What brand of vanilla wafer is traditional in banana pudding?

Nilla Wafers are the brand of vanilla wafer traditionally associated with banana pudding. The Southern dessert is typically built from layers of sliced bananas, vanilla-flavored custard, and vanilla wafers, then finished with whipped cream or meringue.

The wafer tradition developed from earlier banana-pudding recipes that often used ladyfingers or sponge cake. A 1920 recipe is among the early documented examples of replacing those ingredients with vanilla wafers. The crisp cookies absorb custard as the dessert rests, producing the soft, blended texture associated with classic banana pudding.

Nabisco helped cement the connection between the cookie and the dessert. During the 1940s, the company printed a banana-pudding recipe on its vanilla-wafer packaging, giving the product a powerful role in popularizing the combination. The product was originally marketed as Nabisco Vanilla Wafers; the name changed to Nilla Wafers in 1967.

Recipes can use other cookies or homemade wafers, so “traditional” refers to the familiar American version rather than a strict legal requirement. Graham crackers, Oreos, and butter cookies are substitutions, not the classic branded wafer answer.