This easy recipe for Boozy Banana Pudding Parfaits makes a dessert special enough to serve at a party, and simple enough to whip up in 15 minutes.
Is there any dessert quite so southern as banana pudding?
Families have handed down their version of this dessert for generations.
Some people swear it must be made with sour cream.
Others swear by Cool Whip.
And others will only use “real” whipped cream.
No matter how you make it, this classic dessert is truly comfort food!
In fact, when my daughter had her wisdom teeth removed, classic banana pudding was the only thing she wanted to eat.
But.
What if you give this traditional recipe a tweak or two?
Assemble it in dessert glasses or wine glasses for a pretty presentation.
Change up the cookie to a gluten free variety.
And how about my favorite: add a little salted caramel whiskey…
Well, you’ve got a whole new tasty treat!
Perfect to serve at a brunch, bridal shower, or dinner party.
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What Makes Banana Pudding Boozy?
When AnnMarie and I went to Gatlinburg in the fall, we took the requisite tasting at a local moonshine store.
Our tasting guide made all kinds of sweet combinations: the chocolate milk moonshine with the strawberry was so good!
He also made one that combined a banana pudding flavor with salted caramel whiskey.
Double yum.
So when I decided to make a boozy version of banana pudding, I knew exactly what I wanted to use.
If you don’t have any salted caramel whiskey, you could also try it with some rum or even plain whiskey.
And if you prefer an alcohol-free version that still has the taste, you could mix in some rum extract.
Can You Make These Parfaits in Advance?
The hallmark of a good recipe for entertaining is being able to make it before the party.
You have a few options for making these parfaits ahead.
The first option is to prepare the pudding and crush the cookies a day or two ahead, and then assemble the parfaits the day you plan to serve them.
The second option is to assemble the parfaits up to the last step and then cover and refrigerate them.
Just be sure to wait to add the whipped topping and garnishes until right before serving for the prettiest presentation.
Are These Banana Pudding Parfaits Healthy?
Okay.
So healthy might be a relative term when it comes to dessert…
This is not your Chocolate Cherry Yogurt Bowl or Keto Cannoli Cream kind of healthy dessert.
But it is healthier than traditional banana pudding recipes!
First, it has built-in portion control by making individual parfaits.
Next, instead of vanilla wafers that are full of sugar and processed white flour, this recipe uses tasty almond flour shortbread cookies with no added sugar.
The traditional pudding is swapped for white chocolate sugar-free pudding made with unsweetened almond milk instead of carb-heavy milk.
Finally, the number of bananas is reduced to prevent a spike in blood sugar from eating this dessert.
To make sure you don’t miss any banana flavor, a little banana extract is added to the pudding mixture.
These changes cut the total carbs in half and reduce the added sugar to 0 grams.
The natural sugar in the bananas is too much to consider this recipe low carb or keto, but it’s still a healthier version of traditional banana puddings.
Even with the whiskey!
How to Assemble a Parfait
It’s so easy to assemble parfaits!
Start with pudding for the bottom layer.
The reason you put pudding on the bottom is that it’s heavier so it would smoosh the whipped cream!
Since we’re using a smaller amount of bananas, be sure to slice them as thin as possible.
If you stand the banana slices on end so they’re visible through the glass, you make the presentation prettier and they won’t be lost by getting buried in the layers.
Using crushed cookies allows you to use fewer cookies while still getting some cookie flavor in every spoonful.
Each parfait only has 2 teaspoons of the salted caramel whiskey.
Drizzle the whiskey over the cookie layer.
Add some whipped cream or whipped topping for a dairy-free alternative.
Then repeat the pudding, crushed cookies, and whiskey.
Can You Make These Parfaits in Advance?
Whipped cream can wilt really quickly, so if you’re using whipped cream, wait to add the last layer of whipped cream and the garnish until serving time.
If you’re using non-dairy whipped topping, it holds its shape better, but it may get smooshed if you cover each parfait to keep other fridge flavors out before serving.
I like to assemble the parfaits in advance, cover them, and refrigerate them until serving time.
Then add the last dollop of whipped cream, a mini cookie, and a slice of banana for garnish.
No matter what, you and your guests are going to love these delicious, healthier banana pudding parfaits!
We bet no one will even realize you’ve made any changes.
More Decadent Keto Dessert Recipes
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Easy Boozy Banana Pudding Parfaits
This easy recipe for Boozy Banana Pudding Parfaits makes a dessert special enough to serve at a party, and simple enough to whip up in 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 - 1 oz. boxes sugar free white chocolate pudding mix
- 2-1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp. banana extract
- 2 - 2.25 oz bags Highkey vanilla shortbread mini cookies*
- 2 small bananas
- 1-1/2 cups whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping
- 1/4 cup salted caramel whiskey (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together pudding mixes, unsweetened almond milk, and banana extract until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you're ready to assemble the parfaits.
- Remove 8 whole cookies from the packages and set them aside to be used to garnish the parfaits. Crush the remaining cookies into coarse crumbs.
- Peel the bananas and slice eight 1/4-inch slices and set them aside to be used as a garnish. Slice the remaining bananas very thinly. The goal is to get at least 80 very thin slices.
Assemble the Parfaits
- Place a scant 1/4 cup of pudding in the bottom of eight dessert glasses.
- Arrange 7 thin slices of banana around the edge of the glass and place 3 thin slices on top of the pudding.
- Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of crushed cookies over the pudding.
- Drizzle 1 tsp. of whiskey over the cookies (optional).
- Top with about 3 Tbsp of whipped cream.
- Evenly divide the remaining pudding over the whipped cream.
- Evenly divide the remaining cookie crumbs over the pudding.
- If preparing in advance, stop at this point, and cover the parfaits. and refrigerate until you're ready to serve them.
- Just before serving, dollop 1-2 Tbsp of whipped cream in the center and garnish each parfait with one whole cookie and a slice of banana that was set aside.
Notes
*If you don't need a gluten free option, you can use mini vanilla wafers instead.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 226Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 11mgSodium 248mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 3gSugar 5.3gProtein 4g
Please note that we are not medical or nutritional professionals. We include nutrition information for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. However, due to wide variations in brands, nutrition data is subject to change for every user. Nutrition data is calculated using My Fitness Pal Pro. All sugar alcohols are subtracted from the final carb count. Please refer to our complete Nutritional Disclosure for more details.
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