Coconut Milk Banana Pudding

Food blogging has its fair share of ups and downs. And I think one of the more frustrating downs is when a recipe is obscenely delicious and the photos don’t do it justice. Until we get the ability to hand out free samples to every visitor who shows up on a recipe page, the photos (and the write-up, but let’s be real here, mostly the photos) are what sell a recipe. Of course, a photo has absolutely nothing to do with how the end product actually tastes, but without a good photo, it’s hard to get people to try something. Heck, even Iโ€”someone who is intimately familiar with the behind-the-scenes of recipe development and knows good and well a good photo does not mean a good recipeโ€”am more willing to make a recipe that looks pretty on someone else’s blog or cookbook. We eat with our eyes and all that.

So that’s why it makes me mega sad that banana pudding is pretty much the most disgusting looking thing to ever be before a food blogger’s camera lens. My god, it is so delicious, but it looks so gross.

banana pudding

What looks like a goupy, disgusting gray mess of congealed guck is actually a creamy, sweet, flavorful dessert that is the centerpiece of pretty much every dessert table at every summer cookout in our region. I know that banana pudding has its roots in Southern cooking, so if you aren’t close to the South and have never had a chance to have a bowl of real banana pudding, you have to promise me you’ll make this. I’m not talking the stuff made with instant pudding mix that comes in a box. I’m talking eggs, sugar, and bananas simmering together until thick and creamy. Usually, the base of puddin’ is made with milk (or heavy cream), but I swapped the dairy out for creamier coconut milk. Bonus: it gives the pudding a really light coconutty flavor that works in tandem with the bananas to give this dessert a touch of tropical island paradise, just like in my Tropical Coconut Overnight Oats. The flavors of banana and coconut work so well together. I’m a huge fan!

banana pudding

In my book, vanilla wafers are banana pudding. I don’t want to meet banana pudding without ’em. They add flavor, texture and all-around awesomeness. But you can easily leave them out. Just don’t tell me about it, k? I’d rather eat vanilla wafer-ed up banana pudding rarely than have wafer-free pudding…ever. We all must make our choices. And I choose wafers.

banana pudding

Unappetizing photos aside, I really hope you’ll make this recipe for your next potluck. Banana pudding is pretty much always a guaranteed hit among the masses, and I promise it looks much more appealing in person than in the camera.

Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Banana Pudding

Coconut Milk Banana Pudding

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Coconut milk banana pudding is pretty much always a guaranteed hit among the masses.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (or granulated sugar)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
  • 5 bananas, sliced into thin discs, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 cups vanilla wafer cookies (like Nilla brand)
  • Whipped cream and shredded coconut for topping

Instructions

  1. In a large, heat-proof glass or steel mixing bowl, whisk together the syrup or sugar, eggs and coconut milk until well-combined. Add in about half the sliced bananas. Place the bowl over a saucepan with about 1" of simmering water (to create a make-shift double boiler).
  2. Heat the coconut milk mixture in the double boiler until very hot, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Once the coconut milk mixture is hot, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring mixture until pudding thickens to the consistency of thin yogurt. The added bananas will break down as it cooks.
  3. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extra and salt. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before assembling the pudding.
  4. To assemble, layer 1/3 of the vanilla wafers and 1/3 of the remaining banana slices on the bottom of a trifle dish or bowl. Top with half of the pudding. Then repeat the layers ending with the last of the wafers and banana slices. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until completely cooled through. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and shredded coconut for topping.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 244Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 128mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 3g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

 

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18 Comments

    1. Hi Janette! We haven’t tried it, but it should work! If you give it a try, please let us know how it turns out. =)

  1. Ooh, so glad you did this recipe by the can, meaning making it so I’m able to use an entire can of coconut milk instead of by the cup when I’d have leftovers molding in the fridge (can you freeze canned coconut milk? Anyone know what happens to it?)

    I have celiac disease so will have to use some other cookie (it won’t be the same) but it’s better than no banana pudding!

    If you want to enhance your banana pudding photographs, try boosting the contrast a bit and adjusting the color into the warm range (warm colors are yellow and orange, for example). It looks like cool-colored lighting (blueish purplish) might be contributing to the grayness of your images. I’d offer to do this for you (would only take a sec) but my fancy computer with Photoshop was robbed from my house.

    Oh, found this on Reddit: people in this thread might help you out if you don’t want to do it: http://www.reddit.com/r/PhotoshopRequest/search?q=photoshop&sort=relevance&restrict_sr=on&t=all

  2. Omfg, thanks so much for posting this! It is going to help when I research Coconut Milk online! Very Cool!

  3. about the wafers, I’ve seen some bloggers use the ‘letter of the day vanilla cookies’ as a substitute for the wafers and according to them it tastes like wafers.

    http://www.earthsbest.com/products/product/2392320208 the only thing that is a LITTLE questionable is the ‘organic palm oil’ but i’d take that short list of ingredients over whats in those traditional wafers any day.

    So I will probably be swapping the processed ones out with those. Just wanted to post that here so others can know there are substitutes they can look for : ]

  4. is this the same coconut milk you can buy in a carton? or do i use can of creme of coconut? I have never seen a can of coconut milk, other than creme of coconut. will the carton coconut milk work just as good?

    1. It’s not the same as the carton milk (that’s usually a blend and it wont whip up). If you look in the international foods aisle (usually with Thai foods), you’ll find canned coconut milk. ๐Ÿ™‚