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If you’re a fan of rich, creamy banana pudding, then this easy recipe is for you! You’ll never know that it’s gluten, grain, and dairy free and it will transport you back to being a kid. This easy banana pudding is sure to become a family favorite after the first bite!
Banana pudding has to be one of my all-time favorite desserts. Whenever I think of it, I think of my mom and being a kid. It’s one of those recipes that instantly transports me back to childhood. Much like my Strawberry Watermelon Slushee recipe.
Isn’t it amazing how certain smells and tastes can immediately bring back old memories, even if they were 10, 20, 30 years or more behind us?
My mom made the best banana pudding when I was growing up. She’d make homemade vanilla custard and layer it with lots of ripe bananas and those delicious vanilla wafer cookies. She’d usually make it for dessert after Sabbath lunch or for other social occasions. It was such a special treat and I got SUPER excited any time I knew she was making it.
Oh, and Hi Mama! 👋
My Craving for Easy Vanilla Pudding
Right after my little bubba was born, I got this intense hankering for banana pudding. I had not eaten banana pudding in years…probably 20+. So it was interesting that all of a sudden I started craving it. And who was I to ignore a postpartum craving?! Lol! What mama wants, mama gets in those weeks (months?) following birth. 🙂
Awhile back, I shared my easy dairy-free vanilla cream pudding recipe with you guys so I knew that was going to be the perfect base for my banana pudding. I was hopeful that I could find some gluten-free vanilla wafers at my health food store and yes! They existed. Granted, they are made with cane sugar and in my pre-baby world, I would have created a vanilla wafer from scratch. But post-baby, I had no time for that if I wanted to get that banana pudding in my mouth any time soon.
Perhaps I will work on a vanilla wafer recipe at some point though. That would be fun…
Anywho, I got to work and this recipe came together so easy and it is SO good. Like I made multiple batches and devoured them good. Haha!
Easy Banana Pudding Notes
You can make this recipe ahead of time if you like. But I actually don’t like when the bananas and wafers get too soft and soggy so I typically make the pudding in advance and then assemble it about 30-60 min before I want to eat it. That way the wafers still have a decent amount of crunch to them but just the right amount of softness on the outside.
I also like to use bananas that are still a tad green. It’s a texture and a flavor thing for me. I prefer the firmer texture and super ripe banana is just too sweet next to the already super sweet cookies. But you use whatever stage of banana ripeness makes your tastebuds happy!
Feel free to use any vanilla wafer or cookie you like. Wafers are going to give you the most authentic rendition of the recipe but as most of you know, I believe recipes are merely templates for exploration. So the sky’s the limit — experiment away my friends. I ended up using these gluten-free vanilla wafers.
Alrighty! Who wants to eat? I know I do! Let’s dive in. And perhaps I’ll head back to the kitchen and make another batch. Hee hee.
Easy Banana Pudding :: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
If you're a fan of rich, creamy banana pudding, then this easy recipe is for you! You'll never know that it's gluten, grain, and dairy free and it will transport you back to being a kid. This easy banana pudding is sure to become a family favorite after the first bite!
Ingredients
- A double batch of my Easy Dairy-Free Vanilla Cream Pudding
- 2 large bananas sliced
- gluten-free vanilla wafers of your choice (this was the only brand I could find at the time of publication -- some day I'll make my own!)
- whipped cream or dairy-free coconut whipped cream, optional
Instructions
- Prepare a double batch of my vanilla cream pudding (recipe here) or pudding of your choice. Let chill completely. You want a minimum of 8 cups of pudding.
- When you are ready to assemble, slice your bananas and spoon a layer of pudding in the bottom of your individual bowls, or a larger bowl if making it that way. Then add a layer of bananas, then a layer of pudding, then a layer of wafers.
- Continue layering until all of your pudding is used up. You can serve right away or let sit in the fridge for a few hours.
- Garnish with more wafers, extra bananas, and/or whipped cream.
- Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
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