These individual banana pudding cups are layered with homemade banana pudding and whipped cream, sliced bananas, and nilla wafers for a perfect single serve summer dessert!
Banana pudding is a southern classic! You'd be hard pressed to find a summer potluck that doesn't have a giant dish of banana pudding on the table. So I wanted to make a fun mini version that's perfect for parties or picnics!
If you want more southern desserts, you might also like this peach skillet cake or cherry cobbler!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
This banana pudding made completely from scratch! Meaning you get much richer flavor than you would with box mixes and cool whip (no offense if that's what you love, but I prefer the real deal).
Vanilla Bean Paste - I prefer to use vanilla bean paste in my pudding recipes because it has a much stronger, richer flavor! However, you can easily substitute pure vanilla extract.
Cornstarch - This is what helps thicken the vanilla pudding!
Egg Yolks - Using just yolks adds a super rich flavor the pudding! I also love using yolks because I always have leftovers from making macarons.
Bananas - For the cupcake base, a super ripe brown banana is best! But for the pudding/topping, firmer more yellow bananas are preferred.
Banana Extract - This is optional, but ½ teaspoon of banana extract in the pudding adds some extra banana flavor!
Nilla Wafers - You can't have banana pudding without nilla wafers! I add crushed nilla wafers to the cupcake base to help add more of that classic flavor! I also love using mini nilla wafers for these individual banana pudding cups!
Whipped Cream - It's not banana pudding without homemade whipped cream! To make the whipped cream more stable, I like to add powdered gelatin to it but that's optional.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Banana Pudding
Scald the milk in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat (or in the microwave), until it is almost boiling.
In a large sauce pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt.
Over medium-low heat, slowly add in the milk about ½ cup at a time while whisking constantly.
As the filling begins to thicken, add in another ½ cup of milk and continue whisking.
Once all of the milk is added and the filling has thickened (enough the coat the back of a spoon), remove the pot from the heat.
Pour about ½ cup of the filling into a glass measuring cup and then slowly drizzle it into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly until fully combined and smooth.
Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of the filling cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the filling has thickened to a pudding consistency.
Stir in the butter and vanilla extract (and banana extract if using) until smooth.
Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (place the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the vanilla pudding so a film doesn't form). Chill for at least 1 hour! Store in the fridge for up to a week.
To keep the banana slices from turning brown, gently toss in a little bit of lemon juice for a few minutes.
Place 3-4 mini vanilla wafer cookies at the base of each jar or cup. Then spoon a small layer of pudding over top. Layer 4-5 banana slices over the pudding and top with a layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the jar!
Let the pudding cups chill for about 2 hours before serving so that the nilla wafers can soften slightly.
Recipe Notes
The most important step in making the banana pudding is tempering the eggs. I know that sounds scary, but I promise it's not that hard! Tempering just means that you'll slowly add a small amount of hot liquid to the beaten eggs so that the temperature rises slowly and they don't scramble (trust me, you don't want scrambled eggs in your custard!
Once the filling mixture is scalding hot, you'll remove about ½ cup and place it into a glass measuring cup (the best for pouring hot liquid) and then slowly drizzle the syrup into the beaten eggs while whisking. Then you'll add the warm egg mixture back into the rest of the pudding. Easy peasy!
You can layer the banana pudding in whatever type of glasses or cups you want! I love using little jars with lids, but any cup would work!
Recipe FAQ's
Gently toss the banana slices in a small amount of lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes before using! The bananas will still turn brown eventually, but the lemon juice keeps them looking fresh a lot longer!
These pudding cups are best eaten the same day, but are still delicious made a day in advance! However, you can prep the pudding a week in advance and just assemble the cups when you're ready!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers.
Also be sure to add us as a trusted site on Google so that our recipes show up more in your searches!
For more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on social media!
Recipe Card
Homemade Banana Pudding Cups
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Banana Pudding
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon banana extract, optional
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish
- sliced bananas
- nilla wafers
Instructions
Pudding
- Scald the milk in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat (or in the microwave), until it is almost boiling.
- In a large sauce pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt.
- Over medium-low heat, slowly add in the milk about ½ cup at a time while whisking constantly.
- As the filling begins to thicken, add in another ½ cup of milk and continue whisking.
- Once all of the milk is added and the filling has thickened (enough the coat the back of a spoon), remove the pot from the heat.
- Pour about ½ cup of the filling into a glass measuring cup and then slowly drizzle it into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly until fully combined and smooth.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of the filling cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the filling has thickened to a pudding consistency.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla extract (and banana extract if using) until smooth.
- Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (place the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the vanilla pudding so a film doesn't form). Chill for at least 1 hour! Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and stiff peaks form.
Assembly
- To keep the banana slices from turning brown, gently toss in a little bit of lemon juice for a few minutes.
- Place 3-4 mini vanilla wafer cookies at the base of each jar or cup. Then spoon a small layer of pudding over top. Layer 4-5 banana slices over the pudding and top with a layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the jar!
- Let the pudding cups chill for about 2 hours before serving so that the nilla wafers can soften slightly.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Comments
No Comments