How to make the best no-bake banana pudding of all time! This is a no-fail recipe that will knock your socks off and be repeated for years to come. It has become a family favorite!
The BEST banana pudding recipe!
We absolutely love Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, whether we are visiting Los Angeles or New York City we make sure to stop by Magnolia’s. The banana pudding is hard to explain, it’s fluffy yet creamy, truly heavenly!
Magnolia Bakery has the perfect ratio of pudding, bananas, and cake in their final product.
When we saw that there were a few at-home copycat recipes that you can make we were hesitant to try them. Why mess with perfection? Magnolia has nailed it so we didn’t want to let ourselves down with a pudding failure. However, we are happy to report that this pudding recipe is divine!
Don’t try to take the pudding on a flight
When Brooke found a recipe that tastes nearly identical, we were thrilled!
It’s not realistic to travel to NYC or LA every time we crave banana pudding so we are so happy to have an at-home alternative. This recipe is so simple that your kids can help you with every step and be proud of the delicious masterpiece they create!
- 16 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
- Small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- powdered sugar to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 box of Nilla Wafers
- 4 sliced bananas
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute. Add the pudding mix and beat for about two more minutes. Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You want the mixture to set and be firm to the touch.
2. In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form (I put my metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for five minutes prior…the cream always whips up very quickly this way). We also like to add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the heavy cream.
3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream. Do not overmix or your whipping cream will get runny and the “fluff factor” of the pudding will be gone.
4. In a large bowl, layer Nilla wafers (we like to use the mini version because they are bite-size and cute!), sliced bananas, and pudding. Do not slice the bananas until you plan to serve the pudding. Ideally, you want three layers but if you go with a larger dish you might only have two.
How to customize your pudding
You can serve the pudding in individual serving cups or make miniature pies. This is ideal if you are hosting a bridal shower or party.
(adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)
We have added raspberries and strawberries to our pudding in the past and it is wonderful – especially if the berries are in season!
You can sub in a graham cracker crust for the Nilla wafers, it will have a different flavor but is a delicious alternative. If you do a graham cracker crust we suggest melting one cube of butter with one pouch of smashed graham crackers. It tastes best if the crust is refrigerated for at least one hour.
