Nothing screams, “I’m from the south” more than a big bowl of banana pudding on a Sunday afternoon (or any day for that matter). This Quick Southern Banana Pudding will be your new go-to recipe when you’re strapped for time!

Now, I’m going to go ahead and be upfront by letting you know that this particular recipe uses a boxed mix. I recently came across this recipe that claimed that by using half-and-half as a substitute for the majority of the milk, it tasted homemade. It was in a Southern Living cookbook for Pete’s sake… how could it taste bad?

I was skeptical but you know I had to try it. As much as I LOVE homemade banana pudding made from scratch, this recipe did not have the “instant” flavor to it that I expected. You can also save additional time by using whipped topping instead of meringue.

Trust me, it’s worth a try, especially if you’re in a hurry (you won’t be disappointed!). I’ll still be making traditional homemade banana pudding, but this recipe is a quick alternative to “almost homemade”!

Quick Southern Banana Pudding

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

For the banana pudding:

2 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup milk
(1) 5.1 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
(1) 12 ounce box vanilla wafers
6 bananas

For the meringue:

4 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat pudding mix, milk and half-and-half at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium until mixture is thickened (about 2 minutes).
In a 2-1/2 quart baking dish, layer 1/4 of the vanilla wafers. Cover with 2 sliced bananas.
Pour 1/3 of pudding over bananas. Repeat layers twice, ending with pudding.
Place remaining vanilla wafers around edges of baking dish.
Prepare the meringue by beating the egg whites and vanilla at medium-high speed using a mixer until soft peaks form (about 1-1/2 minutes).
Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form (about 3 minutes).
Spread meringue over pudding. Bake for 20 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.