If you’re looking for THE Very Best Banana Pudding Ever, look no further! This truly is the greatest! Rich and creamy and surprisingly simple to make, it’s sure to become a family favorite and a huge crowd pleaser!

Sometimes I just make a recipe and it just does not work out. Other times I make a recipe and I knock it out of the park.

This is a knock-it-out-of-the-park kinda recipe!

I absolutely love banana pudding… and any banana dessert, really! Banana nut muffins, banana cake, banana pudding, banana bread, banana cream pie – I love it all and will never be able to resist any of them if presented the chance to eat something banana-y. But of all the banana things, the pudding may have to be my number one fave!

Ingredients

• 2½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
• 14 oz (1 small can) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 oz (1 large box) instant banana pudding mix just the dry powder
• 1 cup 2% or whole milk
• 11 oz (1 box) Nilla Wafers
• About 8 medium bananas, sliced make sure they’re barely ripe – too ripe/soft and they’ll brown faster

Garlic Butter Steak

Instructions

• Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and, using the whisk attachment, whip until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the whipped cream to a separate medium bowl and set aside.
• To the wiped-out stand mixer bowl, add the cream cheese and, using the same whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add in the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the dry pudding mix and mix well, then slowly stream in the milk and mix until fully combined.
• Add 2/3 of the whipped cream to the pudding mixture and fold it in gently until fully combined and no whipped cream streaks remain. Set aside.
• In your prepared pan, place an even layer of Nilla wafers and top with an even layer of sliced banana coins. Top with half of the pudding mixture and spread evenly. Repeat with another layer of Nilla wafers, followed by another layer of sliced banana coins, and the remaining pudding layer, spreading it evenly. Top with the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, crush any remaining Nilla wafers and sprinkle them over the top. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for, maximum 2 days.

Notes

Remember, this recipe needs at least 8 hours to chill, so it can be made in advance. But because of bananas and their tendency to brown, it has a maximum of 2 days before I would throw it out. You can not freeze this recipe as the pudding does not freeze well. Cool Whip can be used to replace the whipped cream. If using Cool Whip, simply omit the heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and replace with one 12-oz tub of thawed Cool Whip and proceed with the recipe as normal. If you don’t like/can’t find Nilla Wafers, shortbread cookies or Chessman cookies can be used in their place.

[mashshare]