Delicious Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe

Delicious Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe will be your new favorite dessert! Layers of creamy vanilla pudding, Nilla wafers, and bananas combine to make a rich, decadent, delicious dessert perfect for family dinners or holidays!

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe

A few months ago, I won a giveaway on Instagram for a Magnolia Bakery gift card and cookbook. As soon as I won, I knew what I was ordering–Magnolia Bakery's famous Banana Pudding!

We haven't been able to travel to New York City this past year to get our Magnolia Bakery fix, so it was perfect that we could get it shipped to the house.

I surprised John with the banana pudding, and to say he was excited is an enormous understatement. As soon as the pudding was gone, I knew I needed to try to figure out how to make a copycat Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding at home.

You can imagine my delight when I realized the recipe is part of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook - The Magnolia Bakery Handbook: A Complete Guide for the Home Baker by Bobbie Lloyd is terrific.

I will admit that I also had to order their famous cupcakes.

When our Goldbelly order of Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding came in, they had a card with random fun banana facts. They seemed fun to share.

• The scientific name for a banana is "must sapientum," which means fruit of the wise men.
• Americans eat an average of 27 pounds of bananas per person per year.
• Bananas are the only fruit that contains the amino acid tryptophan plus vitamin B6, which helps produce serotonin.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic Delicious Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Cold Water
• Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (We used Jell-O Brand)
• Whipping Cream
• Fresh Bananas
• Nabisco Nilla Wafers Cookies 

Equipment Needed

• Whisk
• Medium Bowl: We are big fans of this glass batter bowl with a handle. It makes it easy to mix ingredients and keeps the mixing bowl steady on the counter.
• Hand Mixer: This tool will make it a lot easier to combine ingredients and make sure the pudding is smooth. You can also use a stand electric mixer with a whisk attachment. 
• Trifle Bowl: We love how this dessert looks when served in a trifle bowl, but you can also make this in a 9x13 pan, a wide glass bowl, or another dish. 

How to make Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding 

I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

Step 1 - The first step for making the best banana pudding recipe is beating together the ice-cold water and sweetened condensed milk together.

You want to combine it until well combined at least a minute on medium speed.

Mix in the vanilla pudding and beat well until there are no lumps.

Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours or overnight. You want to make sure you plan time for this mixture to sit so it can start to thicken.

If you try to use this mixture to quickly it will be really watery and not thick enough to form the banana pudding.

Step 2 - A few hours later or preferably the next day you will want to whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Once stiff peaks form you will gently fold in the vanilla pudding mixture. Adding the mixture to the whipped cream until no streaks of pudding remain.

Step 3 - You can use a trifle bowl, baking dish, large bowl, or individual serving cups to serve this Magnolia Bakery banana pudding.

Line the bottom of the dish with Nilla vanilla wafers evenly spread out.

Step 4 - evenly spread slices of bananas over the top of the nilla wafers.

Top with ⅓ of the whipped cream banana pudding mixture.

Step 5 - Continue layering the nilla wafers, bananas, and ⅓ of the pudding mix until your reach the top of the dish.

Step 6 - Once you reach the top of the dish make sure the final layer of pudding mixture is at the top. You want to make sure that it is fully covered so the bananas do not turn brown.

Cover and chill in the refrigerate for 4+ hours up to 8 hours.

Step 7 - Garnish top with crumbled nilla wafers when ready to serve.

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead: This dessert is make-ahead-friendly due to being multi-step. You will need to assemble the pudding mixture and banana pudding in stages, and they each need time to set in the fridge to reach the perfect texture before you can dig in.

Storage: Magnolia Bakery recommends enjoying their banana pudding within four days. Bananas turn brown quickly, so always refrigerate leftovers in a covered airtight container for freshness.

Freezing/How to Freeze: Magnolia Bakery also suggests freezing their banana pudding for up to 30 days. Store leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container, letting them thaw in the fridge until you can take a spoon to them.

Recipe Variations

Substitutions:

Any quality instant vanilla pudding mix, including French vanilla, works in this recipe.

You can use equal parts vanilla and banana pudding mix for more banana flavor or replace the vanilla pudding mix altogether for maximum banana goodness.

Nilla wafers are essential to the taste and texture of this banana pudding, so unless you have a dietary restriction that requires it, we do not recommend swapping this ingredient.

Vegetarian Option: This dessert recipe is naturally vegetarian.

Vegan Option: Vegans should replace the sweetened condensed milk, instant pudding mix, heavy whipping cream, and Nilla wafers with plant-based substitutes to make this dessert vegan.

Gluten-Free: Look for a gluten-free alternative to Nilla wafers to make this Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding safe for a gluten-free diet.

Alcohol-Free Option: This recipe is alcohol-free since Magnolia Bakery does not use any in their Banana Pudding, and adding alcohol would change the flavor from the original. However, a splash of rum or bourbon in the banana pudding mix is an option to make it boozy.

Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes 16 servings. Scale it up or down to your desired yield by hovering over the number of servings in the recipe card and using the slider.

Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 30 grams of sugar per serving. Replace the sweetened condensed milk, instant vanilla pudding mix, heavy whipping cream, and Nilla wafers with sugar-free substitutes to make it sugar-free.

Tips for the Best Delicious Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

• We suggest buying barely ripe bananas so they are less likely to turn brown quickly.
• You can brush the bananas with lemon juice to help prevent them from turning brown. We slice them as we are placing them in the trifle dish.
• You can spread the pudding over the bottom before placing the first layer of Nilla wafers if you want to.
• Printable recipe card instructions are below.
• Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

 

What to Serve with Delicious Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

With this recipe, you’re only a quick trip to the kitchen or grocery store away from making one of this NYC bakery’s most iconic and beloved desserts! Here are some pairing suggestions to inspire your menu planning.

Sides: Broccoli Casserole, Apple Stuffing, Funeral Potatoes, BLT Pasta Salad, Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Yams, Southern Style Green Beans, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans

Main Dishes: Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Stovetop Meatloaf, Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers, CrockPot Rosemary Pork, Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings, CrockPot Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, CrockPot Salisbury Steak, CrockPot Ham & Cheese Grits

Desserts: Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Icebox Pie, Best Rice Krispie Treats, Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler, Pig Pickin' Cake, Bisquick Apple Cobbler, Bisquick Peach Cobbler, Molasses Cookies, Banana Bread, Classic Chocolate Brownies, Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

Drinks: Coke Slushie, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea

When to Serve

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Potlucks
• Cookouts / Barbecues
• Family and Friend Gatherings

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