Naner Puddin

Bananas + pudding + Nilla wafers = sweet southern goodness

I was first introduced to banana pudding in the cafeteria of High Point University in High Point, North Carolina in 2004. I was also introduced to the love of my life at HPU in 2004 too, but that's a whole different story.

When I first started at HPU it was a tiny school with a tiny meal program (since then, it has changed a lot!). They had just a few people running the cafeteria and one of those people was Fo Fo, an older black man who drove a Cadillac and wore sun glasses inside because he was just that cool.

We nicknamed him "chickenrye" because he would yell out to the kids in line, "wha choo want?, "chicken rye?". The chicken and rice was usually a safe bet. The food there wasn't great, in fact, it was terrible quite often. But, the southern style food they served was usually the best: fried catfish, fried okra, fried chicken.... BANANA PUDDING.

I'm willing to bet my life savings (which isn't much anyway), that Fo Fo (aka Chickenrye) did not make that banana pudding from scratch. He probably used Nilla wafers, off-brand Jello banana pudding mix, and cool whip... and it was still good. So just imagine how much better it tastes when made from scratch with quality ingredients!

To make this recipe you will need: a box of Nilla wafers (off-brand is fine), 5 or 6 bananas, sugar, flour, eggs, milk, vanilla extract

It takes about 30 minutes to make, but it tastes better if refrigerated overnight.

1. Get out the prettiest bowl you have. My G-mom gave me the bowl I used as a wedding gift.

2. Place a layer of Nilla wafers in the bottom. Top with a sliced banana or two. Repeat until you have used the whole box of wafers and 5 or 6 bananas.

3. In a sauce pan add sugar (1/2 cup), flour (1/3 cup), 3 egg yolks, and milk (2 cups).


4. Cook for about 15 minutes on low heat (I had the knob on 3 on my stove) until it thickens. This part takes a little bit of patience. Try to be inspired by those who lead a slow-paced lifestyle in the South, keep stirring, and don't you dare turn the heat up too high! When ready, it should coat a spoon.

5. Stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour over the Nilla wafers and bananas.

6. Give it some time to allow the pudding to soak into the Nilla wafers, creating a cake-y goodness. This should take about 5 minutes.


6. You could eat it now, but I think it tastes much better if you let it sit overnight in the fridge. You could also top with whipped cream if you'd like.



ENJOY Y'ALL!