Now I’m going to be honest, I’m not much of a baker. Have I told you about the time I tried making brownies and they turned out so raw that they flowed out of the pan like lava when I cut into them? Yeah… not my strong suit. Not to mention, Chandler definitely won’t let me live that one down, ha! But I think I just might have redeemed myself with this recipe. Chandler is definitely the sweet tooth of our household, and he totally approved of this killer dairy free banana pudding.
I’m not sure why I was craving banana pudding the day I made this recipe, but I’m so glad I was because this turned out to be a sweet, healthy swap. I knew I would be able to make this version dairy free, but I would have never guessed that it would taste so good using only coconut sugar, and gluten free vanilla wafer cookies (I really like the Kinnikinnik Vanilla Wafers). SCORE! The whole casserole dish hardly lasted a few days between Chandler and me.
I will say, this recipe is one of my more technical ones, but it’s definitely achievable for the beginner baker. Plus, it feels really good to say that you didn’t use a packet of pudding mix when making it. Whipping the coconut cream and adding it to the custard makes this pudding so fluffy, and the cookies inside are the perfect combo of soft with a little crunch when you take a bite. If you’ve read through some of my other posts, you know how much I love mixing textures. Make sure your bananas are nice and ripe for this one. They’ll be sweeter, and easier to mash smooth so you don’t have lumpy pudding. Try this dairy free banana pudding out for yourself and let me know what you think! I know you won’t be disappointed. MMM!
Dairy Free Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 bananas very ripe
- 1 can unsweetened coconut cream 13.66 oz, refrigerated
- 1 c almond milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 box gluten free vanilla wafer cookies* about 40 cookies (save 4 for topping)
Instructions
- Make sure your can of coconut milk is cold. Either refrigerate overnight, or stick in the freezer for 20 minutes. Do not shake can once out of the fridge.
- Open the can of coconut milk and carefully scoop the thick layer of coconut cream out of the can into a separate bowl (will be about ½ cup) until you reach the clear coconut water. This will act as whipped cream later down the line.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut water (should be close to 1 cup), 1 cup of almond milk, 1 banana, mashed, and 1 tbsp coconut sugar.
- Heat the milk mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just simmering.
- Add 4 egg yolks to a medium, heat safe mixing bowl. Slowly, add 2 cups of hot milk mixture to yolks, about ¼ cup at a time. Whisk constantly! You do not want your egg to curdle.
- Once eggs have been tempered, pour them back into the saucepan, and heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly until thickened slightly (about ten minutes).
- Once thickened (it will still be pretty loose), turn off the heat and at 1 tsp of vanilla. Transfer to a heat safe bowl/container and leave custard in fridge to cool.
- With a mixer and whisk attachment, beat coconut cream until light and fluffy. Add 1 tbsp coconut sugar, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again until combined. This will act in place of whipped cream.
- Once the custard is cooled, carefully fold in your whipped coconut cream, one scoop at a time, until completely combined.
- Line bottom of 1 qt baking dish with ½ of vanilla wafers and 1 sliced banana. Layer ½ of the pudding mixture over the top, and repeat.
- Crush 4 vanilla wafer cookies and sprinkle all over the top of the pudding.
- Refrigerate at least 1.5 hours before serving. Although, it gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. Enjoy!
