In Defense of Hot Banana Pudding

Pumpkin spice may be hitting the shelves, but Birmingham is boiling. The heat index nearly got up to 110°F the other day, so the South is still in its icebox cake and no-bake pie era—unless there's hot banana pudding, which is a 365-day-a-year treat. Or a "vegetable side" if you’re at the right meat-and-three. Wait. HOT!? banana pudding you say. Yep, hot. It’s the dish that makes Southerners short-circuit and question their entire reality.

Like the classic cold staple, you’ll find variations of baked banana pudding all across the South. In Birmingham, Niki’s West (an absolute must when you’re in town) has it casserole style on the buffet. Chef Rob McDaniel’s Helen (one of our favorite restaurants in the 205) has it all fancy with pecan sandies.

And it’s not just Alabama. You’ll find it in old family recipe books from the Carolinas, the Delta, and beyond. My mother-in-law in East Tennessee grew up only ever knowing warm banana pudding.

However, for some, the idea of anything other than perfectly chilled banana pudding is an absolute abomination. But how do you know unless you try it? In a Reddit discussion of warm banana pudding, one user on Team Hot said, “No Jello pudding or Cool-Whip involved. If that’s all you’ve ever had, bless your heart, honey!”

So, What Is Hot Banana Pudding? 

Sometimes called baked banana pudding or warm banana pudding, hot banana pudding starts just like any homemade banana pudding: on the stovetop. Technically, you do not have to bake “baked banana pudding” as the eggs are already cooked on the stovetop. The baking is referencing the toasted meringue.

So, there’s really no difference in the base recipe. But where Team Cold folks have to wait for the pudding to chill, hot banana pudding is served immediately after the meringue is toasted. Other variations of hot banana pudding skip the meringue and add whipped cream when serving, but the point—the hot hallmark—is a bubbling warm, homemade custard.

And What Makes Hot Banana Pudding Superior? 

Old Towne Kitchen and Cocktails in Rock Hill, South Carolina has a “Famous Warm Banana Pudding” that Built on Hospitality has featured in several of its restaurants. People tend to complain when it’s not on the menu somewhere in the portfolio.

Built on Hospitality Executive Pastry Chef Becca Rankin first developed the recipe for The Goodyear House before featuring it at Haymaker. She specializes in plated desserts and nostalgic baked goods and is proudly, passionately Team Hot.

“I grew up eating hot banana pudding,” she said. “My mom would bake it in a CorningWare dish and put it under the broiler to toast the meringue. The textures and flavors of the crispy and soft meringue go best with the warm, silky pudding. I think warm banana pudding should be enjoyed year-round! It's the ultimate comfort dessert, no matter the season."

Rankin said the best guest reaction to warm banana pudding is delight. “I've seen some very wide, excited eyes after taking that first bite,” she said. “As soon as I figured out the recipe, I knew that it would be a great staple dessert to offer across our restaurants."

Banana pudding is such a quintessential Southern dessert and Rankin said the root of the pudding debate has everything to do with nostalgia.

“Southerners are just passionate in general, but especially about nostalgic desserts,” she said. “Most of us are used to growing up around the kitchen and are familiar with spending a lot of time in there with loved ones, and strong opinions tend to be formed when associated with fond childhood memories.”

However, no matter the attachment to nostalgic cold pudding, hot banana pudding has a more robust flavor and texture experience. It’s just science.

“The textures and flavors of a warm banana pudding are truly unparalleled in my opinion,” said Rankin. “You're first met with the crispy, slightly charred meringue shell but on the inside it is light and marshmallowy. Then, as you dig further through the layers, you find soft, chewy wafers, a silky tangy pudding, and then creamy, sliced bananas. I wish I was eating one right now!” 

Rankin’s hot banana pudding may help bridge the great pudding divide because her recipe contains a twist with another beloved ingredient: cream cheese.

“I'm very particular about my desserts not being cloyingly sweet,” she said. “Balance in flavors is really important to me, so when approaching something like a banana pudding, which has a pudding, wafers, bananas, and meringue that are all very high in sugar, I knew I needed to counteract that with something. Cream cheese is honestly one of my most cherished ingredients when I'm baking. It lends the fattiness that butter has but with a light tang and saltiness that cuts through the sweetness perfectly.”

All Ships (and Puddings) Rise

Cream cheese or not, there’s a richness to hot banana pudding that you don’t experience with cold. There’s a reason a mug of hot cocoa tastes meh when it gets cold. It’s just not the same. And that’s why I wish hot banana pudding wasn’t pitted against cold banana pudding. Baked banana pudding is a delicious, warm hug that shouldn’t be scoffed at—especially if you’ve never tried it.

Now, dear reader, to be clear, I’m Team Cold. Well, I’m really Team Fake because there’s just something about vanilla instant pudding with soggy, congealed Nilla wafers that I absolutely love. But I also love hot banana pudding.

And I believe in the very Southern idea of sides. Anything can be a side if you just believe. After all, there’s an echelon of desserts we've all convinced ourselves are sides. I’m looking at you, Sweet Potato Casserole. We give this marshmallow-topped dish an unlimited hall pass to sit and serve beside green beans, collards, and other, actual vegetables. There is more sugar in a serving of this Thanksgiving staple than most cakes. It’s the same logic that says ambrosia is a salad. It’s madness. It’s chaos. And I love it.

So, I propose a motion. Let’s rebrand hot banana pudding and baked banana pudding and warm banana pudding to just Banana Casserole. You heard me: Banana Casserole. Banana Casserole is a side. Cold banana pudding is a dessert. And this way we’ll get pudding twice in one meal. That’s a deal we can all agree on.