For this gluten free banana pudding with nilla wafers we are giving a huge shout out to Simply Delish for this recipe inspiration! Full disclosure – we joined the Simply Delish affiliate program which essentially entails them sending us a box of their gluten/dairy-free pudding and jel boxed mixes every few months, and us coming up with recipes that involve those boxed mixes as an ingredient every month, so you’ll see a few other Simply Delish-inspired recipes on here once in a while! This one uses their BRAND NEW banana pudding boxed mix and if you’re into it, use our specific link here to go check out their products, and use our 10% discount code SSGPUDDING to get 10% off of whatever you order!
So this Southern staple dessert of banana pudding never crossed my taste buds until I was an adult, but it is apparently become quite popular across the country. My mother grew up in the South – Alabama – before moving West and so she remembers having this as a child. My sister and I grew up with Nilla Wafers in their own right – they were a favorite snack of ours after school while we drove to dance practice. Once Amelia, and then I were diagnosed with Celiac, those cookies where one of the things we were never able to find a gluten free replacement of.
This recipe of gluten free banana pudding with Nilla Wafers made from scratch was actually quite eye opening for me. I’ve always hated artificial banana flavoring, I can eat fresh bananas just fine. This pudding, with how it is mixed with cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped cream, by adding those extra ingredients tones down the taste of artificial banana. Add to that with layers of yummy crunchy Nilla Wafers which soak up moisture and become soft over time and the slices of fresh bananas? This pudding torte concoction was gone in a day.
If this recipe brought back childhood memories for you while enjoying it make sure to check out our Banana Snacking Cake, or our Mini Banana Nut Loaves, or our Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Pancakes!
Gluten Free Banana Pudding with Nilla Wafers
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
For the Nilla Wafers:
- 1 1/3 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix
- 1/2 Tsp baking powder
- 1/4 Tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup salted butter softened, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp milk or non-dairy substitute
For The Banana Pudding:
- 8 Oz cream cheese or non-dairy substitute
- 14 Oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Box SIMPLY DELISH Banana Instant Pudding
- 2 Cups milk
- 1 Cup whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping
- 6 fresh bananas
Instructions
- To begin, you're going to make your cookies. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar and whisk or pulse to combine. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla, and beat or process until well-combined. Add the milk, and beat or process until the dough clumps.
- Pipe an tablespoon amount through a pastry bag fitted with a plain piping tip (for more consistent cookie sizing) about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. The, with wet fingers, gently flatten the top of each cookie. Place the baking sheets in your preheated oven and bake for 15 – 17 minutes, or until the cookies are uniformly golden brown in color. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- While the cookies are cooling, it's time to mix up your pudding! In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add in pudding mix and milk. Beat for several minutes, until it reaches it good, thick consistency. Beat up your whipped cream or use your non-dairy whipped topping and fold it into the pudding mixture to make it light and fluffy.
- To assemble, start with a 9×13 baking dish and line the bottom with half of your cooled Nilla Wafer cookies. Top that layer with sliced banana and then your fluffy pudding mixture on top of that. Smooth that out and then top with your remaining cookies. Cover your dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let it set fully.
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your pudding!
Food photography and styling by Kendra Farber
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