No Bake Banana Pudding

Savor the nostalgic flavors of fresh bananas, creamy pudding, and vanilla wafers with this easy no bake banana pudding recipe! 

Transport your taste buds back to Grandma’s house with just a few simple ingredients! This delicious dessert combines the fresh and fruity flavor of bananas, our sweet and creamy take on pudding, and chewy layers of cookies for the best banana pudding recipe ever. 

Make this easy banana pudding recipe next time you need a cheap crowd-pleaser!

Pin the irresistibly appetizing image to your favorites board on Pinterest and have this classic dessert recipe at your fingertips!

We like to make this for family gatherings, potlucks, barbecues, or even just as a treat for good kids after family dinner. If there’s a planned event, this is the perfect dessert to make the night before.

It can taste even better the next day once all the flavors and textures sink in.

FAQs

How do I keep sliced bananas from turning brown in my banana pudding?

• First, don’t use overly ripe bananas. The peel shouldn’t have much or any green left, but you shouldn’t see more than a few brown spots. 
• Next, slice the bananas as you go and quickly cover them with cold pudding. This will prevent them from being exposed to oxygen, therefore delaying browning. 
• Then for any decorative banana slices or slightly riper slices, (or all the slices if you want to be extra cautious), swish them around in some pineapple juice because the citrus acids help preserve the color. Finally, we must accept that bananas are bananas, so after 3 days, their slices will probably get mushy and brown no matter what.

How can I thicken my no-bake banana pudding?

• Instant pudding mix is very versatile. You don’t need to follow the instructions to a T. Stir in some sour cream, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, or whipped cream to thicken in up. Experiment with different quantities of dairy ingredients until you find your perfect texture.

What’s the difference between Vanilla Wafers and Nilla Wafers?

• Short answer – nothing. But I love this history! These Nabisco cookies made their debut in 1898 as “Vanilla Wafers.” They became a principal ingredient in the South for banana puddings, their most common use then and today. So in the 1940’s, Nabisco started printing their banana pudding recipe on the boxes. In 1967, Nabisco changed the name to “Nilla Wafers,” but the recipe remained the same. During the 90’s, the recipe changed a bit and incorporated cheaper ingredients. However, this change was unrelated to the earlier name change.

Supplies for classic banana pudding:

• 2 large mixing bowls
• metal whisk
• electric mixer (optional but handy)
• offset spatula
• individual serving cups, trifle dish, or large bowl

No Bake Banana Pudding

Ingredients for the best banana pudding recipe:

• 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 large box instant banana pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 cups whole milk
• 12 oz cool whip
• 1 box vanilla wafers
• 4-7 fresh bananas
• Wilton Caramel Toffee Dessert Drizzle

Directions on how to make creamy banana pudding:

1. Combine the milk and both instant pudding mixes in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Whip until thick. 

2. In a separate bowl, cream together cream cheese and sour cream. Add a few tablespoons of pudding to the sour cream and cream cheese mixture and stir. This helps the ingredients incorporate more evenly in the next step.

3. Fold the cream cheese mixture into the pudding mixture. Add the cool whip and continue folding together until well combined. 

4. Line your cups or serving dish with a layer of vanilla wafers. Add a dollop of creamy pudding mixture, then a layer of bananas.

5. Repeat until your dish is full, then decorate with a cookie, banana slice and Wilton caramel drizzle on top of the pudding.

6. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving, or refrigerate overnight and serve the next day.

Substitutions:

• Use these same ingredients and methods for a banana cream pie. Just assemble inside a pie crust instead.
• For an even richer pudding, swap in some heavy cream for a portion of the cold milk.
• Feel free to whisk up some homemade whipped cream and use it in place of Cool Whip.
• Use shortbread cookies instead of vanilla wafers. Or, create a layer of cookies to your own taste. Try any variety of Oreos, graham crackers, or animal crackers. 

Tips and Tricks

For a show-stopping centerpiece, make this no bake dessert in a trifle bowl. Perfect too for a kid’s event or outdoor party, minimize the hassle (and hazards) by making individual servings.

For the best taste and texture, do not serve at room temperature. It’s fine to let your no-bake banana pudding sit out for a while as people eat and serve themselves, but after an hour or so it’s time to get it back in the fridge or cooler!

Store in an airtight container for up to three days. It shouldn’t be rotten or unsafe to eat after this point, but it might not taste great. Plus the texture could become gloopy or the bananas could turn really brown.

If there are bananas on top of the pudding, lay some plastic wrap right on top to keep out extra oxygen, then seal your airtight container.

This no bake dessert comes in handy when I have a small window of time but want to serve a fabulous, delicious dessert.

That bright, fresh banana flavor combined with the creamy texture of pudding and soaked cookies hits the spot for just about everyone!

This remains one of my favorite desserts because there are only a few easy steps and simple ingredients. With just a bit of prep, you can recreate this perfect no bake banana pudding recipe and wow every generation of eaters!

Looking for more favorite dessert recipes? Here are a few that we love:

• Homemade Stacked Milkshakes
• Brownie Peanut Butter Tart
• Layered Strawberry Angel Food Cake
• Easy Trifle Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

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Don’t forget to pin the mouthwatering image to your favorites board on Pinterest for later cravings!