Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe - Real Life Dinner (2024)

March 29, 2021 6 Comments

A perfect knockoff of the Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe – simple ingredients, and so much easier to make than you would think. If you’ve been to Magnolia Bakery, you know this is a crazy good dessert. If you haven’t been, make this, close your eyes, and you’ll know what it’s like to be there.

A few years ago, I went on an epic girls trip to New York City. My sister-in-law said one of the must-stops was the Magnolia Bakery. She had been there earlier in the year and raved about the Banana Pudding. We were all dying to try it.

The creamy pudding with the bits of cookie and banana throughout is something you don’t want to miss. They have other desserts there too. Another incredibly popular one is the Magnolia Bakery Blueberry Jamboree. They were both our favorites; hence, why I’ve made knockoffs of both of them. 😉

A lot of banana pudding recipes you find on the internet use homemade vanilla pudding as the base. This recipe still gives you great flavor but it uses a mix of instant vanilla and instant banana pudding, made with part heavy cream and some sour cream, to give it just the perfect flavor and consistency. You’re gonna love this dessert!

More Banana Favorites

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• Frosted Banana Bars
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• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• The Best Banana Cookies

Step-by-step pictures of how to make magnolia bakery banana pudding recipe

Frequently Asked Questions about how to make Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe

do you use cook-and-serve pudding or instant pudding for magnolia bakery banana pudding?

This recipe calls for instant, but if you don’t have instant, you can use cook and serve. The main reason for using instant in this recipe is for ease and speed. This recipe can come together in minutes when using instant pudding.

How long does magnolia banana pudding last?

The pudding will stay good in the fridge for up to four days. If the bananas are exposed at all, they will start to brown and blacken. I usually only put the bananas inside the layers, and then I put a couple of fresh slices on top of each serving right before dishing it out.

How do you store magnolia bakery banana pudding?

When you get it at the bakery, they have it in circular cardboard takeaway containers. At home, I make it in a 9×13 pan and keep it covered with plastic wrap or a fitted lid. You can also make this recipe in individual servings (in clear plastic cups) and just cover each one with plastic wrap.

Can you freeze magnolia bakery banana pudding?

Unfortunately, no. Once the bananas are frozen, they will turn black. The cookies will also get very soggy when they thaw after being frozen.

can you use graham crackers in place of the nilla wafers?

The original Magnolia Recipe uses Nilla Wafers. It won’t be as authentic, but graham crackers are a great substitute if you can’t get Nilla Wafers. Just break them into inch-size pieces.

how ripe should the bananas be?

This can be a personal preference. I prefer to use bananas that are just ripe–the outside is perfectly yellow and not browning at all.

how long does it need to refrigerate before serving?

At least 8 hours or overnight.