Course: Dessert
Cuisine: African American, Soul Food, Southern
Keyword: banana pudding, tofu, vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
chilling time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 297kcal
This vegan banana pudding is a plant-based version of a Soul Food classic dessert. Use overripe bananas for the best flavor.
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food processor
fine mesh sieve
For the Vegan Banana Pudding
- 16 ounce package (454 grams) silken tofu
- 3 medium overripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup or 250 grams)
- 3/4 cup (85 grams) vegan powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt optional
- 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) banana extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 9 ounce container (255 grams) dairy-free whipped topping separated, plus more to garnish
To Assemble
- 8.8 ounce package (250 grams) vegan cookies crushed into medium-sized pieces, plus more for garnish
- 3 medium bananas sliced, plus more to garnish
Drain the Tofu (begin 20 minutes ahead)
Before you prepare the banana pudding mixture, drain and blot the excess whey from the block of tofu. Carefully remove the tofu from the packaging and place it into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press a triple layer of paper towels gently onto the tofu while it drains to absorb the rest of the liquid. Allow the tofu to drain for 15-20 minutes.
Prepare the Banana Pudding Mixture
Discard the drained tofu liquid and add the tofu to a food processor or blender. Peel, then add the bananas to the food processor and pulse these together for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The mixture will be slightly thick and free of clumps. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl well.Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, banana extract, and vanilla extract to the food processor. Blend these together for 30 seconds. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom once more. Blend the banana-tofu mixture for 30 second to 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl and cover tightly with plastic film or a lid. Chill the banana pudding mixture for at least 1 hour to allow the tofu to firm up again.
Finish the Vegan Banana Pudding Before Assembling
Swaps and Substitutions:
- Silken and soft tofu are interchangeable. You can use either one.
- Replace the powdered sugar in this recipe with 1/2 cup of agave syrup. The pudding will be loose.
- You can replace the non-dairy whipped topping with regular whipped topping or cream if you're not on a strict vegan diet.
Tips and Techniques:
- It's important to drain the tofu because adding its liquid will cause your banana pudding to be runny.
- The bananas you use in this vegan banana pudding need to be more black than yellow on the banana peel so the bananas are super sweet.
- Add the cookies to a food storage bag and whack them a few times with a rolling pin to break them up easily.
Family-Style Vegan Banana Pudding:
- Prepare the banana pudding mixture as instructed.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of crushed cookies into an 8x8x3-inch baking dish.
- Top the cookies with half of the banana pudding mixture. Cover the pudding with 1 1/2 bananas, sliced 1/8-inch thick.
- Repeat this once more to make the banana pudding two layers deep.
- Cover the final layer of bananas with the whipped topping and garnish with crushed cookies and banana slices.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions:
- Store uncovered vegan banana pudding for up to two days in the fridge.
- You can prepare the banana pudding mixture a day ahead and store it in the fridge, covered, before assembling the dessert.
- Don't freeze vegan banana pudding because it changes the texture of the pudding after you thaw it.
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg