These Mini Banana Pudding Cups transform the classic Southern dessert into perfect individual servings! With layers of vanilla wafer crumbs, creamy homemade pudding, fresh bananas, and soft whipped cream, these treats capture all the nostalgic flavors of traditional banana pudding in an adorable small size.
This homemade pudding cups recipe is super simple, with most of the time spent chilling the mini banana pudding cups rather than actively cooking. You can make these mini desserts ahead of time for stress-free hosting!
Plus, the individual servings are perfect for people who don’t want to eat a huge dessert after a great dinner, making them perfect for any gathering from casual potlucks to dinner parties.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple to Prepare: This banana pudding parfait recipe uses readily available ingredients and requires no special equipment beyond basic kitchen tools.
Perfect for a Party: Individual servings make entertaining easy for every occasion from Valentine’s Day to Easter brunches, baby showers, Thanksgiving, and holiday gatherings. Guests can grab their own portion, making serving effortless while adding an elegant touch to your dessert table!
Make Ahead: To make party planning easier and stress-free, you can prepare these banana pudding dessert cups up to three days in advance! Just add the final banana slices and whipped cream just before serving.
Ingredients Notes
Here’s a picture of what you’ll need to make this recipe:
Vanilla wafers – Nilla vanilla wafers or store brand are fine.
5 ounce package vanilla pudding Cook & Serve (not instant) – Cook & Serve pudding creates a thicker, more stable texture that holds up better in layers.
3 ounce package banana pudding Cook & Serve (not instant) – The banana flavor in prepared pudding tends to be pretty strong. Using a mix of both vanilla and banana puddings gives this dessert the perfect subtle banana flavor that isn’t overwhelming.
Milk – I used whole milk, but you can use low fat milk if you prefer.
Whipping cream – Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, or use whipped topping.
4 ripe bananas – Choose ripe but firm bananas for the best flavor.
Equipment Needed
In addition to everyday kitchen tools like a saucepan and whisk, you’ll need some small jars, ramekins or glasses to make these mini parfaits.
I repurposed a dozen glass yogurt jars, each of which holds 5 ounces.
After removing the labels, I rinsed them and then washed them in the dishwasher. (Using my homemade dishwasher rinse helped removed any remaining residue!)
If you don’t have glass yogurt cups, you can use any small glasses or jars to make Nilla wafer banana pudding cups. You can even use clear disposable cups for easy clean up, if you prefer.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Place 24 vanilla wafers in a zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin. (Reserve the remaining 12 vanilla wafers for garnish.)
STEP TWO: Divide the crumb mixture among the 12 cups.
PRO TIP: Shake each cup gently to level the crumbs.
STEP THREE: In a large saucepan, combine the vanilla pudding mix, banana pudding mix, and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pudding thickens.
STEP FOUR: Remove from the burner and cool for 5 minutes. Pour about 1/2 cup warm pudding into each of the cups.
Pro Tip: Run a thin knife though the top of the pudding to pop any air bubbles.
STEP FIVE: Cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
(Note: You can prepare the pudding cups through this step up to 3 days in advance.)
STEP SIX: When you’re ready to serve the cups, remove from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Slice 3 of the bananas in 1/4 inch slices, and layer banana slices over each pudding cup.
STEP SEVEN: Immediately dollop each with a generous spoonful of whipped cream, covering the banana slices. (This will help them not to brown.)
STEP EIGHT: Slice the remaining banana into 12 slices. Garnish each pudding cup with a banana slice and a vanilla wafer.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftover pudding cups, cover them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Plan to enjoy them within 1 or 2 days.
FAQs
Yes! While Nilla wafers are traditional for these mini banana pudding cups, you can certainly substitute them with other wafer-like cookies. You can opt for graham crackers or any of your favorite vanilla wafer cookies.
Bananas start turn brown once they are in contact with the air, otherwise known as oxidizing. To prevent the sliced bananas from turning brown in these banana cream pie pudding cups, the banana layer is in between the pudding and whipped cream layers, keeping it from contact with the air!
They’ll soften over time – this is traditional in homemade banana pudding and creates a cake-like texture many people enjoy!
If you enjoy this recipe, click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below to leave a rating! It helps us so much, and we love reading your comments, too!
Mini Banana Pudding Cups
Equipment
- 12 glass jars or glasses 5 to 6 ounces
- medium heavy saucepan
- Whisk
- kitchen knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 36 vanilla wafers divided
- 1 5 ounce package vanilla pudding Cook & Serve (not instant)
- 1 3 ounce package banana pudding Cook & Serve (not instant)
- 5 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks or 8 ounces whipped topping
- 4 ripe bananas
Instructions
- Place 24 vanilla wafers in a zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Divide the crumb mixture among the 12 cups.
- In a large saucepan, combine the vanilla pudding mix, banana pudding mix, and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pudding thickens.
- Remove from the burner and cool for 5 minutes. Pour about 1/2 cup warm pudding into each of the cups. Run a thin knife though the top of the pudding to pop any air bubbles.
- Cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
- When you’re ready to serve the cups, remove from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Slice 3 of the bananas in 1/4 inch slices, and layer banana slices over each pudding cup.
- Immediately dollop each with a generous spoonful of whipped cream, covering the banana slices. (This will help them not to brown.)
- Slice the remaining banana into 12 slices. Garnish each pudding cup with a banana slice and a vanilla wafer. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Save for Later
Save this recipe to your Pinterest desserts board to make later!
Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
I made these little banana pudding cups for dessert for a recent family dinner. They were the perfect sized treat after a big meal! ~Eliza