The Best Banana Pudding
The Best Banana Pudding recipe is a no-cook recipe made with sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, pudding, fresh bananas and Nilla wafers!
A FAVORITE SOUTHERN RECIPE
Banana pudding is a classic Southern dessert that has been loved for generations. This creamy and delicious dessert is made with layers of vanilla pudding, sliced bananas and Nilla wafers topped with whipped cream. It’s the perfect dessert to serve at any occasion, whether it’s a family gathering or a summer barbecue. So grab a spoon and let’s go!
I’ve been making your recipe for years for nearly every holiday, birthday party, family get together. I change it up depending on holiday or season. This dessert is fantastic. People get mad if I don’t bring it! LOL
– Danielle
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Banana Pudding is a classic Southern dessert made with layers of vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, Cool Whip and Nilla wafers. It is served chilled and is a favorite at potlucks, picnics, barbecues and family gatherings.
I have a Cooked Southern Banana Pudding recipe that I’ve shared already on the site. The only issue with cooked pudding is the bananas tend to brown pretty quickly. If you are taking this to a potluck or a picnic, you want to show up with pretty, non-brown bananas. This no-cook version is great for picnics or potlucks, bananas stay fresher, longer and because it travels great and serves up easily.
Of course you can! Some folks don’t enjoy the artificial banana flavoring in the banana cream instant pudding but this is entirely a personal preference. You could also use banana extract instead of vanilla.
Yes you can. Just keep in mind that homemade whipped cream doesn’t stay stabilized as long as Cool Whip so it may break down into a more liquid state if not eaten right away.
Yes. However, the wafers add that traditional texture and flavor to the dessert, so it won’t be the same without them. A lot of people substitute other cookies though. A popular choice is the Pepperidge Farm Chessman Butter Cookies (paid affiliate link.)
You can sprinkle a little citric acid powder onto the sliced bananas. Just a little so as not to change the flavor. Or, you could lightly coat the sliced bananas in lemon or orange juice. Again, just coat lightly so as not to change the flavor.
Banana Pudding can last for up to three days in the refrigerator, as long as it is stored in an airtight container. Be sure to refrigerate it as soon as possible after preparing it. Note: Once you start digging into the banana pudding, the bananas will start turning brown so keep that in mind. I do not recommend freezing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- cream cheese – this needs to be fully at room temperature. I cannot express this enough. If it’s not fully soft then you’ll end up with a lumpy banana pudding and no one wants that. I have a tutorial on How to Soften Cream Cheese Fast if you need to speed up the process a bit.
- sweetened condensed milk – Many times people confuse evaporated milk with sweetened condensed milk so you’ll want to play close attention to the labels. Evaporated milk doesn’t work here and it certainly isn’t sweet. I know they can be close to each other in the grocery store so just be careful.
- instant vanilla pudding – it needs to be INSTANT. Do not get cook and serve. That is a whole different animal of pudding. It will not set if you get cook and serve. It can be hard to notice on the packaging sometimes so look closely.
- milk – I haven’t tried this with any kind of milk substitute so I can’t tell you how that would go. I always just use 2% cows milk or whole milk.
- vanilla extract – you can use banana extract if you want to amp up the banana flavor. I know some people think it tastes fake but that’s your call.
- Cool Whip – if you’ve never bought Cool Whip (or whipped topping before) you are going to find it in the frozen dessert section of your grocery store. You’re gonna need to let it thaw before using it. But don’t thaw it on your counter. Pop it into your fridge and let it thaw overnight.
- Nilla wafers – it has to be name brand Nilla wafers for me. Y’all know I never have a problem with store brand stuff but this is the one thing I just cannot accept any substitutes.
- ripe bananas – when I say ripe bananas, I mean yellow bananas that have a speckling of brown here and there. You don’t want overripe super brown bananas or they’ll turn too soft on you too quickly. And you definitely don’t want any green bananas either because they aren’t ripe and sweet yet.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BANANA PUDDING:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Add in sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix, and milk. Finally, add in vanilla extract and stir well.
