*Grandma Margaret posing on an old car- picture taken in late 1950s or early 1960s*

My Grandma Margaret (a/k/a “Naw Naw”) was my favorite person in the entire world. Her banana pudding was famous in our family, and it is a great holiday dessert (perfect for the Fourth of July!)

I hope you love this southern banana pudding as much as we do!

Prep Your Ingredients

You will need 1 - 2 Boxes of Family Size Cook & Serve Jell-O Vanilla Pudding boxes. I say 1-2 because this depends on how many servings you want- or how big of a dish you use to make your banana pudding. I recommend NOT starting with too large a bowl or a trifle dish- you’ll find that you will only be able to fill half of it, or you’ll feel the need to double your recipe to fill the empty space. It is good to have the extra pudding, bananas and wafers on hand.

I like to start my prep by prepping the bananas. You will need between 4-6 bananas (depending on size of the bananas and how many servings you want to make. Start by opening and slicing 4 bananas (you can always do more if needed). I try to keep the banana slices even and about 1/4” - 1/2” thick. That is really it for your prep! One of the many reasons this is one of my favorite desserts!

Layer & Repeat

Once the pudding mixture is cooked, you will pour the hot pudding mixture over your layered bananas and vanilla wafers. Since the pudding requires constant stirring and thickens quickly, your layers should be done before you start making the pudding. To layer, pick a pretty dish that is at least a few inches thick, but you can use anything- a bowl, casserole dish, 8x8, 9x12, deep dish pie dish- endless options- but as noted above, if you pick too big a dish, you will struggle filling it with layers, or end up making enough banana pudding to feed a football team.

The layering is a fun and easy part. I don’t have kids, but I imagine this is a perfect task for young ones who may want to help.

Start with a layer of vanilla wafers. Next, add a layer of sliced bananas over the vanilla wafers.

Continue to repeat layering, alternating vanilla wafers and bananas. You can finish on whichever layer you prefer. I like to finish on a wafer layer, with an extra layer of wafers around the edge after I pour the pudding mixture on top (see below). You could also finish on a banana layer and add the wafer trim around the edges.

Cook the Pudding

Next up, you will do the only part of the recipe that requires cooking- yay! Place a small sauce pot on the stove on medium heat and add 3 cups of milk and the Jell-O.
Follow directions on the Jell-O box cooking the Jell-O over medium heat and stirring constantly. Be careful not to scorch the bottom. It will only take a few minutes for the mixture to reach a boil. The pudding will thicken when it cools.

Pour & Serve

While the pudding is still hot, pour the pudding over bananas and wafers. Arrange an edge/frame of vanilla wafers around the top if desired. Sprinkle vanilla wafer crumbs on top.

Serve warm or refrigerate to serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Baking Tool Essentials

**The below contains affiliate links on which I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Saucepan w/Cover, Chef's Classic Stainless Steel Cookware Collection, 719-16

Cuisinart

KitchenAid Gourmet Utility Whisk, 10.5-Inch, Matte Aqua Sky

Lifetime Brands Inc.

Duralex Made In France Lys Stackable 9-Piece Glass Bowl Set,Clear

DURALEX

Vintage Corningware Blue Cornflower 2 Qt Casserole

Corning Ware

Grandma’s Banana Pudding Recipe