Easy Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers (Make-Ahead)
This Easy Banana Pudding recipe with Vanilla Wafers is a delicious no-bake dessert with layers of vanilla pudding and ripe bananas in a trifle bowl or 9 x 13 pan. Perfect make-ahead dessert for backyard barbecues, Thanksgiving, Easter, and family gatherings. Try No Bake Banana Pudding Pie and Banana Pudding Cups in mason jars next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Featured Review
The best banana pudding recipe I've ever had !! I'm making it as the dessert for my BBQ wedding 🩷🩷🩷 - Felixx
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🎥Video: How to Make Easy Banana Pudding
❤️Banana and Vanilla Wafer Pudding: At a Glance
- Fast and easy Southern banana pudding recipe. Only about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- Simple ingredients. Cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, instant vanilla pudding, milk, Cool Whip, vanilla wafers, fresh bananas
- Make ahead holiday dessert. Banana pudding with Nilla Wafers needs at least 4 hours to chill, but it's best served the next day, when the cookies have softened slightly. Use a trifle dish or 9x13 pan.
- Crowd-pleasing dessert. Big batch serves at least 12! Perfect dessert to make ahead for the holidays and potlucks.
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Banana pudding is my ultimate comfort food, and this is the version I make again and again. This easy banana pudding with vanilla wafers is rich, creamy, and full of banana flavor, and I've tested and tasted it many times right here in my own kitchen.
The no-cook filling with cream cheese, condensed milk, and creamy vanilla pudding mixes together in minutes. Then you just layer it with Nilla wafers and fresh banana slices. I love using a trifle dish (the one in my photos was my grandma's), but it's totally optional. A glass bowl or 9 x 13 pan works just as well.
It's great for serving a crowd, looks pretty as a centerpiece on the dessert table, and since it's a make-ahead dessert, it's one less thing to worry about on the day of.
Wanna try a twist? Try my new Chocolate Banana Pudding, or head over to my other blog, Midwestern Holidays, for Strawberry Banana Pudding made with Chessman Cookies.
🍌Banana and Nilla Wafer Pudding Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient list.
- Cream cheese. Soften cream cheese at room temperature until it is very soft so it mixes smoothly into the condensed milk.
- Sweetened condensed milk. Banana pudding with sweetened condensed milk has an extra creamy, velvety texture. I like Eagle brand, but you can also try making your own sweetened condensed milk!
- Instant vanilla pudding mix. Vanilla or French vanilla pudding both offer delicious vanilla flavor. 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, try Truwhip. It's just like Cool Whip, but a little healthier.
- Vanilla wafer cookies. Banana pudding with Nilla Wafers is a classic. As they sit overnight, the cookies get soft and perfectly cakey.
- 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 :).
🍪Variations
- Instant banana pudding. For extra banana flavor, replace one box of vanilla pudding with instant banana pudding to keep it from tasting too artificial. But really, banana pudding with vanilla pudding only still has tons of banana flavor from the fresh bananas.
- Whipped cream. I haven't tried banana pudding with fresh whipped cream, but the pudding mix and cream cheese should stabilize it well enough to keep it from getting runny. I would add the topping layer right before serving, as that will likely deflate overnight. If you want to try a different flavor of whipped cream, my Caramel Whipped Cream would be really delicious!
- Cookies. Instead of vanilla wafers, try Lorna Doone or Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies. They're thicker and sturdier, but still soften nicely overnight.
🥣How to Make Easy Banana Pudding with Wafers
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk.
Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, mix the vanilla pudding mix and cold milk until smooth.
Step 3: Add the pudding to the cream cheese mixture and mix until completely combined. Fold in ½ of the Cool Whip.
Step 4: Place a layer of nilla wafer cookies 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 final layer of pudding.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve: at least 4 hours, but overnight is best. This gives the cookies time to soften and become cakelike.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Step 8: Before serving, crush 1-2 more vanilla wafers on top of the Cool Whip. If desired, add banana slices on top.
✅Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding 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
One 11 oz. box of Nilla Wafers Cookies has approximately 80 cookies. I use about 60 cookies in a trifle dish, so one box is enough. You may need more cookies if you use a 9 x 13 pan.
Four things: use very soft cream cheese so the filling is smooth, completely cover the bananas with pudding so they don't brown, chill it overnight so the cookies turn cakey, and crush the wafers on top right before serving so they stay crunchy.
Yes, and you should! It's best served 4-24 hours after you make it, which makes it perfect for Thanksgiving or any potluck where your oven is already maxed out.
The secret to preventing bananas from turning brown in banana pudding is to completely cover them with pudding to seal them in. This keeps the bananas from being exposed to air, which is what turns them brown. If you'd like to add fresh bananas to the top, do so right before serving
Since bananas are about 75% water, they're usually the reason for watery banana pudding -- but this can take a few days to happen, depending on the ripeness of the bananas you use. Fresh whipped cream that isn't stabilized with gelatin or cream cheese can also turn runny after a day or two. For best results, serve banana pudding within 4-24 hours.
Nilla wafers and Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies are popular options for this homemade banana pudding recipe. I have also used Lorna Doone shortbread cookies. Also try include graham crackers, Nutter Butters, Golden Oreos, Biscoff, gingersnaps, lady fingers, and butter cookies. Thinner cookies like graham crackers will soften more quickly, while sturdier butter and shortbread cookies will hold up a bit longer.
✨More Delicious Banana Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers
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.
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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.
Made things last night for our Bible study group.
It was fabulous. Everyone loved it.
That's so wonderful to hear, Carolyn, I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it!
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!
If I don’t have condensed milk what can I substitute
If you'd like to try making it, there are many simple recipes out there. I haven't tried it, but here is one that seemed to work well for others. You'll find other substitutions here, as well.
Another option -- which, again, I haven't tried -- is to mix in about 1/4 cup sugar with the cream cheese, then add a little more milk to the pudding mixture. Since condensed milk is made from milk reduced to half, I would use 1/2 the volume of a can of condensed milk, or about 1/2 cup.
Let me know what you end up doing and how it goes!
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