Easy No-Bake Southern Banana Pudding

If you love desserts that look impressive but don’t require hours in the kitchen, this Classic Banana Pudding is about to become your new best friend. This is a super typical American dessert, especially common throughout the South from Texas all the way to Florida. It’s an irresistible combination of vanilla cookie layers, slices of ripe banana, and usually one or several sweet creams. The reason for its popularity is a bit like those beloved layered desserts, they’re incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious, which makes them equally popular for home cooking or as a restaurant dessert.

My version is a slightly easier modification that’s also more stable. The big difference is that I’m adding a bit of mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream, which creates a richer, denser whipped cream that’s better for the layered structure of the dessert. I also cut back on the sweetness, so most of the sweet flavor comes from the pudding and bananas rather than the plain cookies and mascarpone whipped cream, creating a more delicious contrast. This is a truly easy and delicious sweet treat! It looks complicated, but it’s really more about assembly than any kind of complicated baking, perfect to make with the kids! Let’s check the recipe!

Easy No-Bake Southern Banana Pudding

Servings: 8
Time: 1hr
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Gotta love these layered desserts, super easy to make and super easy to make it your own, give it a try!

Ingredients

Condensed Milk – 1 can (397g)
Instant Pudding Mix – 1 Packet (Vanilla flavor + Sugar + Milk)
Cream – 200ml
Mascarpone Cheese – 125g (1/2 Package)
Bananas – 2 (Ripe)
Cookies – +/- 10 (or Marie Cookies)
Vanilla – 1 Teaspoon (Extract)
Sugar – 1 Tablespoon

Directions

Since this is what will take the longest to set, it is best to start by making the pudding the day before, so that it has time to be set, ready and creamy when you assemble the dessert.
Follow the recipe for instant pudding, which usually involves mixing sugar with the pudding powder, mixing with milk and heating until thickened, pouring into a bowl and refrigerating.

If you are going to make the cookies, prepare these also the day before as well, unless you have bought them or already have some made, i used some basic cookies i had, but the classic Marie Cookies/Biscuits are also great, they are very common in Portugal/Spain and the whole latin America, these are very plain with just a hint of sweetness.
The next day, start by adding the very cold cream to the cold mascarpone cheese and a tablespoon of sugar, whisk well until you get a creamy mixture (about 3 minutes), then set aside.

Peel and slice the bananas. If you love bananas, you can add more, but I prefer the cream and cookies, so 2 thinly sliced bananas were enough.
Now remove the pudding and using a mixer or hand blender, whisk the pudding well. You want it to be creamy, so it’s easier to spread and measure out.

Finally, just assemble it. I made pudding/cookie/banana/whipped cream layers until I had 3 layers. I finished the top with whipped cream, crushed cookies sprinkled on top, and a few slices of banana, and it’s ready to serve. Or you can put it back in the refrigerator. It will keep well for 1 day in the refrigerator, but any longer than that and you risk the banana starting to oxidize. Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: This recipe may not seem like it, but it’s super versatile! If you don’t have pudding you can use just the whipped cream. If you don’t have whipped cream you can use just the pudding. You can use whatever style cookies you like but its best with ones that are not very sweet, and you can also assemble the dessert to your taste.

Also use different types of pudding, I used basic vanilla, but you could use chocolate, strawberry, or even banana pudding, it’s up to you! It’s also common to top with meringue and torch it, or swap the cookies for another type of cookie to your liking, or even cake. You can also make it like I did in a bowl, but you could also make it in individual cups or glasses, it’s also common to make it in mason jars, which makes it more practical to store and transport for things like picnics.

The nutritional value was calculated based on what the instant pudding package says is the nutritional value of the final product (which takes additional sugar and milk), so the total nutritional value this time is more approximate than the usual.

More Pro Tips:

Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for maximum sweetness and flavor;
For a crunchier texture, add the cookie layer just before serving; The mascarpone whipped cream can be made up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated;
If making in individual servings, use clear glasses to show off those beautiful layers;
Room temperature ingredients mix together more smoothly for the whipped cream;
Don’t skip chilling the pudding overnight, this ensures the perfect creamy texture.

This recipe for Easy No-Bake Southern Banana Pudding was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Pudim de Banana foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.