Banana Pudding

Classic Southern Banana Pudding

Prep time: 20 mins | Chill time: 4 hours | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 box (5 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding mix (or Banana Cream flavor)

• 2 cups Cold whole milk

• 1 can (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk

• 1 container (8 oz) Whipped topping (like Cool Whip), thawed

• 1 box (11 oz) Nilla Wafers

• 4-5 large Ripe bananas, sliced into rounds

• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Prepare the Base: In a large bowl, whisk together the cold milk and the instant pudding mix for 2 minutes until it begins to thicken.

2. Make it Creamy: Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

3. Fold: Gently fold in half of the whipped topping (4 oz) into the pudding mixture. This makes the filling light and airy.

4. Layering (The Secret): In a large glass trifle bowl or a 9×13 baking dish, start the layers:

   • Bottom: A layer of Nilla Wafers.

   • Middle: A layer of sliced bananas.

   • Top: Half of the pudding mixture.

5. Repeat: Repeat the layers (wafers, bananas, then the remaining pudding).

6. The Topping: Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top. Crush a few extra Nilla Wafers and sprinkle the crumbs over the top for decoration.

7. The Chill (Crucial): Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The cookies need this time to absorb the moisture from the pudding and become cake-like in texture.