One of the very first recipes we posted and one of my all-time favorites on the blog is my sister-in-law’s recipe for Banana Cream Pie. It has become the base for more creamy pie-like recipes here on Our Best Bites and in our books and I even used it as my inspiration for my entry in the Private Selection ice cream contest two years ago.
So imagine my surprise when I had Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding and then stumbled into a recipe for it in their cookbook and it was basically this recipe I’ve been using for years and years and years. I imagine it’s probably one of those things that’s been floating around in church cookbooks and 3×5″ recipe cards for years and years before it hit the big time.
So. If you’ve got a hankering for Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, we’ve got you covered.
To start, you’ll need a 4-serving package of instant vanilla pudding, sweetened condensed milk, water, and whipping cream.
In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.
In another bowl, whip 1 cup of whipping cream until soft peaks form.
Gently fold into the pudding mixture.
Slice the bananas into 1/4″ slices.
In 6-8-ounce jars*, spread 1/4 cup of the pudding mixture over the bottom. Add 3-4 Nilla wafers, a few banana slices, then top with another 1/4 cup of pudding. Top with more Nilla wafers (and bananas, if desired).
Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Immediately before serving, whip the remaining pint of whipped cream with the powdered sugar and dollop it on top of the puddings. Garnish with an additional 1-2 Nilla wafers.
Banana Pudding in a Jar
- Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 Servings
Description
Creamy banana pudding, Nilla wafers, and whipped cream are layered in pint-sized jars for a satisfying sweet treat.
Ingredients
- 1 4-serving size box of instant vanilla pudding
- 1 c. cold water
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- Nilla Wafer cookies
- 2–3 ripe bananas
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1/3 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, cold water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes.
- In another bowl, whip 1 c. of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the pudding mixture.
- Slice the bananas into 1/4″ slices.
- In 8-ounce jars*, spread 1/4 cup of the pudding mixture over the bottom. Add 3-4 Nilla wafers, a few banana slices, then top with another 1/4 cup of pudding. Top with more Nilla wafers (and bananas, if desired). Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Immediately before serving, whip the remaining pint of whipped cream with the powdered sugar and dollop it on top of the puddings. Garnish with an additional 1-2 Nilla wafers.
Notes
- *This can also be done in 4-ounce jars for smaller portions, just cut all the measurements per jar in half.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chill Time: 4 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Questions & Reviews
Awesome, for those who want more banana flavoured taste… use one box of banana flavoured pudding and one box of French vanilla pudding. It’s absolutely Amaaazing!!!
We made these while camping! I bought the Nilla wafer cups and everyone got one. They crunched up the cookies a little and then poured about half onto a paper plate. Layered it with pudding I made before we left. banana slices, and the rest of the cookies. It was yummy and fun and a little different!
I just made this for a baby shower and it was a hit!!! I didn’t realize people could be so lucky about banana pudding, but they all LOVED this recipe. Thanks!!!!
We were just in New York last month, visiting friends, and I asked to go to Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake. But my friend insisted we try the banana pudding. It was so good! I can’t wait to try this recipe and recreate it. Thanks!
Made this for Labor Day bbq yesterday, it was delish!!! Will be making this desert again and again!!
Yummmy! I’m definitely going to make this very soon. I agree with one of the posters who stated that it doesn’t seem “banana” enough, and I agree with you that banana flavored ANYTHING is not good at all. I think I will try to puree banana and fold that into the vanilla pudding as well. Seems like that may up the banana flavor. Thank you as always for a fabulous recipe!
We are on the same wavelength! I’ve been craving this for the past couple of weeks. Can’t wait to try it!
Be still my heart! The banana cream pie is our all-time favorite, so this has got to be just as marvelous- if not better- because of the cuteness factor!
These are darling! I like to make banana cream pie with vanilla pudding too, it’s not as rich that way. Sounds amazing!
I have some cute jars that are begging me to fill them with this recipe this weekend! When I met you at Deseret Book this spring we talked about the OBB Banana Cream Pie recipe. I immediately made it and was so happy I did! I LOVE Magnolia’s pudding so I am excited to try this out!
I love your site.
I love your recipes.
That being said, Nilla Wafers are the most vile creation known to man. This recipe deserves Keebler Vanilla Wafers. There are no worthy, nor even tolerable, substitutes.
Curious, why are nilla wafers the most vile creation known to man? haha
Do you think it could make a nice size pie. I also would like more bananas. Can’t wait to try it!
Yep, absolutely–try layering it in a trifle dish! 🙂
This is my favorite banana pudding recipe. I am so making it for Sunday
dinner.
ohhh. I may have to try this. My favorite bannana pudding is my moms. But she goes hard core and cooks the pudding from scratch. I’ve always been terrified to try to make it. Fingers crossed your quick version comes close to hers or I will have to give in and try to learn how to make it (which would mean lots of scalled milk in my future).
These look so yummy, but we have a banana allergy at our house. I am thinking that berries would be every bit as delicious in this recipe.
Berries would be so yummy! Add a dark chocolate drizzle and it would be perfect!
This recipe looks yummy! When I first saw the title of it this morning, I was thinking yuck, cuz banana flavored anything is yucky. (No offense ) But I should know better, because I have never made anything from your site that is yucky. Thanks for all you do!
Yum, excited to try these! How many does it make?
If you use 8 ounce jar, you’ll get about 6, closer to 10-12 if you use 4 ounce jars.
I like this recipe very much – I had a craving a few weeks ago for banana pie and I found a similar recipe. I just expected for it to have a more banana(i) taste. So I figured next time, I am using banana pudding instead of vanilla. Do you think it would be too much?
x M.
http://nevermindnm.blogspot.com/
I’m personally not a fan of banana-flavored stuff, but that’s just personal preference. If it were me, I’d add more bananas and make sure they’re super ripe! 🙂 But. If banana-flavored pudding calls your name, by all means, go for it!