This 120-Year-Old Recipe Was Nearly Lost—Now It’s One Family’s Beloved Tradition

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The Family Recipe Box

Every family has The One. That legendary recipe. The one that shows up at every gathering, passed down through generations and known by heart. At some point, it becomes more than just food—it’s a plateful of memories, a bowlful of love, a recipe for connection.

In our Family Recipe Box series, we celebrate a different Allrecipes Allstar each month by sharing the story behind their treasured family dish—along with everything you need to bring it to your table, too. Because recipes this meaningful deserve to be passed on. And at Allrecipes, you’re part of the family.

Name: Brenda Venable
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Family recipe: Mammaw’s Banana Pudding
Who developed the recipe: Brenda’s grandma (aka “Mammaw”)
When it became a family tradition: Early 1900s

One of Allrecipes Allstar Brenda Venable’s earliest memories is a sweet one: sitting around a table with her cousins at the end of their twice-monthly Sunday dinners, diving into a bowl of Mammaw’s Banana Pudding. Although it was tempting to fill up on the fried chicken, biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw crafted by grandma, or Mammaw, the smart move was to save room for her iconic banana pudding.

“The mouthfeel was incredible: rich, creamy, and smooth. Alongside the silky pudding, you run across a vanilla wafer, softened a little, then the tender slices of banana,” Venable recalls. “None of us could turn it down! I remember nervously asking my mom if it was okay for me to like some of Mammaw’s food as much as I liked hers. She laughed and said, ‘Of course it is! I like some of my grandmother’s dishes, too!’” 

The recipe, which likely dates back to the early 1900s, was almost lost to time. Venable’s Mammaw didn’t cook from recipes, nor did she write her own recipes down. 

“This little scrap of paper is a treasure, and the pudding brings back delightful memories of sitting at my grandmother’s table.”

Allrecipes / Brenda Venable


“Once I was married and began cooking for my own family, I wanted to share my childhood favorite comfort food with them. At the time, we didn’t live very close to my mother and Mammaw, so it wasn’t easy to just jump in the car and go see them. So one day, I asked my mom if she would go to Mammaw’s house to watch her make the beloved banana pudding and write down the ingredients and the directions,” Venable recalls. 

Mom was instantly “in” for this mission, and now Venable treasures the notecard with Mammaw’s Banana Pudding recipe written in her mother’s beautiful script. 

“This little scrap of paper is a treasure, and the pudding brings back delightful memories of sitting at my grandmother’s table,” Venable says.

Unlike many modern-day banana pudding recipes that start with boxed instant pudding mix, Mammaw’s rendition showcases a from-scratch (and surprisingly easy) homemade vanilla pudding. The only real secret is remembering to be patient, Venable says, and to  “stir, stir, stir.” This is a terrific introduction to tempering eggs. In fact, this was the recipe that helped Venable master the technique.

Although it’s tough to top the original, which is essentially a trifle with layers of vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers, Venable has made Mammaw’s banana pudding her own over the years: “Sometimes I add an extra banana, other times, I sneak in an extra egg yolk or two for richer pudding, then use the egg whites to make meringue. Occasionally, I garnish with whipped cream. But for this girl, that’s gilding the lily!”

Brenda Venable’s Mammaw’s Banana Pudding.

Allrecipes / Brenda Venable


Mammaw’s Banana Pudding

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 cups milk, divided
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 2 large or 4 small bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafers

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, flour, salt, and 1/2 cup milk. Whisk until there are no lumps, about 1 minute.
  2. In a small bowl, beat 3 large eggs until the whites are completely incorporated with the yolks.
  3. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture into the eggs, stirring immediately, and continue stirring the eggs as you add 1/4 cup more, about 1 minute. (This helps warm the eggs so they don’t scramble when you add them to the pan.) Gradually pour the egg mixture into the pan, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.  
  4. Add 2 1/2 cups more milk and stir until the little “bull’s-eyes” form around the bubbles and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
  6. To assemble, in a clear dish, cover the bottom with a single layer of vanilla wafers. Top with banana slices, then an even layer of vanilla pudding. Repeat these layers once or twice more until you’ve used all of the ingredients, then decorate the top and rim with any extra vanilla wafers.
  7. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.



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