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+ servings

Coconut Banana Pudding

Classic banana pudding is taken up a notch by using coconut milk and coconut cream in the recipe. We also finish it off with a topping of toasted coconut!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 large pudding parfaits

Ingredients

For the coconut pudding:

  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 2 13.66-ounce cans coconut milk unsweetened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into 4 pats

For the coconut whipped cream:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup coconut cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

For assembly of pudding parfaits:

  • 4 large bananas
  • 60 vanilla wafers (about 1/3 box)
  • ½ cup toasted coconut

Instructions

Make the pudding:

  • In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk, milk, and salt over medium heat until just before boiling. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the cornstarch and whisk together. Slowly pour the scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking.
  • Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to a pudding, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for 2 minutes to cool it down. Whisk the vanilla extract and butter into the pudding until the butter has melted. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap so that the plastic touches the top of it to prevent a film from forming on top. Refrigerate until the mixture has completely cooled, about 2 hours

Make the whipped cream:

  • When the pudding is cool and ready to be used in the assembly of the parfaits, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, coconut cream, and sugar to a bowl fitted for a stand mixer. Using a whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Assemble the parfaits:

  • Place 5 vanilla wafers in the bottom of a stemless wineglass or old-fashioned glass. Slice a banana and put 4 slices at the bottom. Cover with 1/2 cup of pudding. Repeat the layers once more. Top with 2 tablespoons of whipped cream and toasted coconut shreds. Repeat with 5 other parfaits. See notes below for how to make this pudding in one large dish.

Notes

  1. If you rather make one large banana pudding, simply layer the ingredients in a large casserole dish, making one layer of each instead of two layers. You may need to double the whipped cream recipe, but you'll have plenty of the other ingredients to make it happen. 
  2. To toast coconut, place sweetened coconut on baking sheet in one even layer and bake in 350-degree oven for 5 minutes or until the coconut turns golden brown. Let it cool completely before using.