Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding – this is the ACTUAL banana pudding recipe from their cookbook. This recipe has layers of creamy pudding, bananas, and Nilla wafers. It’s heaven and way easier than you think!
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe
(originally posted 2016)
The life of a food blogger is really weird. First of all, we eat like it’s our job. Well, it kind of is.
When we go to a restaurant, ideally we would love to order one of everything but budget consciousness usually limits us to one or two choices.
My husband and I kind of have it down. Whenever we’re traveling and checking out the local eats, I always ask the waiter what they’re known for.
If tons of people continually come back for the same thing, chances are it’s worth it.
Then I usually ask the waiter what their personal favorite is. I’ve waited tables enough to know that some of the secret gems aren’t always popular yet.
So we order whatever they’re known for and then something else we eye on the menu.
The Man Who Ate Everything and I have pretty much morphed into one person in our 15 years of marriage so our tastes are similar.
MAGNOLIA BAKERY
So when we recently went to New York and visited the Magnolia Bakery we had to get what they are known for…their Famous Banana Pudding. We ordered a couple other treats but hands down the banana pudding was the winner.
We were able to taste this Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe not once but twice in our stay there. Here’s our picture of us eating it on the streets of New York.
Magnolia Bakery has a big tub of the stuff and kind of slaps it in a cup, lunch lady style, to serve it to you.
You can make this Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe in a big container or individual trifles would be really cute! Just remember it’s not a trifle. There’s more pudding mix to Nilla ratio making it a pudding.
I was thrilled to see that Magnolia Bakery actually gives their actual recipe in their Magnolia Bakery’s Cookbook.
However, I was a mixture of disappointed/relieved to see what the ingredients are.
Disappointed because I spent so much money buying it in New York and relieved because I can make it at home – no crazy ingredients, for way cheaper. Here are ingredients. Super simple, right?
WHAT’S IN MAGNOLIA BAKERY BANANA PUDDING?
This recipe has a few simple ingredients: Pudding, vanilla wafers, bananas, sweetened condensed milk, and cream.
First, I used a trifle bowl and layered my Nillas,…
…bananas,
…then pudding mixture. Repeat that 2 more times.
The recipe says to chill for 4 hours but no longer than 8. That’s because your bananas will start to brown if you let them hang out too long.
See my recipe notes on how to make them turn brown less quickly.
Remember to save some vanilla wafers and bananas for the top to add right before serving.
The vanilla wafers layered inside turn soft and almost cake-like.
Believe me. You want to make this. Especially if you love bananas.
HOW TO MAKE MAGNOLIA BAKERY’S BANANA PUDDING:
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In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined – about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well – about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. It will be watery if you don’t let it set up long enough.
-
In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the fresh whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.
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Dessert can either be made in individual portions or in a large glass bowl.
-
To assemble dessert, select a large wide glass bowl or trifle bowl with 4-5 quart capacity.
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Arrange 1/3 of the Nilla wafers covering the bottom, overlapping if necessary. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours – or up to 8 hours, no longer (because bananas will start to brown – see Notes for tips on preventing browning below).
HOW TO KEEP BANANAS FROM BROWNING:
The reason the recipe says to serve within 8 hours is that the bananas will turn brown as they oxidize. There are a couple of things you can do to make not brown as fast:
1) Pick bananas that are barely ripe. If they are slightly green and the stem, those are perfect. These will tend to not brown as fast.
2) Brush them with some lemon juice. Any fruit juice helps (pineapple, apple, orange). This can change the flavor slightly so brushing them is better than soaking them. Even water neutralizes the ph and will slow down the browning if you rinse them in water.
3) Rinse them with club soda. The advantage here is that it won’t affect the taste. Don’t use tonic as it has a bad taste.
4) Try to keep them airtight. The less contact with the air the less they will brown.
OTHER BANANA RECIPES:
- Banana Cream Pie
- The Best Banana Bread
- Banana Split Dessert
- Banana Muffins
- Monkey Squares – Banana Bread Bars
- Banana Bread Cookies
- Banana Split IceBox Cake
Magnolia Bakery's Famous Banana Pudding Recipe
This Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe has layers of creamy pudding, bananas, and Nilla wafers. It's heaven and way easier than you think! This is the ACTUAL banana pudding recipe from their cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
- 1 (3.4 oz.) box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups sliced barely ripe bananas, (see note)
- 1 (12 oz.) box Nilla Wafers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined - about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well - about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. It will be watery if you don't let it set up long enough.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.
- Dessert can either be made in individual portions or in a large glass bowl with 4-5 quart capacity (a 9x13 baking dish also works).
