Old Fashioned Banana Pudding from Scratch (Small Batch)

This classic Southern dessert is made entirely from scratch using simple pantry staples—no boxed mixes required. Perfect for solo cooks, empty nesters, or anyone craving a cozy, small-batch treat.

Why I Love This Recipe

• Small-batch friendly: Yields about 2 cups—ideal for 1–2 servings.
• Make-ahead convenience: Tastes even better after chilling overnight.
• Customizable: Easily adaptable with different flavors or toppings.
• It’s an authentic Mom recipe!

If you have some leftover bananas. you might also like my single-serving homemade panna cotta, mini banana cream pie, or the popular mini eggless banana bread recipe for one.

Ingredients Notes for Homemade Banana Pudding

• You can use low-fat milk instead of whole milk with good results. The pudding will not be as rich, but it will still be good.
• ¾ teaspoons of vanilla extract can be substituted for the vanilla paste. You can also use lemon extract for a lemony pudding. For extra banana flavor, add a drop or two of banana extract.
• The basic pudding from scratch is really a base for other flavors. Try adding in mixed berries instead of banana slices.
• You can substitute chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, nilla wafers, or even go another direction and layer in granola instead of using graham crackers.
• If out of cornstarch you can substitute flour at a 2:1 ratio, 2 parts flour to 1 part cornstarch.

• Combine your flour, sugar, cornstarch, and milk in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and whisk in the egg yolk.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble and starts to thicken about 10-12 minutes. Don’t turn up the heat to make it cook faster, you want the pudding to cook slowly to avoid burning the mixture.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla paste.

• Place broken-up pieces of graham crackers and sliced bananas on the bottom of a small casserole dish.
• Pour the pudding over the bananas and graham crackers and top with more banana slices.
• Sprinkle finely crushed graham crackers on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and serve cold. 

Recipe Notes

This pudding is great topped with some homemade whipped cream.

• I like the banana flavor to come from fresh ripe bananas; a banana-flavored pudding mix overpowers the fresh flavor, and the instant vanilla pudding is always a little too sweet for my liking.  It’s really about personal preference, I love sweets, just not so sweet that it is all you taste.  By using homemade vanilla pudding, the flavor of the wafers and fresh banana mixes nicely. Again it really is about personal taste.
• I love the lighter texture and flavor of the graham crackers. On the bottom layer, the graham crackers are in larger pieces and the top is sprinkled with a finer crumb.

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Sydney Dawes

Homemade Banana Pudding

4.50 from 14 votes

An old-fashioned creamy dessert.

Estimated Cost: $1.35 recipe / $0.34 serving

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2 cups

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 291

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 ripe banana’s sliced
• 2 sheet graham crackers crushed
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 large egg yolk lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

 

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, milk, cornstarch, salt, and lightly beaten egg yolk
2. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble and starts to thicken about 10-12 minutes. Don't turn up the heat to make it cook faster, you want the pudding to cook slowly to avoid burning the mixture.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla paste.
4. Place broken-up pieces of graham crackers sliced bananas on the bottom of a small casserole dish.
5. Pour the pudding over the bananas and graham crackers, and top with more slices of banana.
6. Sprinkle finely crushed graham crackers on top.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and serve cold. 
   
   

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSodium: 169mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25g

Notes

Choose the Right Bananas: Just like with banana bread, the choice of bananas can make a big difference. However, in contrast to banana bread, where overripe bananas are preferred, for banana pudding, you want to use bananas that are ripe but still firm, to prevent them from turning mushy.

Make Homemade Custard: The custard is the backbone of banana pudding. It does make a difference in terms of flavor and richness. Use fresh ingredients for the best result.

Layering Is Key: The arrangement of your ingredients can affect the final result. Always start and finish with a layer of graham crackers, with bananas and custard in between. This will allow the graham crackers to absorb some moisture and become deliciously soft.

Use Plain Graham Crackers: The cookies play a substantial role in banana pudding, so opt for a plain graham crackers to avoid an oeverly sweet taste. For a more traditional banana pudding, substitute vanilla wafers for the graham crackers.

Let It Sit: Banana pudding gets better with time. Allowing it to sit in the fridge for a few hours, or even overnight, lets the flavors meld together and enhances the overall taste.

Top with Fresh Whipped Cream: Instead of store-bought, try making your own whipped cream for topping. It’s simple to make and the freshness will enhance the taste of your pudding. 

Serve Chilled: Banana pudding is best served chilled. Before serving, make sure it has had enough time in the refrigerator.

 

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Storage

Refrigerate any unused pudding in a covered container. The bananas may brown but will still taste wonderful!

Your banana pudding should last for about two days if you leave it covered in the refrigerator. The bananas might start to look brown but they will still taste amazing.