No-Bake Banana Pudding Pie
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Whip up this creamy, dreamy no bake banana pudding pie in minutes! It’s the perfect summer dessert since you don’t need your oven AT ALL, but your family will beg you to make it for holidays and potlucks. Seven simple ingredients and 10 minutes are all you need to prep this pie.
Banana cream pudding, cream cheese, half and half, Cool Whip, Nilla wafers, and fresh sliced bananas all come together in a pre-made graham cracker crust for the easiest, most delicious dessert EVER. Get all that classic banana pudding flavor in the convenience of a pie (or cake)!
Let it chill overnight, slice and serve with a big dollop of Cool Whip for a cool and refreshing way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
And let’s face it — no one wants to heat up a kitchen when the temperatures are sweltering. ‘Tis the season of no bake desserts like my Cherry Kool Aid Pie, No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, Lemon Icebox Pie, and Strawberry Jello Pie. All the deliciousness, none of the heat.
But you came here for a banana pudding cream pie, so let’s get to it! Check out some of my other banana inspired desserts at the bottom of the post.
Ingredients
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Graham Cracker Crust — Use a 10-inch pre-made graham cracker crust of your choice to keep things fast and simple. Plus, it comes with the handy lid that’s perfect for keeping your pie fresh in the fridge. However, if you want to make your favorite homemade crust with graham crackers, go for it!
- Instant Banana Pudding Mix — Grab a 3.4 ounce box of instant banana cream pudding mix to amp up the banana flavor in this pie. If you like a subtler flavor, you can use vanilla instant pudding mix instead.
- Half and Half — Instead of regular milk, we use half and half for a rich, sweet pie that’s thick and creamy! You can substitute with whole milk or 2% if needed.
- Cream Cheese — This cream cheese gives the pie a cheesecake feel and thickens up the filling for a pie that slices easily once it’s chilled. Let it soften at room temperature before beating the cream cheese.
- Cool Whip — Use Cool Whip or your favorite tub of whipped topping. If it’s frozen, make sure you thaw it first in the fridge before adding the whipped topping to the pie. Homemade Cool Whip can be used, too.
- Nilla Wafers — You can’t have a banana pudding dessert without these classic vanilla wafer cookies.
- Fresh Bananas — Slice two bananas to fold into this creamy pie. See the recipe tips below for a trick to keep the bananas from browning.
Equipment You’ll Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make no bake banana pudding pie:
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Rubber scraper / spatula
- Measuring cup
How to Make No Bake Banana Cream Pie
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add your softened cream cheese to a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the cream cheese on medium-high until smooth.
Step 2: Add the pudding mix to the cream cheese, and slowly add half and half, mixing the ingredients as you go. Continue to mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until ingredients are fully combined.
Step 3: Add 8 ounces of Cool Whip and
Step 4: Fold in your sliced bananas gently to avoid deflating the pudding mixture. Don’t overmix; you don’t want the bananas to get mushy.
Step 5: Pour the filling into the prepared graham cracker crust. Use a scraper or spatula to spread the mixture evenly in the crust, smoothing out the top.
Step 6: Press Nilla wafers gently around the edge of the top of the pie. Just slide them in between the crust and the filling, creating sort of a flower look.
Step 7: Cover and place the pie in the refrigerator, letting it chill for at least 2 hours, or until firm. I usually let it chill overnight.
Step 8: Before serving the pie, add the remaining whipped cream on top. Sprinkle a handful of crushed Nilla wafers over the top. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
If you want to top the pie with fresh banana slices, wait until right before serving to keep them nice looking.
Storage and Freezing
For best results enjoy your delicious banana pudding pie within one day. After that, the banana will start to brown.
I do not recommend freezing this pie.
Banana Pudding Pie Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the pudding mixture in step 2 for extra sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Not a fan of brown bananas? Toss the banana slices with a small bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning in this no-bake pie. You don’t need a lot of lemon juice at all. Simply brushing the bananas with lemon juice will work, too.