- To assemble dessert, arrange 1/3 of the Nilla wafers covering the bottom, overlapping if necessary. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, no longer (because bananas will start to brown - see Notes for tips on preventing browning).
Notes
The reason the recipe says to serve within 8 hours is that the bananas will turn brown as they oxidize. There are a couple of things you can do to make not brown as fast:
1) Pick bananas that are barely ripe. If they are slightly green and the stem, those are perfect. These will tend to brown as fast.
2) Brush them with some lemon juice. Any fruit juice helps (pineapple, apple, orange). This can change the flavor slightly so brushing them is better than soaking them. Even water neutralizes the ph and will slow down the browning if you rinse them in water.
3) Rinse them with club soda. The advantage here is that it won't affect the taste. Don't use tonic as it has a bad taste.
4) Try to keep them airtight. The less contact with the air the less they will brown.
Source: Magnolia's Bakery Cookbook
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Hello! How long do you recommend keeping this in the fridge ? I’ve had mine in the fridge for over a week and the bananas still aren’t super brown. Would you say it’s still okay to eat ?
Help!! I’ve read the comments..followed measurements.
I’m on my 2nd box…what am I doing wrong? It’s till watery after being in the fridge overnight. Should I try to mix it again or is it too late? Can it be salvaged or do I start again…..
Great recipe! I made mine a day ahead because I like my Nilla wafers to be a bit soggy. A crowd favorite!
Has anyone ever tried this with banana flavored pudding? I was thinking about using half vanilla and half banana instant pudding….
Also, I made my own GF vanilla wafers
🙂
Hi there! I was just wondering, could I make the pudding and whipped cream mixture about two days ahead and keep in the fridge?
Yes! The only part that is time sensitive is the bananas.
Thanks for the recipe Christy! I made it (from Australia) and it turned out perfect! The pudding set in 2 hrs for me. I did try making the pudding with a stand mixer but it doesn’t work and stays watery; I switched over to an electric mixer and after 2 minutes it turned nice and smooth. Maybe that might be the problem for some others whose pudding stays watery….
Interesting. I’ve used a stand mixer and it worked. Hmmm
Aloha love your recipe and it works great! Just wondering if I wanted to create a thicker consistency of pudding should I put less water maybe only 1cup instead of 1 1/2 cups?
Thanks!
Yes, definitely. Also whip your cream a little stiffer too.
Help me please.
I tried this recipe twice but my jello didn’t set. Not sure why.
The cold water is 1 1/2cup right (1.5cup)? Or i read it wrongly.
I left it in the fridge overnight but still watery the next day.
Thanks
Did you mix the pudding very well! It needs a full 2 minute mix to solidify and set.
The ingredients image featuring 1 pint of cream is a little deceptive! 1 pint is only 2 cups.
She’s simply showing ingredients, not exact measurements. Good grief.
Sorry if that was confusing!
My grandma used to make this banana pudding. She would always use a plastic knife to slice the bananas to keep them from browning. Not sure if it an old tale, or true.
Ha I’ll try it!
I’m so frustrated! The description says 3 hours and 15 minutes but that doesn’t account for the “3-4 hours or overnight” chilling in step 1!!!!!! That makes 7+ hours of chilling, not 3 hours! Please please update the recipe so others aren’t stuck with no dessert for their dinner party like I am.
Seems like you wouldn’t be in your predicament if you would have simply read thru the steps first, no? But I do agree that the “prep time” should be changed to account for the time the pudding sets. In my case, it only took an hour to set, not 3-4.
Karen, I’m so sorry. I will update it. To be honest I have done it without chilling it that long but that’s what the original recipe states.
Can this recipe be easily halved without any issues? We are just 2 adults and 2 toddlers so I don’t want to waste it or have the bananas turn before we get a chance to enjoy!
It is a bit tricky to half the pudding but if you have a food scale that would make it easier.
Hi thanks for this recipe. I want to get this delivered in the post in lockdown for my friends birthday as it is his favourite pudding. Do you know any place I can order it from?
google “magnolia banana pudding delivered” and you will get an accurate result with link to buy. works for me all the time, in almost any scenario you could imagine
I’m not sure if the actual bakery in NY delivers? But that’s where I would try.
Pick bananas that are barely ripe. If they are slightly green and the stem, those are perfect. These will tend to brown as fast.
I think you mean to say “These will tend NOT to brown as fast.” Just thought you’d like to be made aware. Thanks.
Thanks for the heads up.
My pudding won’t set. Followed the directions exactly and this is the second time I’m doing it. It set just fine the first time, but it just won’t set this time.
