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There are a few ways to my hubby’s heart, but grandma’s banana pudding recipe is the quickest way to win him over. This dessert is just about as decadent as it gets and tastes like southern hospitality in a bowl. In this blog I’ll walk you through exactly how to make this treat that will win over anyone and everyone – trust me.
The story behind the pudding
Although I don’t think they invented it, this recipe has been in my family for generations. Being a southern Texas family, it was a staple for every family gathering. I remember running to the fridge every time I’d get to my grandma’s house and scanning the shelves for the beautiful trifle dish filled with banana pudding. My cousins and I would sneak seconds and thirds every time and fight over who got the last bite.
When Scott came into the family, my grandmother (who we call “Na”) fell in love with cooking for him. As a 6′ 4″ growing 20-something with a bottomless pit of a stomach, she got such a kick out of how many helpings of her food he would go back for. That said, the recipe of hers that he truly couldn’t get enough of was her banana pudding. I never really knew he had a sweet tooth until he met her banana pudding!
So it became a tradition for her to make him banana pudding every time we got together. Because we haven’t been able to visit her recently due to COVID, she taught me how to make it for his birthday via FaceTime. It was so much fun and I’m so excited to pass the recipe along to you now (with her blessing of course!).
Grandma’s Banana Pudding Recipe & Directions
Ingredients
- 5.1 oz box Jell-o instant vanilla pudding
- 1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
- 1.5 cups cold water
- 12 oz Cool Whip lite (thawed)
- 1 box Nilla wafers
- 4 ripe bananas
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl pour in the can of sweetened condensed milk and cold water. Mix until combined with a hand mixer.
- Add in the pudding powder and mix until smooth.
- Put the bowl in the fridge to set for 5 minutes.
- While the pudding is setting, chop your bananas and get out a trifle dish.
- After 5 minutes, take the pudding out of the fridge.
- Fold the thawed Cool Whip into the pudding mixture. (It’s important to FOLD and not mix to keep the integrity of the whipped texture)
- Coat the bottom of the trifle dish with a layer of the pudding mixture
- Add a layer of Nilla wafers
- Add a layer of bananas
- Repeat 3x – pudding, cookies, bananas, pudding, cookies, bananas.
- Top with pudding and line the rim with Nilla Wafers
- Let it set in the fridge overnight and enjoy the next day!
Nutritional Info
I’m not sure the exact nutritional info but I think the entirety of this pudding has around 4,500 calories. This is by no means a diet-friendly recipe and it’s more intended as comfort food. I’m not sure how to make it vegan but if you find out please let me know!
Grandma’s Banana Pudding Baking Video
Enjoy!
>> Psst.. Did you know? All of the photos in this article are edited with our Lightroom Presets that we use to edit our photos! Check them out!
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Kylie & Scott
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