Banana pudding consists of bananas, vanilla wafers, and custard or pudding layered together.
A typical preparation alternates sliced bananas and vanilla wafers with vanilla pudding or custard. The dessert may be topped with whipped cream or meringue. It can be served chilled, allowing the wafers to soften and absorb moisture from the pudding.
Banana pudding became especially popular in the American South and is a familiar dish at family reunions, church gatherings, picnics, and holiday meals. Many modern recipes use instant pudding, although traditional versions cook a custard from milk, eggs, sugar, and flour or cornstarch.
The dessert is not the same as banana cream pie: banana pudding is assembled in a dish with cookies rather than baked in a pastry shell. The wafers are a defining feature of the common Southern version.