Blueberry-Lemon Banana Pudding
This blueberry-lemon banana pudding is a spring twist on an old-fashioned banana pudding recipe! Homemade lemon pudding, made without artificial extracts and layered with fresh blueberry compote, ripe bananas and Nilla wafers! Ready for the fridge after less than 30 minutes of prep!
You can never go wrong with thoughtfully reinvented classics and this is the perfect no-bake dessert for spring gatherings - just like this banana pudding cheesecake recipe or a lemon cheesecake milkshake.
Recipe Overview: Blueberry-Lemon Banana Pudding
✅ Recipe Name: Blueberry-Lemon Banana Pudding
🕒 Prep time: Only 20 minutes, then rest it in the fridge!
👪 Serves: 6
🍽 Calories: 375 calories per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: lemon zest, blueberries, bananas, Nilla wafers, evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, flour
👌 Difficulty: Easy! Whisk, layer & done!
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Why You'll Love This Dessert!
- The homemade custard recipe is easy to make! The evaporated milk and flour help stabilize the homemade lemon pudding so it's less likely to curdle.
- It's a make-ahead dessert! This blueberry-lemon banana pudding tastes even better with more time in the fridge. All the flavors meld together, and the Nilla wafers soften into cakey bites!
- It uses fresh fruit and zero extracts! The vibrant lemon punch comes from fresh lemons, and you can make the blueberry compote with either fresh or frozen blueberries!
- It's a fancy twist on a nostalgic dessert! The lemon and blueberries only enhance the flavor of old-fashioned banana pudding, so it's a take on a classic that even purists will love.
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Key Ingredients
Overripe bananas. Pick a banana with some brown spots. Avoid bananas that are completely black since they will be too soft and tend to have a fermented flavor. Black bananas are better used in recipes where the banana is actually cooked or baked like in this banana cinnamon rolls recipe or these banana snickerdoodles.
Blueberries. Made into the same compote I use in my lavender blueberry lemonade to concentrate the flavor and give a jammy texture. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries.
Lemon zest. True lemon flavor lives in the zest. After rubbing the zest into the sugar, there's no need for lemon extract!
Egg yolks. They help thicken the homemade custard and give it a rich flavor.
All-purpose flour. Acts as an extra thickening agent for the custard and helps prevent the custard from scrambling.
Evaporated milk. Allows making the custard easier since the lower water content stabilizes the emulsion.
Cookies. My family has only ever made banana pudding with Nilla wafers, but you can use whatever cookies you like! For this banana pudding recipe, I recommend vanilla or butter-flavored cookies like Chessmen cookies or Golden Oreos. Or you can even go for seasonal lemon cookies! This way you avoid clashing with the bright flavors of the blueberry-lemon banana puding.
How to Make Blueberry Lemon Banana Pudding
- Step 1: Make the blueberry compote. Simmer the blueberries with the sugar and lemon zest.
- Step 2: Rub the remaining lemon zest into the rest of the sugar to release the lemon flavor.
- Step 3: Whisk in the evaporated milk, egg yolks, and flour, and cook over medium-high heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon.
- Step 4: Layer everything - Nilla wafers followed by banana slices, then the lemon pudding, then the fresh blueberry compote. Cover, then rest the blueberry-lemon banana pudding in the fridge for 8 hours.
FAQs
Optimally, overripe bananas are best for flavor and texture, but if your bananas aren't quite there yet, you have 2 options. Please note that these tips only work for bananas that are already somewhat ripe, not green.
The first option is to bake the bananas whole at 300°F for 10-20 minutes for a deeper and sweeter flavor. Allow the bananas to cool completely before peeling and slicing.
The second option is to macerate the bananas. Just add a tablespoon or 2 of sugar to your peeled and sliced bananas. This method will result in some extra liquid, which is essentially banana syrup. I recommend using a generous layer of cookies to help absorb that extra moisture.
