Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

There’s been a lot of dessert happening around these parts. There’s been birthdays and potlucks and overnight guests, all of which mean I need to have dessert at the ready. I took the Magnolia Bakery cookbook out from the library a while ago and this banana pudding has been on my must-make list ever since. Something about making a treat I can buy in New York City makes me feel less upset about not being there at any given moment. I decided to make this for one of our commitments and when I told my Main Taste Tester, he spat:

“Why would you make banana pudding? I HATE banana pudding!”

Well, then.

Fast forward a week later and I’m in the kitchen, assembling the pudding and he says:

“What is that! It looks so good! Can I have some?”

“It’s the banana pudding you whined about. Because, you know, you HATE banana pudding.”

“I thought you meant, like, banana pudding from a box. That looks like cheesecake. I want some.”

Men.

Anyway, this stuff is dreamy. The pudding mixture is like heaven and when chilled overnight, the bananas infuse everything with their flavor and the Nilla wafers absorb the moisture and get all cakey. It will impress anyone you serve it to, even the initial skeptics. I know alllll about that.

Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

Makes a 9×13 dish

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups cold water
1 ½ cans sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz.)
4 sliced bananas
1 box Nilla wafers
3 cups heavy cream

Instructions:

In the bowl of a mixer, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute. Add the pudding mix and beat for another two minutes or so. Transfer to a smaller container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pudding mixture until combined. In a large dish, layer some of the pudding, then cover it with the Nilla wafers, then the sliced bananas and finish with the rest of the pudding. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.

Notes:

This makes a TON of pudding. I had it in a 9×13 dish and it was almost overflowing. Cut the recipe in half for a smaller crowd.

You’ll need to plan ahead to make it. I made the pudding mixture two days before I needed it, assembled it the next day and then served it the day after that.