Classic Gluten Free Banana Pudding

This is, without a doubt, the best gluten free banana pudding recipe you'll find. It takes a classic Southern dessert to another level with banana puree cooked right into the smooth, creamy pudding.

Simple and delicious, my gluten free banana pudding recipe isn't fussy, fancy, or weird. There's no cream cheese or instant pudding. But there is intensely banana-y vanilla pudding with lovely light gluten free wafers, sliced banana, and whipped cream.

Make your own GF vanilla wafers, or use store-bought, for the perfect nostalgic dessert made the gluten free way!

What makes this recipe for gluten free banana pudding so special

I'm not Southern, but I do know banana pudding. I've always found the idea of smooth vanilla pudding layered with vanilla wafers and topped with lightly-toasted meringue or fresh whipped cream to be both compelling—and disappointing all at once.

If you're a Southern belle, hear me out! If you're going to make something called gluten free banana pudding, shouldn't it have, well, bananas in the pudding? It should be more than just proximity to bananas that proves the pudding is, indeed, banana. In fact, it should taste like you might imagine a cross between gf banana bread and pudding would!

And that's where my gluten free banana pudding recipe comes in. With the puree cooked right into the pudding, the banana flavor really comes alive and is much more satisfying.

You get a really nice vanilla-banana hit without it being cloying or overwhelming. And because the ingredients are simple and real, you don't get any of that awful fake banana flavor.

Even if you didn't love banana pudding when you were a kid, I encourage you to try this gluten free banana pudding recipe, because you may just change your mind.

The simplicity of this recipe is another big bonus. Plus, you can keep it in the fridge for up to four days before you need to assemble it, so it's a great crowd-pleasing make-ahead dessert.

Make your gluten free banana pudding with or without bananas blended in

Now I've made gluten free banana pudding both ways—with banana puree in the pudding and with just a simple vanilla pudding layered with bananas and vanilla wafers. There's just no comparison between the two. I realize that's because I wasn't raised on the stuff.

If you simply cannot abide banana puree in your pudding, I've included instructions for how to eliminate the offending extra bananas for a more traditional but still gluten free banana pudding.

How to thicken this gluten free banana pudding

I don't like to use cornstarch as a thickener in puddings and I don't recommend you do, either. Cornstarch has a tendency to leak moisture when used as a thickener in a mixture, like pudding, that is then cooled.

Essentially, the pudding separates. Which doesn't make for the nicest gluten free banana pudding. So, instead, I favor my basic gum-free gluten free flour blend. But superfine sweet white rice flour works well, too, if you prefer a single-ingredient flour. It's quite a versatile flour, actually.

What to do with those leftover egg whites

If you're wondering what to do with the 5 egg whites you have after separating out the yolks, instead of topping your gluten free banana pudding with fresh whipped cream, here are some suggestions:

• Make a meringue like we did in our lemon meringue pie in jars.
• Make gluten free ladyfingers, which call for 4 egg whites, total
• Our recipe for gluten free angel food cake calls for about 12 egg whites, so maybe double your pudding recipe!
• Make a couple loaves of the perfect, easy gluten free white sandwich bread, since each calls for 2 egg whites.

Ingredients and substitutions for gluten free banana pudding

While my recipe for gluten free banana pudding is genuinely delicious, as-is, there may be times when you want to adapt it for other dietary restrictions. Or maybe you want to jazz it up a bit and really make it your own. Here are a few suggestions:

Make dairy free gluten free banana pudding

If you follow a no-dairy diet, you can fairly easily make this recipe for gluten free banana pudding dairy free, too. Simply substitute the milk for your favorite substitute.

You'll get the creamiest results from canned coconut milk or canned coconut cream, but you can also use almond milk or even gluten free oat milk. And, if you don't want to top it with meringue, you can use coconut whipped cream, instead.

Can you make this banana pudding recipe vegan?

Well, you can definitely substitute the dairy for non-dairy alternatives, but you may struggle with the egg yolks.

You can try using cashews as a thickener by soaking them in boiling water for 30 minutes, then blending them until completely smooth. Then, use two tablespoons of cashew paste for every 1 egg yolk you want to replace.

