These easy banana pudding jars are made up of mini nilla wafers, fresh banana slices, vanilla bean pastry cream, and homemade whipped cream!
These banana pudding jars are the perfect no bake dessert! They're layered with mini nilla wafers, fresh banana slices, my master pastry cream filling recipe, and homemade whipped cream. They're creamy, subtly sweet, and just so so good! Though they don't last too long in the fridge, the pastry cream can be made well in advance, so all you have to do is make the whipped cream and assemble a few hours before serving!Â
Ingredients
- Egg Yolks:Â You'll need 4 large egg yolks for this recipe.Â
- Sugar:Â Just enough granulated sugar is added to sweeten this pastry cream. You'll also need a tiny bit for the whipped cream.Â
- Cornstarch:Â Cornstarch helps to thicken the pastry cream to the perfect consistency.
- Milk:Â I recommend using whole milk for optimum flavor.Â
- Butter:Â Use room temperature unsalted butter.Â
- Vanilla:Â For best flavor, add a touch of vanilla bean paste. It also adds those beautiful vanilla bean specks! Alternatively, add an equal amount of vanilla extract.
- Heavy Cream:Â Use cold heavy cream for the homemade whipped cream!
- Nilla Wafers:Â Since these jars are single servings, I used mini nilla wafers!
- Banana:Â You'll need 1-2 bananas, depending on the size.
Instructions
This is truly the easiest and most delicious no bake dessert! Start by making my master pastry cream recipe, then a simple homemade whipped cream, and finally assemble the jars with mini nilla wafers and fresh banana slices.Â
FAQ
Pastry cream is surprisingly simple to make. It involves whisking egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch, then tempering the mixture with simmering whole milk. The mixture is then transferred back to the stove and heated until thick, then butter and vanilla are stirred in. It's best to make the pastry cream the day before you need it, so it can chill in the fridge overnight.
Pastry cream is best stored in the fridge up to 5 days. Be sure to press plastic wrap up against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Store left-overs in the fridge for 1-2 days. You can make the pastry cream well in advance before assembling and serving them.
Other pastry cream recipes you'll love
Baking in grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), I can ensure that you can make the recipe accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.Â
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Banana Pudding Jars
Ingredients
For the pastry cream:
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g ½ cup granulated sugar
- 16 g 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 227 g 1 cup whole milk
- 28 g 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the whipped cream:
- 227 g 1 cup heavy cream (cold)
- 30 g 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
For assembly:
- 65 g 1 cup mini nilla wafers
- 1-2 medium bananas
Instructions
For the pastry cream:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together for 2-3 minutes until light in color.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer or about 200 degrees F.*
- Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour half into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking at the same time to temper the eggs.
- Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly as it thickens.
- Once the pastry cream is thick and a few big bubbles come to the surface, continue whisking for one more minute, then remove from heat.
- Immediately stir in the butter and vanilla.
- Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and press plastic wrap up against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill in the fridge (preferably) overnight or until ready to use.
For the whipped cream:
- Just before you are ready to assemble the jars, make the whipped cream.
- In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer while slowly pouring in the granulated sugar.
- Beat until soft peaks form, and no more! It can be easy to over-whip, so watch carefully.
For assembly:
- In four small jars (I used WECK jars), start with a layer of mini nilla wafers, then a layer of sliced bananas.
- Spread the pastry cream into a smooth layer, then add a layer of whipped cream.
- Repeat these layers one more time (or however many you can fit).
- Chill the jars in the fridge until ready to serve.*
Notes
- It can be difficult to tell when milk is simmering sometimes, so it's best to go by temperature (200 degrees F).
- You can make these jars up to one day in advance. Store left-overs for 1-2 days.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out!