Your Microwave Is Key For Quick Banana Pudding

Although it tastes so decadent, banana pudding is essentially the two items it's named after and a few other basic ingredients. It's already a no-frills dessert, and yet we'll never stop searching for ways to make the delicious treat even more accessible. To enjoy banana pudding in a pinch, simply whip some up in your microwave.

Using the microwave means we can get our hands on homemade dessert very quickly. We love a good lemon mug cake or a microwaved marshmallow treat, and the method can also be extended to banana pudding. This dessert always tastes its best when it's gone through a heating process, whether that be baking in the oven or stirring on the stovetop. Yet, if you're having a strong craving for the treat, there is a way to make it faster in about 15 minutes.

The microwaved version has all the basic ingredients of a standard banana pudding — flour, sugar, milk, egg yolks. Mix the milk, egg yolks, flour, and sugar together until they're well incorporated. You can also add vanilla extract, if you'd like. Rather than sticking it in the oven to cook, you'll heat it in the microwave incrementally. Heat the mixture for about two minutes, then stir again. Once you've done that about three or four times, it should be properly thickened. Add a layer of pudding to a baking dish, and place wafers and banana slices on top, followed by another pudding layer.

While this method works for recipes that already require some cooking, there are banana puddings made without any form of heating at all. Still, you can make it in the microwave if you prefer to eat the treat warm. Our classic banana pudding relies on instant vanilla pudding, but you can opt for the cook-and-serve type, instead. The result will be a little creamier, but still just as quick to make. Rather than using flour and eggs, you'll just mix the pudding with milk and microwave it using two-minute increments about four times.

For a slightly more elaborate take on the classic dessert, banana pudding pie works, too. It doesn't require any heating either, but if you prefer the cook-and-serve pudding, you can again use it rather than instant. After microwaving, allow the pudding to thicken and cool in the fridge before assembling the pie. Once it's chilled, spread it onto the biscuit base, followed by the sliced bananas and whipped cream.

Whether you're using a pudding mix or making the dessert from scratch, it's important that it reaches a specific temperature before it's safe to eat. With eggs and egg-based puddings, it should reach 175 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. But also be careful not to go too far beyond those temperatures, as egg-based mixtures can curdle when heated too high.