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!
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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 but I've used something similar in our no bake cookie dough bars. 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
Classic Gluten Free Banana Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 5 (125 g) egg yolks
- 5 (500 g, peeled) ripe bananas sliced into 1/4-inch thick disks (See Recipe Notes)
- 4 cups (32 fluid ounces) milk (any kind, just not nonfat)
- 7 tablespoons (61 g) basic gum-free gluten free flour blend (40 g superfine white rice flour + 13 g potato starch + 8 g tapioca starch/flour) (or try an equal amount of superfine sweet white rice flour)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 24 homemade gluten free vanilla wafers or store-bought
- Whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- In a blender, place the sugar, egg yolks, 2 of the sliced bananas (200 g), 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) of the milk, the flour and the salt.
- Blend until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium-size, heat-safe bowl and set it next to the stove.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining milk and vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat.
- If using a vanilla bean, remove it from the milk and, using a sharp knife, slice it halfway through the length to expose the vanilla seeds. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and whisk to combine.
- In a slow trickle and while whisking the flour and yolk mixture constantly, pour about 2 cups of the warm milk mixture to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. This tempers the egg yolks by warming them slowly, so they don’t clump and curdle.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat.
- Continue to cook, still whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. The pudding will thicken as it cooks, and will thicken more as it cools.
- Pour the pudding into a separate, heat-safe bowl and cover immediately with a plastic wrap that rests right on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow to cool until no longer hot to the touch. At this point, the pudding can be refrigerated for up to 4 days before assembling the banana pudding. Avoid assembling until you're nearly ready to serve, with just enough time for the final 1-hour chilling.
- In 4 to 6 separate small containers, or one large container, place a thin layer of pudding, followed by a layer of wafers, then a layer of banana slices.
- Repeat the pudding-wafer-banana slices pattern until you reach the top of the container.
- Refrigerate the mixture until chilled, at least one hour. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Notes
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Classic Gluten Free Banana Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 5 (125 g) egg yolks
- 5 (500 g, peeled) ripe bananas sliced into 1/4-inch thick disks (See Recipe Notes)
- 4 cups (32 fluid ounces) milk (any kind, just not nonfat)
- 7 tablespoons (61 g) basic gum-free gluten free flour blend (40 g superfine white rice flour + 13 g potato starch + 8 g tapioca starch/flour) (or try an equal amount of superfine sweet white rice flour)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 24 homemade gluten free vanilla wafers or store-bought
- Whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- In a blender, place the sugar, egg yolks, 2 of the sliced bananas (200 g), 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) of the milk, the flour and the salt.
- Blend until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium-size, heat-safe bowl and set it next to the stove.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining milk and vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat.
- If using a vanilla bean, remove it from the milk and, using a sharp knife, slice it halfway through the length to expose the vanilla seeds. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and whisk to combine.
- In a slow trickle and while whisking the flour and yolk mixture constantly, pour about 2 cups of the warm milk mixture to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. This tempers the egg yolks by warming them slowly, so they don’t clump and curdle.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat.
- Continue to cook, still whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. The pudding will thicken as it cooks, and will thicken more as it cools.
- Pour the pudding into a separate, heat-safe bowl and cover immediately with a plastic wrap that rests right on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
- Allow to cool until no longer hot to the touch. At this point, the pudding can be refrigerated for up to 4 days before assembling the banana pudding. Avoid assembling until you're nearly ready to serve, with just enough time for the final 1-hour chilling.
- In 4 to 6 separate small containers, or one large container, place a thin layer of pudding, followed by a layer of wafers, then a layer of banana slices.
- Repeat the pudding-wafer-banana slices pattern until you reach the top of the container.
- Refrigerate the mixture until chilled, at least one hour. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Tammy Park says
Nikki, I loved reading your blog immediately. The things you say ring so true, and make me truly believe I’ve found a soul sister. I already have a sister named Nikki, but if she ever reads your blog, she’ll understand why there’s room in my heart for both of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for bringing joy, excitement and real hope to me and others about having delicious food again, after a celiac diagnosis. You may not feel it yet, but I can’t help think that some day soon, you are going to be VERY well-known and respected among the GF blogs and food professionals. You are already well-loved, and deserve to be even more so. I’m spreading the word about you, and your great advice and recipes, everywhere I go. xxx
Nicole says
Hi, Tammy,
Thank you so much for the kind words. They really mean a tremendous amount to me. I’m so glad you feel hopeful. That is why I do this. Full stop. It’s really gratifying (& motivating) to know that it is hitting home. As long as I have my all-purpose gluten-free flour, I’m brimming with optimism.
It sounds like your sister got to keep her nickname. Sadly, nearly everyone stopped using mine, and even as a kid I missed it when they stopped. I just didn’t know how to ask for it back, you know?
