Easy Banana Pudding Recipe

4.63 from 8 votes

An Easy Banana Pudding Recipe is the perfect potluck or summer dessert made with butter cookies, pudding mix, fresh bananas and whipped cream.

Prep Time20

Chil Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 583kcal

Cost: $8

1 (3.4 ounce) box Instant vanilla pudding mix
1 ¼ cups (296ml) milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not fat-free)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon banana extract optional
2 cups (474ml) heavy whipping cream
¼ cup (28g) powdered sugar
2 packages Chessman butter cookies or other similar sized butter cookie or shortbread cookie
5-6 medium bananas sliced

Whisk pudding mix, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and both extracts in a large bowl until smooth. Set aside to set for 5 minutes.
Make whipping cream by beating heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Place one layer of cookies in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (about 24 cookies, depending on what kind you’re using), breaking some to fit if needed.
Fold half the whipped cream into the pudding mixture. Pour half on top of the cookies. Cover with banana slices, then the rest of the pudding mixture.
Spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the pudding and top with crumbled cookies. Cover and chill at least one hour before serving.
Best eaten within 24 hours or up to 2 days (the bananas may discolor after a day or so).

You can swap vanilla wafers for the butter cookies, but the Chessman cookies are traditional.
Feel free to make Paula Deen's version with Cool Whip instead of fresh whipped cream.
You can use French vanilla pudding mix as well.