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My Chocolate Banana Pudding is the love child of chocolate pudding and banana pudding. This creamy, velvety pudding is perfect for us who love the flavors of chocolate and banana desserts. It's bursting with chocolate flavor with every bite.
Here are more delicious banana pudding variations and desserts: Whiskey Banana Pudding, Vanilla Wafer Banana Pudding, New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce, and Peach Bread Pudding.
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I never knew that chocolate banana pudding was a thing until this year! I feel like y'all are leaving me out of all the fun.
However, if you don't want to be left out from enjoying a chocolate banana dessert that has layers of homemade chocolate pudding, bananas, fresh whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and vanilla wafers, I got you!
See, I already have an excellent chocolate pudding recipe and what I believe would be an award-winning classic banana pudding recipe in my toolbox. Not to mention I believe in a healthy marriage; the thought of combining these two was a match made in heaven.
If you've never made either from scratch and have relied on instant pudding mix to feed your family. I want to welcome you to the day you learn to do better.
See, you always want to be efficient in the kitchen but not at the risk of your family's health. I've been on a mission to teach people how to cook from scratch so that they know exactly what they're consuming.
Knowledge is power. So, let's jump into how to create this incredible banana pudding with a chocolaty twist.
Key Ingredients
Here are the star ingredients you'll need for my chocolate banana pudding recipe.
Half-and-Half
I love the flavor of half-and-half. The milk with cream creates a deeper flavor without being too rich.
Egg Yolks
You only need egg yolks for this recipe. Save the egg whites for breakfast.
Sugar
You'll need granulated sugar for the chocolate pudding and powdered sugar for the whipped cream.
Cornstarch
This is the base of making sure our custard has the thick body we all love in banana puddings.
Chocolate
I like to use two types of chocolates for this recipe. Semi-sweet for that sweet chocolate flavor and unsweetened for that deep dark chocolate flavor.
Bananas
Only use fresh yellow bananas if you do not like them being soft. The best bananas are ripe bananas.
Nilla Wafers
I was going to go on a full chocolate binge, but I kept the classic vanilla wafers.
How to make Chocolate Banana Pudding recipe?
The key to cooking is technique, patience, and confidence. That's how I'm going to teach you to make my chocolate banana pudding recipe.
Chocolate Pudding
In a medium pot, bring half-and-half to a simmer over medium heat until it's warm to the touch. While the half-and-half is warming up, mix egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
Pour warm half-and-half into the egg mixture and combine. Pour back into the pot and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, constantly stirring until the pudding thickens.
Remove from heat, and stir in chocolates, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter until the chocolate and butter have melted and the chocolate pudding is glossy. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice, then cover it with water. Set the pot inside of the bowl for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The ice bath will save you 2 hours.
In a medium bowl, mix heavy cream for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Once the pudding has cooled off, whisk in sweetened condensed milk, then gently fold in whipped cream. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and make sure to press plastic wrap onto the chocolate pudding. Store in the fridge for 4 hours minimum or overnight.
Whipped Cream
Mix heavy cream, powdered sugar, and salt in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer until light, fluffy and thick.
To assemble: Take a handful of vanilla wafers and crumble them over a small bowl. In a trifle bowl or baking dish, add ⅓ of chocolate banana pudding, cookies, and banana slices; repeat and finish the last layer with banana slices, whipped cream, crumbled wafers, and grated chocolate. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge; the banana pudding is best 2 days after.
How To Store Chocolate Banana Pudding
Chocolate banana pudding is best 2-3 days after it's made. However, if you keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, it'll last for 7 days or until someone eats it all in the middle of the night. Remember to use plastic wrap to press onto the pudding to keep the bananas from browning.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are a few notes I had from making this delightful chocolate banana pudding recipe.
- If you plan to get a head start, I recommend sprinkling your banana slices with lemon juice to prevent them from becoming brown.
- Keep the custard moving in the pot by stirring it every 20-30 seconds.
- You may substitute half-and-half with any kind of milk, including whole, evaporated, or non-dairy.
- If your milk is too hot, wait for it to cool down before adding it to your eggs. If you don't, the combination of hot milk and eggs will turn into scrambled eggs.
- To prevent curdling, eggs are tempered by adding hot liquids to raise their temperature.
- Did you know that cornstarch is gluten-free?
- If you use salted butter, remove the salt from the recipe.
- A whisk is more effective for this task since it can reach the tight corners and prevent the custard from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you don't have a whisk, use a wooden spoon with an angled point instead.
- It only takes 15-20 seconds to make fresh whipped cream in a food processor.
- You can use your favorite cookies, shortbread, chocolate wafers, or Oreos as a substitution for the nilla wafers.
