This Easy Banana Pudding recipe is a delicious no-bake dessert with layers of vanilla wafers, ripe bananas, and creamy vanilla pudding in a trifle bowl or 9 x 13 pan. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving, Easter, and family gatherings.
If you love classic banana pudding, be sure to try No Bake Banana Pudding Pie and Banana Pudding Cups in mason jars next!
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This is the best banana pudding recipe ever. It's luxuriously creamy, filled with delicious banana flavor, and super easy to make.
The no bake banana pudding filling is velvety and smooth. When layered with vanilla wafers and fresh banana slices in a pretty trifle dish or clear glass bowl, it's quite possibly the world's most beautiful and delicious dessert.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe for everyone's favorite classic dessert
- Creamy banana pudding with simple ingredients
- No bake banana pudding recipe with cream cheese is the perfect dessert to make ahead for the holidays
Ingredients
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
Cream cheese. It's important to use very soft cream cheese, so it mixes up smoothly.
Sweetened condensed milk. Banana pudding with condensed milk has an extra creamy, velvety texture. You can even try making your own Sweetened Condensed Milk!
Instant vanilla pudding mix. Vanilla or French vanilla pudding both taste great. You can also use instant banana pudding, but the layers of fresh bananas add plenty of banana flavor.
Please be sure to get INSTANT pudding mix. Cook-and-serve pudding won't set up with this recipe.
Cool Whip. If you're not a fan of Cool Whip, I encourage you to try Truwhip. Click this link to find out more about it. It behaves just like Cool Whip.
Regular whipped cream will deflate and get runny overnight. If you choose to use whipped cream instead, use a stabilized whipped cream. My Caramel Whipped Cream would be really delicious!
Vanilla wafers. Banana pudding with Nilla Wafers is a classic, but you can also use butter cookies or Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies, which are yummy shortbread cookies.
Fresh sliced bananas. Use fresh bananas that are ripe enough to eat, that is the peels are speckled with brown spots, but not black. We're not making banana bread :).
How to Make Easy Banana Pudding
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth.
Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, mix the vanilla pudding mix and cold milk together until smooth.
Step 3: Add the pudding to the cream cheese mixture and mix until completely combined and creamy. Fold in ½ of the Cool Whip.
Step 4: Place a layer of vanilla wafers on the bottom of a trifle dish, glass bowl, casserole dish, or 9 x 13 pan.
Step 5: Add a layer of banana slices on top of the cookies. Completely cover the bananas with a layer of the pudding mixture. This will keep them from turning brown.
Step 6: Repeat 1-3 times, depending on the size of your dish.
Four layers worked perfectly in my trifle bowl with 12-16 cookies per layer. One to two layers will work well in a 9 x 13 pan.
Step 7: Spread the remaining Cool Whip on top of the pudding.
Cover the banana pudding with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best. This gives the cookies time to cookies to soften and become cakelike.
Step 8: Before serving, crush 1-2 more vanilla wafers on top of the Cool Whip. If desired, add banana slices on top.
Expert Tips
- Use very soft cream cheese so it mixes smoothly without lumps.
- Chill the banana pudding for at least 4 hours before serving, but overnight is best for soft, cakelike cookies.
- Completely cover the bananas with pudding to keep them from turning brown.
- Add the crushed vanilla wafers right before serving or they'll get soggy.
FAQs
Store leftover banana pudding wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
The secret to preventing bananas from turning brown in southern banana pudding with condensed milk is keeping them from being exposed to air.
Completely cover the bananas with pudding to seal them in, and add fresh bananas to the top of the banana dessert right before serving.
One very common culprit is accidentally using cook-and-serve pudding instead of instant pudding. It's easy to do. Just remember that the cook and serve pudding boxes have a spoon on the cover.
Fresh whipped cream may also make banana pudding watery. Use Cool Whip or make stabilized whipped cream as an alternative.
Nilla wafers and Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies are the most popular cookies to use in a homemade banana pudding recipe. Other options to try include graham crackers, Nutter Butters, Golden Oreos, Biscoff, gingersnaps, lady fingers, and butter cookies.
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Easy Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 3.4 oz. boxes instant vanilla pudding
- 2 ¾ cups cold milk
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, divided
- 60 vanilla wafers you may need more if using a 9 x 13 pan
- 5-7 ripe bananas, sliced
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk and mix until there are no lumps.
- In a second bowl, mix the pudding mix and milk together until smooth.
- Pour the pudding into the cream cheese mixture and mix until completely combined.
- Fold in ½ of the Cool Whip.
- Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of vanilla wafers. Add a layer of banana slices on top of the cookies. Spread a layer of the pudding mixture evenly over the bananas. Repeat 1-3 times, depending on the size of your dish. Four layers worked perfectly in my trifle dish with 12-16 Nilla Wafers in each layer. One to two layers will work well in a 9 x 13 pan.
- Spread the remaining Cool Whip on top of the pudding.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.
- Crush a few Nilla Wafers on top of the Cool Whip immediately before serving. If desired, serve with fresh banana slices.
- Store leftover banana pudding wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
- Use very soft cream cheese so it mixes smoothly without lumps.
- Chill the banana pudding for at least 4 hours before serving, but overnight is best for soft, cakelike cookies.
- Completely cover the bananas with pudding to keep them from turning brown.
- Add the crushed vanilla wafers right before serving or they'll get soggy.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by Allrecipes.
Very good! I got the 12 oz Cool Whip and used 8 oz mixed in and then the rest for on top.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Yum! Love all things bananas and this looks top tier! Can't wait to make this for Easter. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you, Natalie -- enjoy! Happy Easter 🙂
I love how simple it is to make this banana pudding, it has the perfect blend of textures and flavors. I served this at a party and everybody couldn't get enough!
That's awesome, I'm so glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Love that this is really so easy. Got some ripe banana perfect for this!
Great use for bananas when they reach that perfect eating ripeness! Enjoy!
What a super easy make ahead dessert. I made it for the first time last weekend and going to repeat at Easter when I have the family over!
Hi, Jacqueline, thank you so much for giving this a try. I hope you and your family enjoy! Happy Easter 🙂 Cara
This was so creamy, delicious, and easy to make. YUM!
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it :).
This Is the exact recipe of Paula Deen, " Not Your Mama 's Banana Pudding". In which she do state, you can use vanilla wafers, instead of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies. Always give the credit, to the original person, who developed the recipe.
Hi, Lachelle, I love Paula Deen recipes! And have shared her recipes for Corn Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Green Bean Casserole. This recipe is slightly different than hers.
This is also almost exactly the same recipe I use. It came from Joanna Gaines cookbook. Joanna said her recipe came from Chips great aunt so maybe this recipe has been around awhile. Where ever it came from - it is delicious!
Yes, there are many iterations out there that are very similar, and have probably been passed down for generations. And I'm with you, whoever first thought to combine pudding, bananas, and Nilla wafers is a genius :). Thanks for the fun note! Cara