Banana Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
Out-of-this-world banana pudding drizzled with salted caramel sauce. This is the perfect dessert to serve for Easter! Loaded with vanilla wafers, pudding, whipped cream, sliced bananas and topped with my salted caramel sauce. This is a recipe, you've GOT to try!
Servings: 6 individual dessert cups or 3 mason jars
Ingredients
Vanilla pudding:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk see notes
- 3 large egg yolks beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter cubed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream:
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For Assembling the pudding:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced bananas
- Vanilla wafers such as Nilla
- Salted caramel sauce
Instructions
To make the vanilla pudding:
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium heat-proof bowl; set aside.
- Place a 2 1/2 quart saucepan on the stove and without turning the heat on, add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt; whisk to combine. Continue to whisk as you add in 1/2 cup of milk. Keep mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add the yolks and the remaining milk and whisk to combine.
- Turn the stove on to medium high heat, whisking every now and then until the pudding is visibly thicker. This will take about 4-7 minutes. Reduce the heat when the pudding is thick and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the saucepan. Stir constantly until the pudding makes ribbons as is falls from the spatula, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour pudding through strainer. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding and let cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Whipped cream:
- Whip cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When soft peaks start to form add the sugar and continue to beat until firm. Do not overbeat.
Assemble:
- In small dessert cups or mason jars, layer the wafers, bananas, pudding, whipped cream, and salted caramel sauce. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or serve right away.
Notes
- I highly recommend replacing some or most of the milk with heavy whipping cream and/or half and half. This will make the pudding a lot richer and tastier.
- Doubling the recipe (for both the pudding and the whipped cream) will produce enough banana pudding to fill a large trifle bowl and will comfortably serve 12-14 people.
- Please note that not all the caramel sauce will be used. For a sweeter banana pudding layer the caramel sauce between layers of vanilla pudding and whipped cream. For a less sweet pudding, just drizzle the salted caramel sauce just on top. Caramel can be prepared up to 3 weeks in advance.
- Banana pudding can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance.
