The first time I tried the banana pudding from Magnolia bakery, I almost passed away from how good it was! BUT, when I started looking for the recipe online, I found out it is made with Jell-O and store-bought cookies…What???
As a chef and kitchen nerd, I refuse to use store-bought and totally unhealthy ingredients in my recipes, so today, we’ll make our pudding (with custard and banana puree) and the cookies from scratch. If you’re lazy and it sounds like too much work for you, I say Ciao Ciao! If you stick with me, I promise you will have the best banana pudding of your life!
Ingredients to make the banana pudding:
Bananas: We need ripe but firm bananas to add a bit of a bite to contrast with the softness of the custard.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
Eggs: Whole, large eggs at room temperature.
Milk & heavy cream: A mix of whole milk and heavy cream make a more decadent pudding. You can feel free to use just whole milk as well.
Cornstarch: Some recipes call for flour to thicken the pudding, but I found out that cornstarch gives a more velvety texture without the floury aftertaste.
Cookies: I swapped the traditional Nilla wafer for a homemade Italian tea cookie called “lingue di gatto,” which translates to “cat tongue” cookie in English. Check out my post on how to make it from scratch! https://www.cheflucafrau.com/lingue-di-gatto/
How to make the banana pudding from scratch:
For the caramelized bananas:
- Peel the bananas, and slice them into rings.
- Place the banana’s rings on a wire rack on top of a baking tray.
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar on top and caramelize using a kitchen torch.
- Flip the bananas and repeat the process.
- Place the bananas in the fridge while we assemble the pudding.
For the pudding:
- Place the whole milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to simmer.
- In a bowl; put the eggs, granulated sugar, and cornstarch, and whisk until well combined.
- Slowly pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture and whisk well.
- Pour all the egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.
- Turn on heat to medium, constantly whisking, and cook the pudding until it reaches the temperature of 180°F.
- Once the pudding is ready, remove it from the stove and whisk in vanilla paste and banana puree.
- Move the pudding into a small tray, and when it gets to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap in contact with the surface, and place it in the fridge.
Whipped heavy cream:
- Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla paste in a mixer bowl.
- Beat until stiff peak and set aside.
Assembling the banana pudding:
- Gather everything we have prepared; the cookies, the pudding, the whipped heavy cream, and the caramelized bananas.
- I’m putting the banana pudding in 2 12oz mason jars, but you can also use coffee cups or whatever you have on hand.
- Create the first layer of banana custard, and break some cookies on top. Next, add a layer of whipped heavy cream and caramelized bananas. Repeat the process once more until you fill the jars to the top.
- After filling the jars, decorate with pieces of caramelized bananas and a whole cat tongue cookie on top.
- Make the pudding rest in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours before serving.
- You can leave the banana pudding in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, but the cookies will be soggy, and the cream color will turn brown due to the bananas.
How to store the banana pudding:
You can store the caramelized banana pudding for up to 2 days, but it will change its consistency considerably.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t freeze very well either due to the high water content; the pudding will separate, and the bananas will turn brown.
How to make banana pudding from scratch
Equipment
- kitchen torch
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- silicipne spatula
- quarter sheet pan
- 2 pastry bags
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For the banana pudding:
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 15 g cornstarch
- 1 ripe banana,mashed
- 100 g whole milk
- 100 g heavy cream
For the caramelized bananas:
- 2 bananas, ripe but still firm
- 40 g granulated sugar
Homemade whipped cream:
- 200 g heavy cream
- 20 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Instructions
For the caramelized bananas:
- Peel the bananas, and slice them into rings. Place the banana’s rings on a wire rack on top of a baking tray. Sprinkle the granulated sugar on top and caramelize using a kitchen torch. Flip the bananas and repeat the process. Place the bananas in the fridge while we assemble the pudding.
For the pudding:
- Place the whole milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to simmer. In a bowl; put the eggs, granulated sugar, and cornstarch, and whisk until well combined. Slowly pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture and whisk well. Pour all the egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Turn on heat to medium, constantly whisking, and cook the pudding until it reaches the temperature of 180°F. Once the pudding is ready, remove it from the stove and whisk in vanilla paste and banana puree.Move the pudding into a small tray, and when it gets to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap in contact with the surface, and place it in the fridge.
Whipped heavy cream:
- Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla paste in a mixer bowl. Beat until stiff peak and set aside.
Assembling the banana pudding:
- Gather everything we have prepared; the cookies, the pudding, the whipped heavy cream, and the caramelized bananas.I’m putting the banana pudding in 2 12oz mason jars, but you can also use coffee cups or whatever you have on hand.Create the first layer of banana custard, and break some cookies on top. Next, add a layer of whipped heavy cream and caramelized bananas. Repeat the process once more until you fill the jars to the top.After filling the jars, decorate with pieces of caramelized bananas and a whole cat tongue cookie on top.Make the pudding rest in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours before serving. You can leave the banana pudding in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, but the cookies will be soggy, and the cream color will turn brown due to the bananas.
How to store the banana pudding:
- You can store the caramelized banana pudding for up to 2 days, but it will change its consistency considerably. Unfortunately, it doesn’t freeze very well either due to the high water content; the pudding will separate, and the bananas will turn brown.
Notes
How to store caramelized banana pudding:
You can store the caramelized banana pudding for up to 2 days, but it will change its consistency considerably. Unfortunately, it doesn’t freeze very well either due to the high water content; the pudding will separate, and the bananas will turn brown.You might also like:
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