No More Dessert Guilt: (Almost) Sugar Free Southern Banana Pudding
Inside: The cool, creamy southern comfort of homemade banana pudding + dietary restrictions + little time = this low-sugar banana pudding recipe that’s perfect for any summer potluck!
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Making your nephew’s favorite dessert for his birthday is intimidating, especially when your status as favorite aunt is at stake.
And even more challenging when he’s just been diagnosed as prediabetic. So I needed to figure out how to make each ingredient in his beloved “nanner puddin” as low in sugar as I could.
The result?
I created a big birthday hug in a bowl he loved just as much as the full-on sugar version!
And even better, this Skinny Southern Banana Pudding is fast and no-bake. Make the instant pudding, mix in the sour cream and whipped topping, layer the bananas and vanilla wafers, set it in the fridge overnight, and voila, you have a dish of dessert love!
Can I tell you how shocked I am that every single person in the family loved it? These people don’t like their favorite foods tampered with in any way. And they don’t hold back on their opinions of said foods. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve slaved away on it. You’re gonna know what they really think.
This one feels like SUCH a win.
Ingredients for Low Sugar Banana Pudding.
You’ll need:
- 3-5 Bananas, sliced
- Small box of Sugar Free Instant Banana Cream Pudding Mix
- Small box of Sugar Free Instant Cheesecake Pudding Mix
- 4 cups Milk
- 2 Boxes of Sugar Free Vanilla Wafers (I used Voortman Bakery brand)
- 16 oz. container Sour Cream
- Tub of Zero Sugar Cool Whip (thaw first if frozen)
How to Make Low Sugar Banana Pudding.
Step One.
Add both pudding mixes to a large mixing bowl and the amount of milk in the instructions for both packages. (It was four cups for my two small boxes). Mix according to the directions until smooth and thickened.
I like to use a hand mixer—it splatters a bit but so much faster!
Step Two.
Fold in the sour cream and whipped topping.
(I chose sour cream for this recipe for a slight tangy layer of flavor and it’s lower in sugar than using Greek yogurt)
Step Three.
Line the bottom of a dish with wafers. You can use a large glass casserole pan, a pretty ceramic casserole dish, or a trifle dish to show off the layers. You can even layer it in individual serving bowls. Adjust the amounts to fit your dish—there’s no magic ratio to the layers. It will taste yummy any way you layer it! Be generous because we are only doing two layers in this recipe.
Then lay sliced banana pieces on top of the vanilla wafers.
SH&H Tip: Cut the long sugar free wafers in half to make them easier to layer. (Round sugar free vanilla wafers have more of the classic banana pudding look if you can find them. I thought these wafers might totally turn off the family, but they liked this kind of cookie. It reminds me of the little wafer cookies we ate back in the 70s!)
Step Four.
Spread half of the pudding mixture over the top of the wafers and bananas.
Step Five.
Repeat a layer of cookies and bananas.
Finish the top with the remainder of the pudding mixture.
Step Six.
Then it goes off to the fridge for at least three hours to firm up the pudding and make the cookies soft.
Presentation Tips.
- After the pudding has chilled and set in the refrigerator, garnish it with cookie pieces, crushed cookies, and sliced bananas.
- If you’d like “pretty” layers in a glass dish, chill the pudding to let it set before layering. I care more about speed—you can see the loose pudding ran down between the cookies while it was soft, partially covering the layers…
Options for Low Sugar Banana Pudding.
Even less sugar.
My goal was to make this banana pudding as close to sugar-free as I could. Bananas have some sugar—no getting around that. But the “greener” the banana, the less sugar content. I also used regular milk which also contains sugar (there’s a reason it’s sometimes called “sweet milk”.) With all of the milk options out there now, you may find one that has less or even no sugar that you like.
Keto and low-fat banana pudding options.
- Watching carbs too? To lower the net carbs a bit, substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
- And to lower the fat, use skim milk, and low fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt).
Skinny Southern Banana Pudding Printable Recipe.
Skinny Low Sugar Southern Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 small box of INSTANT SUGAR FREE banana cream pudding mix
- 1 small box of INSTANT SUGAR FREE cheesecake pudding mix
- 4 cups cold milk
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 3-5 bananas, sliced
- 1 8 oz. tub of ZERO SUGAR Cool Whip, thaw if frozen
- 2 boxes of SUGAR FREE vanilla wafer cookies, if using wafer bars, cut in half
Instructions
- Add both pudding mixes to a large mixing bowl with milk. Whisk by hand or mix on low with hand mixer until smooth and thickened. (about 5 minutes by hand, 2 1/2 hand mixer)
- Fold sour cream and thawed whipped topping into pudding.
- Line a large casserole dish or trifle dish with a generous amount of wafers.
- Top the wafers with a generous amount of banana slices.
- Spread half of the pudding mixture on top of the bananas.
- Repeat a layer of wafers and bananas.
- Top with the remaining pudding.
- Chill in the refrigerator until the pudding is set, at least 3 hours.
- Remove and garnish with cookies, crushed cookies, and fresh banana slices.
The recipe I thought would only say, “it’s the effort that counts“, I’ve now had to put in writing to go into the family favorites. And no matter how delicious this dessert is, it doesn’t beat the feeling of making my nephew happy. Because when he’s happy, his auntie is happy.
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I’m asking a question, not posting a comment. 😁 The recipe calls for two boxes of vanilla wafers. Is that two 9-ounce packages of vanilla wafers? Are all of the wafers used? This banana pudding uses ingredients similar to the ones I use for my regular BP. I always use sour cream — makes it a bit less sweet tasting. I use Nabisco Nilla Wafers, but I think using the “sugar wafers” is a great idea. Thanks much!
Hi Judi!
The number of wafers kind of depends on the dish you’re making it in, but I used both boxes in that trifle dish in the post.
what size box is a small box of pudding
I believe it’s the 3.4 oz. size.
Do I have to use Sour cream to make this correctly? Could I just use pudding and cool whip?
You won’t have as much filling and it will have a slightly different flavor, but I would think it would still taste good!
Can you make this 8 hours ahead of time? I’m making it today.
Hi Sherry, sorry I didn’t see this yesterday! Hopefully you went ahead and made it, because it only needs a few hours in the fridge for the pudding to set. I hope it was delicious!
i made 2 banana pudding sugar free and one with cheesecake banana pudding and the other with banana and vanillia pudding and i love the taste of the pudding and i made them for a church potlock
Ooooh cheesecake banana pudding is a wonderful idea!!
I saw your banana pudding on Instagram and hopped over to get the recipe. My husband has type 2 and a granddaughter has type 1 diabetes so I am always looking for ways to cut the sugar.
I hope you do try it Jane! I never expected everyone to like it this much. I was truly trying to give my nephew his favorite dessert for his birthday when sugar was off limits for him.
This sounds like a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to try it!
Let me know what you think Shirley!