Dolly Parton's Favorite Dessert Is An Old-School Southern Classic

Dolly Parton exudes Southern charm, and one of her favorite foods is an old-school Southern classic that suits her image down to the ground. We love how much Parton adores banana pudding. Her favorite version is complete with banana slices and old-school vanilla wafers. 

According to Parton, her mother made the best banana pudding. Growing up, her family had a neighbor who sold ripe bananas and her mother would use them along with homemade butter and milk from their farm cows to make banana pudding. A truly farm to fork recipe.

Parton's mother would begin by cooking a pudding of egg yolks, flour, sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan until thickened on the stovetop. She then layered the warm pudding with banana slices and vanilla wafers in a serveware, repeating the process lasagna style for a few layers before finishing with a topping of meringue. The meringue is made from the egg whites that were separated from the egg yolks used to make the pudding. 

The pudding began to emerge as a Southern staple as far back as the late 19th century, when bananas arrived by the boatload into New Orleans. It went from strength to strength ever since, without too much variation in recipes.

Parton also bakes her mother's banana pudding in the oven for a few minutes so the peaks of the meringue get a little color. This adds caramelization and a nice toasty flavor. Parton has suggested that making and sharing her mother's banana pudding recipe can be a fun activity for the entire family. Her recipe also makes one large pudding but to make smaller portions, assemble the banana pudding in individual serving cups or glasses. 

Additionally, if whipping up meringue seems like too much of a hassle, simply top the pudding with whipped cream from a can instead, right before serving. Adorn the whipped cream with banana slices or a vanilla wafer as a garnish. Parton's banana pudding is sweet, decadent, and rich, and it's apparent that whenever she eats it, she's nurturing her inner child. So if you're looking for a sweet, nostalgic dessert, our classic banana pudding recipe should hit that sweet spot, and you can tweak it to be more like Parton's. However, if you're thinking more about nutrients, give our protein-packed cottage cheese banana pudding recipe a try as an alternative.