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Sweet, creamy, and packed with protein, this Healthy Banana Pudding offers all the classic comfort in a bowl, with a wholesome spin. Blended up with nutrient-rich bananas, and low-fat cottage cheese, this dessert-like snack is both low calorie and delicious-no compromises here!
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Made in just 2 easy steps with 5 simple ingredients, this Healthy Banana Pudding offers all the sweetness - without the wait! Blend together banana, low-fat cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon, spoon into bowls, chill, and dig in!
The best part? This low calorie banana pudding recipe makes 2 servings, so you can either share in the indulgence or keep the second serving all to yourself. Whether you serve it for breakfast, as a snack or dessert, you can enjoy this classic dessert in a more wholesome way.
Love baking with bananas? Try my Banana Oat Bread, Banana Almond Flour Cookies, or this Flourless Banana Cake next!
Why You'lI Love This Recipe
- High in Protein, Low in Calories: Thanks to the high-protein, low-fat cottage cheese, this healthier banana pudding is significantly lower in calories than traditional recipes.
- Simple and Easy: With just a few ingredients, you can blend and chill this banana pudding in 5 minutes—no baking or cooking required, making it a super simple treat!
- A Satisfying Snack: Packed with protein and comforting flavors, this pudding provides a fun, gourmet snack that’s both nutritious and satisfying.
Low Calorie Banana Pudding Ingredients
- Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: The base ingredient that provides creaminess and a protein boost. You can also use full-fat, nonfat, or lactose-free cottage cheese. Greek yogurt is also a great substitute for a similar texture and protein content.
- Banana: This is essential, so don't skip it! Choose a ripe banana for optimal sweetness. Avoid using overly green bananas, as they will be too bitter.
- Maple Syrup: The natural sweetener for this high protein banana pudding. I used sugar-free maple syrup to keep it light in calories, but feel free to substitute one of your choice.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Serving-Style: This cottage cheese dessert recipe can be served in many ways! Chill it in an 8x8" dish for a crowd, portion it into smaller bowls for individual servings, or even serve in mini-cups for bite-sized treats.
- For the Chocolate Lovers: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder to create a rich, chocolatey version of this dessert!
- Nutter Butter Spin: The perfect pairing—bananas and nut butter! Blend in a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter (almond, peanut, etc.) for a creamy, nutty twist and an extra protein boost.
How To Make Healthy Banana Pudding
Ready to make this low calorie banana pudding recipe in just a few simple steps? It's as easy as it sounds, offering the perfect balance and nutrition to your snack-time routine. Grab your blender or food processor, gather those 5 ingredients, and let's get blending:
Step 1: Combine. Add the banana, cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon to your food processor.
Step 2: Blend. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Then, spoon the pudding mixture into individual bowls, evenly.
Step 3: Top, Chill and Serve. Top each small bowl of low calorie banana pudding with sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Then, chill for 30 minutes, serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Whip up these 5 simple ingredients and I'll show you more than 5 ways to enjoy this cottage cheese banana pudding! Whether you're snacking solo or serving it up for a family breakfast, this dish offers plenty of delicious options without breaking your health conscious routine. Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
- Top your low-calorie banana pudding with freshly sliced banana, a few vanilla wafer cookies, and a dollop of low-fat whipped cream for a classic finish.
- Serving a crowd? Build your own toppings bar with fresh fruit, crushed graham crackers, chopped nuts, and mini chocolate chips for everyone to customize their own healthy banana dessert bowls.
- Enjoy it as a quick, energizing breakfast by sprinkling with your favorite low-calorie cereal, homemade chocolate granola, or some grain-free granola.
- Serve as a dessert alongside a trio of sweet cookie dippers like zucchini chocolate cookies, baked yogurt, grain-free cinnamon cookies, and low carb peanut butter cookies.
Expert Tips
- Freeze the Bananas: For extra creaminess, blend frozen bananas with the cottage cheese and other ingredients. This will give your protein banana pudding a much smoother and thicker texture.
- Pudding Consistency: Adjust the thickness of the pudding to your preference, by adding more or less cottage cheese-less for lighter texture and more for a thicker consistency.
- Storing: Store it in an airtight container the refrigerator up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freezing is not recommended, as the moisture from freezing may dilute the flavor and texture.
- Make Ahead: This recipe is a great make-ahead dessert! Prepare it up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator as mentioned above.
Healthy Banana Pudding Recipe FAQs
To prevent browning, layering the bananas with a protective ingredient like cottage cheese helps reduce air exposure. In this recipe, blending the bananas directly into the creamy cottage cheese mixture also helps minimize oxidation and keeps them fresh longer.
While ripe bananas work best for flavor and texture, overripe bananas can be too soft and might affect the color and consistency. You want bananas that are ripe but not brown.
Absolutely! You can toss frozen bananas straight into the blender. Some people even find that frozen bananas make the pudding extra creamy, so it’s a great option for a thicker texture.
More Delicious Cottage Cheese Recipes
If you tried this Healthy Homemade Banana Pudding recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Protein Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 Banana large and ripe
- 2 cups Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoons Maple Syrup
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract You can omit this, but it does provide the banana pudding with it's great flavor. Almond extract could be used too.
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon This is optional, but highly recommended.
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the batter to two small bowls, top with sliced bananas and sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Chill for 30 minutes then serve with vanilla wafer cookies or whatever you like!
Notes
- Recipe makes 2 servings. One serving equals 1/2 of the recipe.
- Use a banana that is ripe not one that is green as it will make the recipe bitter.
- Pudding Consistency: Adjust the thickness of the pudding by adding more or less cottage cheese, depending on whether you prefer a lighter or thicker texture.
- Storing: Store the pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes.
- Banana Ripeness: For the best flavor and texture, use ripe bananas that are yellow with just a few brown spots. Overripe bananas can affect the color and consistency of the pudding, while under-ripe bananas may be too firm and not sweet enough.
Nutrition
This was a good base, but not nearly enough banana flavor for me. I ended up adding an extra banana and only did 1 tsp of maple syrup + 2 Tsp of vanilla and 1 TBS of chia to help thicken. The extra banana really boosted the banana flavor and I ended up getting 6x 1/2c portions! Thanks for the inspiration.
I made this today and it didn’t set very well I tried to half the recipe just to try it. My banana was very ripe (overripe) can you tell me what would have caused it to not set? I used 1 cup cottage cheese and 1 banana, Did I over blend it?
Any input would be great. I really like the pudding though even though it wasn’t set firm.
For one serving, you would only use 1/2 of a banana and 1 cup of cottage cheese. I'm guessing that's what happened.
Loved the way you explained.