- You can use chocolate chips instead of chocolate bars for your chocolate pudding.
- Use a cheese grater grating holes to grate chocolate or a vegetable peeler for chocolate curls.
- If you want to enhance the banana flavor, add some banana extract.
- Make sure you don't use any cool whip or other whipped toppings in the pudding. They just can't compare to the homemade whipped cream you may make.
FAQs
Here are the top questions readers have about chocolate banana pudding.
Yes, many people (me included) believe that bananas and chocolate are a great combination. The flavors complement each other well and create a delicious dessert.
You can do several things with soft bananas, but adding them to a banana pudding is a match made in heaven because the creamy texture of the pudding plays well with the soft bananas and crunchy cookies.
I have friends that were raised on hot banana pudding but would eat it cold the next day. This recipe for chocolate banana pudding is meant to be devoured cold on a hot day or any day you want a pick-me-up.
The best way to keep your banana pudding from getting runny is to properly measure your ingredients and follow the instruction for making the pudding.
The proper technique is essential so that your pudding stays thick and creamy without getting runny when you add more liquids (sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream).
Yes, you use large egg yolks to make banana pudding. They're a key recipe ingredient to making the perfect pudding.
More Dessert Recipes
If you love chocolate and bananas as much as I do, then I know you'll love these recipes too!
- New Orleans Bananas Foster
- Lemon Ice Box Pie
- Chocolate Pancakes with Cherry Syrup
- Chocolate French Toast
- Triple Chocolate Brownies
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized before I start cooking.
Step 1: Get all ingredients for the chocolate banana pudding on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out.
Step 3: Follow the recipe and prepare for the world's best chocolate banana pudding!
I really hope you give this recipe a try! It’s one of my favorites, and it always impresses guests. If you do make it, please leave a comment and star rating below. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations. Enjoy!
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Chocolate Banana Pudding:
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped, plus more for garnish
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate bar chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 11 oz. box vanilla wafers
- 6 bananas sliced
- mint sprigs garnish
Whipped Cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream cold
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Chocolate Pudding: In a medium pot, bring half-and-half to a simmer over medium heat until it's warm to touch. While the half-and-half is warming up. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.
- Once half-and-half is warm, pour half into egg mixture and combine. Stir mixture back into pot. Over medium heat, cook for 8-10 minutes, constantly stirring until pudding thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolates, vanilla, and butter until chocolate and butter have melted and pudding is glossy. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice, then cover with water. Sit the pot inside of the bowl for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The ice bath will save 2 hours.
- In a medium bowl, mix heavy cream for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Once pudding has cooled off, whisk in condensed milk, then gently fold in whipped cream. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and make sure to press plastic wrap onto pudding. Pop in fridge for 4 hours minimum or overnight.
- Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, mix heavy cream, powdered sugar, and salt for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer until light, fluffy and thick.
- To assemble: Take a handful of vanilla wafers and crumble over a small bowl. In a glass, bowl, or baking dish, add ⅓ of chocolate banana pudding, cookies, and banana; repeat and finish last layer with bananas, whipped cream, crumbled wafers, and grated chocolate. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge; banana pudding is best 2 days after.
Notes
- If you plan to get a head start, I recommend sprinkling your banana slices with lemon juice to prevent them from becoming brown.
- Keep the custard moving in the pot by stirring it every 20-30 seconds.
- You may substitute half-and-half with any kind of milk, including whole, evaporated, or non-dairy.
- If your milk is too hot, wait for it to cool down before adding it to your eggs. If you don't, the combination of hot milk and eggs will turn into scrambled eggs.
- To prevent curdling, eggs are tempered by adding hot liquids to raise their temperature.
- Did you know that cornstarch is gluten-free?
- If you use salted butter, remove the salt from the recipe.
- A whisk is more effective for this task since it can reach the tight corners and prevent the custard from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you don't have a whisk, use a wooden spoon with an angled point instead.
- It only takes 15-20 seconds to make fresh whipped cream in a food processor.
- You can use your favorite cookie, shortbread, chocolate wafers, or Oreos as a substitution for the nilla wafers.
- You can use chocolate chips instead of chocolate bars for your chocolate pudding.
- Use a cheese grater grating holes to grate chocolate or a vegetable peeler for chocolate curls.
- If you want to enhance the banana flavor, add some banana extract.
- Make sure you don't use any cool whip or other whipped toppings in the pudding. They just can't compare to the homemade whipped cream you may make.
Ilmu Forensik says
Is it better if the banana is replaced with a strawberry?
Kenneth Temple says
You know what? That may work perfectly.