In the mood for a guilt-free treat? Well then, dive into this simple protein-packed banana pudding made with cottage cheese.

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This is the ideal dessert for that sweet-tooth craving and can easily be tailored to be low-carb and gluten-free!

What Makes This Recipe Great?

If you tried my Healthy Banana Split Dilly Bars, then you know that I just love a good healthier dupe recipe! Today’s recipe introduces my healthier take on Protein Banana Pudding!

This recipe’s made on a base of cottage cheese mixed with maple or sugar-free syrup, protein powder, banana pudding mix, vanilla extract, and an optional banana-all blended together. Top it off with whipped cream, crushed vanilla wafers, and a slice of banana!

Being a Southern girl myself banana pudding runs in my veins. This recipe does justice to the classic dessert but with a healthier twist that does not compromise on flavors.

Full measurements available within the recipe card below.

Ingredients

Cottage cheese: I utilized 2% low-fat, but full-fat is also fantastic.
Banana pudding mix: Keto Simply Delish was my choice- a much healthier brand with superior ingredients
Maple or sugar-free syrup: Maple syrup is delicious if you’re not following a low-carb diet.
Banana optional: If you’re not low-carb add half of banana. If you are low-carb eliminate. If you want lots of banana flavor, you can add 1/4 tsp banana extract.
Milk: cream coconut or almond milk works.
wafers: Low-carb use High Key Wafers. For gluten-free sub Simple Mills crushed Sweet Thins graham crackers.
Vanilla extract
Vanilla protein powder
Whipped topping

Step By Step Recipe

Blend: Pour cottage cheese into a high-speed blender. Blend into a smooth consistency. Then add the rest of the ingredients in the pudding to it and blend again to a smooth consistency.

For too-thick mixtures: add milk gradually until it reaches its right consistency. Start with a tablespoon of milk and increase according to what suits your taste and the texture you want.

Build Pudding Cups: Place crushed wafers at the bottom of two glasses, then a spoonful of whipped topping and banana pudding. Finish layering by adding whipped topping, crushed wafers, and banana slices. Repeat the layers until you reach the top.

Expert Tips

Blending: Mix all the ingredients using a high-speed blender to ensure that everything gets really well mixed. This will help in breaking lumps and make it smooth. I tried testing this in a food processor and it does not get as smooth. A high-speed blender is important to achieve a smooth and silky consistency.

Dietary Substitutions

1. Low Carb Option:

Remove banana use High Key low-carb wafers instead of regular wafers and use sugar-free syrup instead of maple syrup.

2. Gluten-Free Option:

Make recipe as instructed and use Simple Mills Sweet Thins instead of regular wafers.

3. For a dairy-free version:

Replace the cottage cheese with your favorite dairy-free yogurt. Use dairy-free whipped cream, dairy-free milk, and swap regular wafers with Simple Mills Sweet Thins.

Storage

Store the pudding in an airtight container and cover it with a lid then refrigerate for 4 to 5 days to keep it fresh.

Serve pudding straight from the refrigerator. Stir leftovers well and serve chilled. This way, you will get the best taste with perfect texture.

How do I make my protein banana pudding extra smooth?

Mix Well: Use a high speed blender to mix all the ingredients without any lumps and hence the mixture should be smooth.

Blend in Stages: Put all your ingredients inside the blender and then add them in stages, but first from the cottage cheese, liquid ingredients, etc, and make sure to mix well until you are in a position to add ingredients like protein powder and banana pudding mix.

Can I replace cottage cheese with Greek yogurt?

Yes, 1:1 substitution but you may need to add some milk to thicken it.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Yes, you can make this recipe dairy-free! Just replace the cottage cheese with dairy-free yogurt, switch regular whipped topping and milk with dairy-free versions and use Simple Mills Sweet Thins instead of regular wafers.

How to make this low carb?

Low-carb version: Don’t add banana, take High Key low-carb wafers and use sugar-free syrup instead of maple syrup.

Is banana pudding better warm or cold?

For banana pudding it’s great to use bananas that are ripe but not too brown. use yellow bananas speckled with small brown specks.It usually stays good for up to 3 days in the fridge, but it’s best to wait until right before serving to fully assemble the dish. This will prevent the cookies from becoming too soggy.

What is the maximum ripeness for bananas to use in banana pudding?

Use ripe-but-not-overly-browned bananas for banana pudding. You want bananas that have that faint yellow and small specks of brown. That’s the stage where they have that perfect sweetness and texture, without turning overly soft like what you will use for banana bread.