD. Make it, and you’ll see what I mean.

Ingredient Notes

Softened cream cheese: It is ESSENTIAL that you start with softened cream cheese. Cream cheese that’s too cold will leave lumps in your pudding that you won’t be able to get rid of. My go-to cream cheese brand for desserts is Philadelphia cream cheese . Sweetened condensed milk: If you don’t regularly buy sweetened condensed milk, you can usually find it in the baking aisle or near the coffee and tea aisle. It’s sold in cans, and be sure to double check to make sure you’ve grabbed sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk since they’re typically sold side by side. Instant pudding mix: You’ll need a 3.4-ounce box of instant vanilla pudding mix for this recipe. You should be able to find pudding mix in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Heavy whipping cream: If you have leftover heavy cream, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Heavy Cream for ideas to use up the extras. Bananas: Go with ripe but firm bananas for your banana pudding. Bananas that are overripe will brown too quickly and don’t have the best texture for layering.

Banana pudding in a glass mixing bowl. - 2

Banana pudding in a glass mixing bowl. - 3

How to Make Banana Pudding

Make whipped cream: Whip heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until it whips up into whipped cream. You’ll use half of this to fold into the pudding (it helps lighten things up) and half of it when assembling.
Make the pudding base: Beat softened cream cheese until completely smooth and then add half of the condensed milk. Beat these together until you are sure no cream cheese lumps remain, scraping the bottom and sides down a couple of times as you do so to make sure all of it is fully incorporated. And then add the rest of the condensed milk and beat in the vanilla pudding mix and milk.
Add whipped cream: Fold in half of the whipped cream until the pudding is uniform in color. The pudding will seem thin, but it will firm up the longer it sits and as it chills.

Collage photo of banana pudding being assembled in a glass jar. - 4

Collage photo of banana pudding being assembled in a glass jar. - 5

Assemble the pudding: Assemble the pudding either in 8-ounce glass jars or a 3-quart trifle dish. I used mason jars for the pudding in the photos.
Chill and enjoy: Refrigerate for 2 hours, up to 24, serve, and enjoy!

How ripe should bananas be for banana pudding?

Bananas for banana pudding should be ripe but firm. Think the type of bananas you’d like to eat for breakfast not the type you’d use in banana bread .

Of course you can use any banana you’d like, but under-ripe bananas won’t give you nearly as much flavor, and overripe bananas won’t look very pretty layered in your pudding and their texture will be too mushy to stand up to the other ingredients.

How long can banana pudding last?

You should make banana pudding no more than 24 hours before you plan on serving it. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, but the bananas will begin to brown and the wafers will get very soft.

If making this for your family/yourself and you know there will be leftovers, store the pudding, whipped cream, and the rest of the ingredients separately and assemble as needed in batches. The whipped cream will probably deflate a bit as it sits, but not horribly so.

I also recommend assembling the pudding on-demand if you prefer crunchy cookies in your pudding and don’t want them softened from sitting layered with the moist ingredients.

Close photo of banana pudding in a mason jar. - 6

Close photo of banana pudding in a mason jar. - 7

Should you refrigerate banana pudding?

Yes. Banana pudding should be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Can I make a smaller batch of banana pudding?

You know I love small-batch recipes , but for this particular recipe, I recommend against trying to make it small-batch. Both the pudding mix and condensed milk come in exactly the amounts you need and you’ll have to deal with dividing them if you want to make a smaller batch (though if you want to, by all means, go for it.)

Just make the full batch, and if you don’t want to eat it all, make banana pudding kits and drop them off with friends or neighbors (give them a container of pudding, a container of whipped cream, a banana, a plastic baggie of vanilla wafers, and assembly instructions). I did this with the shoot leftovers, and it was a hit.

Do I have to chill the pudding? Shouldn’t instant pudding be instant?

You don’t have to chill your pudding for 2 hours before eating it. It will be soft-set within about 5 minutes of being made, (kind of like the texture of really thick whipped cream).

You can layer it into bowls and eat it right away. But for thicker pudding or if you’re making it in a trifle dish and want it to hold its shape when being served, you’re going to want to let it chill in the fridge first.

