No Bake Banana Pudding
My no bake Banana Pudding Recipe features classic vanilla wafers, slices of fresh banana, creamy vanilla pudding, and homemade whipped cream. Only seven ingredients and no Cool Whip or sweetened condensed milk. Prepared in an 8"x8" pan.
Ingredients
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 ounce box)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1.5 cups heavy cream well-chilled
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mini vanilla wafers* (regular works great too, see notes)
- 2-3 medium bananas sliced in 1/4" slices
Instructions
- Before beginning, open the pudding packet and reserve 1.5 tablespoons of pudding mix in a medium bowl for the whipped cream layer.
- In another medium bowl, use a whisk to combine the remainder of the pudding packet with the whole milk until no lumps remain. Set aside (will thicken in just a few minutes).
- In the medium bowl with the reserved pudding mix, add in the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Use the whisk attachment on an electric hand mixer to beat the cream until you achieve soft and billowy peaks. Beat a bit longer until medium peaks (peaks where the very top flops over) or stiff peaks. Don't overbeat.
- Add half of the whipped cream to the pudding mixture and gently fold together with a spatula until no streaks remain.
- Layer 1 cup of mini Nilla Wafers into an 8"x8" square dish. Arrange them so they are in mostly one layer. Scatter half of your banana slices over the top. I don't like to do a solid layer of banana slices, maybe shoot for covering about 50% of the pan evenly.
- Using half the pudding mix, dollop small spoonfuls across the top of the cookies and bananas. Spread out with a rubber spatula or spoon. Push the cookies back down if they come up while you are spreading the pudding--it doesn't need to be perfect!
- Repeat the layering process with the remaining 1 cup of mini wafers, banana slices, and pudding mixture. Smooth the top layer to ready it for the whipped cream.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the whipped cream over the dessert and use a spoon or offset spatula to spread the cream. Chill for 4 hours before serving.
- For serving: layer more wafers on top of the dessert as desired for a simple garnish.
Notes
A Note on the Nilla Wafers: Regular size Nilla Wafers work just fine here. Instead of measuring them out, just layer one layer of cookies each time a layer of minis is called for. One 11-oz box is plenty for one recipe of the dessert.
Doubling the Recipe? You'll need two 3.4 ounces boxes of pudding mix (or the equivalent weight from a larger box).
Make-Ahead Instructions: I find that this no bake banana pudding is best 4-6 hours after preparing it. This gives the the cookies time to soften and meld with the filling, but isn't so long that the bananas start getting funky.
Preparing the dessert the day before and letting it sit overnight also works well, but I do find that the bananas start to brown.
Alternative Cookie Options: The first time I tested this recipe I used (my favorite) Biscoff cookies. I needed about 26 cookies (there are 32 in a pack) in an 8"x8" square pan to layer with the dessert. The combo of the Biscoff and the bananas is excellent.
I haven't tried it, but I think crispy chocolate chip cookies would also be really yummy.
Nutrition Facts
No Bake Banana Pudding
Amount per Serving
Calories
344
% Daily Value*
Fat
20
g
31
%
Saturated Fat
11
g
69
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5
g
Cholesterol
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
187
mg
8
%
Potassium
195
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
40
g
13
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
26
g
29
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
644
IU
13
%
Vitamin C
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
61
mg
6
%
Iron
0.1
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.