Banana Pudding

Banana pudding parfaits are creamy, delicious, and sweet. With layers of creamy vanilla pudding, freshly sliced bananas, and wafer cookies, this no bake treat will remind you of the banana pudding your grandmother used to make.

Plus, this layered dessert is ready in just minutes if using store-bought pudding or pudding mix, or plan ahead and make it with indulgent homemade vanilla pudding. Serve this banana pudding as individually parfaits for easy serving, or assemble it in a larger dish to feed a crowd.

Why You’ll Love Banana Pudding Parfaits

• It's vanilla pudding taken to the next level. Now, I’m someone who loves vanilla pudding (or any kind of pudding) on its own. But even I can’t deny that a well-balanced dessert is even better! Fresh bananas and crunchy vanilla wafers balance out the homemade pudding by adding flavors and textures that complement each other so well.
• Pudding parfaits look amazing. If you need an Instagram-worthy dessert, look no further. These banana pudding parfaits look as beautiful as they taste — especially when crafted in a clear glass containers so that you can see all the different layers before you dig in with a spoon to enjoy.
• You can serve it to a crowd. Banana pudding parfaits are great when you want to serve individual desserts to your guests, but you can totally assemble it in a single larger bowl for self-serving at a potluck or Memorial Day party.

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make this delicious Banana Pudding, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):

• vanilla pudding - you can use store-bought vanilla pudding or use pudding mix to make 2 cups of pudding. We made homemade pudding with the following ingredients:
  • granulated sugar
  • cornstarch
  • salt
  • egg yolks
  • whole milk
  • butter
  • vanilla extract
• bananas
• vanilla wafers - use mini wafer cookies such as Nilla wafers, or substitute with shortbread cookies.
• whipped cream - optional, for topping.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, saucepan (if making the vanilla pudding from scratch), and mini dessert cups.

How to Make the Best Banana Pudding

Prepare the vanilla pudding.

If you are using store-bought pudding then you don't need to prepare the pudding and you can make these banana pudding parfaits in minutes. If you are making vanilla pudding using a box mix, follow the instructions on the box.

To make homemade vanilla pudding:

1. Combine ingredients and cook. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until well blended. Whisk in the milk and heat over medium heat, stirring often, about 5-8 minutes. Once the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking until thickened, whisking often, about 1-2 minutes more. Note that pudding will be pourable but will continue to thicken more as it cools. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

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2. Remove lumps. If you notice any lumps, pass the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve over a large heatproof bowl to remove any lumps. Skip this if you don’t notice any lumps.
3. Chill. Prepare a large bowl with some water and ice to make an ice bath. Place the saucepan directly into the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until the pudding reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until the pudding has chilled through completely, at least 4 hours (up to 2 days).

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How to Assemble Banana Pudding Parfaits

1. Pudding. Add a large dollop of pudding into the bottom of each parfait cup.
2. Cookies. Top with a layer of wafer cookie pieces
3. Banana. Add a layer of sliced bananas.
4. Repeat. Repeat these layers until you reach close to the top, ending with a final layer of pudding.
5. Toppings. Finish each pudding with whipped cream and some crushed or crumbled wafer cookies.

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Pudding Parfait Variations

This banana pudding parfait recipe is amazing — and it’s versatile. You can customize this pudding parfaits with any combination of fruit and cookie you like! Consider trying:

• strawberries and oreos
• peaches and pie crust crumbles
• cherries and chocolate chip cookies

More Banana Dessert Recipes

• Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins
• Flourless Banana Brownies
• Healthy Banana Bread
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Majoon (Banana and Nut) Smoothie
• Banana Bread Cookies

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