How to Make Magnolia Bakery’s Famous Banana Pudding

If you can’t travel to New York City to try the very famous Magnolia Bakery banana pudding, I have the best news for you.

You can make this iconic recipe right in your own kitchen! 

This is the actual recipe for Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding and let me tell you, it does not disappoint! 

You’ll only need five simple ingredients to recreate this totally addictive dessert. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. 

Ingredients

Here’s what’s in the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding recipe:

• Fresh bananas
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Vanilla wafer cookies
• Instant vanilla pudding mix
• Heavy cream

How to Make Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding

Make the Pudding 

We’ll start by beating the sweetened condensed milk with ice cold water. You can do this in a stand mixer or by using a handheld electric mixer.

Then, beat in the instant pudding mix until everything is well combined.

Now, get the pudding mixture into the refrigerator to set. It should take about 2 hours, but you can leave it longer, even overnight. 

Make the Whipped Cream

Once your pudding is set, it’s time to make the homemade whipped cream.

Grab a very large bowl (because there will be some inevitable splatter) and beat the heavy cream on high speed until you get stiff peaks. This usually takes about 7 minutes. 

Combine the Pudding and Whipped Cream

Now, gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

Once you no longer see streaks of whipped cream in the pudding, you’ll know it’s completely combined. 

Create the Finished Dessert

Choose a serving vessel for your banana pudding. It can be a pretty glass trifle bowl, a wide glass bowl, small ramekins or individual serving bowls. I love to use mason jars, as you can see from the photos.

Then, layer your ingredients in the following order: vanilla wafers on the bottom, then sliced bananas, then pudding.

Repeat the layers in this order until you reach the top of your serving vessel.

Watch how to make Magnolia Banana Pudding!

Serving your Banana Pudding

To get the true Magnolia Bakery experience, you’ll want to let the pudding hang out in the fridge for a while so that the vanilla wafers have a chance to soften.

The best part of this famous bakery’s dessert is those soft, mushy cookies! 

​You may also want to top your pudding with a dollop of reserved whipped cream or cool whip, more sliced bananas and some crushed vanilla wafers for visual appeal. 

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

As we just covered, this delicious dessert is even better once it’s had a chance to sit in the fridge, so by all means make it ahead of time!

Just be sure to cover it with plastic wrap to guard against browning. More on that below. 

When stored properly, this dessert will last several days in the refrigerator. 

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How to Keep Bananas from Browning

Bananas turn brown as a result of oxidation, which is simply be exposed to air. To guard against bananas turning brown, follow these tips: 

1. Slice the bananas last. This should be the very last thing you do before assembling your banana pudding dessert. This will minimize the time they’re exposed to air. 

2. Toss banana slices in lemon juice. A little bit of citrus will guard against browning and won’t affect the flavor of the fruit. This works with other fruits like apple slices too! 

3. Hide the bananas in the layers. Really nestle your banana slices between the cookies and pudding layers. This will limit their exposure to air. 

When you make the Magnolia bakery famous banana pudding, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For other easy desserts, try these: 

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (Easy No-Bake Recipe)
• New Orleans Bread Pudding with Buttered Rum Sauce
• Creamy Butter Cake Recipe (California Pizza Kitchen copycat recipe)

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For more banana recipes, try these: 

• Banana Bread French Toast
• Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Bananas Foster Layer Cake