Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk (or full fat alternative milk)
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cups of sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 ripe bananas (peel is browning but not black!)
- 24 vanilla wafers
- Sweetened whipped cream for serving
Makes 6 servings.
Banana Pudding Recipe
A Brief History of Banana Pudding
Bananas aren’t a native southern fruit, so how did it end up in a Southern dessert staple? It dates back to the civil war, when bananas were first introduced to supermarkets across the US. Thanks to steamships and railroads, bananas and a variety of other tropical fruits became available to the average household.
In the 1880s, pudding recipes were all the rage, especially with the layering style of an English Trifle. The first known recipe for banana pudding appeared in 1888 in Massachusetts’s newspaper, Good Housekeeping. The dessert’s popularity skyrocketed with the popularization of sponge cake in the 1890s. Not much changed with the recipe until the 1920s, when vanilla wafers became the usual substitution for sponge cake. Nabisco’s Nilla wafers became the household name for said cookies, and they made sure to marry into the banana pudding image.
Synonymous in recognition with Nilla wafers could be Jell-O’s, Cool Whip. Industrialization of the 20s led many families to look for cheaper and easier ways to make large batch meals, and Cool whip removed the step of at home whipping. This is also the most commonly held idea as to why banana pudding became known as a Southern treat.
Due to its affordable ingredients and convenient process, it allowed large families to serve their extended gatherings without breaking their bank or back. Soon after World War II, the dessert’s identity slowly altered as more and more publications included “Southern” in their recipes. How we got here might be a mystery, but we are proud to carry the banana pudding legacy forward!
Scroll down to view our famous banana pudding recipe.
Here’s how to make our Tupelo Banana Pudding!
Nothing is more comforting than a classic, American dessert like banana pudding. Straight from the ice box and deliciously creamy, this refreshing treat is best enjoyed in the summer heat.
Directions
In a heavy saucepan, place the milk over medium heat until it begins to simmer, then turn the heat to low. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla until the mixture is creamy.
With a teaspoon, add a little of the warm milk to the egg yolks to ensure the yolks don’t curdle. Then add the yolk mixture to the pan of warm milk, stirring over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Stir in the butter until melted and remove the mixture from the heat. Slicing as you go, cover the bottom of a casserole dish with the bananas. Pour the pudding mixture over the bananas and then top with vanilla wafers.
Refrigerate overnight, before serving with a dollop of whipped cream.