Note that I haven't tried to use cashews in this banana pudding recipe, so I can't guarantee that they'll work. If you have a go, definitely let us know how it turns out – or if you find a better egg yolk substitute for banana pudding.

Do I have to use gluten free vanilla wafers?

Vanilla wafers are the traditional inclusion for a banana pudding recipe, but no, you don't really have to use gluten free vanilla wafers here.

Instead, you could always use my gluten free shortbread cookies and, if you want, intensify the vanilla flavor by adding a generous splash of high-quality vanilla extract. You can even make the gluten free shortbread cookies dairy free by subbing out the butter for vegan butter.

Up your gluten free dessert game by adding extras to your banana pudding

While vanilla extract, toasted meringue, sliced bananas, and gluten free vanilla wafers make a lovely dessert, you can really amp up the flavor with a few little extras.

Chopped, toasted walnuts really complement the flavor of the banana pudding, so just toss some across the top before you serve.

Or how about some crushed peanut brittle? Or maybe make our gluten free peanut butter blossom cookies super small, and use those? It's really hard to beat the peanut butter-banana flavor combo.

This gluten free dessert could, like most desserts, be enhanced with chocolate chips! Toss a handful across the top or beneath the whipped cream and enjoy the little chocolately bursts.

I'd recommend using a nice, high-quality dark chocolate to balance the sweetness of the pudding, but you can use milk, white, or salted caramel chocolate chips, if you prefer.

Tips for making the perfect gluten free banana pudding

This recipe for banana pudding with whipped cream or meringue is pretty simple, but there are still a few things that can go wrong. So follow these tips for the best banana pudding recipe that's sure to impress the whole family.

Blend until smooth

Make sure you blend the granulated sugar, egg yolks, sliced bananas, milk, flour, and salt until completely smooth. You don't want a lumpy pudding mix!

Use gentle heat

Don't let the vanilla extract and milk mixture boil or catch. You only want it to reach a simmer.

Be patient with your banana pudding mix

When adding the milk to the flour and egg yolks, go slowly! The idea is to temper the egg yolks by warming them gradually with the warm, but not burning hot, vanilla and milk mixture. Go too fast, and you'll end up with a split, curdled mess.

Whisk, whisk, whisk

When you've got your banana vanilla pudding mix back on the heat, be sure to whisk constantly so that the milk mixture doesn't start to catch.

Trust the banana pudding process

Don't keep the pudding mix on the heat too long. It will thicken a little as it cooks, but it'll continue to thicken as it cools, too, so don't worry if it's not as thick as you'd like when you take it off the heat. Stick to the timing in this recipe for the best banana pudding, and you can't go wrong.

Prevent a skin with this easy banana pudding hack

To stop your banana pudding forming a skin, transfer the hot mixture to a new heatproof bowl and cover the pudding mix with plastic wrap.

Let the plastic wrap sit right on top of the banana pudding, actually making contact with the surface of the pudding mix. This prevents a skin setting up on top of your banana pudding. Unless you're one of those strange people who like pudding skin, of course!

Make banana pudding layers

While you can have big, thick layers of each ingredient, I like to make my gluten free pudding look a little prettier, by assembling it in lots of thin layers.

Plus, with lots of thin layers, you can hide a layer of chocolate chips, peanuts, or even some crunchy peanut butter among the layers of sliced bananas, gluten free vanilla wafers (or gluten free shortbread cookies), and smooth, banana pudding mix.

Chill before you top

You can chill the pudding mixture cooked but unassembled, or fully assembled but not topped. Whichever you choose, just make sure that you let the pudding mixture chill completely before you add whipped cream.

If your pudding is warm when you add whipped cream, the cream will melt and split and generally create a mess. Ideally, only add whipped cream before you serve. And if you want to keep your toasted meringue pieces nice and crunchy, only add those when you're ready to serve.

How to store gluten free banana pudding

You can store the pudding mixture in the refrigerator for up to four days before serving. As noted above, for the best results, don't add the topping until you're ready to serve.

How to make gluten free banana pudding, step by step