Keep your mixer on low speed at first so the milk doesn’t fly everywhere. If you are using a stand mixer, make sure you get in there with a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting incorporated. That cream cheese likes to stay on the bottom of the bowl. Also, I find that the pudding can sometimes become a bit lumpy (especially if my cream cheese isn’t soft enough). If this happens to you, just keep mixing until most of the lumps are gone. The mixture will also begin to thicken too. After a few minutes of constant mixing, it will smooth out.
Finally, stir in half of the whipped topping. Time to layer. Place one-third of the vanilla wafers in a layer on the bottom of a trifle dish, large bowl or a 9×13 baking dish. You will notice that as I add the wafers, I face some outwards and up the sides. This is not necessary but when you are using a clear dish like this, it sure does make it look pretty when it’s done!
Next comes a layer of sliced bananas. Then pour one-third of the pudding mixture on top (enough to cover all the bananas).
Continue with two more layers. A layer of wafers, followed by bananas, then pudding mixture. I like a lot of bananas in there. I want at least a piece of banana in every bite. The final layer will be pudding. Then you will top the pudding with the rest of your whipped topping.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one to two hours before serving so it can thicken up and the wafers can soften.
Then dig in!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: February 2014
Updated photos & Republished: February 2024
The Best Banana Pudding (+Video)
Ingredients
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 5 ounce box INSTANT vanilla pudding mix (larger box)
- 3 cups milk (2% or higher)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 ounce tub whipped topping (COOL WHIP), thawed (divided use)
- 11 ounce box Nilla wafers (divided use)
- 5-7 bananas, peeled and sliced (divided use)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk, 5 ounce box INSTANT vanilla pudding mix, 3 cups milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until combined well (this can take a few minutes so be patient for it all to come together.)
- Finally, stir in half of the whipped topping.
- To layer: place one-third of the Nilla wafers in a layer on the bottom of a trifle dish, large bowl or a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add a single layer of sliced bananas.
- Then pour one-third of the pudding mixture on top (enough to cover all the bananas).
- Continue with two more layers.
- Top with remaining whipped topping.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one to two hours before serving so it can thicken up and the wafers can soften.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Please pay attention to the pudding you’re buying. It needs to be INSTANT not ‘Cook and Serve’. They are near each other on store shelves. Cook and Serve WILL NOT WORK!
- Also, be sure you are grabbing a can of sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. This dessert will not set up and it won’t be as sweet.
- Banana Cream Pudding flavor can be substituted for the vanilla pudding. Alternatively, banana extract can be substituted for the vanilla extract.
- It’s very important to make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. If not, you won’t be able to get it super smooth and you’ll end up with lumps.
- Bananas obviously come in many sizes so I say 5-7 bananas depending on the size of the bananas you purchase. I like a lot of fresh banana in my banana pudding but you should bo by your personal preference.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I made this for my sister’s birthday dinner in a trifle bowl. It was perfectly delicious.
So rich and very delicious! It was even better the 2nd day!
This banana pudding is amazing and so creamy…this recipe is my go to!!!!
Everyone loved this pudding. I used the already whipped cream cheese (16 ounces) and it turned out great.
This tastes delicious!
I have been cooking traditional banana pudding for decades with a meringue topping. Please don’t tell my Mee Maw but I’m never making that again! This was so much easier & tasted way better I’m almost embarrassed to say.
This is saved on my home screen as my GO TO banana pudding recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
Heather, I love that so much!! Thank you ❤️❤️
so good. i recommend taking a super ripe banana and blending it into the pudding mixture before you put everything together. gives it that banana punch.
Truly, the best banana pudding recipe ever my family asked me to make this all of the time. Thank you for sharing.
you can used real whipped cream. anymore it seems people wont take the extra steps to whip real cream. It will work. I have used it and worked great!
If you use real whip cream will it hold or liquify when stored?
Yes, I talk about that above in the frequently asked question section
Excellent banana pudding recipe!
