No-Bake Berry Berry Tasty Pudding Recipe

Looking for a recipe to bring to your next summer cookout gathering? Classic banana pudding with vanilla wafers is always a hit, but what if we gave it a bright summery twist? Substituting the banana for a mix of fresh summer berries adds a burst of juicy sweet-tart fruit flavor to the traditional recipe. The creamy, rich pudding starts to soften the crisp vanilla wafer cookies, leading to a soft, spoonable texture that gets better as it sits. Top the whole dish with blended freeze-dried fruit to give it a gorgeous, colorful finish.

Recipe developer Taylor Murray brings us this delicious berries-and-cream dessert, which is best served straight from the refrigerator. "This recipe is a hit whenever I bring it to a party. I make it the night before so the flavors have plenty of time to meld and soften," says Murray. The best part about this recipe? No need to turn on the oven when the weather outside is already heating up your kitchen. 

Since we aren't using bananas, we'll need to start with an assortment of ripe berries. If you want, you can use entirely one type of berry, such as strawberries, or use any mix that you prefer. For this recipe, we used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. The berries are macerated in a mix of lemon juice and sugar to get them nice and juicy. 

Next, the classic vanilla wafer cookies, such as Nilla. The creamy pudding base is made from a mix of whipped heavy cream, cold milk, sweetened condensed milk, mascarpone cheese for richness, and a packet of French vanilla pudding mix. Finally, the dessert is topped with freeze-dried fruit, blended to a powder in a blender.

Slice or hull the berries as needed depending on their size.

In a large bowl, combine the berries, sugar, and lemon juice, mashing slightly with a spoon.

Refrigerate the fruit until the rest of the dessert is ready.

Meanwhile, add mascarpone to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth.

Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk until fully incorporated.

Add the pudding mix and beat until incorporated.

Slowly add the milk, stopping often to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Cover the pudding mixture and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours and up to 5.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks.

Fold the cream into the chilled pudding mixture.

To assemble, add the fruit to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Top with a layer of wafer cookies.

Spread a thin layer of pudding mixture over the cookies.

Top with another layer of cookies.

Finish with the remaining pudding mixture, smoothing top to finish.

In a blender, grind the freeze-dried berries to a fine powder.

Transfer the powder to a sieve and dust over the baking dish. Alternatively, separate the three kinds of freeze-dried berries and grind them individually, then dust over the pudding one by one to form a gradient.

Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours and up to 12 before serving.

Not only can this berry vanilla pudding be made in advance, it gets much better after chilling for a while. One of the hallmarks of a classic banana pudding is that the vanilla wafer cookies soften from the moisture in the pudding mixture. If you are planning to bring this dish to a midday gathering, it's best to make it the day or night before. That way, the berries will have plenty of time to macerate and the pudding mixture to soften the cookies.

For best results visually, wait to dust the freeze-dried fruit powder on until just before serving, or as close as possible to still be convenient. "Freeze-dried fruit is especially susceptible to moisture and its texture will noticeably change," says Murray. If this isn't possible, don't worry. The flavor will still be great and the dish won't suffer too much visually.

If you need an easy swap for vanilla wafers in this berry pudding recipe, there are several great choices that will work depending on the texture and flavor you desire. Graham crackers are a popular choice and offer a sweet and slightly honeyed taste that goes well with berries. For a nuttier flavor, you might consider almond cookies or biscotti, which perfectly complement the ripe berries, and also add a delightful crunch because they won't soften quite as much. 

If you prefer something with a buttery richness, shortbread cookies are an excellent option. Gingersnaps would add a spiced, gingery kick that could be an interesting twist on the classic recipe. Another change from the original flavor profile could be to swap the vanilla wafers with peanut butter sandwich cookies, to create a hint of the ever-popular PB&J combination. If you need a healthier twist or to avoid gluten, oatmeal cookies or gluten-free cookies can absolutely be used.