Helpful hint: Although it will seem like the recipe doesn't yield enough filling to coat the bananas and wafers, it's actually the perfect amount. Because the filling is warm when you pour it over the wafers/bananas and then it's further heated in the oven, if you double the filling it will be TOO MUCH hot liquid and your wafers and bananas will melt into a mush (I learned the hard way). As the recipe stands, the bananas still have some bite. Hope this helps! Thanks, Laura M.
This recipe puts any using pre-packaged pudding mix to shame. One of my dinner guests described it as "beauty in her mouth." I did cut the sugar down to 3/4 c., which made it sweet but not excessively so. That is the only adjustment I made, and it was perfect. I made this in a pyrex pie dish, and it fit perfectly. The next time I make it, I am going to add one more egg white because the meringue is such a nice balance to the cookies, bananas and pudding. I am also going to use a piping bag or large ziplock to put the meringue on in little peaks instead of spreading it on in one layer, because it will look nicer when it is toasted. Your friends will love you for this one! Addendum: When I made this the second time, I cut the sugar to 2/3 and added an egg yolk since I wanted the extra white for the meringue. The result was much less sweet and a little custardy. For someone who doesn't love sugar as much as I do, this would be a great adaptation.
I made this for my North Carolina native in-laws since banana pudding is my father-in-law's all-time favorite deserts. He really dislikes instant pudding so this was the recipie I needed to try. He loved it!! It was a bit of work to make but they all said it was well worth it. I made it the night before and let it sit in the fridge over night to that the wafers would soften. I definitely recommend doubling the recipe at least since it will all disappear quickly! I will definitely make this again.
this is a good basic recipe...but....brown sugar does nothing for the pudding...granulated is best..also 3 egg whites make a much nicer meringue...add or decrease sugar to your likeing...cream of tartar should always be used in a meringue..
Being from the deep South I grew up with this recipe. My mother used to make it for church socials and family reunions. Except she used all white sugar.
It is still the only way I make banana pudding. My family loves it. I also would suggest doubling the recipe as it does go really fast.
Laura it is so amazing how I fell across your recipe. I was calling my aunt in Louisiana to get my grandmothers old recipe for banana pudding and while she was telling me over the phone I was looking at yours. Same ingredients! We have amazing grandmothers! Nobody understands a hot banana pudding. RIP to my grandmother but I just wanted to share that great minds think alike! Happy Thanksgiving!
The recipe for the pudding was aweful! I even made it twice to make sure I didn't make a mistake. It was way too sweet and had a horrible consistency. I endeed up using the best vanilla pudding recipe & it saved the day.
Five generations of cooks can't all be wrong. We use granulated sugar and that's the only difference made. The pudding is rich very rich. Until it has cooled it will be soupy but not after the wafers absorb the liquid. If it's too sweet cut back on the sugar. Brings back a lot of memories of church picnics and Sunday desserts! Thanks for sharing.
Followed recipe exactly... it didn't turn out so well. The pudding was soupy and it was sickeningly sweet. I will not make this again, it was inedible.
