Tres Leches Banana Pudding (Easy, No Bake)
Our Banana Pudding was one of the top selling items we offered at our little storefront in South Holland, IL. Still 2 years later, we get constant calls and requests for it! We made our own custard pudding from fresh cream, milk and eggs, and even our own whipped cream from scratch. However the true secret ingredient was our House-made Butter Cookies in place of the flavorless dusty store brought wafers.
Don’t underestimate how much homemade cookies can make a difference in your Banana Pudding! They are Game-Changing!
This recipe is a simpler version than the one we used at the bakery. It’s much more accessible for those who are busy and need an amazing Banana Pudding with less effort.
This recipe uses 3 types of milk for a richer flavor, that is Evaporated Milk, Whole Milk, and most importantly, a can of Dulce De Leche. You can typically find this next to the Sweetened Condensed Milk in the grocery store or in the Mexican Foods aisle. You can absolutely substitute this for sweetened condensed milk, but the Dulce De Leche is a bit less sweet and gives the banana pudding a subtle caramel taste.
You can use cool whip as the topping, but we STRONGLY suggest our Homemade Whipped Cream recipe here on our website. Yes, it is a bit more work, but it tastes like vanilla ice cream and truly elevates the dish! Trust me, you won’t regret it!
Tres Leche Banana Pudding Recipe:
Ingredients-
2 Boxes Instant Banana Cream Pudding
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Dulce De Leche, (or Sweetened Condensed Milk)
1 1/2 cup Whole Milk
1 pk Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional but highly recommended)
2-3 bags Butter Cookies, chopped in 1 inch pieces
4 Bananas, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
1 Lemon, juiced
Tools You’ll Need
2 medium mixing bowl
electric mixer or whisk
knife (for bananas)
spoon (for juicing the lemon)
serving dish/bowl
Directions:
- I’m a medium bowl with an electric mixer(or a whisk and some elbow grease), beat Cream Cheese until smooth.
- To the whipped Cream Cheese: Add Evaporated Milk, Dulce De Leche (or Sweetened Condensed Milk), Pudding Mix, and 1 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract. Beat on medium to combine, and continue beating for 2-3 minutes, until pudding is smooth and lump free. Set aside.
- In another bowl, throughly toss sliced bananas with the juice from the lemon. Try to get the bananas well coated to help delay browning
- Layer the Pudding, Bananas, and Chopped Butter Cookies in a Bowl or Serving Pan. Start with 1/3 cookie pieces , then layer on top 1/3 bananas, then 1/3 pudding, and repeat until finished
- Top with Cool whip or our Homemade Whipped Cream
- For best flavor/texture, let Banana Pudding rest for 3 hours or overnight.