Thank you for spreading the word. I’m not holding my breath to be welcomed by blog cliques. The hell with ’em. I don’t need them. I just need you and yours. :)
xoxo Nicole
Marty says
Oh Nicole, I love your blog (and you) best of all. I do visit some other g-f bloggers, just to see what’s out there. And I enjoy looking at their stuff. But I rarely make any of their recipes. Yours, I make almost everything (even back when you used “the other” flour.) I have your cookbook and use it at least 3-4 times a week.
You make g-f cooking simple, like me I guess, and fun. I do not want to produce a gourmet meal. I only want to be able to feed myself as simply and affordably as possible! I want to make good, easy bread for sandwiches and for toast, good cookies and muffins and desserts that my grandkids won’t know I made with “my flour”, not “regular.” I don’t want to spend my whole weekend in the kitchen or waste money on obscure ingredients for each recipe, I can’t. And on the flip side of the snobbly g-f gourmet bloggers out there are the “frugal girls.” And that is way too much work and I’m not going to the lengths that some of them do to save money on food.
Your blog suits me, it’s homey. And you feel like a friend. (BTW my given name is Martha and as a child I got Marcy, which became Marty in high school. ) So here’s to Nikki! And I will raise a spoonful of whipped cream for the toast.
Nicole says
Hi, Marty,
I can’t believe you’ve been with me since the days of the “other” flour! I remember being thrilled when I found that I could buy that “other” flour at a reasonable price in the regular supermarket! My how things have changed – for the better! You summed up the main idea of this blog way better than I ever have. We want to be able to eat like we are used to, and eat well – & also to fool other people who might scoff at gluten-free food. Period. Full stop.
By the way, who are these frugal girls? Extreme coupon clippers and the like? Or maybe they sew all their own clothes, and raise and kill their own food?
I’m so glad I feel like a friend. I feel like a friend, since we can also use one in this. And we each deserve to have one who “gets” us. I think you and I “get” each other, Marty. I have a cousin Marty whose given name is Martha. I have always loved it. Hear hear!
xoxo Nikki
Peggy says
I like the idea of adding rum! I have a feeling this will be one treat I won’t be sharing with family. LOL There wouldn’t be any left for me!!!
Nicole says
You gotta take care of #1, Peggy. You gotta take care of you. :)
xoxo Nikki
Peggy says
Nikki, once I found your blog I haven’t gone back to any of the others. I much perfer “family”!!! Love Banana Pudding so thank you for helping some of us to relive our childhood!!!
Nicole says
Hi, Peggy,
I love it. Thank you so much! I will always do my best to treat you just like that .. like family.
Enjoy the nostalgia!
xoxo Nicole
Tammie says
You always make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside! I just LOVE you Nicole!!! You’re the best so never change and keep your delicious recipes with a slice of life coming our way :) P.S. you ain’t no hack baby…you’re the real deal! <3
Nicole says
Hi, Tammie,
Warm and fuzzy is the best! I’m so glad. A slice of pie, and a slice of life. Got it. Thanks, Tammie!
xoxo Nicole
Nance says
Nikki, the thing with other blogs is I feel like a ‘visitor’. Here…you make me feel like ‘family’ and I love that feeling. I chuckle my way through most of your posts and then find these incredible recipes for deliciousness that has been denied for so long and it is like finding the pot of gold at the end of a beautiful rainbow. I feel welcome and comfortable here like I would sitting down with my own sister or my daughters or my best friend. Nicole is a beautiful name…but Nikki suits you more in my mind because we call our BFF forever by nicknames now, don’t we? ;)
XOXO
Nicole says
Hi, Nance,
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me all that. That’s exactly the feeling that I experience, and the one I try to provide you. It’s really gratifying to know that you are pickin’ it up. I know it can verge into sounding flippant, but it never, ever is. I feel a strong sense of responsibility for providing a ‘home’ for the gluten-free community, and I don’t take it lightly at all. Thank you again. You really made my day. :)
xoxo Nikki (thanks for that, too :) )
Helen Van-Ross via Facebook says
Oh.Yum!! So.Making.This….and who the heck says you aren’t already one of the bloggy goddesses…not me, that’s for sure!
Darlene says
I was going to put a link to the Train song, “Hey, Soul Sister” but then I read the lyrics. Not really appropriate. There needs to be a Soul Sister anthem for girls. “Girls Just Wanna Have fun” doesn’t cut it.
Oh, and about your mascot. How about a cartoony Villi since that seems to be the troublemaker. You want it with a Spanish flair? But a sombrero on him. Pancho Villi and the Gluten Revolution!
Nicole says
Oh my god I love Pancho Villi! Do you think he knows Shakira?
xoxo Nicole
Darlene says
I think they did a video together.
Nicole says
I thought so …
Rochelle says
Oh this souds so good…but I’ve also got one in the house that is df-can I substitute rice milk and still get a similar consistancy or will it be to runny?
