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Making banana pudding from scratch is perfect to serve kids a wholesome afterschool snack, to layer in a parfait with wafers for guests or to enjoy as a sweet cool dessert. It’s not as quick as the instant pudding mix, but it’s surprisingly easy with a few ingredients!
Ingredients & substitutions
- Cornstarch: To thicken the ingredients to get a nice creamy and thick consistency of pudding.
- Milk: I like to use dairy milk for this recipe, but you can use a plant based milk like almond or coconut if you prefer.
- Bananas: Use ripe or overripe bananas. They contain more natural sweetness, as well as containing more antioxidants.
- Egg yolks: These add a nice creamy texture to your banana pudding.
- Maple syrup: To naturally sweeten the parfait. Honey will also work.
- Salt: A little salt helps to bring out the sweetness of the bananas.
How to make banana pudding
- Add the banana and maple syrup to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add in the egg yolks.
- Blend together. Add in some warm milk and blend again.
- Simmer the milk in a pot.
- Pour in the banana mix and add in the cornstarch mix. Let thicken.
- Chill the pudding in a covered bowl.
- Once chilled, layer the pudding with wafers, bananas and whipped cream.
Tips for making banana pudding
- Test that the pudding thickness is correct by swooshing a spoon through the pudding. The trail drizzled across the top should take a full 5 seconds to disappear.
- Make it extra smooth by using a strainer. For a really smooth pudding, you can strain through a fine mesh sieve, stirring to extract any banana clumps.
- Enhance the color with natural food dye. Because the color is beigh-ish and we expect it to be a pastel yellow like the packaged kind, you can add some natural food dye or even ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric to brighten up that color!
- Cool properly. It’s important to allow the banana pudding to cool before assembling the parfait. That’s because the warm pudding will likely melt any whipped cream added or soften any fresh bananas added.
Frequently Asked Questions
The banana pudding will keep well, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s a great option for make ahead desserts, you just need to quickly build the parfaits before serving. It’s best not to build the parfaits until a few hours before serving so that the bananas don’t brown and the wafers stay nice and crisp.
It’s best not to freeze this dessert. The texture can change quite considerably, so it’s best to avoid it, though it will still be safe to eat.
After day two, the banana pudding will start to brown slightly, though it will still be good to eat. If you plan on making this ahead of time, you can add in a squeeze of lemon juice which will slow the browning process.
Feel free to add more toppings, nuts, fresh fruit or whatever you’re feeling to personalize and perfect to your liking! It’s a versatile recipe that you can serve in so many ways – individually or in a large bowl. Regardless how you serve it, everyone will find it sweet and delightful!
For more pudding recipes:
- 3 Ingredient Chia Pudding
- Almond Milk Rice Pudding
- Vegan Pudding
- Lemon Pudding
- Layered Strawberry Chia Pudding
- Apple Bread pudding
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Banana Pudding Parfait recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Banana Pudding Parfait
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 ½ cups milk divided
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine corn starch with 3 tablespoons of milk until the corn starch dissolves.
- In a blender, blend the bananas and maple syrup until smooth. Add in the egg yolks and blend on a lower speed until smooth and thick. Set aside.
- Bring remaining milk to a simmer in a medium, heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat. Then transfer ⅓ cup of the warm milk into the egg and banana mixture in the blender.
- Pour the warmed egg and banana mixture into the rest of the milk, stirring consistently. Add the corn starch mix.
- Continue heating on low heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick, about 5-7 minutes.
- Pour into a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap on top touching the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- When chilled, layer the banana pudding with vanilla wafers, sliced bananas and a dollop of whipped cream on top, if desired
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Delicious! Will definitely be making this again.
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that!
So delicious and easy to make!! Tastes so much better than boxed pudding mixes.
I used a food processor to blend my bananas and had to stir the pudding mixture for ~10 minutes on the stove top.
Will definitely be making it again!
Aww, thank you so much! I’m glad to hear it!
I love banana pudding so much! It’s my ultimate favorite and I will be trying this recipe very soon.
Omg 😍 I love Banana Pudding! I would love to see a video for this recipe ❤
This sounds just perfect, I love banana pudding, Can’t wait to make it!