Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding Recipe

Banana pudding has been around since the late 1800s, when faster steam ships meant bananas could make their way to U.S. ports. It was first made with sponge cake, but by the 1920s, cake was replaced with vanilla wafers. For this recipe, I use Nabisco Nilla wafers and strongly recommend you don’t make any substitutions to ensure you get the same crave-worthy texture of this iconic dessert.

Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding

Makes 4 to 5 quarts

Serves up to 16

Ingredients

Part one

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix, preferably Jell-O

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1¼ cups ice-cold water

Part two

3 cups heavy cream

Assembly 

1 (11 oz) box Nilla wafers

4 large or 6 small bananas, sliced

Directions 

Make part one: Place the pudding mix into a 4-quart bowl and set aside.

In a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or bowl with a spout, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and water until smooth.

Slowly pour the liquid into the bowl with the pudding mix while whisking constantly until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. The pudding can be made ahead up to 24 hours.

Make part two: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the heavy cream on medium speed for 1 minute, until the cream starts to thicken, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip.

With the mixer running on low speed, add the pudding mixture a spoonful at a time. Mix until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

To assemble: Select either a trifle bowl, a 9 × 13-inch pan, a wide glass bowl with a 4- to 5-quart capacity, or individual bowls.

If using a trifle bowl, spread one-quarter of the pudding over the bottom of the bowl, then layer with one-third of the cookies and enough banana slices to cover the cookie layer. Repeat the layering twice more. End with a final layer of pudding. Garnish the top with additional vanilla wafer cookies or cookie crumbs.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. The cookies should be tender when poked with a knife. This dessert is best served within 12 hours of assembling.

Excerpted from The Magnolia Bakery Handbook of Icebox Desserts by Bobbie Lloyd. Copyright © 2025 by Magnolia Intellectual Property, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.