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Banana Pudding Ice Cream

Banana pudding ice cream with a creamy banana-infused vanilla custard churned smooth, then loaded with crushed Nilla wafers and banana slices. It’s built like frozen Southern banana pudding—chunky wafer crunch and fresh banana flavor in every bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana puree
  • 3 very ripe bananas Blend until completely smooth.
Custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream Heat until steaming, not boiling.
  • 1 cup whole milk Heat with the cream until steaming.
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Whisk with egg yolks.
  • 4 egg yolks Beat with sugar before tempering.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract Stir in after custard is cooked and strained.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Stir in after custard is cooked and strained.
Pudding mix-ins
  • 1.5 cup Nilla wafers Roughly crush for even wafer pieces.
  • 0.5 cup banana slices Use frozen banana slices for firmer bites.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 medium saucepan

Method
 

Make banana puree
  1. Blend the very ripe bananas until completely smooth, then set aside.
  2. Keep the banana puree ready at room temperature while you make the custard.
Cook and strain custard
  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steaming.
  2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth, then slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture.
  3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F, then remove from heat.
  4. Strain the custard to remove any bits, then stir in the vanilla extract and salt along with the banana puree.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Cool completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
  2. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker.
  3. Fold in the crushed Nilla wafers and frozen banana slices during the last 2 minutes of churning.
  4. Transfer to a container and freeze until scoopable.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, stir constantly over medium-low heat until it hits exactly 175F, then strain before adding the banana puree. Refrigerate churned base (before freezing) up to 2 days; freeze the finished ice cream up to 2 months. For a dairy-reduced option, use lactose-free cream and milk (texture remains closest to the original).