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Banana pudding has officially become an international food trend.
The creamy American dessert is made with layers of custard, bananas, and ladyfinger biscuits, similar to the British fruit trifle and the American banana cream pie. TikTok videos, recipes, and bakeries have all showcased different versions of the popular dish, and banana puddings have appeared online and in person globally.
In the US, NYC-based Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding cups, in particular, have inspired millions of customers, content creators, views, and imitators, thanks to the dessert’s striking aesthetic and decadent flavors. But can banana pudding be suitable for vegans?
Traditional banana pudding often features milk, cream, eggs, and other animal products, but it can also be made using widely available plant-based alternatives. Here’s everything you need to know about the viral banana pudding and how to make your own vegan version.
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Where does banana pudding come from?
Banana pudding was popularized in the US in the 1800s when increasingly efficient trade and a national interest in new fruits and vegetables brought more and more bananas to the US. Some of the earliest recorded banana pudding recipes date from the 1880s, and the dish continued to grow in popularity over the following decades.
By the 1920s, people began using industrially produced vanilla wafers instead of the sponge cake that was more common in early iterations of the dessert. Around the middle of the century, Nabisco, the company behind Nilla wafers, began including a banana pudding recipe on its packaging. By the late 20th century and early 2000s, this version became the default recipe, though some still choose to use sponge.
Today, the dessert is firmly associated with the South. (The National Banana Pudding Festival is held in Tennessee and had nearly 10,000 attendees last year.) There is no single reason for banana pudding’s status as a southern speciality, but some have theorized that it makes for a uniquely good-looking, delicious, inexpensive, and shareable dessert; ideal for potlucks, BBQs, and other outdoor social events.
Banana pudding goes viral
In 2025, an increasing number of banana pudding videos began popping up on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms.
People began developing their own recipes, and bakeries, cafes, and patisseries added banana pudding-style options to their menus. Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding cups, in particular, prompted millions of views and a long list of imitators.
Like most viral food trends, the banana pudding has a luxurious aesthetic combined with familiar, popular flavors, such as last year’s “Dubai Chocolate” or the ichigo sando-inspired strawberry sandwiches, both of which can be made vegan.
Is banana pudding vegan?
There are countless different versions of the banana pudding, with the most traditional versions combining layers of cut fruit with sponge cake and vanilla custard, topped with whipped cream and piecess of meringue.
Other iterations use ladyfingers or vanilla wafers instead of sponge, and pudding mix or Cool Whip instead of custard. Additional ingredients, such as condensed milk, cream cheese, peanut butter, and cocoa, are also common, as are flavored cookies.
Conventional banana pudding recipes made with the above ingredients typically include cow’s milk, cream, and sometimes eggs. Many vanilla wafers contain dairy or other animal products, as do most shop-bought meringues, custard, and Cool Whip.
With the above in mind, it’s safe to say that most mainstream versions of banana pudding are not vegan. However, since this endlessly customizable dessert is notorious for its many iterations, it is an ideal dish to make vegan-friendly.
Basic ingredients for vegan banana pudding recipes
Plant-based milk, cream, condensed milk, and cream cheese are all widely available and can be used as a 1:1 substitute for dairy products. Tinned coconut cream, a popular choice for pumpkin pies and similar desserts, works well in banana pudding.
There are plenty of shop-bought biscuits that make good replacements for vanilla wafers, though Richard Makin, the recipe creator behind School Night Vegan, has published instructions for DIY vanilla wafers here, ladyfingers here, and sponge here.
Some brands make plant-based meringue, but you can also create this at home by combining aquafaba, apple cider vinegar, and caster sugar. You might also consider adapting a vegan trifle recipe to fit with banana pudding ingredients and flavors.
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Vegan banana pudding recipes
If you’re looking to make your own vegan banana pudding, there are countless recipes to choose from. Searching for the phrase on social media returns a few key options, and there are dozens on personal blogs and YouTube, most complete with step-by-step instructions.
Vegan banana pudding
This recipe, another from School Night Vegan, includes options to make ingredients at home or use common shop-bought products. It features “silky smooth” custard, whipped cream, and crisp vanilla wafers. As it sets, the cookies become soft, like the base of a tiramisu. Find out more here.
Raw vegan banana pudding
Simple Vegan Blog recently published this recipe for a raw banana pudding. It takes just five minutes to prepare, and includes nutrient-dense ingredients like nuts, dates, and raspberries. Find out more here.
Peanut butter banana pudding
This recipe from Minimalist Baker features whipped coconut cream, vegan vanilla wafers (or your shop-bought alternative of choice), and crushed peanuts. It also includes a separate recipe for five-ingredient banana pudding, made with full-fat coconut milk and peanut butter. Find out more here.
Vegan-friendly banana pudding at cafes and restaurants
While some pop-ups and bakeries offer limited-edition vegan banana puddings, Plant Based News (PBN) only found one store with the dessert on the menu full-time.
OATIS Cafe in Notting Hill, London, recently confirmed that its popular plant-based banana pudding is officially “here to stay.” The business is not 100 percent plant-based, but has been highly and repeatedly praised for its selection of vegan breakfast, brunch, and lunch options, and the banana pudding is extremely popular.
The cafe announced that the plant-based banana pudding would be a permanent menu item via Instagram in January. The team wrote, “You’ve been loving the oat cream, fresh banana, oat cookie, layers of goodness, and we can’t blame you.”
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