This happened once to me. The instant pudding is stale. Nothing will help, just throw it out and buy another pack. The jello brand never gives me a problem but another brand did.
I switched it up, and ended up with a mock tiramisu.. instead of water I used strong cold brew coffee, instead of Nilla wafers, I use lady fingers.. and I coarsely ground dark chocolate on top.. 🤷🏻♀️ was a huge hit..
Thanks for the tip!
I love Magnolia’s banana pudding, and this recipe works really well. However, portion sizes seem off if you have a dessert loving, large family. I made it for my mom’s birthday dinner for the 12 of us. Doubling it provided a little too much – generous portion for each person, an individual bowl as a present for my mom and some for “quality checks.” Increasing by half would have been the perfect amount. Also, I found one 7-9 inch banana equals just under a cup sliced. If you want four cups, buy five bananas and you will have plenty.
I have been making this recipe for over a year now. It comes out perfectly every time and I’ve directed many people to your website afterwards.
Most of the negative comments are unfair. 1. Follow the recipe. These are all concise instructions and common ingredients. Don’t bother making the pudding if you’re not willing to make a quick Walmart run. You are embarrassing yourself by making a dumb substitution and then blasting the recipe. 2. Your ingredients, especially the cream, bowl, and whisk, need to chill. She clearly explained that you will get a soupy mess trying to whip room-temperature cream in a warm bowl.
Hello, Sally! I have this bookmarked and, although I know the recipe by heart, I reference your blog every time I make this. And, like yours, it comes out PERFECT each time. If people are not following the recipe AS IS, the disastrous result is on them. My biggest cooking pet peeve is when someone substitutes something in a recipe, it turns out awful, and they trash the recipe. No. The recipe called for sour cream and you used applesauce. Or, it called for heavy whipping cream and you used evaporated milk. Health nuts, especially, should steer clear of recipes with high caloric or fat content. Or, make it AS IS and eat it in moderation like the rest of us.
Carmen, while I am in full agreeance with you, I am not Christy Denny, whose blog this is. I am just a fellow fan. But yes, I do despise it when people try to make “healthy” desserts. I was both a competitive athlete and a baker. It is possible to be both. Like you said, eat in moderation and share your creations so you don’t end up eating it all yourself. The worst I’ve seen was a brownie recipe: Most of the chocolate was substituted with black beans. The eggs were replaced by a banana. The butter was swapped out with coconut oil. Most of the sugar was excluded. Just because it looks somewhat like a brownie does not mean it is a brownie.
Thank you for having my back!
Do I have to use whipped cream
Yes! There’s no other sub
I can’t wait to make it.
Can this be frozen after made? I have a vacuum food sealer.
I have made and frozen before, the results were rather delish after thawed. 🙂
I haven’t tried freezing it.
I just tried the recipe and didn’t work, I didn’t use as much water because it sounded a lot, and Im trying to save it with instant whipped cream to make the texture right 🙁
Thank goodness other people have this exact recipe because they actually list how much cream we need how many bananas how much pudding mix how much is important you list “what’s in it” and then go ahead with the directions on how to do it I mean in this isn’t the first recipe of yours I can’t find a list of ingredients with how much we need . I mean by the time I get down to how to do it I’m frustrated I don’t want to do any recipe you list!
there’s a lovely little “jump to recipe” button on almost every online recipe somewhere just below the title 🙂 nice to use if you want to go directly to the ingredients list and skip the backstory! hope that helps
Thank you!
Sorry! There is a jump to recipe button on the top of my blog so you can get right to it.
My mixture was not thick but liquid. I followed the directions, what did I do wrong or is it supposed to liquidy and it will thicken up in the fridge?
Hey! So what I found out that helps is to keep everything cold. If you can, use a large ceramic or glass mixing dish, Stick it in the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then put all the cold ingredients in there (the whipped heavy cream, and the rest of the wet ingredients). It will help solidify your mixture. Good luck!
I forgot to mention… when you pit all of your wet cold ingredients in the frozen bowl, mix until you get the consistency that you want. I usually use my hand mixer in 7, no more than 8 minutes.
It will thicken in the fridge.
Hey, I had a question about one of the ingredients. What can I use instead of the vanilla pudding mixture? Like can I use custard powder?
Sorry I haven’t tried it with anything else.
Would using milk instead of water make it more creamy? Or would that ruin the recipe?
I have tried both. Water and milk. I think they both taste the same. One is just a few calories less than the other.
There’s so much cream in this recipe that I’m not sure it would need milk but I’m sure you could.
I’ve used cold brewed coffee with great success!