Creamy Southern Homemade Banana Pudding – egg-free / dairy-free / gluten-free / vegan / no sugar
Did you know that I once competed in a Banana Pudding Eating Contest?
Yes, really… Can’t you picture it? 🙂
It was at Six Flags, and I was with a group of friends. Hungry teenagers, lured by the thought of free banana pudding and Nilla wafers, we all decided to enter. About 3 seconds into the contest, we knew we were way out of our league. I’d eaten a bite and a half of banana pudding, while the guy next to me was halfway finished and the lady next to him was already onto her second bowl!
Needless to say, I didn’t come close to winning the contest, but the banana pudding was delicious and I didn’t end up with a stomachache like I’m sure the winner must have gotten… He ate almost 2 pounds of banana pudding in under 5 minutes!
So can you guess the secret ingredient that makes this healthy banana pudding recipe super thick and creamy without the use of cornstarch or heavy cream? Don’t worry, it’s not garbanzo beans, and it’s not cauliflower. Not this time.
Above, topped with sliced banana and Homemade Healthy Graham Crackers.
Creamy Homemade Banana Pudding
Banana Pudding
Print This Recipe
[mrp_rating_result show_count="false" show_rich_snippets="false"]
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup over-ripe banana, mashed (measure after mashing) (160g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp coconut butter (45-60g)
- 1 package MoriNu tofu (Soy-free version: see recipe instructions below)
- pinch stevia extract, or 2-4 tbsp sugar of choice (depending on your tastebuds and the banana ripeness)
- optional: 1/8 tsp turmeric for a deeper-yellow hue
Instructions
Banana Pudding Recipe: Make sure the coconut butter is melted before you begin. (For tips on the easiest ways to melt coconut butter, see Coconut Butter FAQ Page.) Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Makes about 2 cups. (Soy-free version: Omit the tofu, and decrease the coconut butter to 2 tbsp. Decrease the salt to 1/8 tsp. Add 1 cup cashews that have been soaked in water 4-6 hours and drained fully. Vanilla stays the same, and sweeten as desired. Add milk of choice if a thinner pudding is desired.)
Click for: Banana Pudding Nutrition Facts
Question of the Day:
Would you ever consider entering a food eating contest?
Do you think you could ever win?
Link Of The Day:
Charlotte says
Just made this and it is amazing! It reminds men quite a bit of a banana cream cheese pie filling that I used to make, but much healthier. I’ll definitely be using this as pie filling sometime soon, with a graham cracker crust!
Also, regarding coconut butter, for those who are yet to try it: I have found that it is sold under different names, and is sometimes much cheaper when not marketed as “coconut butter.” It is also called coconut manna and creamed coconut (not to be confused with coconut cream). The brand Let’s Do Organic sells vacuumed packed coconut butter (they call it coconut cream) on Amazon, and it’s the best deal I’ve found by FAR, at about $14 for 42 ounces, whereas a 16 oz jar of Artisana Coconut butter usually retails for $12-$14. The Let’s Do Organic brand isn’t quite as smooth as Artisana (or Nutiva coconut manna, which is about $10 for a 16 oz jar and tastes interchangeable with Artisana in my opinion), but it’s still fantastic, and it is generally what I keep in stock.
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
Oh- this banana pudding looks so good right now!
Kim says
Hi, I would love to make this, do you use silken tofu? I only have firm tofu and I think the texture would be all wrong!
Gina says
Hey Katie! Can you start including with your recipes how many people they serve? Thanks! I love your site!
Jackie says
I remember going to Six Flags and having banana pudding. I liked it as a kid, but did not eat it as an adult. Reading the box and all the words I could not pronounce turned me off. Thanks to you I can enjoy eating it again.
April says
I made this for breakfast today and topped it with homemade vegan 8 granola, raspberries and banana slices. It was incredibly delicious! I was impressed with how much banana flavor it had! So good! I was also very pleased to use the coconut butter because I’ve had a jar forever and didn’t really know what to do with it! I know now after looking around your site a bit that you have the opposite problem with the coconut butter! (: Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much for making it! Coconut butter… I have to force myself to stay away from it sometimes, because I will just go through the jar with a spoon!
Missy says
Hi! This looks amazing and we are dairy free and gf in our house but we are also high fructose free which means no coconut 🙁 is there anything that could be substituted for the coconut butter?
Thanks, Missy
Jason Sanford says
Yes, you can use raw cashew butter or soak raw cashews in water to soften them, then drain and blend the raw cashews with the other ingredients.
Kat says
I wonder if you could use melted white chocolate instead of the coconut butter? I’m assuming the coconut butter is to give the pudding body and richness? I think it’s a similar idea to making tofu chocolate pudding with melted chocolate chips. Sure, it’s more processed and not as healthy as coconut butter but it might be worth trying…
CCK Media Team says
That sounds great… we can’t say because we haven’t tried, but be sure to report back if you try it!