Instant Pot Banana Pudding From Scratch
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This Instant Pot banana pudding isn’t about rushing tradition. Instead, it’s about reimagining it for the way you like to cook. If you love the soul-soothing taste of homemade pudding but prefer using your Instant Pot over the stovetop, this recipe’s for you!
It delivers that same rich, creamy, Southern-style goodness, layered with Nilla Wafers cookies, fresh bananas, and love, while giving you the ease and control of pressure cooking. A modern method for a classic Black folks’ dessert, this version keeps the heart of the original while making space for your kitchen style.
Banana pudding in the Instant Pot
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of making banana pudding from scratch because I’m here to walk you through it, step by step, using your Instant Pot. This recipe skips the shortcuts like boxed mixes and Cool Whip in favor of rich, homemade vanilla pudding and freshly whipped cream.
The result? That same sweet banana flavor and creamy texture you know and love, taken to the next level. It’s Southern comfort with a gourmet twist, like you ordered this iconic dessert straight from a fancy restaurant, only better because it’s made with love in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
Before we dive into the step-by-step instructions for this irresistible dessert, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make homemade Instant Pot banana pudding completely from scratch.
- Granulated sugar – This is the base of the sweetness in your pudding. It balances the richness of the egg yolks and milk while giving the pudding its classic dessert flavor.
- Salt – Just a pinch enhances all the other flavors. It cuts through the sweetness and brings out the creamy vanilla notes.
- Whole milk – The creamy foundation of the pudding. Whole milk adds richness and helps achieve that velvety-smooth texture. You need the fat for that classic Southern indulgence.
- Egg yolks – These are key to making a custard-style pudding. The yolks thicken the mixture, giving the pudding its signature golden color and silky mouthfeel.
- Vanilla extract – A must for that warm, fragrant flavor. It brings the whole pudding to life and complements the bananas and cookies beautifully.
- All-purpose flour – Acts as a thickening agent along with the egg yolks. It helps create a stable, creamy pudding without lumps. Especially important when pressure cooking.
- Sweetened condensed milk – This adds extra creaminess and depth of sweetness. It also gives the pudding that unmistakable Southern-style richness that makes banana pudding so comforting.
- Nilla Wafers cookies – The nostalgic, essential base of any banana pudding. They soften into cake-like layers that soak up the pudding, adding texture and that iconic cookie flavor without getting soggy.
- Bananas – The star of the show! You want bananas that are ripe, not firm and sweet but not mushy. Their fresh flavor adds natural sweetness and fruitiness to every creamy bite.
How to make banana pudding in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot banana pudding is a modern twist on a beloved Southern classic. It features silky, homemade vanilla pudding pressure-cooked to perfection using the pot-in-pot method, so there’s no stovetop stirring required!
- Make the homemade whipped cream, and set it aside in the fridge.
- Make a rich custard base by whisking together the homemade pudding ingredients.
- Use the pot-in-pot method with water underneath, and pour the pudding mixture into a pot that fits inside the Instant Pot’s inner pot, then pressure cook.
- Assemble the dessert by layering the cookies, bananas, pudding, and whipped cream, then chill, serve, and enjoy!
Preventing runny pudding in the Instant Pot
The best way to fix runny pudding is to add more flour. It acts as a thickening agent when mixed into the pudding.
How long does homemade banana pudding last?
Banana pudding is a delicious dessert made with delicate, perishable ingredients, so it’s best enjoyed fresh. For the best flavor and texture, it’s recommended to serve and enjoy Southern banana pudding on the same day it’s made or within 24 hours. This ensures that the bananas stay fresh, the wafers remain soft but not soggy, and the creamy pudding retains its ideal consistency.
If you do have leftovers, don’t worry, you can refrigerate them for later cravings for up to 3 days. Transfer the pudding to an airtight container or tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap to ensure a firm seal before placing it in the fridge.Proper storage helps preserve the flavor and texture for an additional day or two. However, keep in mind that the bananas will start to brown a few hours after the pudding is made.