More Decadent Desserts

Easy Cheesecake
Easy Carrot Cake
The Best Crockpot Hot Chocolate
S’mores Cupcakes
Frosted Brownies

Ingredients

Whipped Cream

▢ 3 cups heavy whipping cream
▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pudding

▢ 8 ounces cream cheese softened
▢ 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
▢ 1 cup milk preferably whole
▢ 1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

For Assembly

▢ 1 11-ounce box vanilla wafers crumbled into pieces or whole
▢ 3 ripe but firm bananas sliced

Instructions

Whipped Cream

In a large clean bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract, and beat until the cream is light, fluffy, and holds stiff peaks (when you lift the beater straight out, the cream should stand up and form peaks that hold their shape and don’t flop over at the tip). Set aside (if using your stand mixer, transfer whipped cream to a different container while you make the pudding).

Pudding

In a separate large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese until completely smooth.
Add half of the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely mixed and there are no lumps of cream cheese remaining, stopping once or twice to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat in remaining sweetened condensed milk.
Add milk and instant pudding mix and beat on high for 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom once halfway through, until well-mixed.
Add half of the whipped cream (approximately, you don’t need to measure it) to your pudding mixture, and fold it in until the mixture is uniform in color and no streaks remain.

Assemble

To assemble, layer wafers, banana slices, pudding, and whipped cream into individual glasses, doing two layers of each.
Chill for at least 2 hours*, up to 24, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

1/4 of the vanilla wafers in a single layer at the bottom of your bowl
1/3 of the pudding
1/4 of the vanilla wafers
1/2 of the banana slices
1/3 of the pudding
1/4 of the vanilla wafers
1/2 of the banana slices
1/3 of the pudding
1/4 of the vanilla wafers
All of the whipped cream (that you didn’t mix into the pudding)

All about how to freeze bananas along with tips and tricks for getting the best results possible.

Hey friend, you know I love using sad brown bananas in banana recipes, but today I thought we’d chat about what to do with those sad brown bananas when you don’t have the time (or inclination) to make something with them.

The answer? Freeze them!

Bananas on a cutting board being prepped for freezing. - 9

Bananas on a cutting board being prepped for freezing. - 10

Can you freeze bananas?

Absolutely yes! Bananas freeze extremely well both to be used in smoothies and milkshakes (some would argue that frozen bananas are even better for these than fresh) and for baking.

Why freeze bananas?

Typically you have a pretty short window of time to use overripe bananas before they’re past the point of no return, but freezing them allows you to store your bananas at their ripest (and most delicious) point until you’re ready to use them.

Instead of a couple of days, you now have a couple of months to decide what you want to make with your bananas.

How long can you freeze bananas?

Bananas can be frozen for up to 3 months. After that, according to the USDA they’re still okay to eat , the quality will just diminish. After 3 months, they’re more prone to drying out, freezer burn, turning brown, and picking up freezer smells (which no one likes).

What is the best way to freeze bananas? Should the banana be whole or sliced or mashed?

The best way to freeze bananas depends on how you’re going to use your frozen bananas.

Whole bananas are best for: Baking recipes and smoothie recipes where you want to use exactly one banana
Sliced bananas are best for: Smoothies or milkshakes, especially with underpowered blenders where you need smaller chunks to make it easier to blend.
Mashed bananas are best for: Saving storage space or if you have extra mashed bananas that you’re not ready to use. Freezing mashed bananas isn’t my favorite because it’s extra work and you can’t separate out the mash once it’s frozen. But if freezer space is tight, sometimes it’s easier to find space for a bag of mashed bananas than whole.

How to Freeze Whole Bananas

Photo showing how to freeze bananas in a plastic bag. - 11

Photo showing how to freeze bananas in a plastic bag. - 12

Place bananas (peeled or unpeeled—we’ll talk more about that in a second) in an airtight container or freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag to help prevent freezer burn.*
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Peeled vs unpeeled bananas for freezing: It’s best to peel bananas before freezing them because the peel becomes soft and slightly annoying to remove after freezing.

