Banana Pudding Tiramisu Recipe

Nothing beats a scoop of cold banana pudding after a mid-summer family grill-out. That's probably why the simple yet iconic dish has endured since it was first mentioned in the New York Times in 1878. We've decided to take the traditional preparation and combine it with another classic: tiramisu. Instead of using shortbread cookies or wafers, we've swapped in ladyfingers and dipped them in espresso before layering them into a serving dish. Quick banana pudding recipes often use pudding mix and other instant food products, but we're making our custard entirely from scratch. It comes together just as quickly as instant pudding but has a lot more flavor, a better texture, and you can even brag that you made it instead of purchasing it (but we won't judge you if you do swap in store-bought).

Since this recipe has several components, it's best to prepare them all in advance and then assemble them once everything is ready. Cook and cool the pudding entirely, slice your bananas and pop them in a bowl, and whip the cream to set yourself up for success. Once it's all put together, a 4-hour chill will marry the flavors as the pudding sets — but you could also chill it overnight for an even better dessert the next day.

Every banana pudding recipe calls for one main ingredient: ripe bananas. If yours aren't ripe, there's a hack for ripening bananas quickly that involves your oven (we love this trick). To make the pudding, you'll need milk, two eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch — but note that you can substitute half the quantity of milk with cream for an extra-rich version. For assembly, you'll need a package of ladyfingers, a third cup of freshly brewed espresso, and powdered sugar to add to whipping cream for the topping. 

Heat the milk to a simmer in a medium-sized pot.

Add the eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a small bowl. Whisk together.

Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then return it to the pot.

Cook 5-10 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve and let cool.

Whip the cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Fold half of the cream into the cooled pudding.

Spread a third of the pudding mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

Quickly dip each ladyfinger in the espresso, turning once.

Place a layer of soaked ladyfingers on top of the pudding in the serving dish.

Top with sliced bananas.

Add another layer of pudding. Repeat the layering process with lady fingers, sliced bananas, and pudding.

For the final layer, spread the reserved whipped cream on top with the remaining banana slices.

Chill 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!

We've opted to use ladyfingers in this banana pudding tiramisu since it's the staple of the traditional version of the Italian dessert. If you don't have them on hand, there are plenty of other cookies you can use instead, and some can even help you pack in more flavors. Just consider the main textures of a ladyfinger: dry, crisp, and light. Why not try some crispy chocolate chip cookies instead for a richer flavor, and a bit of chocolate to boot? If you'd like to make it even more chocolatey, try adding ½ cup dark chocolate (or white chocolate) to the hot pudding as it cools. 

For a warmer, spiced take, try using ginger snaps (and maybe even add a little ground ginger in the whipped cream) instead of ladyfingers. Similar comforting vibes could come from Biscoff cookies, which pair excellently with the richness of the banana pudding tiramisu. One note is to be careful with how long any of these items sit in the espresso to avoid a soggy tiramisu – you just want a quick soak.

About a decade ago, asking someone for a vegan or gluten-free tiramisu would've been setting them a really difficult task. Thankfully, it's much easier to cater to dietary concerns than it used to be, and we have endless options for plant-based replacements for eggs and dairy. So how can you adapt this banana pudding tiramisu? Easy, just make a few tweaks and you'll be good to go.

Change the heavy cream for a plant-based alternative, like chilled coconut cream. There are also several plant-based "creams" available in stores now, such as the version from Country Crock, that can be whipped just like normal dairy cream. Other than replacing the dairy, you'll need a swap for ladyfingers. You can use any of the substitutions we mentioned above (a vegan version, of course), or check out our previous recipe for vegan tiramisu that includes a step-by-step process for making vegan ladyfingers.

The pudding is another dairy-heavy part of this recipe, so to make a vegan version, we'd suggest using coconut cream or another non-dairy milk instead of whole milk. Omit the eggs entirely and double the quantity of cornstarch in the recipe. Stir in a quarter cup of water to the cornstarch to make a slurry and add that instead of the eggs. The pudding might not be quite as creamy, but it will still be delicious.