I cook, bake, and host large parties several times a year. And I’ve never, in 62 years, heard the reaction to my food as I did with this recipe. I 4x the recipe for a co-ed wedding shower for 50 people. I made the banana pudding exactly as instructed and put it in a large aluminum serving tray. On top of the Cool Whip, I even laid out the initials of the couple with cookies. I live in Atlanta, so the attendees know and love their banana pudding. The comments were “I haven’t had such delicious banana pudding in 20 years,” “This tastes just like my grandmother’s recipe,” “How nice to share your family recipe,” and my own children accused me of buying the tray (my husband had to come to my defense). There was 1/2 a tray left, which people took home in styrofoam coffee cups! Thank you, Brandie! The banana pudding was the talk of the party.
Oh my gracious, thank you SO much Diane! What an amazing comment and it just absolutely made my day to read. High praise indeed!! Thank you for taking a chance on it and I am thrilled you had such great results!!
Made for Thanksgiving. Came about absolutely perfect! I came home with a completely empty bowl so that says it all LOL
absolutely love this recipe. it fits perfectly in my trifle bowl and absolutely delicious. first time I made it I didn’t realize it was the big box of pudding instead of the regular so I had to make an extra trip to the grocery store but turned out great after making that adjustment
Mine turned out great. I also followed the recipe.
it may say but I didn’t see it. is this okay to make the day before or would the cookies get to soft? never made one before. thanks!
Made it for Friendsgiving & it was an enormous hit, they couldn’t get enough! Thank you!!!!
My husband and I just made this beautiful and delicious treat for our Church Thanksgiving Meal which is today! We are so excited because we KNOW EVERYONE WILL LOVE THIS!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL DELICIOUS TREAT!!! D & W
Very delicious and pleasure to make banana pudding.
My husband and our friends love it!
TU.
I discuss that above in the frequently asked question section
Really delicious and easy!!! I used a 13 x 9 pyrex dish. The only problem I had was, because of the larger size I could only make two layers. No way did I have enough of the pudding mixture to cover 3 layers. Having said that, 2 layers worked perfectly fine for me. By the time I made the two layers and topped it with the Cool Whip, my dish was FULL!!! I did drizzle a little lemon juice over the cut bananas to help prohibit browning and crumbled a few vanilla wafers to sprinkle on top. WONDERFUL.
This was my 3rd time making this. I made a double batch for a family gathering and instead of using 2 boxes of vanilla pudding I used 1 vanilla and 1 banana cream pudding . Also used half vanilla wafers and half Bischoff. Absolutely delicious
It’s my go to recipe.
I keep all the ingredients on hand, including frozen bananas for a quick dessert.
I’ve never tried that to be honest. I’m generally not a fan of whipped cream cheese in dessert recipes, but in all honestly, I just couldn’t tell you since I haven’t personally tried it. 🙂
Love this recipe, crowd favorite, easy to make. Question: can you freeze dessert?
Personally I don’t think it freezes then thaws well. So glad you loved this one!
I just finished making this and it looks beautiful. Haven’t tasted the completed dessert, but tried the pudding part and it was delicious so I’m sure everyone will enjoy it. Very easy to make.
This is as delicious as it is
E-A-S-Y!!
Thank you so much for posting this lovely recipe! I have actually never made banana pudding before, and this was a huge hit. My husband (the pickiest person on earth) even said it was almost as good as his mom used to make from scratch.
This will be added to my very short (but impressive) list of rotating desserts. Thanks again! Chef’s kiss to you!
I’m a man and I cook and bake. This banana pudding is just outstanding.
I used a little bit more whip topping. Just to make it thick on top, but everything else is just perfect.
I just wonder if you can shave some nutmeg or some cinnamon or chocolate shavings. something on top. I wasn’t sure I wasn’t gonna do my first one and mess it up with. Anything else? my sister has always been the banana pudding Maker, but this one is better.
