I read an article in Food and Wine that stated “However one chooses to construct banana pudding — served hot or cold, layered with Nilla wafers or sponge cake, topped with whipped cream or meringue — the classic dessert is as American as apple pie.” I have to agree. When I owned my bakery people requested all forms of banana pudding: layered in vanilla cake, piled high in pie or stuffed into cupcakes. In fact, one of our most popular pies was the Banana Cream Pie. We made it by starting out with a flaky pastry crust that we filled with creamy vanilla pudding and fluffy whipped cream. The only thing that wasn’t from scratch was the bananas that went into it: two whole ones to make sure you got banana in every bite.
“Banana Pudding” is essentially Vanilla Pudding with fresh bananas. I have noticed those boxes of Banana Pudding in the store. The banana in those mixes comes from flavorings, not the real thing.
I searched for hours but didn’t find one banana pudding I can put my seal of approval on. If you love banana pudding, the best thing to do is to learn to make it from scratch. The next best thing is to check with your local small bakery and ask how they make it. Pudding made in house is typically safe.
By the way, sub out those Nilla Wafers for homemade graham crust or pastry crust. The Nilla wafers are made with unhealthy seed oils and High Fructose Corn Syrup.
EAT THIS
Stonyfield Banilla Yogurt
Why I like it: I don’t just like this brand, I love it. Stonyfield makes certified organic yogurt. Thus, the yogurt is made without pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones. Moreover, the brand is committed to sustainability and the humane treatment of animals. The milk used to make the yogurt comes from small family dairy farms committed to their animal welfare standards, which include allowing the cows outdoor access each day to graze on pasture grasses and frankly, just getting to be a happy cow.
Additionally, the yogurt contains probiotics that support digestive health and provides immunity against disease. You can read all about the brand at http://www.stonyfield.com. This yogurt is smooth, without chunks of fruit. To make it more like a real banana pudding experience just layer it over some sliced banana. My son loves it to make his daily Strawberry Banana smoothie, which helps to balance his blood sugar. Yogurt has carbohydrates and protein which control insulin spikes from other foods.
DON’T EAT THIS
Twinkies (All flavors)
Twinkies originated in the 1930’s as a way to use an out of season strawberry shortcake machine by Continental Baking Company near Chicago. The idea to make year-round Banana Cream Pie flavored Twinkies was born. During the Depression bananas were hard to come by and Twinkies became known for their vanilla cream stuffed sponge cake instead. However, you can still find the banana flavored version today. Initially made with wholesome ingredients like butter, milk, eggs, flour and bananas, that had a two day shelf life, all flavors of Twinkies are now unhealthy and contain harmful ingredients. Although the cute little cakes now carry a shelf life of 45 days, there are some that claim that Twinkies could stay good for 100 years.
Why I don’t like it: Coming from a baker, this is not cake. I’m not even sure how they make the whipped cream filling without any type of dairy product whatsoever. I went down the rabbit hole and dug up antique photos of boxes listing the ingredients and discovered that what started out innocently enough as real cake has transitioned to basically what amounts to “fake cake” consisting of at least 30 ingredients, mostly harmful. The original recipe included real milk. Now there is no milk, just a plethora of oils and emulsifiers, which is how they obviously make a bioengineered whipped filling. Here’s the ingredient list:
- Sugar—the first ingredient is from GMO sugar beets sprayed with Glyphosate (a known carcinogen).
- Water—apparently milk was too expensive. Real sponge cake is not made with water.
- Enriched flour—Over-processed flour different from the all purpose we use at home.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup—Very harmful sweetener made from GMO corn sprayed with Glyphosate. Harmful because unlike table sugar your liver needs to work harder to convert fructose it to fat. Linked to fatty liver disease, diabetes and other serious diseases.
- Tallow—Cow lard, likely from cows raised inhumanely and fed an unnatural diet of GMO corn.
- Dextrose—Harmful sweetener with the same chemical composition as blood sugar. Also made from GMO corn sprayed with Glyphosate.
- Egg—less than 2% when it should be one of the first ingredients in real cake.
- Modified Food Starch—food additive typically made from wheat.
- Soybean Oil—unhealthy seed oil from GMO soybeans sprayed with Glyphosate.
- Glycerin—Sugar alcohol typically found in cosmetics.
- Hydrogenated Tallow—Rendered animal fat mainly used in cosmetics but also used by food companies to mimic umami flavoring (that deliciousness that keeps you coming back).
- Whey—Highly processed additive made from cheese.
- Banana—less than 2% despite the full bunch of bananas on the front of the box.
- Salt
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate—leavener linked to harming the immune system
- Baking Soda—leavener
- Cornstarch—thickener made from GMO corn sprayed with Glyphosate
- Cottonseed Oil—unhealthy seed oil made from GMO cotton sprayed with Glyphosate
- Mono and Diglycerides—emulsifiers used to blend oil and water. Contains trans fats that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Sorbic Acid—natural preservative
- Potassium Sorbate—engineered preservative
- Cellulose Gum—additive used as a thickener.
- Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate—additive that is used to keep the crumb soft.
- Soy Lecithin—additive used as an emulsifier. Derives from GMO soybeans sprayed with Glyphosate.
- Xantham Gum—Sugar used as a thickener.
- Polysorbate—additive used as an emulsifier
- Monocalcium Phosphate Enzymes—leavening acid.
- Natural and Artificial Flavors—could be anything, even animal guts.
- Yellow 5—synthetic food dye made from petroleum. Linked to asthma, allergies, rashes, and immune system irritation.
- Red 40—Controversial synthetic food dye made from petroleum and contains benzene, a known carcinogen. Linked to ADHD, hyperactivity, migraines and irritability.
Jello-O Banana Pudding: Instant and Cook & Serve
Why I don’t like it: harmful ingredients like Dextrose, Modified cornstarch, Tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, artificial flavors, mono and diglycerides from seed oils. The cook & serve also contains Carrageenan, a harmful food additive linked to colon cancer and digestive problems. There are similar ingredients in most brands of boxed and pre-made puddings.
There is no reason to buy this if you learn to make your own pudding. To make pudding with this boxed mix you just add milk. Thus the pudding mix substitutes for the real eggs, sugar and cornstarch that is part of a from-scratch pudding recipe. Real pudding is not hard to make and if you have the time to make a boxed pudding mix, then a few more minutes and extra pantry ingredients will get you a better tasting and healthier pudding.
Patti LaBelle Banana Pudding
The pudding you find in the Walmart is not the same as what Patti created in her kitchen and frankly, I am shocked at the number of sites that promote this fake and harmful dessert just because Patti’s name is on it. It has a number of main ingredients that you do not find in real pudding, such as water, cream cheese, margarine and flour. It also has a lot of harmful ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Artificial flavors, Soybean Oil, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and a host of other unhealthy additives.
Moreover, reviews are that it contains very little banana flavor and indeed, it contains less than 2% Banana puree. This pudding certainly does not taste like homemade, nor is it made with good, quality ingredients. In fact, right on the packaging it mentions being made with bioengineered ingredients, meaning the type to steer clear from.
