Best Banana Pudding (Magnolia Bakery-Style)

This Magnolia Bakery banana pudding is creamy, light, and perfectly layered with vanilla wafers and bananas. Easy no-bake dessert everyone loves

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword banana pudding recipes, no bake dessert recipes, trifle recipes

Prep Time 20

Chill Time 4

Total Time 4 20

Servings servings

Calories 593kcal

Author Kathleen

Make pudding base: In a large bowl, add sweetened condensed milk (1 can) and cold water (1 1/2 cups) and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth (about 30–60 seconds). Add the instant pudding (1 package) and continue beating for 1–2 minutes, until fully smooth and slightly thickened. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3–4 hours, or until set.
👉 It should look like a very loose pudding at this stage—not fully set yet.
Whip cream: In a separate bowl, beat heavy whipping cream (3 cups) using a hand mixer, until soft peaks form.
Combine: Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled pudding mixture until smooth and airy.
Layer: In a large dish, add a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by sliced bananas, then pudding. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with pudding on top.
Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Overnight is the magic window: This is when the wafers soften into that signature cake-like texture.
Don’t skip drying the bananas: Excess moisture can thin out your pudding layers.
Soft peaks are key: Over-whipped cream will make the pudding dense instead of light.
Use a deep dish: More layers = better texture and presentation.
Slice bananas evenly: Uniform slices give you better layering and texture in every bite.