Hi Thomas! Totally up to you if you like the combination of flavors. I’m a banana pudding purist so I don’t want any other flavors to mess with that so I usually just decorate with some more nilla wafers or crushed up nilla wafers 🙂
Made your banana pudding last night, and my kids loved it! Thanks:)
I have to admit I actually messed up and forgot the sweetened condensed milk and everyone still loved it!
I love this recipe. I add nutter butter cookies on the bottom and it sends it to the next level. all my family and friends ask for the recipe. thanks for sharing!
We moved to TN last year and I quickly learned that banana pudding is a big deal here! This was my first attempt at making it and The Best Banana Pudding was a major WIN! My husband said it was the best he’s ever had and if there is a banana pudding, pie or cake on a menu ~ he’s getting it! I did swap the Cool Whip for fresh, unsweetened whipped cream. For us, it was sweet enough with the SC milk and pudding so it just added delicious creaminess. It makes a lot….so get ready to share with your neighbors! 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe.
it’s soooo yummy.
Delicious recipe. I used sugar free cheesecake pudding and reduced fat cool whip. Everyone loved it
This was ahhhh-mazing!! I followed the recipe exactly.
My mom is a bit of a “cooked banana pudding” snob, but I saw her go back for seconds and also take home some leftovers! I will make this at every gathering we have from now on!
Could I leave out the layers of vanilla wafers and just use the wafers as a spoon, dipping them in when wanted? I dislike soggy wafers and I know they get soggy after a while.
You may prefer my banana pudding fluff if you want more of a dip. You could certainly make this without the wafers but most people prefer the wafers to soften in this 🙂 https://www.thecountrycook.net/banana-pudding-fluff/
Awesome. Thanks for the link! 🙂
Made this for a family summer bbq and it was a hit! This is an easy recipe and so delicious! Have added it to my dessert favs.
I love this recipe! It’s so easy to make. I like to variate by using Oreo Pudding and Oreo cookies instead of Vanilla and wafers. Turns out great everytime.
Interesting! I bet that makes it very sweet and crunchy. Probably a bit too sweet for me personally but I can see how it would work! So happy you love this one!!
You would honestly think it would be to sweet, surprisingly is not. It’s absolutely perfect. It’s a hit for my entire family and hubby job family.
The instructions call for 5 oz of instant vanilla pudding (large box). The largest box of this pudding is 1.5 oz. It is the family size box. Where would I find a 5 oz box? Can I just use 4 family size 1.5 oz boxes and measure the 5 oz listed in your instructions from the family size boxes?
Are you looking at sugar free pudding? Are you in the U.S.? I’m confused. There are 5.1 ounce instant vanilla pudding boxes. You can look at my ingredient photo above or Google it so you can see what to look for.
I have the 1.5 ounce box of sugar free pudding, will that work?
You may need to adjust the milk. I haven’t tested it with sugar free. This also uses the larger box of pudding, not the smaller one.
Google 5.1 oz box instant pudding. Walmart definitely has it.
Just made a batch of this yummiest of yummies for a party I’m going to tomorrow. Couldn’t believe how easy it all came together and how delicious the spatula was, like no other time before.
SO good. I scoured for recipes before choosing this one and I won’t be trying any more, this is the one!
I made a dairy free / gluten free version using the following substitutes but everything about the recipe stayed the same
-Green Valley lactose free cream cheese
– coco whip (original) for the cool whip
– kinnikinnik gluten free vanilla wafers (so good! but I may try a different brand next time, for kicks)
– Natures Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk (you could eat this alone with a spoon it was delicious)
– jell-o brand vanilla pudding mix
– lactaid whole milk
I let it set overnight. It’s shameful how quickly it all disappeared from the fridge.
Delish
Everyone loves this !!!! I make it again and again. So easy and delicious!!! Thank you so much. The best and budget friendly too .
Turned out really delicious! My grandkids loved it and so did the grownups!
Excellent recipe!!! So easy and budget friendly. Everyone loved it. I will make this again and again. Thank you so much. Delicious
Our family thinks this is the very BEST version of banana pudding on the internet….the cream cheese!!! Thanks!
Made this for the first time & everyone LOVED it! Thank you fir the receipe!