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Craving the famous Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding but can’t get to NYC? No need to worry – this iconic recipe is much easier to whip up at home than you might think!
Love Banana Pudding, but don’t really have the time or patience to make it from scratch?
No worries, I’ve got ya covered with this super simple Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding recipe.
With just a short list of ingredients and minimal prep time, you can make this ultra-popular Banana Pudding right in your own kitchen!
WHAT IS MAGNOLIA BAKERY BANANA PUDDING?
If you were ever a fan of Sex and the City, you might remember Carrie’s love of Manolos and Magnolia Bakery cupcakes.
If you weren’t as much of a SATC fan, you might have guessed correctly by now: Magnolia Bakery is a famous New York City bakery that now has locations in major cities around the country and even around the world.
The bakery is famous for its cupcakes but it might be even more famous for its banana pudding. People line up down the block for servings of this famous banana pudding!
Now, I don’t mind waiting in line for an amazing dessert, but I also like being able to recreate famous desserts at home. It’s why I like to pop into my kitchen to make recipes like Dominique Ansel’s Banana Bread and J. Alexander’s Carrot Cake.
So when I learned that there is a recipe for the famous Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding floating around the internet, you know I had to try it.
HOW TO MAKE MAGNOLIA BAKERY’S FAMOUS BANANA PUDDING
You know how much I love making my Homemade Banana Pudding with layers of homemade vanilla pudding and homemade whipped cream.
But when I’m looking for something a bit different, this is the recipe I’ll turn to. This recipe uses just a handful of simple ingredients:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Ice-cold water
- Instant vanilla pudding mix (Jell-O brand is recommended)
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla wafers (Nabisco Nilla Wafers are recommended)
- Ripe bananas
Yes, that’s right. The world-famous banana pudding that people wait hours for uses a base of vanilla pudding mix! At least that’s the claim online.
The thing that makes this pudding a bit more interesting, though, is that it uses sweetened condensed milk instead of regular whole milk to make the pudding.
Start by whisking together the ice-cold water (make sure it’s very cold!) and the sweetened condensed milk, then slowly add this mixture to the instant pudding mix, whisking until it is smooth without any lumps.
Cover this and chill it in the fridge for at least one hour or up to overnight.
When you’re ready to assemble the pudding, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Use a spatula to fold the whipped cream and the pudding mixture together until no streaks are left.
Then, layer the pudding with the sliced bananas and vanilla wafers, starting and ending with a layer of pudding. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.
HOW LONG DOES THIS BANANA PUDDING LAST?
This is one of a few recipes that really is best served the same day that you make it. The bakery recommends serving it within 12 hours.
I recommend preparing this pudding the morning you plan to serve it and enjoying it with a group of friends or family that same evening.
After all, a recipe like this is made for sharing, and I know it’s one that your whole family will adore.
But don’t worry if you don’t go through all of it the day it is made, we ate it for several days and it was still absolutely delicious.
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups ice cold water
- 1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (Jell-O brand is recommended)
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 11-ounce box vanilla wafers (Nabisco Nilla Wafers are recommended)
- 6 ripe large bananas sliced
Instructions
- Whisk together the cold water and sweetened condensed milk in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, pour in the pudding mix and begin to slowly whisk in the liquid mixture, until it is smooth with no lumps, about one minute.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour until it’s firm, or leave overnight.
- Whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken, then increase the speed until stiff peaks form.
- Add your pudding mixture to the whipped cream and fold with a spatula until there are no streaks of pudding in the mixture.
- In a trifle or wide glass bowl, spread one-quarter of the pudding over the bottom and place a layer with one-third of the cookies as well as about 1 to 1 1⁄2 of the sliced bananas to cover the full layer.
- Continue the process until complete, ending with one final layer of pudding and a garnish of some of the remaining wafers.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for four to six hours. It’s recommended to serve the dessert within 12 hours. Just before serving, top with additional slices of fresh bananas.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been making my banana pudding like this for almost 40 years. I learned from my Grandmother as a quick version instead of the old fashioned cooked kind. My family request it every time there’s a gathering and even as a gift on one of their special days. Too bad I didn’t market it then, lol. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
The store was out of vanilla wafers, so I substituted Chessman cookies. The pudding came out crazy good. Thank you so much for such a great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Yolie! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
This is the same recipe Eagle Brand put out many, many years ago. It has never been exclusive to Magnolia Bakery no matter what they say. That being said, it is a great recipe and I have been making it for years.
@SandyB,
I agree. I learned from my grandma many years ago. I suppose that’s where she got the recipe from. It is a yummy recipe though.
Your recipes are absolutely fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing them!!!
I love your recipe and want to see more
Easy to follow recipe very delicious