Make the famous Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding following this easy and delicious recipe. It is a classic banana pudding made with vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers. What makes this recipe stand out, is that it is not overpoweringly sweet and the banana flavor really stands out.

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A glass of banana pudding with three layers of Nilla wafers, sliced bananas, vanilla pudding, topped with crumbles of Nilla wafers.

Last October, my husband and I took a wonderful trip to New York City to enjoy the fall weather (Love me some autumn in NY!), see all the tourist sights, and of course, the food. It was a lovely trip and I posted all of it on my Instagram feed, if you want to check it out.

And one of those places was Magnolia Bakery because I wanted to get my hands on their famous banana pudding. I have made banana pudding at home and we all truly enjoy it, especially in the summer. But I needed to know why people were going crazy in NY for such a simple dessert.

So, we went in, tried it, and truly fell in love with it. We ended up going back a few times before our trip was over because it was THAT good. It’s not too sweet, not too thick, not too banananey. It’s perfection.

As soon as I came home I started looking for copycat recipes on how to make it. Imagine my delight when I found out that they had already published the full recipe in the Magnolia Bakery Handbook for all of us to enjoy. Thanks, Magnolia Bakery!

Ingredients for Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding. A bunch of bananas, a can of condensed milk, a box of instant French vanilla pudding, a bowl full of Nilla wafers, a bowl of cold water, and a small carton of heavy whipping cream.

Ingredients For Making the Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

This is the best part, there is nothing special about the ingredients that are used in this recipe and you can find them all at your local grocery store.

Sweetened condensed milk. It adds sweetness, flavor, and creaminess to this banana pudding. Surprisingly enough, it does not make it too sweet.
Ice cold water. It helps set the instant vanilla pudding that we’ll be using to make this recipe.
Instant vanilla pudding mix. It adds a subtle flavor of vanilla, a hint of sweetness, and lots of texture. I love using the French vanilla flavor, but you can regular vanilla. Make sure to use instant pudding for this recipe, it makes all the difference.
Heavy whipping cream. It thickens and stabilizes the pudding.
Sliced bananas. Use firm, slightly ripe bananas. These will be less sweet and will have a wonderful banana flavor.
Vanilla wafers. Nilla is the go-to brand for any banana pudding. They’re sweet vanilla cookies with a buttery texture, making them the perfect cookie for this recipe. However, you can substitute them with other cookies like shortbread, graham crackers, animal crackers, ladyfingers, or galletas María.

A bowl of fluffy whipped cream folded into set vanilla pudding.

How Do You Make Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

Mix the ice-cold water with the condensed milk using a hand mixer, a stand mixer, or by hand until well combined. Add the instant vanilla pudding and mix again. Cover and let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours. This is why it’s so important to use instant vanilla pudding, it will set faster and it will be more firm than regular pudding.
Whip the heavy cream until firm. Don’t overmix!
Fold in the whipped cream with the pudding until they are well combined.
Assemble the pudding in a large glass bowl, trifle bowl, or individual cups as follows: Place ⅓ of the vanilla wafers at the bottom of the bowl. Next, make another layer using ⅓ of the sliced bananas. Finally, use ⅓ of the banana pudding to make the next layer. Repeat two more times and garnish with extra vanilla wafers. Chill for a few hours before serving.

A large bowl and two small glasses filled with banana pudding, topped with Nilla wafer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Cool Whip to make Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding?

You can, but I don’t recommend it. In my opinion, it makes it too sweet! You’re already using a can of condensed milk, instant vanilla pudding, which already has sugar in it, plus the sweet vanilla wafers. That’s plenty sweet. And the reason why this banana pudding is so good is because it’s not overpoweringly sweet. Trust me on this.

Can I use ripe bananas to make banana pudding?

Yes, you can. But will you get the same flavor and texture as slightly ripe bananas? No. Ripe bananas are sweeter, so you get a different flavor. And they’re not as firm, which means the pudding will be mushy.

Can I use regular vanilla pudding instead of instant vanilla pudding to make this recipe?

I highly recommend that you don’t. Regular vanilla pudding has a softer texture and it takes longer to set. So the end result will not be the same banana pudding.

How do you keep bananas from browning?

This is why it’s so important to use barely ripe bananas. They take longer to brown, which makes them perfect for this recipe.

I’ll be honest with you, if you’re going to serve this banana pudding in less than 24 hours, you should be OK because the unripe bananas won’t turn brown as quickly.

However, you could also add a small amount of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown, just like with sliced apples or guacamole.

How can I store banana pudding?

You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze this banana pudding inside an airtight container for up to 1 month. Just let it thaw inside the refrigerator and serve it with more vanilla wafers. You can also serve it frozen and enjoy it as a delicious banana pudding ice cream!

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The Tools That I Used To Make Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

¡Buen Provecho!