Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding is so easy to make and it tastes amazing! My whole family just loves this recipe.
The first time I remember eating this easy-to-make dessert was at my grandparent’s house, Uncle Chuck was in the kitchen slicing up bananas and laying Nilla Wafers in a casserole dish. I remember thinking, “What in the heck is that?” I soon found out, it’s one of the easiest to make desserts there is and it’s always a hit! I think his first Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding was inhaled in about 10 minutes, so he started making another. This pudding is some good stuff!
I am participating in the A to Z Challenge. The challenge is to blog six days a week for the month of April, taking Sundays off. Each day is assigned a letter. This post for Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding is my “N” day post.
Table of Contents
Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding Recipe
*** All pictures are for a double batch of Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding. When I made this double batch, I used exactly one and a half boxes of Nilla Wafers.
Here’s what you will need to make this amazing dessert:
- 1 box Nilla Wafers
- 1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding (5.1 ounces)
- 3 cups milk
- 3-5 ripe bananas
- Frozen whipped topping – defrosted or make your own whipped cream it is easy and tastes so much better than the frozen stuff.
Easy Whipped Cream Recipe
If you are going to make your own whipped cream, you will need:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
This is my daughter #2’s recipe. She puts the metal bowl from my KitchenAid Mixer in the freezer for at least one hour before making the whipped cream, if you don’t have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you could do the same thing with a metal bowl and an electric mixer. Whip the heavy cream and sugar on high for a minute or two, when the mixture is fluffy, mix in the vanilla extra. That’s all there is to it! Easy peasy!
Line a 9×13 casserole dish with a single layer of Nilla Wafers. I put the wafers on the casserole’s sides, I like how the dish looks from the outside like this.
Mix the pudding according to the package directions. I have two KitchenAid metal bowls. One is from my first KitchenAid, after many years of usage it stopped working and I saved the metal bowl and attachments. While one metal bowl is in the freezer getting cold for the whipped cream, the other is used to mix the pudding. If you only have one bowl, I suggest making the whipped cream first, transfer it to another bowl, then wash the KitchenAid bowl so you can mix the pudding.
I slice bananas one banana at a time as I layer this pudding dessert.
Add a layer of sliced bananas on top of the Nilla Wafers.
Pour half the pudding on top of the bananas. Repeat with another layer of Nilla Wafers, a layer of banana slices, and the other half of the vanilla pudding.
Make the whipped cream or get out the defrosted whipped topping.
Spread the whipped cream or whipped topping on top. Cover and refrigerate the banana pudding for at least one hour, but three hours would be better. I think this would be really pretty with some crushed nilla wafers on top.
Nilla Wafer Banana Strawberry Pudding
Sometimes when strawberries are on sale, I’ll make this pudding and substitute a layer of bananas for a layer of sliced strawberries. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture.

Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box Nilla Wafers
- 1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding 5.1 ounces
- 3 cups milk
- 3-5 ripe bananas
- Frozen whipped topping defrosted or make your own whipped cream - homemade tastes better and takes about two minutes to make.
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 casserole dish with a single row of Nilla Wafers.
- Prepare instant pudding according to package directions.
- Top Nilla Wafers with a row of sliced bananas.
- Top bananas with half the vanilla pudding mixture.
- Repeat layers (Nilla Wafers, bananas, & pudding).
- Top the pudding with homemade whipped cream or defrosted whipped topping.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
More Dessert Recipes
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- 5 Minute Easy Philadelphia No Bake Cheesecake Filling
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- Amazing Chocolate Crazy Cake Recipe [No Egg No Milk]
Karen
Saturday 10th of September 2022
Hey Shelly just curious have you ever made this like a day ahead of time? I got an Elton John concert tonight and then I have a family reunion tomorrow that I'm organizing. I thought if I made it a day ahead of time it would make my life so much easier. Just curious if it would still be as good?
Clara
Monday 13th of June 2016
I didn't think banana pudding could get any better, but you've proved me wrong. I made your recipe yesterday for my daughter's high school graduation party and it was a huge hit! Brownies, cookies, and cake were passed over in favor of a scoop of nila waffer banana pudding. Thanks for sharing!
Shelly
Monday 20th of June 2016
Thank you so much, Clara! I'm happy the banana pudding was such a hit! Congrats to your daughter's graduating!
Richa
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
It looks so yummy :D I have to have bananas essentially everyday as part of my diet and am always on the lookout to make interesting recipes as I am not a banana lover naturally :D
Shelly
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
This Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding is very tasty! I could eat banana's everyday but they have to be small bananas. Thanks for visiting and commenting Richa!
FJSj
Monday 18th of April 2016
It's my childhood! I had no idea they still made nilla wafers.
Shelly
Monday 18th of April 2016
Yep, they still make Nilla Wafers, I think they are like graham crackers, and here to stay! I love Nilla Wafers just plain too. Yum.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Mary Burris
Monday 18th of April 2016
This was a staple at our house when I was growing up. Soooo good!
Shelly
Monday 18th of April 2016
I never had it as a kid, I wonder if it was a regional thing?
Thanks for visiting again Mary!