Homemade Banana Pudding
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
A quick stovetop custard is folded with chopped banana and condensed milk while still warm, lightened with whipped cream, then layered with vanilla wafers and sliced banana. A long chill softens the cookies into cake-like layers while the top stays cloaked in cream.
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Method
- 1
Cook the pudding base. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the egg, then the milk. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a full boil, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes — this fully cooks the egg, well above the 71 °C minimum for egg dishes, and lets the cornstarch thicken fully. Reduce to medium and cook, whisking, 1 minute more.
- 2
Finish the base. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Scrape the pudding into a large bowl and chill, uncovered, while you prep the banana mixture.
- 3
Flavour with banana. Chop one banana into 1.3 cm pieces. Whisk the condensed milk and mascarpone (or cream cheese, if using) together in a small bowl until smooth.
- 4
Fold together and chill. Fold the chopped banana and condensed-milk mixture into the still-warm pudding. Return it to the fridge, uncovered, and chill for 1 hour; it's fine if the pudding is still loose at this stage.
- 5
Whip the cream. Beat the heavy cream in another bowl to stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. Whisk the chilled pudding smooth if it's lumpy, then fold in two-thirds of the whipped cream; set the rest aside for the top.
- 6
Slice and layer. Slice the remaining bananas into 1.3 cm rounds. Set aside a handful of cookies for the topping. Spread about a third of the pudding over the bottom of a 2-litre (20 cm square) dish, top with a layer of the remaining cookies spaced apart, then half the banana slices. Repeat the layers once, then finish with the last of the pudding and the reserved whipped cream.
- 7
Chill and serve. Crush the reserved cookies and scatter them over the top. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
Storage
Keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; if making it ahead, add any reserved whipped cream and crushed cookies just before serving. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.29 g salt per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 203 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
28.9 g per serving
57.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 115.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- chef's knife
- chopping board
- electric mixer or stand mixer
- 2-litre (20 cm square) baking dish
- rolling pin
- small resealable bag
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 561 kcal |
| Protein | 8.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 66.1 g |
| of which sugars | 44.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 28.9 g |
| Fat | 31.1 g |
| of which saturates | 17.5 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Salt | 0.6 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