Blueberry pie filling or even blueberry preserves can replace a homemade blueberry compote. Avoid jams or jellies as they have more added pectin and a much thicker, less spreadable consistency.
A grainy pudding means that the custard split. This happens when the proteins in the egg yolks are heated too much, so you end up with scrambled eggs. The flour in this banana pudding recipe helps to prevent this, but your custard can still separate if your heat is too high.
To avoid this, don't turn the heat up past medium-high (but low-medium or medium is best if you're a beginner). In addition, don't stop stirring. Stirring evenly distributes the heat to avoid scorching and curdling.
Not really. Once egg yolks cook to the point of curdling, the eggs squeeze out water in the process, changing the texture and consistency of the custard. You can blend a curdled custard to break apart the clumps. It is better to start over and make a new custard, since it won't have a velvety texture and will be more soupy than optimal.
At least 8 hours. This gives the cookies time to soften. In addition, the flavors become more potent once the banana pudding has had time to sit in the refrigerator.
Ainseanlea's Top Banana Pudding Tips
- Don't stop whisking! Constantly moving the custard ensures that the heat is evenly distributed to prevent the custard from curdling.
- Use your favorite burner and cookware you're used to. Cookware that doesn't distribute heat the way you're used to or a burner on the stove that gets hotter than usual can throw things off quickly, so it's best to stick with ol' reliable.
- Layer the custard while it's hot. The heat helps draw out more flavor from the bananas and melds all the flavors together
More Lemon Desserts You'll Love!
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Blueberry Lemon Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the blueberries, sugar and lemon zest from half of the lemon to a saucepan and stir to incorporate. Crush about half of the blueberries with a spoon or potato masher.355 grams blueberries, 18 grams granulated sugar, ½ large lemon
- Cover and reduce over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. The consistency should be like a chunky blueberry syrup. Set aside until time to assemble the lemon-blueberry banana pudding.
- Add the lemon zest from the other half of the lemon and the granulated sugar to a medium saucepan. Rub the zest into the sugar until the mixture resembles kinetic sand. This should only take about 1-2 minutes.½ large lemon, 100 grams granulated sugar
- Add the evaporated milk, egg yolks & all-purpose flour to the lemon zest/sugar mixture. Using a ballon whisk, stir the ingredients to remove any lumps.354 mL evaporated milk, 2 large egg yolks, 18 grams all-purpose flour
- Continue whisking over medium heat (or up to medium-high heat) until the custard coats a spatula well (as shown here). This takes me about 10 minutes.
- While it's still hot, use the lemon pudding to assemble the lemon-blueberry banana pudding.
- Slice the bananas to about ⅛ of an inch thickness and set aside along with the other ingredients.1 large banana
- Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers along the bottom of your dish followed by a scattered layer of the sliced bananas on top of the cookies.1 eleven-ounce box Nilla wafer cookies
- Carefully pour a layer of the lemon custard on top of the bananas - just enough to completely cover them. Use a spatula to evenly spread the custard as needed. As the custard cools it will start to thicken. This is normal, but you should work quickly.
- Add another layer of vanilla wafer cookies followed by a couple dollops of the blueberry compote made earlier.
- Repeat this layering process (Nilla wafers then bananas then lemon pudding then blueberry compote)until all the custard and blueberry compote is used up.
- Finish with a final layer of vanilla wafer cookies, crushing a couple of cookies to sprinkle on top to cover any gaps between the whole cookies.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight) to allow the cookies to soften and the flavors to permeate.
- Enjoy within 4-5 days for optimal texture and flavor.
Nutrition
Notes
- Don't stop whisking! Constantly moving the custard ensures that the heat is evenly distributed and prevents the custard from curdling.
- Use your favorite burner and cookware you're used to. Cookware that doesn't distribute heat the way you're used to or a burner on the stove that gets hotter than usual can throw things off quickly.
Normally it would be a SIN to make any changes to a classic banana pudding...BUT THIS RIGHT HERE THO!! Amazing....breathtaking...and now my go-to recipe to enhance my banana pudding