Patti Labelle Banana Pudding Recipe

While we might know Patti Labelle as being a fantastic R&B and Soul singer who served as the frontwoman for the hugely successful vocal group ‘Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles’ her talents extended far beyond that, into both dancing and more importantly, cooking.

She has released numerous cookbooks throughout her career which have sold literally millions of copies.

Among Patti Labelle recipes, a particular one for Banana Pudding became a favorite amongst readers.

This particular pudding became so popular because it was exceptionally delicious and pretty easy to make.

Today we are going to share with you the Patti Labelle Banana Pudding recipe, so you can finally enjoy this dish at home!

How to make Patti Labelle Banana Pudding

Pattis banana pudding is primarily a cold dish, the only kind of cooking that’s involved is in heating up the cream to thicken the mixture.

This is very helpful as it means minimal equipment is needed.

In terms of ingredients, it’s all built around the banana, cream, and eggs.

But it can be enhanced with almost anything you fancy, with the original recipe using things like vanilla, cinnamon, and a little salt.

Don’t be afraid to pull out your favorite pudding flavors here!

Part of the magic is having fun and making it your own.

Ingredients:

(4 servings)

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 cups of heavy cream (divided)
• 1/8 tsp of sea salt
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 8oz of cool whip
• 1 box of vanilla wafers

Instructions:

All you will need to cook this is a stovetop, pan, mixing bowl, and a whisk.

Now one thing to note is that the recipe does call for an instant vanilla pudding mix, but don’t worry about this too much and just get whichever mix is easily available and of the right price for you.

As we will be adding many other flavors using other ingredients, the vanilla mix ends up being fairly inconsequential to the final result, it’ll be delicious no matter which one you buy!

Step 1:

Start by taking a saucepan and heating half a cup of the heavy cream.

Use medium heat and just check that it’s getting warm, we’re not trying to boil it so if you see it start to bubble remove it from the heat immediately.

Step 2:

While the cream is heating we can add the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar (not the powdered sugar) together and whisk them.

Keep whisking until you’re left with a nice and fluffy mixture that is light yellow in color.

Step 3:

You’ve been keeping an eye on the cream, right?

Once it’s warm enough remove it from the heat and decant it all into the mixing bowl.

Mix this together (using a low-speed setting if you have an electric whisk) and then pour the whole thing back into the pan.

Step 4:

Continue heating everything over medium heat, the mixture should start to thicken up.

You’re aiming to get the mixture to 160°F at which point it should also be nice and thick, then you can simply remove it from the stove.

Step 5:

Now we can add the sea salt, vanilla extract, the vanilla pudding mix of choice, cinnamon, and the bananas (be sure to cut them up a little beforehand).

Step 6:

Whisk all these together until everything is well combined and you have a rich and thick mixture.

Step 7:

Next, take a separate mixing bowl and pour the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream in, then whisk this thoroughly.

You should start to see high, fluffy peaks start to form when you remove the whisk from the mixture.

Step 8:

Once you have it, at this stage add the powdered sugar, and, you guessed it, whisk a little more.

Step 9:

Now we need to combine both of these parts together.

Take the fresh banana mixture you prepared before and add this to your cream/powdered sugar mixture and mix it one more time to finally combine everything.

Step 10:

Probably the most important step is arranging everything.

Using the cool whip, banana pudding we just made, and the vanilla wafers, create layers of these 3 ingredients as desired.

Thick, thin, more layers or fewer layers, the choice is yours!

Once you’ve created your masterpiece simply refrigerate until it’s chilled, it’s now ready to serve!

Ingredients substitutions

The Banana Pudding is certainly not a new dish that’s unique to Labelle cuisine, so for many years, people have been getting creative with alternative pudding recipes and fantastic-tasting ingredient substitutions.

Here are our top suggestions based on both upping the ante of the flavor and some useful ingredient alternatives based on dietary requirements.

1. Homemade Pudding Mix

One of the things this recipe calls for is a store-bought pudding mixture.

This is fundamentally cornstarch, sugar, and usually some kind of flavorings such as vanilla or chocolate.

You can use a recipe of 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts sugar, with some vanilla extract to taste and you have an ideal substitute for any store-bought pudding mixture.

2. Soy Milk

Heavy cream is essentially just a 30-40% fat type of milk.

Now the standard substitution for this is milk + butter to get both the creaminess and fat.

However, if you are looking for a great vegetarian alternative these can be swapped out for soy milk and olive oil.

With the creamy aspect coming from the soy milk and the fats being provided by the olive oil.

This is also a much healthier option, you can use 2/3 cups of soy milk with 1/3 cup of olive oil for each cup of heavy cream.

3. Pureed avocado

Even if you substitute heavy cream it’s still not an entirely vegan dish.

So a great alternative is pureed avocado. It has all that same richness as egg yolk and acts as a similar kind of binder for the pudding.

4. Whipped Cream

Short on ingredients? A quick squirt of fresh whipped cream to top it off right before serving is an incredibly simple way to jazz things up a little.

What to serve with Patti Labelle Banana Pudding

By itself, this is already a satisfying kind of dessert.

But that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of opportunities to enhance the flavor with either some delicious side treats or some new toppings on the pudding itself.

Here are a few suggestions to spark your imagination.

Cookie Crumbles

The vanilla wafers are there to provide that extra bit of crunch amongst the more creamy ingredients.

We can enhance this even further by crumbling some fresh cookies over the top that will not only look more appealing, but it also adds that extra level of texture and of course a moorish cookie element to the flavor.

Be sure to add this right before serving, as if you store that in the fridge they will become soggy, which kind of defeats their purpose.

Fresh strawberries

We’ve used a lot of creamy and sugary ingredients for the pudding so far.

A great way to lighten things up and add a little bit of a healthy element to it is to use some freshly sliced fruit either on the side or sprinkled on top of the pudding.

Strawberries are one of our favorites for this as they have that lovely sweet and juicy quality to them that pairs excellently with the pudding.

Plus, who doesn’t love strawberries and bananas?

How to store Patti Labelle Banana Pudding

Pudding can refrigerate for some time without issue.

The main thing to be aware of is that you don’t add any extra toppings which might not taste as good after refrigeration.

Store in the fridge

Transfer any remaining pudding into a suitably large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to make it airtight.

Or alternatively, a plastic container works even better.

Once refrigerated it will last for 2-3 days.

Store in the freezer

If for any reason you find yourself needing to store the pudding for longer, you can also freeze it.

It will affect the texture and color of the pudding a little, but it’ll be absolutely fine to eat.

Transfer into a suitable, airtight container and freeze.

Once stored it will last for about a month.