Name: Easy No Bake Banana Pudding Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 5 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 medium bananas, sliced into 1/2" pieces; 1.5 cup cold water (355 ml); 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (397 gm); 1 box Godiva White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Pudding Mix (111 gm); 3 cups heavy whipping cream (237 ml); 24 Chessman cookies

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If you want to make a simple no-bake dessert that everyone will love, this is the one! A no-bake banana pudding recipe is the perfect choice for serving up any day of the week. A rich semi-homemade pudding, sweet cookies, and ripe bananas combine with homemade whipped cream to make a perfect addition to your dessert menu.

No-Bake Banana Pudding

You've probably made or had banana pudding in a variety of ways. Every family has its own method of making this pudding, but this one is my favorite. Using an instant pudding mix and sweetened condensed milk creates a super-rich flavor that is easier than a traditionally cooked custard, but still better than an ordinary pudding.

If you like banana-flavored desserts, you'll also enjoy this banana pudding cheesecake recipe. It's a bit more work, but a decadent treat that is rich and creamy. Perfect for sharing.

What Can I Use in Place of Chessman Cookies?

Chessman cookies are a great choice for this pudding, but they may not always be available. There are a few good substitutions I have used when making this recipe. With a few adjustments, you can turn another cookie into a great choice in this recipe.

Nilla wafers
Graham crackers
Shortbread cookies
Digestive biscuits

Depending on your preferences, you can use truly any cookie in this recipe. The main thing to consider is that you want a slightly crisp cookie that will soften in the pudding for that texture you expect.

What is the Best Instant Pudding to Use in Banana Pudding?

The banana flavor comes from the bananas themselves in this recipe. Making the pudding a rich sweet custard is a must. For this, I used Godiva white chocolate vanilla bean instant pudding mix. It has a rich vanilla flavor that is hard to find in other instant pudding mixes.

If you don't have it available in your grocery store, you can use any vanilla pudding, white chocolate, or banana pudding mix instead. For added flavor, you can add a bit of fresh vanilla bean or even pure vanilla extract to the pudding.

Can I Use Cool Whip Instead of Whipped Cream?

You can definitely use Cool Whip or other whipped topping products in place of homemade whipped cream. When adding it into the pudding mixture, you will follow the same method of folding it into the prepared pudding.

One thing to remember is that canned whipped cream is not the same as homemade whipped cream. It will not fold into this and work well as it will deflate and could be a bit runny instead of thick enough to help set the pudding.

How Long is Banana Pudding Good in the Refrigerator?

It is best eaten within 3 days of preparation. Store all banana pudding leftovers in an airtight container. One thing to note when refrigerating leftover pudding like this is that it can get a bit watery. Stirring it together before serving can help, but it is best to serve it as soon as properly chilled.

Tips for Ripening Bananas Fast

Sometimes you want pudding but don't have a ripe banana on hand. That's okay! You can ripen bananas easily overnight by placing them into a brown paper bag alongside an apple. It's a great way to be able to make your favorite pudding just about any time you want!

Tips for Making Individual Servings

If you want to turn this into a prettier display of individual servings, you can easily do that by using any dessert cup or glass. It's easy to layer a single cookie, a few pieces of banana, and a tablespoon of pudding 3 or 4 times into a glass for a fun "shooter" style dessert. They are ideal for serving at a party or to guests. Just cover the tops with a bit of plastic wrap and refrigerate until time to serve.

Ingredients

Bananas
Sweetened condensed milk
Vanilla instant pudding mix
Heavy cream
Chessman cookies

Handy Kitchen Tools

How to Make No Bake Banana Pudding

Measure the cold water into a slightly larger measuring cup than needed, and add 2-3 pieces of ice to the water to properly chill.

Remove the ice from the water, and pour it into a large bowl alongside the sweetened condensed milk. Whisk together until combined.

To the milk mixture, add the package of instant pudding mix and whisk until combined.

Cover and refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Fold the whipped cream into the prepared pudding mixture until no streaks remain.

In a deep bowl, layer cookies ⅓ the cookies, then ⅓ the bananas, and ⅓ pudding.

Repeat this process two more times ending with pudding.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving to soften the cookies.

You may add additional whipped cream, sliced bananas, and cookie crumbs on top of the pudding before serving if desired.

More Recipes Using Bananas

If you have more bananas on hand and want to create something yummy to add to your menu, we've got you covered. Whether it's a rich dessert, a simple bar, or a basic bread, these recipes are favorites. Bookmark, pin, or print the recipes below to add to your menu soon!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 8