This old-fashioned banana pudding recipe is the best I’ve ever had! Creamy, rich, and almost mousse-like, my homemade banana pudding tastes just the way my Grandma used to make it. I know you’re going to love it!
My grandmother’s easy banana pudding recipe has gone on to inspire more delicious treats, like these banana pudding cookies and banana pudding cake.
This banana pudding recipe has been sitting in my grandmother’s recipe box for years. As someone who isn’t always the biggest fan of bananas (unless they’re baked into banana bread or cheesecake), my family’s homemade banana pudding is an exception. It is FABULOUS. Thick, creamy vanilla pudding is layered with fresh banana slices and sweet shortbread cookies. Topped off with a layer of Cool Whip and more crushed cookies, this is the type of old-fashioned dessert that comes to every family gathering.
My Grandma would sometimes make her banana pudding in a pie crust and serve it like banana cream pie, but a trifle dish works just as well. More often than not, we had it in a simple 9×13 pan, like the way I made it today. However you decide to make it, I hope you love this banana pudding as much as I do!
Why Grandma’s Easy Banana Pudding Recipe Is My Favorite
- There’s no baking. I love no-bake desserts that don’t require me to turn on the oven. Just whisk this pudding together, and pop it into the fridge until it’s time to dig in.
- Uncomplicated ingredients. Sweet vanilla pudding mixed with ripe bananas? It’s not complicated, but it’s such a classic, winning combo. Add in those crunchy cookies, and nobody will turn down a serving of this pudding!
- It’s quick. There is a good amount of hands-off refrigeration time, but making the banana pudding only takes 15 minutes of prep.
- Serve it anywhere. This pudding is nice enough to serve as a somewhat elegant dessert (the texture is luscious, like mousse), but it’s also casual enough for a potluck or backyard barbecue in the summer.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make It
The ingredients for this banana pudding recipe are indulgent but simple. Here’s what you’ll need to gather up. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable list with exact measurements.
- Cream Cheese – Let it come to room temperature before starting, and also be sure to use block cream cheese – not cream cheese spread.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – You’ll blend this in to thin out the cream cheese.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding – My Grandma always used just vanilla, so that’s what I do. If you’re a real banana lover, though, you can absolutely use banana pudding mix in place of the vanilla… OR use a combo of vanilla and banana.
- Milk – I would use 2% or whole milk for this recipe. Whatever you use, make sure it’s cold!
- Vanilla – Offers extra sweet flavor. Stick with real vanilla extract or vanilla paste over imitation.
- Cool Whip – I like to use Cool Whip in this recipe rather than traditional whipped cream. Folding it right into the cream cheese mixture makes the pudding silky and mousse-like. Now, if you don’t love Cool Whip, you can totally use whipped cream in its place.
- Bananas – Slice these up before starting to save time.
- Shortbread Cookies – I prefer shortbread, but you can definitely use Nilla Wafers if you like.
How to Make Banana Pudding
Banana pudding can be broken down into three main layers: a layer of cookies, another of bananas, and one of pudding! Of course, if you’ve got any topping ideas, feel free to add them. Here are the steps to constructing your homemade pudding:
- Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk. In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the dry pudding mix, milk, and vanilla. Begin mixing on low for 30 seconds, slowly turning up the speed until you’re on high speed. Mix this for 4-5 minutes until thickened and smooth, again scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Fold in the Cool Whip. Lastly, fold 4 ounces (half) of the Cool Whip, or whipped cream, into the pudding until combined.
Assemble the Banana Pudding
- Layer the ingredients. First, line the bottom of a 9×13 dish with as many shortbread cookies as you can fit. Evenly place the banana slices on top of the cookies. Spread the pudding on top of the bananas. Spread the remaining Cool Whip (or whipped cream) on top of the pudding.
- Decorate. Crumble any remaining cookies on top of the Cool Whip and/or place more cookies around the edge of the pan for decoration. Cover with cling wrap and chill the banana pudding for at least 4-6 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
You want the bananas for banana pudding to be pretty ripe. They should be a deep yellow and speckled with brown spots. Don’t pick overripe bananas because they’ll brown faster or turn mushy in the pudding. Save those for baked goods, like banana bread or banana muffins!
Prevent the banana slices from turning brown by squeezing some lemon juice on them. Coating them in citric acid will keep them looking nice and fresh. Just be careful not to go overboard so that you don’t change the flavor of the pudding.
No, unfortunately not. Make sure you buy instant pudding for this recipe. Instant pudding thickens up right on the spot, and you don’t have to heat it. Other types of pudding will not work here.
Tips for the Best Banana Pudding
- Soften the cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature. If it’s cold, it won’t mix up smoothly, and you’ll end up with small lumps of cream cheese in the pudding.
- Beat the ingredients well. Beat the pudding mixture on high speed for about 5 minutes using the whisk attachment on your mixer. You want the mixture to thicken up nicely.
- Use as many cookies as needed. I wouldn’t get too hung up on how many cookies you add for the crust. Just enough to cover the bottom of the dish. You could really add as many, or as few cookies as you want.
Make-Ahead
One more wonderful thing about banana pudding is that it’s PERFECT for entertaining, and I actually encourage you to prep it in advance. Making it ahead is not only easier, but better taste-wise. The longer it sits, the more tasty it gets. The cookies get softer, and the flavors just combine more. You can make this dessert up to 2 days in advance.
How to Store Banana Pudding
- Refrigerate. I like to store any leftover banana pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After that, the cookies tend to get a bit too soft and soggy.
More Pudding Recipes to Try
The Best Banana Pudding Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
- Category: Pudding
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
My grandmother’s homemade banana pudding recipe is the best! It’s easy to make, with layers of ripe bananas, shortbread cookies, and creamy, mousse-like vanilla pudding. It’s one of my favorite no-bake desserts!
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 (14- ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (5 – ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
- 2 1/4 cups cold milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, or 8 ounces heavy cream, whipped
- 4 bananas, sliced
- 10 ounces shortbread cookies or Nilla Wafers
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add in the dry pudding mix, milk and vanilla.
- Begin mixing on low for 30 seconds, slowly turning up the speed until you’re on high speed. Mix this for 4-5 minutes until thickened and smooth, again scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Fold 4 ounces (half) of the Cool Whip (or whipped cream) into the pudding until combined.
- Line the bottom of a 9×13 dish with as many shortbread cookies as you can fit. Evenly place the banana slices on top of the cookies. Spread the pudding on top of the bananas. Spread the remaining Cool Whip (or whipped cream) on top of the pudding.
- Crumble any remaining cookies on top of the Cool Whip and/or place more cookies around the edge of the pan for decoration.
- Cover with Cling Wrap and chill at least 4-6 hours.
Notes
- You could use a small package of instant vanilla pudding and a small package of banana pudding in place of just the vanilla for a more banana flavored pudding.
- You can serve this in any dish you prefer, like a trifle dish, individual dishes etc.
- Store airtight for up to 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 315
- Sugar: 43.8 g
- Sodium: 243.3 mg
- Fat: 9.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.1 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 23.3 mg
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I’m not really a pudding fan but my gosh. This is yummy. My mom has been craving banana pudding and this recipe looked interesting so i decided to try it. So much better than regular banana pudding or any other pudding flavor. I know she is going to love it. Thanks for sharing!
How much liquid heavy cream makes the equivalent of the 8 oz. cool whip???
Hi Dianna, 8 oz. of whipped heavy whipping cream would be the equivalent. It says so in the recipe too! Should be a 1:1 substitution