Make A Banana Pudding Just Like Your Southern Grandma — It Only Takes One Secret Addition

The world of no-bake desserts is diverse, and a wonderful way to make something sweet in the hot summer months without ever having to turn the oven on. One of the most classic sweets that doesn't require baking is a big bowl of beautiful banana pudding. This traditional Southern recipe calls for bananas and vanilla wafers ensconced in all things creamy and delicious: condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla pudding (by the way, instant pudding is not only perfect for banana pudding but also makes no-bake cheesecake a breeze). But there's an additional ingredient that will take your banana pudding to the next level, and not surprisingly, it's sour cream. 

Sour cream makes desserts dense and rich, which is exactly what you want when making a classic Southern banana pudding. It's both creamy and tangy, which perfectly complements the intense sweetness of the vanilla pudding and the condensed milk while also adding density to the dessert's texture, making it even more decadent than it already is. Sour cream is an easy add-in to banana pudding, which is so simple to make as long as you prepare it ahead of time, allowing at least a few hours (ideally overnight) for it to set in the fridge.

One of the best things about sour cream in desserts is that it adds a ton of moisture, without being too liquidy. The result: heavy, cake-like, melt-in-your-mouth wafers tucked in between the pudding and bananas, a layering approach that helps prevent your fruit from browning. The best time to add your sour cream to banana pudding is after the basic pudding is made. Mix it into your thickened mixture to create a beautifully dense pudding for the vanilla wafers to soak up. 

A full-fat sour cream will of course make for a more luxurious dessert. If you don't have sour cream on hand, it's actually very easy to make at home with just heavy cream and lemon. This is one of those instances where only sour cream (or the creamy copycat) will do to get the right results. Substitutes like Greek yogurt will add moisture to your pudding but give it more of an airy texture, rather than the coveted density and richness that only sour cream can bring.