This vegan banana pudding is a sweet, creamy, dairy-free take on a classic Southern treat. Vegan vanilla pudding layered with bananas and vegan vanilla cookies, with a dollop of dairy-free whipped topping to round it off. Dress it up in individual servings or make a big bowl for yourself.
What Makes This Vegan Banana Pudding So Good
- This homemade, Southern-style vegan banana pudding is so simple to make, and you don’t need any instant pudding packets to do it!
- It’s a fantastic make-ahead dessert option. The pudding needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to set up, but you can make it as many as 3 days before you need it!
- This can be a beautiful, elegant, neatly-layered dessert, or it can be a fun, casual, eat-it-straight-out-of-the-bowl dessert. It’s up to you! Trust me, it’s delicious either way.
Key Ingredients for Vegan Banana Pudding
Whipped Topping – Any kind of store-bought dairy-free whipped topping will work here! I used a container of Cocowhip I found in the freezer section at my grocery store. Alternately, you can chill a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, then use the thick coconut cream that forms on top as your whipped topping.
Maple Syrup – This is my sweetener of choice for vegan pudding, but you can use any liquid or granulated sweetener you like! For a vegan sugar-free sweetener, try erythritol.
Bananas – Since this is a Southern-style vegan banana pudding, the pudding itself isn’t banana-flavored – it’s vanilla! That’s why fresh bananas are super important. Without them you’ve just got vegan vanilla pudding. Use bananas that aren’t overripe. You don’t want them to be mushy!
Chef’s Tips
- Instead of serving this pudding layered like a trifle, you can make it a chilled vegan banana pudding pie! Take a vegan pie crust, layer slices of bananas on the bottom, then top it off with the vegan pudding.
- Wait until you’re ready to assemble your pudding layers before you peel and slice the bananas. They’ll start to brown when they’re exposed to air, so slicing them too early will affect the texture and the presentation.
- Traditional Southern-style banana pudding is made with Nilla wafers. If you have trouble finding vegan vanilla wafers, though, use any vegan vanilla cookies you like. You can also make this with vegan graham crackers instead.
What Do We Mean By Healthy?
Our recipes focus on real ingredients and homemade elements. We try to avoid processed flour and sugar, like white flour or white sugar. Our recipes often swap less healthy options (like a commercial, deep-fried tostada) for an easy homemade version.
Our recipes are not necessarily low fat or low calorie, and we aren’t afraid of fat or carbs! Some of our recipes will be “skinny,” low carb, keto, paleo, dairy free, grain free, gluten free, Whole30, or vegan, and they will be labeled when they qualify for any of these diets. All our recipes are easy and family friendly!
Other Vegan Recipes You Should Try
- Vegan Key Lime Pie
- Vegan Cottage Cheese
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
- Vegan Crème Brûlée
We hope you loved this recipe as much as we did! We’d love for you to give us a star ★ rating below, and follow us on Instagram! For more delicious, healthy recipes, be sure to check out 40 Aprons.
Vegan Banana Pudding
Equipment
- Small bowls (2)
- Whisk
- Small saucepan
- Refrigerator
- Serving dishes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch turmeric optional, for color
- 1 9-ounce container vegan whipped topping divided, see Notes
- 4-5 bananas peeled, sliced into discs
- vegan vanilla cookies to taste
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk together almond milk and cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
- In small saucepan, heat coconut milk over medium heat. When hot, slowly whisk in almond milk/cornstarch mixture.
- Simmer until thickened, approximately 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. If adding turmeric for color, stir in here.
- Transfer mixture to bowl and let cool at room temperature 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cover bowl and move it to refrigerator. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until set and thickened.
- Remove pudding from refrigerator. Stir in 1 cup of vegan whipped topping. Combine thoroughly.
- In dish(es) of choice, layer wafers, then bananas, then pudding. Repeat layers as needed. Top with remaining whipped topping and serve.
Notes
- Whipped Topping: I used So Delicious Dairy Free Original Cocowhip.
- Cookies: If you have trouble finding vegan vanilla wafers, you can use any vegan vanilla cookies you like. You can also make this with vegan graham crackers instead.
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