Equipment
- Medium or large mixing bowl (to make the whipped cream)
- Electric handheld or stand mixer (to make the whipped cream)
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Instant Pot 3-quart pot-in-pot
- Instant Pot baking sling
- 2-quart glass bowl (preferably with a lid) Or a 9×13 baking dish with a lid
Ingredients
Ingredients For The Homemade Whipped Cream: yields 1 cup
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 tablespoon sugar granulated
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients For The Banana Pudding
- 3 bananas ripe and sliced
- 11 oz Nilla Wafers cookies (and ¼ cup of reserved crumbled cookies)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream cold
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- ¾ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7 oz condensed milk (½ a can)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Instructions For The Homemade Whipped Cream
- *To achieve the best results when making whipped cream, ensure that your heavy whipping cream is as cold as possible. Begin by placing the mixing bowl and the whisk(s) of your electric mixer in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.
- Next, pour the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla into the cold bowl.
- Using the electric mixer, mix on high speed for 1 minute until medium to stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat the cream.
- Set aside the prepared whipped cream in the refrigerator.
Instructions For The Homemade Pudding
- In a smaller pot that fits inside your Instant Pot’s stainless steel inner pot (a 3-quart pot-in-pot), whisk together the egg yolks and milk. (I used a stainless steel mixing bowl that fit inside the Instant Pot inner pot.)
- Next, add the salt, sugar, and flour, mixing until the pudding mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot’s stainless steel inner pot.
- Then, place the pot of the pudding mixture in an Instant Pot baking sling.
- Using the sling, lower the smaller pot into the stainless steel inner pot. Alternatively, you can place the inner rack trivet into the Instant Pot inner pot and put the pot-in-pot pudding on top of the trivet.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, ensuring the valve is in the sealing position (up), and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure for at least 10 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, switch the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if necessary.
- Open the Instant Pot and carefully remove the smaller pot using the handles of the baking sling. (If the smaller pot is on the inner trivet rack and not in a baking sling, use oven mitts to remove it.)
- Whisk the pudding mixture until it is smooth and creamy, stirring in the vanilla extract, butter, and condensed milk until well combined.
- Set aside the homemade pudding mixture.
Instructions For Assembling Banana Pudding
- Line the bottom and sides of a baking pan with Nilla Wafers cookies.
- Add a layer of sliced bananas on top of the cookies.
- Using a small spatula, spread the warm vanilla pudding evenly over the layer of bananas.
- Add a layer of the homemade whipped cream on top of the pudding.
- Finally, sprinkle the ¼ cup of crumbled cookies over the layer of whipped cream.
- Allow the banana pudding to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving, then enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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I have always loved banana pudding
But it was always so simple from a box
This recipe with sliced bananas, whip creak and baking sounds so much more delicious
You’re right, and the cream cheese is a superb addition to a banana pudding recipe!
Hello, can this be made on the stove top as well? I’m not old, but have old school ways lol. Also, can the cream cheese be added to the whip cream in this version as well?
Thanks for asking! Yes, you can make the pudding on the stovetop, and it’s very good with the variation of cream cheese and whipped cream mixed.
First and foremost, Black people did not use all these modern kitchen tools and gadgets used in this recipe!! Whole milk and can milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract cooked slowly on a stove adding flour or corn starch as a thickener was all that was needed to make a fluffy and delicious custard/pudding to pour over the vanilla wafers and bananas. Then the whipped cream was heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract. That’s it!,
This pot in pot, pressure cooker, stainless steel bowl, and ace blender and baking sling stuff is all unnecessary and a unwanted sales pitch of products. I use none of these things and I make a most decadent, delicious, from scratch banana pudding!
Thank you for your comment. Black people do indeed use and enjoy Instant Pot modern appliances! Our thousands of Beautiful Soul subscribers are testimony to this because Instant Pot makes our lives easier + more soulful! 😉 Because we have so many readers in our community, we like to cater (no pun unintended!) to the masses with our Southern soul food recipes. So you may prefer our old-school soul food banana pudding recipe from scratch. For your convenience, you can get to it with this link here: https://thesoulfoodpot.com/thesoulfoodpod-ep-6-is-banana-pudding-a-black-thing/ Enjoy!