Old Fashioned Banana Pudding - Baked Banana Pudding with Meringue
Old Fashioned Banana Pudding is a from scratch vanilla pudding layered with vanilla wafers and bananas and topped with a beautiful meringue. Baked Banana Pudding with Meringue could also be made with instant pudding for a shortcut recipe.
Servings: 16 servings
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- pinch salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11 ounces vanilla wafers
- 5 - 6 bananas
- 3 egg whites
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, saving both in separate containers.
- In a large saucepan, mix flour, salt and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
- Separately, whisk egg yolks and stir in milk.
- Whisk together milk mixture and flour mixture, stirring constantly over medium heat until it thickens and forms a pudding texture. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- In a 2 to 2 1/2 quart baking dish, layer vanilla wafers on bottom of dish. Top with a layer of sliced bananas. Pour 1/3 of pudding over top.
- Repeat layers as follows: wafers, bananas, pudding, wafers, bananas, pudding, extra layer of wafers on top (if you have enough).
- For the meringue, beat egg whites until foamy; add cream of tarter and beat until mixed.
- Add sugar, one Tablespoon at a time until the entire 1/4 cup is used, until the sugar is dissolved and the peaks are stiff. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract at the end.
- Spread meringue over top the pudding making sure to seal the edges. Make decorative smears and peaks.
- Bake for 5 to 15 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned.
- Let cool until slightly warm to serve, or cool completely and refrigerate before serving.
Notes
- For a shortcut, use a 4.6 oz. box of cook and serve vanilla pudding, prepared as the box states, instead of making homemade vanilla pudding from scratch.
- Whole milk works best for homemade pudding.
- It will take an entire box of vanilla wafers for this from scratch banana pudding recipe.
- Technically, vanilla wafers can be omitted. Layer the pudding and bananas as directed, and top with meringue.
- If meringues aren't your thing, leave the meringue off. Top with crushed vanilla wafers instead.
- An 11 x 7 inch baking dish can be used instead of a 2 or 2 1/2 quart dish.
- Banana pudding with meringue on top can be eaten warm or cold. You choose!
- Love meringues? Try Real Lemon Meringue Pie and Butterscotch Pie.