This post is sponsored by Transamerica Center for Health Studies. All opinions and text are my own.
Healthier Soul Food
I’m really excited to be partnering with Transamerica Center for Health Studies® (TCHS) and the Association of Black Women Physicians (ABWP) today to share with y’all a FREE downloadable cookbook! ‘Healthier Traditions Cookbook: Soul Food’ is all about taking traditional Southern recipes we all love and making them a bit healthier. And all the flavor (like in this Healthier Homemade Banana Pudding) is still there! Click HERE to check it out and download (for free!) 
TCHS collaborated with the Association of Black Women Physicians (ABWP) and registered dieticians to make simple ingredient substitutions to classic Southern dishes that increase the nutritional value while keeping the great flavor of some Southern favorites. TCHS remains committed to empowering consumers to achieve the best outcomes in their personal health and wellness. ABWP is a network of Black women physicians equally committed to the improvement of public health and welfare.
Some of the dishes in this cookbook include Red Beans and Rice, Gumbo, Pan-fried Catfish, Smothered Pork Chops, and, leaving room for dessert, classics like Peach Cobbler and Banana Pudding. Each recipe includes a breakdown of the calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, and protein content of the dish. In addition, you can watch how-to videos on the TCHS YouTube channel that highlight the preparation of some of these dishes. 
A Bit Healthier Homemade Banana Pudding
I decided to test out the recipe for Banana Pudding and it did not disappoint! The key to a really good banana pudding over a so-so one is to use really ripe bananas. There should definitely be brown on the skins. This will give you a lot of naturally added sweetness without adding more sugar! This recipe puts the sweet banana flavor at the forefront and has much less added sugar than traditional recipes. Bananas are also high in the electrolyte Potassium, which is important for healthy muscles and blood pressure. Look for whole grain vanilla wafers for an even healthier alternative. The only addition I made to this recipe was to add some light whipped topping on the finished banana pudding. 
Homemade custard
Basically what you are doing here is making a custard. That’s all banana pudding is. Custard with vanilla wafers and bananas. The dea with custards is they are ridiculously easy to make but you gotta keep a close eye on them. No multitasking is allowed when making custards. They can turn into a lumpy mess if you aren’t careful. So, what you need to make sure to do is have everything at the ready before even starting to make this. In French cooking, the fancy cooking term is “Mise en place.” In American cooking that means ‘Get yer act together before even putting a pot on the stove’. 😉 So you need to have your vanilla wafers out of the box. Get eggs cracked into a bowl and whisked together. Get your milk measured out and your bananas sliced before you do anything. That way you can just concentrate on making the custard and whisking it as it cooks. Trust me on this one. Normally I can just wing it as I go, but not with homemade custard.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups low-fat (2%) milk
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe medium bananas, thinly sliced
30 vanilla wafers
4 oz. (1/2 tub) light whipped topping, optional
Directions:
In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Slowly whisk in the milk. Turn heat on to medium-high. Whisk mixture continuously until it begins to bubble. Remove saucepan from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs well. Pour about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs. Whisk vigorously. This is called “tempering” the eggs. It’s basically slowly bringing the eggs up to a warmer temperature without them scrambling.
Pour egg mixture into milk mixture.
Place saucepan back onto medium-high heat and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Seriously, whisk constantly. It may seem tedious but this mixture can quickly turn glumpy – that’s totally a technical cooking term 😉 – if you don’t whisk the entire time!
Transfer mixture out of the saucepan into a bowl and whisk in vanilla extract.
Spread thin layer of the pudding into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (or an 8×8-inch square baking dish).
Arrange half of the vanilla wafers on top of the pudding.
Then layer half of the banana slices over the vanilla wafers.
Layer half of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas. 
Then layer the remaining vanilla wafers on top. Followed by the remaining banana slices. Top with the rest of the pudding.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Gently press down on top of the plastic wrap so it makes contact with the pudding. This will keep the homemade pudding from forming a slimy “skin” on top. Then pop it into the refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours. I’m using my Grandma Betty’s old Pyrex dish here. I love having a small piece of her still with me. 
When ready to serve, uncover and spread on whipped topping (optional). Then dig in!
Enjoy!
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups low-fat (2%) milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 ripe, medium bananas thinly sliced
- 30 vanilla wafers
- 4 oz. (1/2 tub) light whipped topping optional
- In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk. Turn heat on to medium-high. Which mixture continuously until it begins to bubble. Remove saucepan from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Pour about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs. Whisk vigorously. This is called "tempering" the eggs. It's basically slowly brining the eggs up to a warmer temperature without them scrambling.
- Pour egg mixture into milk mixture. Place saucepan back onto medium-high heat and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Seriously, whisk constantly. It may seem tedious but this mixture can quickly turn glumpy if you don't whisk the entire time!
- Transfer mixture out of the saucepan into a bowl and whisk in vanilla.
- Spread thin layer of the pudding into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (or an 8x8 square baking dish). Arrange half of the vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Then layer half of the banana slices over the vanilla wafers.
- Layer half of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas. Then layer the remaining vanilla wafers on top. Followed by the remaining banana slices. Top with the rest of the pudding.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and gently press down on the plastic wrap so that it is touching the pudding. This will keep a "skin" from forming on top of the pudding. Pop it into the refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours.
- Then uncover and spread whipped topping on top. Then serve!
Wow, this looks great! Normally, I use the pudding boxes but I’d like to try this. 🙂
Let me know if you do Aileen! Hope you love it!
I love this recipe. Thanks for the tip on the ripe bananas. I love banana pudding!
I love that you are sharing a from scratch pudding recipe. My mothers family has used a recipe very similar to this that has been passed down for many generations. In my mind, there is just no other way to make banana pudding! I will be giving this version a try for sure!
Looks SO GOOD!
Yum! Love this recipe!
Banana pudding I can eat all the time – yes!
My fav dessert!
Love the layering of the vanilla wafer cookies and fresh banana slices. For convenience I usually make box mixes when I want pudding since I’m really the only one that eats it. This will be sooooo much better!
Looks delicious. I keep meaning to try banana pudding!
A classic dessert, for sure! My boys would love this.