Nicole says
Hi, Rochelle,
I haven’t tried it dairy free, but I have made pudding and custard with soy milk before, and been successful. It shouldn’t be runny unless you use something like rice milk, which tends to be very watery. If you like the flavor, coconut milk would work probably best of all. Enjoy!
xoxo Nicole
Jennifer says
Thank you a million times over! You make me feel like I am not the only one. Some days I read your blog and get misty eyed becuase you have such a gift of putting feelings into words and tying them to recipies. Bannana pudding is a BIG deal in our family but there are 2 of us that can’t eat it. I am so excited to try this one. I will even put them in mason jars so everyone will know that the Ian B and I get the special stuff!
Isn’t it funny how our names grow up as we do… I was Jenny B all through school. Now, I have one friend that still calls me that.
Well Nikki, here’s to staying young at heart!
Jenny B
Nicole says
Hi, Jenny B,
I think maybe you get misty because you feel connected? At least that’s what I hope it is. When you’ve felt like “other,” it’s so nice to feel a sense of belonging.
I think that everyone else will be jealous of your pudding in mason jars. I love mason jars. I wish I could squeeze my children into them. They’d be so much easier to keep track of.
I wish my name had never grown up. I never asked anyone to grow it up. They did it without consulting me. ;)
You’re not the only one. You belong here. With me. I’m a lunatic, but I make some mean banana pudding. :)
xoxo Nikki
Diana Schremp via Facebook says
One of my oldest memories is my family ‘fighting’ over “The Puddin'” that was only served on Tday. Whip cream is not optional in my family! I know good puddin’ and we have missed it without the texture you get for the nilla wafers. I’ve tried it without, I’ve tried it with substitute cookies……never to live up to Grandmother’s. I am gonna try this. If it is awesome you may be my new BFF :D
Michelle B says
May I just say Nicole that I love your narratives before the recipe almost more than the recipes sometimes. Is that wrong? I love your recipes too though!
It’s just that I see everyone putting LOL everywhere about all kinds of emails and blogs and rarely if ever do I actually laugh or chuckle audibly. Except for maybe yours…
It is extremely tough to find a blog that I can relate to in a “real person” kind of way. Not boring or stuffy and someone with a life and a family. Thanks for all you do with your blog and your recipes. Just know that I tell everyone to buy your cookbook both in person and online in hopes you can publish many, many more and keep me from having to deal with failed, expensive GF experiments.
Michelle
Nicole says
Hi, Michelle,
You made my day. Because (I think) you feel comfortable here, and because I think you’re really pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down. I know just what you mean about the many “LOLs” where they don’t belong. I only say “LOL” when I mean it. And I usually write it with periods (L.O.L.), since I do really mean it when I say it. That is also one of the big reasons why I don’t feel at home on many other blogs. Not only does the blogger seem bossy, but it makes me mental when I think that there’s a mob mentality among the readers. I find it very isolating. So I have vowed not to spend more than 10 minutes at a time reading other people’s blogs, and to instead just spend more time working on my own.
Thank you so much for evangelizing for me! I really appreciate it. You’re always welcome here. And I am writing another cookbook! It should be out Fall 2012.
Thank you again for the kindness. And the straight dope. :)
xoxo Nicole
Jessica Chapman Baldwin via Facebook says
And everyone called me Jessi in college….some of them still do…lol
Jessica Chapman Baldwin via Facebook says
Oooooooo!!! Nomnessssssss!!!!
Noor says
You. Are. Awesome!!
Amazing Soul sister!
You sound just like the voice in my head! Seriously, no joke. In a good way though!
And yes, I feel pretty awful after visiting some blogs. Not in a poor me way, but sorta like a “I wish I had a smidgen of the coolness these bloggy women have” way.
Keep on going with those Nilla wafers, Gonna make some today, Nom nom!
Hugsies,
Noor
Nicole says
Hi, Noor,
That’s the feeling! That I’ll-never-be-as-supercool feeling. The heck with that! This is all so very easy. Keep in mind that, when I take a photo of the food, I pick the very, very best of the batch of Nilla Wafers, and the very, very best most fluffiest whipped cream, and I crop out the parts that don’t look so pretty. It’s not airbrushed, but it’s not exactly reality, either. The only reason I do that is because my stuff has to look at least a bit aspirational, or you won’t wanna make it. And if you’re not excited about making it, then you’re not gonna try your hand at it. But it’s all completely accessible, from anywhere. If I don’t think an ingredient is readily available pretty much anywhere, I don’t use it in a recipe (or I make sure it’s truly optional).
The love is real. The recipes are do-able. There is no veil. It’s all out there, you know?
Okay. I’ll stop now. :)
xoxo Nicole
Linda says
Wow. How do you come up with these things…this.looks.absolutely.scrumptious. I need a bigger spoon…:-)
Nicole says
Hi, Linda!
I will definitely get you a bigger spoon. Note to self. Linda doesn’t want to waste any time.
You know, I didn’t really come up with this. You all did! The comments section to the Nilla Wafers post is replete with references to banana pudding!
xoxo Nicole