BUT if it’s a choice between freezing your bananas with the peel on and letting them sit on the counter until they turn to mush (I’ve been there), toss those bananas, peel and all, in a bag in your freezer. The peel will turn dark in the freezer, and they’ll take an extra minute to peel when you go to use them, but they’ll be fine.

*A note on freezing a lot of peeled bananas: If you’re freezing a large number of whole bananas together, so many that they don’t fit in a single layer in your freezer bag or container, it’s best to flash freeze them first so they don’t stick together.

To flash freeze your bananas, place them on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze until frozen solid, 2 to 3 hours, before transferring to your container.

How to Freeze Banana Slices/Chunks

Photo showing how to freeze bananas as slices on a baking sheet. - 13

Photo showing how to freeze bananas as slices on a baking sheet. - 14

Line a baking sheet (that will fit in your freezer) or large plate with parchment or wax paper.
Slice bananas into chunks or slices and arrange them in a single layer on your prepared surface. Freeze until frozen solid, 1 to 2 hours, (pieces that are flash frozen like this are less likely to stick together in the freezer) and then transfer to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag to help prevent freezer burn.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A note on slice size: It’s up to you how large to make your slices. If you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec you can cut big chunks of bananas. If your blender is less powerful and sometimes struggles with frozen fruit, slice smaller slices.

Smaller slices can also be better if you need to measure the banana slices for nutritional information. It’s easier to measure 1 cup of small slices than 1 cup of big chunks that are almost the same size as your measuring cup.

How to Freeze Mashed Bananas

Mash bananas and transfer the mash to a plastic freezer bag. Very clearly label the number of bananas you used on the outside of the bag and remove as much air as possible before closing to help prevent freezer burn.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A note on freezing mashed bananas: Since you won’t be able to divide frozen mashed bananas, be sure you know exactly how many mashed bananas are in each bag and freeze them in quantities that make sense for the recipes you make (don’t freeze 7 mashed bananas together if you don’t have a 7-banana banana bread recipe!).

Defrosting Frozen Bananas

To defrost frozen bananas, remove them from the freezer and place them in a bowl. Bananas will release liquid as they defrost, so even unpeeled bananas should be placed in a container of some sort so it doesn’t leak all over.

Cover and defrost, preferably overnight in the fridge. Your bananas may turn slightly brown as they defrost, but don’t worry, that’s not going to hurt anything.

Bonus defrosting tip: If you’re in a hurry, smashing partially defrosted bananas will speed up the process since you’re increasing the surface area and making them less dense.

Baking With Frozen Bananas

Frozen bananas are fantastic to bake with BUT, you MUST completely defrost them and bring them up to mostly room temperature. Adding ice-cold banana mash to your recipe can cause batter to curdle or not bake evenly in the oven.

So defrost your bananas overnight and then mash and let them sit on the counter for half an hour or more to warm up.

Baking with frozen bananas tip: Frozen bananas will release quite a bit of liquid as they defrost. Do not drain this off! Simply mash the bananas in the bowl with the liquid and add everything to your batter.

Do I need to defrost frozen bananas before using?

It depends. For smoothies and milkshakes, frozen bananas work great, they’ll give you a much thicker/frostier drink.

If you own a blender that struggles with frozen fruits, you can let them defrost halfway before blending.

For baking recipes, you absolutely must defrost your bananas.

How do you freeze bananas without turning brown?

Bananas turn brown when exposed to air, so the best way to prevent them from turning brown is to freeze them in a plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. You can do this using the old bowl-full-of-water trick AKA water displacement method or use a straw and suck out all the air before closing the bag.

The peel of unpeeled bananas will also turn dark in the freezer, but this won’t affect the fruit underneath so you don’t have to worry about trying to prevent this.

How to freeze bananas without plastic?

If you’re trying to cut down on your plastic usage (awesome!), you can freeze bananas in airtight glass containers.

Bananas in larger containers are more prone to freezer burn and turning brown since there will still be air in the container, so try to use the bananas within a month or so.

Photo of Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffin with a bite out of it. - 15

Photo of Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffin with a bite out of it. - 16