Banana-Nilla Pudding: A Fun and Delicious Family Activity

Now that I have a bit more time on my hands, I have been spending even more of it in the kitchen than I typically do. And, because we’re sheltering in place, I’m always looking for fun activities in the kitchen that get my kids involved. It’s really fun to include some culinary education in my kids’ e-learning days. It’s my version of home economics class!  

Earlier this year, I created a class called Nashville Hot Chicken, and the dessert for this menu is naturally a southern banana pudding with Nilla Wafers. Writing the recipe made my mouth water, and I finally found myself with the time to make it. I know these days some ingredients can be hard to find, but because all of the elements in this recipe were all available at my local grocery store, I took it as a sign that I had to make this.

There are only two parts to this recipe, which makes it very approachable. There’s the roasted banana pudding, and then there’s the whipped cream. Most recipes for banana-nilla pudding call for using instant mix, but I made the pudding component from scratch. It’s just like making pastry cream, but you add roasted and pureed bananas to the mixture. Full disclosure… my bananas oxidized slightly while roasting, which made my pudding a bit dark, but it was still incredibly delicious. Don’t worry if this happens to you!

First thing I did was roast the bananas on a sheet tray until the skins darkened and the bananas softened.

While the bananas were roasting and cooling, I prepared the whipped cream. You can use a large whisk if you want to get an arm workout, or just use an electric mixer to whip the cream into fluffy submission.

Once the cream was whipped to medium peaks, I stashed it in the refrigerator to keep cold.

I then started preparing the pudding, which I have to say is absolutely delicious on its own. I could easily eat a bowl of this by itself! There’s something pretty magical about eating it right out of the saucepan while it’s still warm.

Two simple parts get whisked together in a mixing bowl to bring the pudding together; the heated milk & vanilla mixture, and the egg, cornstarch & pureed banana mixture.

Once the milk is hot, whisk it into the bowl with the egg mixture, but very slowly and gradually to prevent scrambling the eggs. This is called tempering. Use a ladle to slowly add the hot milk into the bowl with the eggs while whisking rapidly. Repeat this process until half of the milk has been whisked into the bowl. You can then go ahead and confidently pour the rest of the milk in the bowl without worrying about any scrambling.

In order for the cornstarch to activate and thicken the pudding, you’ll need to pour the tempered milk-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Set it over medium-low heat, and cook, while whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens. It will look like thick lava bubbling when it’s done. Tip: to make traditional pastry cream, just omit the roasted and pureed bananas. Pastry cream is so incredibly versatile! Use it to fill profiteroles, as a filling for a class fruit tart, spoon it into a bowl and top it with a dollop of whipped cream and/or fresh fruit, or use it to make a parfait with fruit and granola.

Now that the components to the pudding are ready, all that’s left is the assembly and a bit of chilling time. When I made the pudding at home, I increased the recipe by half because I wanted to share with some neighbors, so I used a large baking dish… but the yield of this recipe is perfect for a medium-size dish. 

Cover the assembled pudding with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill until the pastry cream is cold. This takes about an hour. The traditional way to serve this is to grab a spoon and scoop out as much as you like into a bowl. Take some of the broken or extra Nilla Wafers, crush them up and sprinkle them on top of the pudding for some crunch.  

This dessert is not only fantastic, it’s good for the soul. It’s a great way to get all members of the family involved in a rewarding project as we spend more time at home together.   

Banana Pudding with 'Nilla Wafers

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Active time: 35 minutes

Start to finish: 2 hours

For the bananas:

2 ripe bananas

1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For the whipped cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the custard:

2 1/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

6 egg yolks

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 boxes 'Nilla Wafers

2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Place the bananas, skin on, on a sheet tray and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until very soft. Allow to cool.
3. While the bananas are roasting, whip the cream. Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, whip the cream until you have medium peaks. Keep cold in the refrigerator.
4. Once the bananas have cooled, remove the peels, and puree in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice to prevent the puree from over-browning. Set aside.
5. To make the custard, combine the milk and vanilla bean paste in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat until barely steaming.
6. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, salt and pureed bananas.
7. Temper the warm milk mixture into egg mixture gradually while whisking constantly. Return the mixture back to the saucepan.
8. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thick and boiling. Remove from heat and strain mixture through a fine sieve.
9. Whisk in the butter until melted.
10. To assemble the pudding, line the bottom of a medium-size baking dish with a layer of 'Nilla Wafers. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the hot banana pudding evenly over the wafers.

Don't miss our very first TCB virtual cooking class on Friday, April 24 at 5pm CST as our Owner/Chef Shelley Young demonstrates how to make the classic French dish: Steak au Poivre.