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banana pudding cups in coupe glasses

Easy Banana Pudding Cups

A classic banana pudding recipe made in cute little individual servings. It's made with homemade pastry cream, whipped cream and fresh banana slices.
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 50 minutes
Course Cakes
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 603 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 11 oz box of Nilla Wafers (I like the minis) may have some extra

Pastry Cream

  • 1 large egg (OR 3 large egg yolks)* room temperature
  • 30 grams (3 Tbsp) cornstarch
  • 45 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 240 cups (1 cup/8oz ) milk
  • 42 grams (3 Tbsp) salted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste

Chantilly Cream

  • 60 grams (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
  • tiny pinch fine sea salt
  • 480 mL (2 cups/16 oz) heavy whipping cream cold
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract

Bananas

  • 3 large ripe bananas not over-ripe, just good for eating
  • 30 mL (2 Tbsp/1oz) lemon juice juice of 1/2 large lemon

Instructions
 

Pastry Cream

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and runny, with no more chunks.
    1 large egg (OR 3 large egg yolks)*, 30 grams (3 Tbsp) cornstarch, 45 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • In a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel or nonstick – avoid aluminum), heat the milk over medium heat, just until it comes to a simmer.
    240 cups (1 cup/8oz ) milk
  • Temper the eggs by streaming half of the milk into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.
  • Dump the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, while whisking continuously.
  • Within 1-3 minutes, the mixture should start to thicken, continue whisking.
  • Once it's starting to stick to the pan, whisk aggressively for another 30-60 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl with the butter and vanilla.
    42 grams (3 Tbsp) salted butter, 1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
  • Allow the heat from the pastry cream to melt the butter for a second and then gently whisk it. It may separate at first but it'll come back together as you whisk it.
  • The pastry cream should be smooth and silky now, if you have any lumps, feel free to push it though a sieve. Allow to cool completely before moving forward. You can make this the night before and refrigerate it.

Chantilly Cream

  • Sift the powdered sugar and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer).
    60 grams (1/2 cup) powdered sugar, tiny pinch fine sea salt
  • Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean paste on top and beat at medium-low speed for about 1-2 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
    480 mL (2 cups/16 oz) heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
  • Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't over-beat passed this.
  • Use the rubber spatula to scrape the edge of the bowl and fold it a couple of times to make it smooth and silky.

Assemble

  • Slice the bananas thinly and drizzle some lemon juice on top so they don't brown.
    3 large ripe bananas, 30 mL (2 Tbsp/1oz) lemon juice
  • Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of the cups and then place a layer of banana slices on top, followed by a layer of the vanilla wafers.
    11 oz box of Nilla Wafers (I like the minis)
  • Then spread a layer of the pastry cream on top of the vanilla wafers, followed by the whipped cream. Repeat doing the same thing for the next layer (or two, depending on how tall your cup is), saving just a few banana slices and vanilla wafers to decorate the top.
  • Refrigerate the cups for at least a few hours or overnight!

Notes

*I generally make my pastry cream with just egg yolks for more flavor and color but it can be made with whole eggs instead so we don't have to waste so many egg whites. For banana pudding I opt for whole eggs but you could do either.
Replace 1 egg white with 2 egg yolks - so you could do 1 whole egg or 3 egg yolks in the recipe. It's great either way and hardly noticeable. 
**A lot of recipes mix their pudding with the whipped cream, you can mix these two and use them that way but I love seeing the different color variations, tasting the different components and feeling the different textures. 

Nutrition

Calories: 603kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 6gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 203mgSodium: 145mgPotassium: 404mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 1590IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!