Banana pudding is a very traditional and popular dessert, present at the table of many families around the world almost every day, but especially in the United States. But if you made a large portion of banana pudding and is wondering if you can freeze it and save some for later, this article is for you.
This dessert if usually made from layers of sweet vanilla flavored custard, vanilla wafers and slices of fresh bananas and served with meringue or whipped cream on top. The layers of the ingredients are added repeatedly and with time the wafers will absorb the custard, making the other ingredients press together and mix the flavors.
Normally, the banana pudding is made by the refrigerator method and has to be left in your fridge for some hours before being served, and it is highly recommended not to leave it out in warm temperatures for too long or the pudding will not be good to be consumed anymore.
Is Freezing The Banana Pudding A Good Idea?
The answer to the question “can you freeze banana pudding?” is yes, although it is not recommended. If you made more pudding than necessary and wants to avoid any wastes by freezing the leftover dessert you can freeze it. But if you are trying to make the dessert now only to be frozen and consumed days later then we do not recommend it.
The banana pudding has high water content, which makes it hard to freeze – actually, any kind of pudding has water in it and can be tricky to freeze and defrost. The freezing process will make the water and the moisture in the recipe crystalized and the texture can get vastly different after the defrost.
And defrosting the banana pudding can be even more tricky since the bananas tend to mush and get that brown color after being exposed to air after being on the fridge. This will probably not change the banana taste, but they will make the whole dessert look brownish and less appealing to be eaten after it.
Another thing you should take in consideration before freezing the banana pudding is the content of all the other ingredients. For example, the cream and milk, especially soy and almond milk, will turn watery after getting frozen and defrosted, while the eggs are very sensitive ingredients that cannot be good to consume after being exposed to extreme temperatures.
Be extra careful when storing the banana pudding in your fridge. The ingredients in it have a high absorption capacity so they will absorb all the fridge flavors and aromas while loosing its flavor with time.
How To Freeze Banana Pudding
If you are going to freeze a homemade banana pudding there is a tricky to be done while you are still cooking the dessert that can help the bananas from oxidizing and getting the brownish color.
While preparing the homemade banana pudding, dip all the banana slices into lemon juice – you can add the lemon juice in a plate and dish all the slices there at the same time for a few minutes. After doing that, you can smash the bananas e move on with the other steps to make the dessert.
The lemon juice will help to prevent the oxidation in the bananas after you freeze and defrost it, avoiding the brownish color.
To freeze the pudding, you will need to store it in an airtight container with the date in it so you can keep track of the time. The fresher the pudding is, the better he will be after the defrost process.
But if you are going to freeze a store-bought banana pudding the oxidation process will not be able to be avoided, since you cannot previously separate the bananas.
To freeze the store-bought pudding, you will also need and airtight container – the original package from the pudding is usually not appropriated to go to the freezer – add the date to keep track of it and place it gently into the freezer.
How To Defrost Banana Pudding
The ingredients from the banana pudding will not allow it to last much longer even if they are in the freezer, so keep in mind that the pudding should be consumed after one or two weeks after being frozen.
To defrost the banana pudding is amazingly simple: take it off from the freezer and let it rest overnight in the fridge. Serve them immediately and do not freeze it again. This process can only be done once to guarantee the quality and flavor.
Other Alternatives To Your Banana Pudding
If after serving the banana pudding the leftovers are in higher quantity than previously planned and you do not want to serve the recipe as pudding again, there are some alternatives to use the banana pudding as a base to other recipes.
Bread pudding: mix the leftover pudding with eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add cubed breads until they absorb the blend. Then, bake it at 325ºF and serve immediately.
Ice cream: break the pudding into smaller parts and mix it with vanilla ice cream.
Ice pops: mix the leftover pudding with milk until smooth, add into ice pops mold and freeze them until they are solid.
Conclusion
Banana pudding is popular, delicious and you can never go wrong with it – there is even a National Banana Pudding Festival in the United States to celebrate this famous recipe. But if you made a big amount of it and have some leftovers left you saw in the article above that you can freeze them for one or two weeks.
It is more recommended to freeze the homemade banana pudding, since you can stop the bananas from oxidizing, but the store-bought can be frozen too, they will just have a brownish appearance.
And if you do not want to serve it as a pudding anymore, we gave you some tips of other recipes that can have the banana pudding as a base and still taste good.
