A friend recently sent me some banana pudding from a local bakery and it blew my mind. It was the perfect combo of fruity, rich, and decadent. Naturally, as soon as I finished licking the container clean, I knew I had to create a lighter version. My version takes just a handful of ingredients and the end result is creamy, rich, and delicious!
What’s in light banana pudding?
This recipe is so great because it’s something you can whip up at a moment’s notice. I keep pudding mix and nilla wafers in my pantry (both keep super well), and we literally always have milk/bananas. Just make the pudding, layer it all up in cups or little jars, and you’ve got an easy dessert which you can easily make for a crowd. To make it, you’ll need:
- Vanilla (or banana) pudding mix – I used sugar/fat free to keep things light
- 2% milk
- Nilla wafers
- Sliced bananas
- Fat free whipped topping
Making light banana pudding
First, you’ll need to make your pudding. Just combine the pudding mix with 1 3/4 cups of milk. The package will call for 2 cups, but I reduce it slightly to yield a thicker pudding that I prefer for this dessert. Whisk it for about 2 minutes until it begins to set and then pop it in the fridge while you do the rest of your prep. Next, crush up nilla wafers. I put them in a plastic bag and smack them with the back of a spoon. You want bigger chunks, not a super fine powder. Lastly, slice up bananas into roughly 1/4 inch rounds.
Put a layer of crushed cookies in the bottom of your cup. Top with ~ 2 heaping tbsp of pudding, then a layer of sliced bananas. Repeat (wafers, pudding, bananas) until you fill up your cup (I used 2 small mason jars). Once you reach the top, add another layer of bananas, a layer of whipped cream, and top with some crushed nilla wafers. You can either enjoy immediately or leave them in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) for the nilla wafers to get soft – it’s delicious either way!
Light Banana Pudding
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 2 8 oz mason jars or 4 mini jars
Ingredients
- 1 oz sugar free pudding mix vanilla or banana creme flavor
- 1 3/4 cup 2% milk
- 2 bananas sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 16 nilla wafers or 40 minis
- 4 tbsp fat free whipped cream
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cold milk and pudding mix and whisk together. Whisk for about 2 minutes and then put in the fridge to set.
- Crush nilla wafers (you want large chunks) and set aside. Slice bananas.
- In a small jar, add some crushed nilla wafers to the bottom and top with 2 heaping tbsp of pudding. Layer sliced bananas. Add more crushed cookies, then pudding, then banana until you reach the top of your jar. Top with extra sliced bananas, a tbsp of whipped cream, and some crushed nilla wafers. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days (cookies will get soft)!
