A LITTLE BIT HEALTHIER BANANA PUDDING

I decided to test out the recipe for Banana Pudding and it did not disappoint! The key to a really good banana pudding over a so-so one is to use really ripe bananas. There should definitely be brown on the skins. This will give you a lot of naturally added sweetness without adding more sugar! Bananas are also high in potassium, which is important for healthy muscles and blood pressure. Look for whole grain vanilla wafers for an even healthier alternative. The only addition I made to this recipe was to add some light whipped topping on the finished banana pudding.

Healthier Homemade Southern Banana Pudding

HOMEMADE CUSTARD

Basically what you are doing here is making a custard. That's all banana pudding is. Custard with vanilla wafers and bananas. The idea with custards is they are ridiculously easy to make but you gotta keep a close eye on them. No multitasking is allowed when making custards. They can turn into a lumpy mess if you aren't careful. So, what you need to make sure to do is have everything at the ready before even starting to make this.

Homemade Southern Banana Pudding recipe from The Country Cook

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

sugar
cornstarch
salt
low-fat milk
eggs
vanilla extract
ripe bananas
vanilla wafers
light whipped topping

bananas, milk, cool whip, bananas, vanilla wafers, sugar, eggs

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHIER BANANA PUDDING:

In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Slowly whisk in the milk. Turn heat on to medium-high. Whisk mixture continuously until it begins to bubble. Remove saucepan from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs well. Pour about ½ cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs. Whisk vigorously. This is called "tempering" the eggs. It's basically slowly bringing the eggs up to a warmer temperature without them scrambling.

Pour egg mixture into milk mixture.

whisked eggs and warm milk to make pudding

Place saucepan back onto medium-high heat and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Seriously, whisk constantly. It may seem tedious but this mixture can quickly turn glumpy - that's totally a technical cooking term 😉 - if you don't whisk the entire time!

Transfer mixture out of the saucepan into a bowl and whisk in vanilla extract.

Spread thin layer of the pudding into a 1 ½ quart casserole dish (or an 8x8-inch square baking dish).

Arrange half of the vanilla wafers on top of the pudding.

Then layer half of the banana slices over the vanilla wafers.

Layer half of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas.

Then layer the remaining vanilla wafers on top. Followed by the remaining banana slices. Top with the rest of the pudding.

Homemade cooked banana pudding in Grandma Betty's Pyrex dish

Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Gently press down on top of the plastic wrap so it makes contact with the pudding. This will keep the homemade pudding from forming a slimy "skin" on top. Then pop it into the refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours. I'm using my Grandma Betty's old Pyrex dish here. I love having a small piece of her still with me.

When ready to serve, uncover and spread on whipped topping (optional). Then dig in!

Healthier Southern Cooked Banana Pudding

CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!

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