Banana Pudding – classic banana pudding made with buttery Chessmen cookies. Layers of cookies, banana, and creamy vanilla pudding!
This post originally published on June 11, 2012. Updated on June 10, 2020. (I published this almost exactly 8 year ago. Wow, I’ve been making this for 8 years and still love it!)
One of my favorite things about summer is how so many of the desserts require no baking. I find myself making my No Bake Peanut Butter Pie and this classic Banana Pudding over and over every summer.
No bake desserts are great because you don’t have to turn the oven on and heat up your house and what’s better than a cool creamy dessert when it’s super hot outside?
This banana pudding is so simple and fast and you can make it ahead of time. It has layers of buttery cookies, sliced bananas, and a creamy vanilla pudding. So delicious – it’s always a crowd favorite!
Ingredients for Banana Pudding
- Chessmen cookies
- Bananas
- Milk
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- Cream Cheese
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Frozen Whipped Topping
How To Make Banana Pudding
- Line bottom of 9×13-inch pan with cookies
- Layer bananas on top of cookies
- In a bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix
- Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk
- Fold whipped topping into cream cheese mixture
- Add cream cheese mixture to the pudding and stir until blended
- Pour mixture over cookies and bananas
- Cover with remaining Chessmen cookies
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving
What Kind of Cookies Do You Use?
These are Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies. They are a classic simple butter cookie which gives the banana pudding a richer, buttery taste compared to the vanilla wafer version.
You can find Chessmen cookies at pretty much any grocery store in the regular cookie aisle. If you aren’t having any luck, you can always order them online.
Can You Make Banana Pudding Ahead?
Yes! This banana pudding needs to be made at least 2 hours before you plan to serve it. I usually make it the night before so it has plenty of time to set because I like to get really clean slices when I cut it.
How Long Is Banana Pudding Good For?
This banana pudding will stay good for up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to cover it tightly to keep it as fresh as possible.
And keep in mind that the longer it sits, the more moisture the cookies are going to soak up and the softer they will get. So maybe don’t serve this on day 4 to someone you’re really trying to impress.
Can You Freeze Banana Pudding?
No, I don’t recommend trying to freeze this pudding. I think the cookies would get mushy and bananas tend to turn a little brown when frozen so that might not be too appetizing.
The good news is that in all the years I’ve been making this, I’ve never once thrown any out! Someone is always willing to eat what’s left.
More Banana Recipes
- Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting
- Banana Upside Down Cake
- PB&J Banana Bread
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Cream Cheese Banana Bread
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from Paula Deen As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 313Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 33gProtein: 6g 
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Oh yum! I love banana pudding :)
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Meal planning for me when my husband isn’t here goes like this: M: popcorn, T: rice, W: fruit salad, TH: sandwich F: pizza. Done. And ummm this banana pudding is
stellar!
Anna says
This is the best banana pudding recipe ever! I do make one change to it, however. I leave out the sweetened condensed milk because it makes it much too sweet for my taste. It is still plenty sweet without it.
nicole @ I am a honey bee says
yum! i don’t think I’ve ever had banana pudding. This looks great! Love the cookies on top. cute!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Okay, I would think about this all day too instead of doing what I should be. Like, right now? That’s what I’m doing. Pinned for (definite) later use!
[email protected] says
I freakin love this stuff. Best banana pudding ever!
Pam @ The Meltaways says
you can’t beat this recipe for sure – so unbelievably RICH! Love the cookie “topping” !
Julie @ Table for Two says
These look so cool with the cookies on top! Love pudding. What a great and easy snack to have on a weeknight while watching tv :)
yummychunklet says
Yum. I love banana pudding! This looks great.
Candy says
I used to make this all the time and it fabulous! I love the Chessman cookies in it, they don’t get soggy like nilla wafers do.
Linda says
Hello I was wondering when to add the 2 cups milk…. the recipe doesn’t mention if I’m to mix the pudding with the milk and add it to the cream cheese mixture… help…
Linda says
Hello again… silly me… I went back and looked again at recipe…. and There is was on the second line… i eyes just jump right over it… sorry…. im anxious to make this recipe…. so if I can just find the cookies… lol
Claudia Lamascolo says
Wow I never thought to use those pretty cookies what a splendid idea cant wait to grab some for the recipe thanks!