Banana Pudding Parfaits
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This banana pudding bucks tradition a bit but still tastes nostalgic and delicious.
Banana pudding is an old-fashioned Southern dessert traditionally made with layers of Nilla wafers, vanilla pudding, and sliced bananas. Depending on the cook, it’s either topped with baked meringue, sweetened whipped cream, or cookies. The most famous banana pudding is served at Magnolia Bakery in NYC. This version is a little fancier – it’s made with homemade rum-spiked vanilla pudding and served in parfait glasses. It also bucks tradition a bit by using shortbread cookies instead of Nilla wafers, but it still tastes nostalgic and delicious. The pudding requires a few hours to chill, and the parfaits are best made 3 to 4 hours ahead of time, so plan accordingly.
What you’ll need to make Banana Pudding Parfaits
How to make Banana Pudding Parfaits
Instead of the classic Nilla wafers, I use crumbled shortbread cookies because they have a rich, buttery flavor and stay crunchy even when completely covered with pudding. The crunch of the cookies against the creamy smoothness of the bananas and pudding is what makes these parfaits unique. If you want to stick with tradition and use Nilla Wafers, that’ll work too; just keep in mind that they will have a softer texture.
To begin, combine the egg yolks, the sugar, corn starch, and salt in a medium saucepan.
Whisk to combine.
Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Once the mixture bubbles, turn the heat down and whisk constantly until the pudding thickens. Then, off the heat, add the butter, vanilla and rum.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Transfer the pudding to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours until cold. (Placing the plastic wrap directly over top keeps the pudding from forming a film.)
Or, if you’re in a hurry, you can place the pudding in an ice bath and whisk occasionally until cold.
Once the pudding is cold, whip the heavy cream.
Add the whipped cream to the pudding.
Gently fold it into the pudding and refrigerate until ready to assemble the parfaits.
To assemble, spoon a large dollop of pudding into the bottom of each glass. Cover with a layer of crumbled cookies and bananas and repeat, finishing with a layer of pudding.
Crush some of the cookies into crumbs and sprinkle over top of each parfait. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.
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Banana Pudding Parfaits
This banana pudding bucks tradition a bit but still tastes nostalgic and delicious.
Ingredients
For the Pudding
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 3½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoons dark rum
For the Sweetened Whipped Cream
- ¾ cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
For Assembling
- 4 bananas, very ripe but not mushy, sliced*
- 2 (5.3 oz) boxes Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Cookies, or similar, broken into ¼-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Whisk in the milk and bring to simmer, stirring frequently, over medium heat (it will take 5 to 8 minutes). When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter, vanilla and rum. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pudding to prevent a film from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until cool, a few hours. (To hurry it up, you can place the bowl in an ice bath and whisk occasionally until cold.)
- Once the pudding is cold, place the heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip on medium-low speed until the whisk or beaters begin to leave tracks in the cream. Add the confectioners' sugar and whip until the cream holds medium, silky peaks. Go slowly towards the end; if it gets grainy or curdled, you’ve gone too far. Use a rubber spatula to fold the whipped cream into the cold pudding.
- Spoon a large dollop of the pudding mixture into the bottom of each parfait glass. Top with one layer of cookie pieces and one layer of sliced bananas. Repeat once and top with a final layer of pudding. Crumble some of the cookie pieces and sprinkle over top. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.
- *Do not slice the bananas until you are ready to assemble the parfaits.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 573
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 73 g
- Sugar: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 339 mg
- Cholesterol: 158 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I have seen so many recipes for banana pudding and this is by far the best-looking! I will let you know when I test it out… and how my southern friends react to eating the best banana pudding they’ve ever had… made by a YANKEE, haha!
HI Jen,
These look delicious and I love that I can make them ahead of time. We’re having some friends over for dinner on Saturday and I’m planning to make them. How do you think it would turn out if I used Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum instead of the dark rum?
Hi Robin, It would be just fine to use spiced rum. Hope you enjoy!
This was so good and easy to make! Thanks for all the great recipes.
You’re welcome, Dawn!
Can rum flavoring be used as a substitute
Hi Brenda, I wouldn’t bother; you can leave out the rum and it will still be wonderful.
Glad to see this…I was worried about the Rum since I am making it for my 2yr old daughter.
Hi Jenn:
got to try this, being southern and all, you know banana pudding is at the top of the list for me. thanks for such wonderful and tasteful eats. have a great day. One thing, I don’t use alcohol in any form, so would it make too big of a taste different if the rum wasn’t added?
Hi Betty, It is totally fine to leave it out; it just adds a little flavor boost. Hope you enjoy it!
Would be great even without the bananas. Love the addition of the dark rum. You use that in an apple cake of yours and it really adds depth.
I love this idea; I just bought some quick- sale ripe
bananas just for baking or to use in a recipe. This is
perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think this would work with almond or soy milk? I would love to make it pareve for the holidays to come!
Hi Monica, I think you could definitely use a pudding made with soy or almond milk for banana pudding. However, I’d search for a well-reviewed vegan vanilla pudding and use that, rather than substitute the milk in this recipe. You’d also have to omit the whipped cream, which would change the lightness of the pudding, but I’m sure it would still be good.
Wow! It looks like you’re having all the fun at your house! Delish!
Banana pudding is my FAVORITE dessert! I also believe homemade is the only way to go! I love the shortbread idea. I’m making these this weekend!