This is the best Vegan Banana Pudding! It has everything you love about the classic Southern-style dessert, including layers of decadent vanilla custard, vanilla wafer cookies and plenty of banana slices.
Want more tasty vegan banana desserts? Try my Vegan Banana Cream Pie and this delicious Vegan Banana Cake.
The classic banana pudding recipe was first published in an 1888 issue of Good Housekeeping. It was made by layering custard over sponge cake and freshly sliced bananas, then finished with a whipped cream topping. This sweet and creamy dessert hasn’t changed much from all of those years ago because it’s just so darn delicious!
Nowadays, we can easily make a just-as-delicious Vegan Banana Pudding with some simple substitutions. My dairy free version is like a banana cream pie-flavored tiramisu. It’s layered with homemade vegan vanilla custard, vegan vanilla wafer cookies and of course, plenty of sliced bananas!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Creamy, rich, and sweet: True to traditional banana pudding recipes, this non dairy banana pudding is a multi-layered trifle-style dessert. The rich dairy free custard is easy to make and even better mixed with Coco whip!
- An easy no-bake dessert: Turn to this recipe when you need a low-effort but crowd-pleasing vegan dessert that will fit in at any occasion.
- It’s customizable: Switch up the cookie layer and add custom toppings to make this banana pudding your own.
Ingredients needed
- Oat milk – For the best outcome, use full fat or Barista oat milk that is super creamy and rich. You can substitute soy, almond, cashew or coconut milk if you prefer.
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the pudding. You may be able to use arrowroot as a substitute.
- Granulated sugar – Feel free to use coconut sugar. I haven’t tested this recipe with liquid sweeteners, like maple syrup.
- Vanilla extract – This is what gives the vegan pudding its signature, well-balanced vanilla flavor.
- Coco Whip – To keep this recipe simple, I use a container of So Delicious Coco Whip, which you can find at many stores in the freezer section (think vegan cool whip!). It’s the secret ingredient that makes the custard even better and more whipped cream-like. You can use my Vegan Whipped Cream, Coconut Whipped Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream Substitution if you prefer.
- Vegan vanilla wafers – 365 brand is naturally vegan, and there are others. Use gluten free cookies if needed. You can also make this with your own cookies like my Vegan Shortbread Cookies.
- Bananas – Save the spotted ripe bananas for banana cake or banana bread. The bananas you use for this recipe should be barely ripe and easy to slice into firm rounds.
Tips and variations
- I made this recipe in a trifle dish. You can use any other type of dessert dish you already have at home (2 or 2.5 quarts). For individual servings, assemble the dessert in dessert glasses or small mason jars.
- Don’t skip the chill time. The assembled dessert needs to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, but leaving it overnight always gives you the best results. During this time, the pudding will thicken and all of the flavors will marry together.
- Wait to slice the bananas because they begin turning brown almost as soon as they’re exposed to air. Wait until right before you’re ready to assemble to start slicing them.
- If you can’t find vanilla wafer cookies, use vegan graham crackers, vanilla sandwich cookies, or shortbread cookies.
- Have fun with the toppings. Once the banana pudding is fully set and smothered in whipped cream, finish it with dark chocolate shavings, shredded coconut, peanut butter, hazelnut spread, caramel sauce, and anything else you like.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! In fact, it’s always best to make this recipe at least 4 hours ahead of time. Just leave the whipped cream and other toppings off until right before serving.
Banana pudding is best enjoyed once it’s thoroughly chilled and set. However, leftovers will last in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing banana pudding because of the delicate, moist ingredients.
Want more no-bake vegan desserts?
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Vegan No-Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Layered Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake
Vegan Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 cups full fat oat milk
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 container (9 ounces) Coco Whip*
- 9 ounce box vegan-friendly vanilla wafer cookies*
- 4-6 medium barely ripe bananas, sliced
Instructions
- Whisk the oat milk and cornstarch in a measuring cup or bowl until smooth. You want to remove any small clumps of cornstarch before you heat it.
- To a medium pot, add the sugar and oat milk/cornstarch mixture.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and continue whisking for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture gets hot enough to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. If you end up with any clumps of cornstarch, use an immersion blender and blend until very smooth. You could also blend in a high-powered blender if needed.
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid a film forming on the top. Place in the refrigerator to cool for about 2 hours.
- Once the custard has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator and add the Coco Whip. Use a electric mixer to mix it in.
- Line the bottom of a trifle dish or 2-2.5 quart dish with 1/3 of the cookies, then 1/3 of the banana slices, and spread 1/3 of the custard on top of the bananas. Repeat the layers two more times, then garnish with more cookies or cookie crumbs plus more bananas on top, if desired.
- Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours if possible, before serving. This will let the flavors mingle and help the cookies soften a bit.
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Unless you use super ripe bananas the bananas won't brown too much. Enjoy!
Notes
- I prefer full fat or Barista oat milk in the custard, but you can use soy, almond, cashew or coconut milk.
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For the whipped cream, you can use store-bought So Delicious Coco Whip, homemade coconut whipped cream, aquafaba whipped cream or this Heavy Whipping Cream Substitute. You could leave this out, but it really does add a lot to the “pudding”, making it creamy, rich and light – somewhere in between custard and whipped cream!
- For gluten free, use gluten-free vegan vanilla wafers. I use 365 brand vegan wafer cookies from Whole Foods most often.
Nutrition
*I updated this recipe July 2025, after several people reported trouble with the original version. After several rounds of testing, I created a much more DELICIOUS and EASY recipe that is foolproof. I’m always interested in improving the recipes on my site if they need it, so thank YOU for your feedback!
This is my favorite banana pudding recipe. My pudding set and my vegan and non-vegan people loved it.
