First, let me clarify. This dessert doesn’t actually contain banana pudding. It contains vanilla pudding and tons of fresh bananas.
Okay. Got it.
Next, why the heck did I have so many bananas? Because we did a Costco run. And a giant bunch of bananas cost as much as two bananas at the regular grocery store.
But I can only eat one banana at a time. And I already have frozen bananas in the freezer from the past two times I thought it was a bright idea to buy them at Costco.
And. Well, I also had some graham crackers I needed to use up.
So I found this old fashioned recipe and asked my friend Chad about it (ChatGPT). He gave me the exact ingredients and instructions.
So! I got this no-bake, refreshing summer dessert. I got to use up ingredients instead of wasting. And I assume my potassium levels increased.
Because I try to reduce sugar where I can, I did use sugar-free instant pudding mix.
John volunteered to taste test. It was a sacrifice, but someone had to do it.
Here is what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 container Cool Whip, thawed
- 4–5 bananas, sliced
- 1 sleeve graham crackers
Directions
- Whisk the pudding mix, vanilla and milk until thickened.
- Fold in about half of the Cool Whip.
- Layer graham crackers in the bottom of a serving dish.
- Spread a layer of pudding mixture over the crackers.
- Add sliced bananas.
- Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.
- Top with the remaining Cool Whip.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours, or overnight.
As the dessert chills, the graham crackers soften and create a texture similar to cake.
Wrap Up
I won’t claim this is a low-sugar dessert because bananas and graham crackers still bring plenty of sweetness to the party. But using sugar-free pudding mix cuts some of the added sugar, and the result feels light, refreshing, and perfect for summer.
I crushed up a little graham cracker for the top to make it extra fancy and it’s pretty enough for company.
For another tasty no-bake dessert recommendation, check out these mini cheesecakes.
As always, thank you for being here. God bless for a wonderful week.