This Ube Banana Pudding is made with an Ube Maja Blanca (really the OG Filipino Pudding) that has a base of Ube Ice Cream (it's super versatile). It's then layered with fresh bananas and Marie Biscuits. I mean it's the ultimate Filipino version of Ube Banana Pudding.
It's trending! Well at around early 2026 for those of you in the future that find this recipe.
I have seen many Tik Tock recipes, but I wanted to do a super Pinoy one of course.
In my research (which I do prior to creating any recipe) the most popular recipe is the Magnolia Bakery one. They actually use an instant pudding mix - shock horror! Imagine paying for all that and you find out it's just instant pudding. Ha.
Well I went to look at a box and it's basically just cornstarch and some flavoring and you add the milk. So I went into my mental archive and said wait. That is basically what my Maja Blanca Pastry Cream is. Then my brain started working - so what if we used my Maja Blanca Pastry Cream as a base then use Ube Ice cream as the flavor base and then add more cornstarch to make the pudding.
I had some leftover Marie Biscuits and used that instead of the standard nila wafers. Boom super Pinoy Ube Banana Pudding. If you want to even make it more Pinoy you can sub with super ripe Saba and add some sprinkling of ripe langka as well.
Ingredients
Coconut Cream - I find that coconut cream has more coconut flavor and better to use when you want to make something thick like pudding.
Ube Ice Cream - Don't ever sleep on Ube Ice Cream. Instead of milk use the power of Ube Ice Cream instead. It already has the flavor and the color and you don't have to rely so much on Ube flavoring. It doesn't have to be melted, you can use it frozen as it will melt in the heat when we make the pudding.
Sugar - Use white super fine sugar for this recipe so that you get that nice vibrant purple color.
Cornstarch - Our star of the show. The queen. The one that makes it pudding. You will need ¼ cup.
Ube Halaya - All Ube recipes must have Ube Halaya. Use either homemade or store bought.
Heavy Cream - I forgot to include this in the ingredients folder below, but you will need 1 cup of cold heavy cream to whip. This will give the Ube Banana Pudding a nice light texture.
Ube Flavoring - We just use a tiny bit of it, just ¼ of a teaspoon, but divided between the pudding and whipped cream. It's mainly used to retain the lovely purple color and nothing else.
Marie Biscuits - Why use nila wafers when we have Marie Biscuits?! The flavor is so good.
Banana - You will need about 4-5 bananas. Don't use super ripe bananas as it will be too sweet and the texture will be off. So use the ones that are just on the verge of being ripe where the skin is still thick but super yellow.
How To Make Ube Banana Pudding
Place the coconut cream, ube ice cream and sugar in a sauce pan.
Mix well then add in the cornstarch.
Mix well again until the cornstarch has been fully mixed in and there are no lumps.
Now turn on the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and have a pudding like texture. It will look glossy and feel thick. Your whisk will also start to leave thin lines through it. Turn off the heat so it stops thickening
Add in the Ube Halaya.
Mix well.
The color is actually good, but we are going to mix in some whipped cream so we want it just a touch darker. So add in ⅛ of a teaspoon of Ube Flavoring.
Mix well. You can see it's a touch darker. Don't over do it with the flavoring.
Transfer the Ube Pudding into a bowl.
Then cover with plastic wrap making sure that the top of the pudding actually touches the plastic. This is so you don't get that weird rubbery film. Place in the refrigerator to cool down fully.
Now let's make the whipped cream. Pour the cream into a bowl and add in ⅛ teaspoon of Ube Flavoring. We just want it slightly lavender so that when we add it to the pudding the color is not so diluted.
Mix well.
Then whip until the cream holds its shape. Don't over whip or it will curdle.
Transfer to a bowl and cover and leave to chill until it's time to build.
Once everything is the cool, combine the Ube Pudding and whipped cream into a large bowl.
Use a large spatula to fold it into each other. What you do is scoop from the top to the bottom in a flowing motion. This is to keep the air in the whipped cream so that your pudding is nice and light.
Keep folding lightly until it is all combined.
Now it's time to build your Ube Banana Pudding! I decided to go with individual servings, but you can can use a 8x8 pan to make the pudding or a large truffle bowl. Start by lining the bottom with a Marie Biscuit.
Then add on the sliced bananas. Be creative as you like with the placement.
Next scoop in the first layer of Ube Pudding. I would say about 2 heaping tablespoons is good.
Start your second layer with the Marie Biscuits.
Layer the bananas on top.
To finish you can smooth out the top or do some swirls. I did both. Just make sure you do completely over the banana slices so that they don't get brown.
Pro tip
How To Keep Banana Slices From Not Browning
If you leave sliced bananas out they turn brown SO fast bc of oxidation — basically the cut part hits the air and has a little chemical freakout.
BUT when you cover them with the Ube Pudding it literally suffocates the oxygen and stops the whole browning thing from happening. The pudding acts like a seal so just make sure every slice is fully covered and you're good!!
Let Your Ube Banana Pudding Chill!
After you build it you do have to chill the Ube Banana Pudding. I recommend at least one hour or up to overnight.
This is so that the Marie Biscuit gets soaked and soft that it almost feels like you are eating a thin layer of cake.
You can make it up to 2 days ahead if you are making it for guests. Just make sure the bananas are completely covered with the Ube Pudding.
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Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- 6 Champagne Coupe or 8x8 pan
Ingredients
- 1 Can Coconut Cream
- 1 Cup Ube Ice Cream
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- ½ Cup Ube Halaya
- Cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ Teaspoon Ube Flavoring (Divided)
- 3-4 Bananas
- 16 Pieces Marie Biscuits
Instructions
- Place the coconut cream, ube ice cream and sugar in a sauce pan. Mix well then add in the cornstarch. Mix well again until the cornstarch has been fully mixed in and there are no lumps. Now turn on the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and have a pudding like texture. It will look glossy and feel thick. Your whisk will also start to leave thin lines through it. Turn off the heat so it stops thickening.
- Add in the Ube Halaya. Mix well. Add in ⅛ of a teaspoon of Ube Flavoring. Mix well. Transfer the Ube Pudding into a bowl. Then cover with plastic wrap making sure that the top of the pudding actually touches the plastic. This is so you don't get that weird rubbery film. Place in the refrigerator to cool down fully.
- Make the whipped cream. Pour the cream into a bowl and add in ⅛ teaspoon of Ube Flavoring. We just want it slightly lavender so that when we add it to the pudding the color is not so diluted. Mix well. Then whip until the cream holds its shape. You can use a hand held mixer or just your arms. It's not much cream so it will whip pretty fast. Transfer to a bowl and cover and leave to chill until it's time to build.
- Once everything is the cool, combine the Ube Pudding and whipped cream into a large bowl. Use a large spatula to fold it into each other. What you do is scoop from the top to the bottom in a flowing motion. This is to keep the air in the whipped cream so that your pudding is nice and light. Keep folding lightly until it is all combined.
- Now it's time to build your Ube Banana Pudding! I decided to go with individual servings, but you can can use a 8x8 tray to make the pudding or a large truffle bowl. Start by lining the bottom with a Marie Biscuit. Then add on the sliced bananas. Be creative as you like with the placement. Next scoop in the first layer of Ube Pudding. I would say about 2 heaping tablespoons is good. Start your second layer with the Marie Biscuits. Layer the bananas on top and then more pudding.
- Depending on the size of your serving container you can keep layering or stop. Smooth out the top or make a swirl. Then put in the refrigerator to chill until serving time.
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