An easy to make and take no egg, no meringue version of banana pudding, using my delicious hack on the standard instant pudding filling. Make it in a deep 9 x 13 inch disposable lidded container, perfect for those potlucks, family reunions, funeral gatherings or church suppers. |
Potluck Banana Pudding
I am an egg custard gal. From warm, oven baked custard or a simple custard pie, to dessert custard cream sauce, drinking custard, eggnog base, and real deal, homemade from scratch, custard banana pudding. And oh my goodness, let's not forget Vanilla Custard Ice Cream! I love them all.Egg custard is rich, comforting and there is just nothing that can match up to it. It's what I make my banana pudding with 99% of the time, and then I top it off with meringue made from the egg whites, just like Mama used to. I even use her 1950s vintage Pyrex Thumbnail Pattern ovenware baking dish - the very bowl that my Mama used to make her banana pudding in!
There are times like those family gatherings, potlucks and church suppers, where you want to keep it a little more simple, easier to both make and transport, but of course it still has to be delicious. Enter my potluck version of banana pudding!
Absent a homemade egg custard, I realize most folks lean on good ole boxed vanilla pudding for their banana pudding filling, and really, more banana pudding is made that way these days than the old fashioned way. Though not nearly as delicious as homemade egg custard, it's an appropriate substitute, but, not being one to just leave well enough alone, of course I have to bump it up!
For my potluck version I make the same filling that I use for the uber decadent Moon Pie variation that I published back in 2011, and which happens to be the same base for many of my icebox cakes! No eggs are involved, so no time consuming, slow stirring and careful watch over the custard.
Whipped cream, or a non-dairy topping like Cool Whip, replaces the meringue that seems to intimidate so many people, so no worries over watery banana pudding or weeping meringue. Make it in an easy to carry, deep, 9 x 13 inch lidded container. I love this Lock and Lock container pictured below that I got from QVC, but the deep disposable style containers are great too and you don't have to keep up with your dish.
Here's how to make my favorite potluck style banana pudding. As always, bypass the step by step pictures to get the full recipe with measurements, instructions and a link to a printable document. Just scroll a little further down the page.
Starting with the filling, you'll combine softened cream cheese with condensed milk, then mix up the pudding, and let it rest before combining the two. Set that aside.
Then it's time to assemble the dessert. Put a layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch container. Top with slices of banana. Mine were on the smaller side, so I used a total of 3 in each layer. Top with half of the pudding, then repeat the layers.
Finish with whipped topping or an 8-ounce non-dairy topping, ensuring that everything is covered edge to edge. This seals in the bananas from air that can make them brown. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. You can garnish with some additional cookies if you like, or crush some up and spread the crumbs on top.
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Recipe: Potluck Banana Pudding
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Inactive time: 4 hours | | Yield: About 20 servings
Ingredients
For the Filling:
For the Dessert:
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 (5.1 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
Instructions
- 1 (11 ounce) box vanilla wafer cookies (Nilla brand recommended)
- 4 to 6 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 (8 ounce) Cool Whip
For the filling, cream the cream cheese by hand until smooth; add the sweetened condensed milk and stir until blended. In a separate bowl, hand whisk the pudding mix with the milk until blended. Let rest 5 minutes, then blend the two together.
To assemble the banana pudding, layer in two layers in a 9 x 13 inch pan, beginning with wafers, then bananas and filling. Top with whipped topping, making sure to completely cover the dessert, edge to edge. Cover tightly and refrigerate about 4 hours to soften the cookies. Garnish with a sprinkling of crushed wafers, if desired, just before serving.
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