How To Make Simple Banana Pudding {VIDEO}

Learn How To Make Simple Banana Pudding with a few essential ingredients and easy to follow steps! This classic dessert is creamy, has the perfect amount of banana flavoring, and has crushed cookies in every bite. 

Perfect for holidays, brunch, or a leisurely afternoon snack, banana pudding is a must! What I love about this pudding recipe is that it’s traditional and just like grandma used to make.

So what are you waiting for? Time to get busy and make this incredible dessert! After you fix this amazing banana pudding, try our Pink Starburst Jello Shots!

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Ingredients Needed For This Pudding

• Instant banana pudding
• Cold milk
• Cool whip
• Vanilla wafers
• Bananas

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How To Make Simple Banana Pudding

1. Combine the banana pudding with milk and whisk until smooth in a large bowl. 

2. Gently fold in the cool whip. 

3. Next, fold in the sliced bananas and crushed vanilla wafer cookies. 

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

5. Serve with sliced bananas and crushed vanilla wafers on top, and enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Swap for vanilla pudding. If you find yourself out of banana pudding, that’s okay! Vanilla will taste just as good. 
• Let’s talk about milk. You can use 2% or whole milk to make the pudding mix. Both are fine, but whole milk will be a little creamer because it has more fat in it. 
• Cookies can be changed. Classic banana pudding has Nilla wafers, but you could also use Golden Oreos or Graham Crackers. 

How Much Cool Whip in Banana Pudding

It’s best to add about 8 ounces of cool whip. It does need to be thawed, but the cool whip is what gives the banana pudding that thick and creamy texture. You can add a little bit more if you would like it even thicker. I don’t recommend adding more than 2-4 extra ounces or it will become too thick. 

Can Banana Pudding Sit Out?

The pudding should never sit out any longer than 2 hours. The ingredients will become watery and begin to separate as it gets warm. Plus, the bananas will turn brown if they are out too long. For best results, place the pudding in a bowl or individual cups and keep it on ice. This will keep it chilled properly, and it’s safe to eat. But you may not want to add bananas on top, so they don’t brown up. 

Is It Best To Make Banana Pudding The Night Before?

You can serve it the same day or make it the day before. The pudding will taste best if it is super cold. The biggest issue is that you don’t add banana slices to the top until right before serving. They will turn brown quickly, and while they are stills safe to eat, they won’t look great. 

Is Banana Pudding A Southern Thing?

Yes, banana pudding has been made in the south for over fifty years! While it is prevalent in the south, it has steadily become well known in other parts of the country as well. 

Why Didn’t My Banana Pudding Set?

Odds are if the pudding didn’t set up, you either didn’t whisk it enough, or you overmixed it. There is a fine line between under and over mixing the pudding! While you are whisking the pudding, you can stop as soon as you notice that it has become thicker. Then fold in the cool whip.  If you keep going, it will cause the pudding to become more watery.

Don’t Forget so have a good coffee or wine on hand when guests come over. We love coffee from Hawaii Coffee Company and wine from Wired For Wine.

Try one of our other desserts:

• Southern Chocolate Chess Pie Recipe
• Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies in the Slow Cooker
• Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies
• Oreo Cheesecake Bar