Individual Banana Pudding Cups
Individual banana pudding cups made with instant vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, and crushed Nilla wafers are a perfect easy, no-cook treat! They’re ideal for summertime entertaining, but honestly we love them year-round.
Over the years, I’ve made my fair share of fun and easy recipes, but this banana pudding cup recipe might just be the best “easy dessert” I’ve ever whipped up. I was honestly amazed at how quickly it came together, with no baking or chilling required, and less than 30 minutes of work.
This easy dessert is ideal for potlucks, parties, picnics and more (it’s definitely my new summer go-to!). The creamy vanilla pudding combined with fresh banana slices and crushed Nilla wafers is truly a match made in heaven. Each spoonful is delightfully comforting and nostalgic, with the perfect amount of sweetness.
Why you should try this banana pudding recipe
- It’s the perfect balance between a shortcut recipe and one made from-scratch.
- Instant pudding mix keeps this dessert super easy.
- Making homemade vanilla whipped cream instead of using Cool Whip provides superior flavor.
- Makes 8 or 12 cute individual servings, depending on which size pudding mix box you use.
- Serve it right away or make-ahead, you choose!
- It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Speaking of crowds, you can easily double or triple this banana pudding recipe as needed to get your desired number of individual servings.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Vanilla instant pudding mix: Make sure it’s “instant” and not “cook and serve”. You’ll need a 3.4-oz box for 8 servings, or a 5.1-oz box for 12 servings.
- Milk: Whole or 2%.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Fresh bananas: You’ll need 2-3 firm and slightly under-ripe bananas, depending on size.
- Nilla wafers: Or other vanilla wafer cookies. Use graham crackers, biscoff cookies, mini chessmen cookies, etc. for a slight variation.
Serving suggestions, individual cups vs. a large dish
I recommend clear plastic 8 or 9-ounce cups for this recipe, as it makes for a pretty presentation, serving is easy, and clean-up is a breeze. Drinking glasses or half-pint jars are other good individual-serving options, or you can assemble this banana pudding recipe in a glass 9×13-inch casserole dish, large clear bowl or trifle dish.
How to make banana pudding cups
Serve immediately or make-ahead
Serve right away in you want, there’s no required chilling or set-up time! But you can make these pudding cups up to 24 hours in advance and keep in the fridge (though I think they’re at their absolute best within 12 hours).
🍌TIP: To keep sliced bananas from browning, toss them with a bit of lemon juice!
More potluck desserts for a crowd
- Summer Berry Trifle
- No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Fruit Pizza Sugar Cookies
- Berry Poke Cake
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Neapolitan Ice Cream Pops
Banana Pudding Cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups (455 grams) cold milk , whole or 2%
- 3.4 oz (96 grams) boxed instant vanilla pudding mix (see Notes)
- 1 ½ cup (340 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 barely-ripe bananas , sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional, if making in advance)
- 3 cups (155 grams) crushed vanilla wafer cookies (half an 11oz box)
- 8 plastic cups or glasses (8-9oz each)
Equipment
Instructions
- Whisk milk and pudding mix together in a large bowl for 2 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream with sugar, vanilla and salt till thickened to medium peaks. Add half of the whipped cream to the vanilla pudding and gently fold together with a spatula until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Slice bananas into a bowl. Optional, toss bananas with lemon juice (This prevents the bananas from browning and is recommended if you're not serving the pudding cups immediately).
- Layer everything into individual cups as follows: crushed cookies, vanilla pudding, crushed cookies, bananas, vanilla pudding, bananas, whipped cream. Top with a few more crushed cookies and an optional banana slice (it will brown over time).
- Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator to serve later. Place cups on a sheet pan and top with a single sheet of plastic wrap.
- I recommend serving within 12 hours for best results, but it is possible to make this recipe up to 24 hours head.
Notes
- Make sure to use “Instant” pudding, and not “Cook and serve”.
- To make 12 servings using a 5.1 oz box of instant vanilla pudding mix: increase other amounts to 2 ¾ cup milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, generous ¼ teaspoon salt, 3-4 bananas and 4 ½ cup crushed vanilla wafers.
- Other serving options: Assemble individual banana pudding in drinking glasses or half-pint jars. You can also assemble in a 9×13-inch casserole dish, large clear bowl, or trifle dish.
This recipe sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try making these banana pudding cups.