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Fluffy Southern Banana Pudding

March 25, 2015

Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level!
Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level! | recipe from Chattavore.comI love desserts of all shapes, forms, and fashions, but no pie, cake, or cobbler can hold a candle to banana pudding, at least not in the encyclopedia of Southern cooking. Not in my mind anyway. You will not go to a church potluck or a family reunion south of the Mason-Dixon line and not find a bowl heaped with vanilla pudding, bananas, and vanilla wafers. And honestly, when I think of Easter desserts, banana pudding is on the top of the list. Cold (my version, anyway-we’ll talk more about that in a minute!) and creamy, banana pudding hits on everyone’s desire for something a little lighter and fruitier than the rich chocolate desserts they’ve been gorging on all winter.
Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level! | recipe from Chattavore.com
Another fact about banana pudding that I found surprising is that warm banana pudding is considered traditional in the South, while cold banana pudding is considered native to the North. Um…I grew up in Tennessee. In fact, I have not lived outside of Tennessee at all ever and I have never, ever been served a warm banana pudding. I didn’t know they existed until a few years ago! In my mind, cold banana pudding is Southern banana pudding.
Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level! | recipe from Chattavore.com
A survey of my Facebook followers found a pretty even split between cold and warm pudding lovers. I like things the way I like them…I suppose I will have to try it warm someday, but for now I think I’ll stick to cold banana pudding (my sister and her husband, whose mom makes her banana pudding warm, pointed out that warm banana pudding must be eaten immediately as it doesn’t keep/reheat well…so we’ll call it basic economics. Waste not want not.).
Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level! | recipe from Chattavore.com
You guys know, though, that I can’t just make the Jell-O instant pudding + Cool Whip version that I grew up with. I mean, if someone makes it for me, I’m definitely going to eat it…but I wanted to make my banana pudding from scratch, with real whipped cream. A little something extra that my sister started doing is folding the whipped cream into the pudding to make a fluffy banana pudding. She gets a ton of compliments on her banana pudding…it’s pretty amazing. By the way, if you don’t like bananas (I know a lot of people can’t really deal with the texture) this pudding would also be delicious with pineapple or strawberries.

What’s your banana pudding vote-warm or cold? Comment below and let me know! Either way, I bet you’ll love my fluffy Southern banana pudding.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Fluffy Banana Pudding

30 minPrep Time:

15 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 box vanilla wafers
  • 4-6 just ripe bananas (yellow, not brown!)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

  1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and kosher salt in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk until well combined. Slowly whisk in the milk until well combined. Cook over medium-low heat until thickened and about 175 degrees. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. Add vanilla and whisk to combine. Use a spatula to scrape into a bowl. Press wax or parchment paper down over the surface and refrigerate until completely chilled.
  2. Slice the bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with the lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream with the remaining sugar until it reaches soft peaks. Carefully fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the chilled pudding until light and fluffy.
  4. Place a small amount of the pudding into the bottom of a medium bowl. Follow with a layer of vanilla wafers and a layer of banana. Top with 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat twice, finishing with a layer of pudding. Top with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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https://chattavore.com/fluffy-southern-banana-pudding/
Click here to print the recipe for fluffy banana pudding!
Southern banana pudding is an iconic dessert seen at every Southern church potluck. My fluffy Southern banana pudding takes it to the next level! | recipe from Chattavore.com

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Filed Under: By Course, By Main Ingredients, Dessert, Fruit, Recipes Tagged With: desserts, fruit, Southern By Mary // Chattavore 8 Comments

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Comments

  1. Chelsey says

    March 25, 2015 at 9:11 am

    I love banana pudding!! This looks delicious and I'm pretty sure I have all the ingredients. Uh oh. :P
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      March 25, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Why is that an uh-oh? Sounds like an OH YEAH to me!!!! :)
      Reply
  2. Susan says

    March 25, 2015 at 9:34 am

    Several years ago when our office was in a home in a residential area, our next-door-neighbor was an elderly gentleman who -- with a twinkle in his eye and sly grin -- divulged to one of our staff that he lovedlovedloved banana pudding. We would make him an entire meal for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Father's Day, and his birthday. My co-worker went to Ikea, bought a clear glass bowl that probably has a 2-gallon capacity and we shared the delightful task of filling it with bananas, vanilla wafers and pudding. We took it to his door, and when he answered, I don't know which was bigger ~ his eyes or his smile. We sang 'Happy birthday' to him and handed him the bowl. He returned the bowl to us, washed -- and possibly ready for a refill! -- about a week later. It was awesome to see his face!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      March 25, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      Oh, what a great story, Aunt Susan! I'll bet your banana pudding is as divine as you are. :)
      Reply
  3. crazyforcrust says

    April 12, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    I've been totally craving banana pudding lately. Great recipe!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      April 12, 2015 at 5:39 pm

      Thanks, Dorothy! I wish I had some right now! :D
      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Night Out With Chattavore at AllSouth - Chattavore says:
    July 15, 2016 at 6:00 am
    […] and cheese party sandwiches with honey-sesame broccoli salad, and we finished the meal off with my fluffy banana pudding. I think everyone was pretty happy with the food and no one left hungry! Since it was the first […]
    Reply
  2. Pasta Salad with Basil Aioli, Chicken, Peach, & Blueberry - Chattavore says:
    June 24, 2020 at 5:51 pm
    […] have our standard bearers. Fried chicken, White Lily biscuits, decidedly unsweetened cornbread, and banana pudding will always be symbols of Southern cooking. Every Southern cook worth his or her salt has a version […]
    Reply

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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