- Choose bananas that are ripe, but not too ripe, to add to the pie. Bananas that are overripe will break down faster.
- Make sure you use the amount of half and half called for in the recipe card for the pudding mixture. Do not prepare the mix according to the package directions, as this will result in a mixture that’s way too thin.
Additions and Variations
Chocolate cream pie: Make a decadent chocolate version of this easy no-bake dessert by trading the banana cream pie pudding for chocolate pudding and swapping out the graham cracker pie crust for an Oreo crust. Skip the bananas and Nilla wafers, adding chocolate sandwich cookies around the rim of the pie instead. Some chocolate shavings over top would look (and taste) amazing!
Lemon cream pie: Use lemon pudding mix in place of the banana variety. Keep the graham cracker crust, and try lemon wafers instead of Nilla wafers around the pie.
Make a low sugar version: Watching your sugar intake? Swap out the pudding with no-sugar pudding mix, and switch to zero-sugar Cool Whip to lighten this easy banana cream pie recipe. Of course, you’ll still have sugar in the Nilla wafers and crust, but this will cut down on the amount.
Top with crushed graham crackers: You can skip the vanilla wafer cookies altogether if you prefer to top your pie with crushed graham crackers instead.
Recipe FAQ
The bananas turning brown in the pie isn’t a food safety issue, but it doesn’t make for the prettiest presentation. To prevent browning, toss the banana slices in a little lemon juice before folding into the pudding mixture.
No, you don’t. This recipe is super easy and uses instant pudding that requires no cooking at all. Your pie doesn’t need to spend any time in the oven, either.
No, do not prepare the pudding according to the package directions. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card to get your no bake banana pie absolutely perfect.
More Banana Dessert Recipes
Looking for more easy recipes with delicious banana flavor? Try one of these mouthwatering desserts.
- Banana Icebox Cake
- Banana Pudding Cookies
- Banana Pudding Popsicles
- Banana Cream Cookie Cups
- No Bake Banana Split Dessert
- Banana Bundt Cake
No-Bake Banana Pudding Pie
Ingredients
- 1 premade graham cracker crust
- 1 3.4 ounce box banana cream pudding
- 2 cups half and half
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 12 ounces Cool Whip thawed and divided
- 25 Nilla wafers divided
- 2 bananas sliced
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add pudding mix, and slowly add half and half, mixing as you go. Continue to mix for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 8 ounces of Cool Whip and mix for 1-2 minutes more.
- Fold in sliced bananas.
- Transfer the pudding mixture into your prepared pie crust. Spread evenly and smooth out the top.
- Place about 20 Nilla wafers around the edge of the pie, sliding them between the crust and the pudding mixture.
- Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
- Before serving, top with the remaining Cool Whip and a sprinkle of crushed Nilla wafers.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Made this recipe yesterday and was an epic fail. The only substitution that I made was to make my own graham cracker crust. The mixture of cream cheese, banana pudding, half and half and Cool Whip never set in the fridge…ever. I left it in overnight and for over 18 hours and it was a wet, soggy liquid sitting on my graham cracker crust. Tossed the whole thing…what a waste.
Oh no! What banana cream pudding mix did you use? Jello brand? Was it a cook & serve pudding mix or instant pudding mix?
Followed the recipe to a tee with the exception of my own graham cracker pie crust. The mixture of cream cheese, pudding filling, half and half and Cool Whip never came close to setting even after 18 hours in the fridge. A wet goo wasted the graham cracker crust. Wildly disappointed and an epic fail
Same it never set as well . Used Instant. 2cups half and half may be the issue
I have made this recipe several times and it always comes out well for me. I am trying to figure out what could be the issue. What brand and size pudding mix did you use? Also, did you use Cool Whip brand whipped topping? Curious if it could be a name brand vs store brand issue maybe…