I made it and let it stay in the fridge over night. It was soupy. I even added a little extra cornstarch. Maybe mine was old.? This is the only time I have ever had a problem with a recipe from you.
Thanks,
Jasmine ❤️
I’m going to revisit this recipe in the next week or so, since several people have been having issues with it being too runny or not thickening up. Stay tuned!
Hello, I got new cornstarch and if was amazing 👏
Thanks again,
Jasmine Davis
Easy to make and the taste was wonderful, but mine never thickened to a pudding consistency. My Heavy Whipping Cream didn’t whip either. I’m wondering if the brand of soy milk made a difference. I used Trader Joe’s in both. Tips I would be interested in would be approximate cooking time and the brand of soy milk you used. I’m going to try again starting with more constarch since I’m a big fan of your recipes.
I’m not sure that the brand of milk would be an issue, my guess is that perhaps you didn’t cook it long enough on the stovetop? It should thicken in the pot, and then more in the fridge. But it’s not a super thick custard if that’s what you are hoping for. I usually use Silk unsweetened soy for baking, but I’ve used many other brands. You could try a bit more cornstarch, or even subbing some of the milk for a can of full fat coconut milk. That will make it thicker once chilled. Hopefully this helps somewhat!
Looks like a wonderful recipe! Can you use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch?
I haven’t tried it myself but I think it should work quite well.
Is there no actual banana in the pudding? I was hesitant to make it as I’m not a fan of vanilla pudding!
There is not, if you don’t like vanilla pudding I’m not sure you will enjoy this recipe. The bananas are sliced and layered in, so it very much tastes like banana.
I followed the recipe exactly and mine did not set HOWEVER I checked my cornstarch and it expired one year ago! I am going to make this again for July 4th with a new can of cornstarch and see if that solves the problem. I used Golden Oreos as the wafers. Taste is delicious, a bit too sweet for me to have more than a few bites but I think that’s how banana pudding is supposed to be 🙂
I made it again with new cornstarch and it slightly improved the consistency, but it is still runny and not traditional “pudding” texture. The morning after it was made it was very liquidy in the parts of the dish that have been scooped out/eaten, almost like the remaining pudding is melting. I wish I could have got it to set better because it is a yummy recipe!
I’m surprised so many others are having trouble with this recipe — I’ve made it twice now and it’s been delicious both times! I will say it takes quite a while for the pudding to start simmering, in my experience, so maybe that’s where it’s going wrong for others.
I made it for July 4th last weekend and it was a hit with my non-vegan friends. I used Partake brand cookies and Coco Whip.
Mine didn’t set. Do you think I can start over and recook on stove top.
I don’t think you can recook the pudding, I’d start over with new ingredients if I were you. Did you use everything as listed, or make any substitutions?
I made banana pudding this week and me and my sister loved it. I’m vegan, but my sister is not and my sister said she loved it. Everything was on point. I followed the recipe to the tee. the consistently of the pudding was great. The flavor was really great. I loved everything. I’m actually making it for a second time this week, but I was not at a store to get the vegan vanilla wafers so I’m trying the Biscoff cookies today. I hope it’s just as good as it was with the other cookie. I’m excited about it. I will be using this recipe for banana puddings from here on out and it was pretty easy too for it to be homemade off the stove I loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
You are welcome, Asrar! I’m thrilled that you and your sister love the banana pudding! I think it will be delicious using Biscoff cookies! Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review! I’m thrilled this will be your go-to banana pudding recipe! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
The recipe is delicious but mine also didn’t set, even after being in the fridge overnight. I think more cornstarch would help.
I made this for Thanksgiving. Delicious! Reminiscent of pudding cups from my childhood.
I am thrilled you love the recipe! Thanks for your awesome feedback!
Can you add more cornstarch? Mine was a bit runny but tasted AMAZING!!! Thank you!
You could, but keep in mind it will firm up as it chills. Thank you!
Do I absolutely need vegan butter for this recipe, or could I substitute it with refined coconut oil?
I think you could use refined coconut oil, no problem. Enjoy!
I was the only vegan at a family 4th of July gathering and was in charge of dessert. I made this. The non-vegans RAVED! Delicious! This recipe will become a 4th of July tradition and a go-to dessert recipe. Your recipes are amazing and so easy! Thank you!!
You are welcome, Helen! I’m thrilled this recipe will become a new tradition at your July 4 gatherings! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback! Makes my day! Happy cooking!
My daughter is on a gluten free, dairy free diet and not only she but all of us absolutely LOVED this recipe!!! There was no difference in it and the old fashioned one my grandmother made. So delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
You are welcome, Gayle! How wonderful that you all loved the pudding! Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback!
My pudding didn’t set! I even let it sit overnight. It was runny and not very appetizing in texture. The heck did I do wrong?
Did you use cornstarch and thicken it on the stovetop before chilling? The cornstarch is what makes the pudding set.
Mine didn’t either! And I followed the recipe
Simple recipe with great taste. To my surprise, this tasted better than I thought. I do prefer my bananas to be sweet so I did let them ripen. I also used partial brown sugar and it really put it over the top for me.
This was so easy to make & sooooo good!! It’s been a long time since I’ve had banana pudding. So happy you made this vegan recipe cause it tastes just as I remember!
That is so great! I’m so glad you loved the pudding! I appreciate your wonderful feedback and review!
This was tasty and easy!
Delicious! Love the silky texture, and the flavor is great. I used some coconut milk in substitute for part of the soymilk, and omitted the vegan butter. I also cut back sugar to 1/2 cup for the first try , and it was wy too sweet for my taste. I can’t imagine how sweet it would be with the full cup of sugar – 16 tablespoons! Second time I tried 1/4 cup sugar, and it suits my taste better.
Hi Karen. How great that you love the pudding, and found the sweet amount that works for you! Thank you for sharing your great feedback and review!