Banana Pudding Lasagna

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My banana pudding lasagna recipe is the perfect no-bake dessert for holidays, picnics, and potlucks. With layers of Nilla wafers, banana slices, and a luscious pudding mixture, each bite is a dreamy combination of flavors and textures. It’s light and refreshing – ideal for summertime but can be enjoyed anytime of year!

This layered dessert is one of my favorite summertime treats! This recipe has “lasagna style” layers made from the combination of crushed Nilla wafers and pudding mixture to create a delicious crust-like layer that mimics lasagna.

Banana pudding is a popular dessert in the South! But I wanted to add a twist, making it look even more elevated. While it may seem fancy, I promise it’s totally foolproof. My recipe combines the sweet deliciousness of the best banana pudding recipe cleverly layered in a casserole dish to make it prettier and more portable.

For a complete Southern-style meal, I would recommend serving this as a dessert with homemade biscuits, vegan black eyed peas, and some BBQ! My whole family loves this easy no-bake banana pudding lasagna! It’s easily doubled or tripled to serve a large crowd.

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🥘 Ingredients

Here’s an overview of all the ingredients for my easy banana pudding lasagna. For exact amounts and full instructions, please see the recipe card below.

Nilla Wafers: I use these tasty wafers to make the bottom crust and as the pudding layers.

Butter: This helps bind the crumbs of the Nilla Wafers together to make a delicious crust.

Cinnamon, Sugar & Salt: Sugar is essential for sweetening up the tanginess of the cream cheese. Cinnamon adds a warm, sweet boost of flavor to the base, and a pinch of salt balances the sweetness of the other ingredients.

Cream Cheese: I make this banana pudding lasagna with cream cheese to create a thick, sweet filling. Remember to soften it to room temperature first.

Cold Heavy Cream: This gives my pudding filling a light and fluffy texture.

Vanilla Extract: I prefer using pure vanilla extract for the best flavor, but imitation vanilla works, too.

Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: This gives the pudding a sweet vanilla flavor, but I’ve experimented with other pudding flavors as well.

Regular Milk: I use cold milk, combining it with the instant pudding mix and letting it sit for a while to firm up before folding it into the cheesecake mixture. Whole milk is best, but reduced-fat milk or plant-based milk works too.

Bananas: Large ripe bananas are the star of the show! I slice and layer them over the filling mixture and on top of the whipped cream layer, keeping the slices about ¼ inch thick.

Whipped Cream: My banana lasagna recipe is completed with a creamy layer of Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Easy Banana Pudding Lasagna

You can have this recipe ready in just a few steps! Just prep the crust, create a cheesecake mixture with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla pudding, and put it all together with alternating layers of filling, bananas, and wafers. Yum!

Crumble The Cookies: To start, I crush the Nilla wafers to make the crust. To do this, I’ll either add the cookies to a zip-top bag and smash them with my hands or pulse them in a food processor. Either way, the result should be 1 ½ cups of crushed wafers. I mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.

Make The Crust: Next, I’ll press the mixture into the bottom of a rectangular baking dish and place the dish in the freezer while I prepare the filling. This helps the crust stay put as the filling is spread on top.

Prepare The Cheesecake Mixture: Using a stand mixer or a large bowl and an electric hand mixer, I mix the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Next, I’ll pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract, whipping until stiff peaks form.

Make The Pudding: In another bowl, I’ll whisk together the vanilla pudding and milk and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to thicken.

Combine: Next, I fold the pudding mixture into the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine all of the ingredients. I always make sure to diligently combine the two mixtures so all the flavors meld together. Otherwise, there might be more pockets of one mixture than the other.

Assemble: To assemble the dessert, I pour half the filling over the cookie crust. Then, I add a layer of whole Nilla wafers and a layer of sliced banana. Next, I top with another layer of pudding and wafers and continue the layering process.

Add One Last Layer: I always add a thin cheesecake layer on top, to cover the bananas (so they don’t brown in the fridge).

Let It Chill: I always allow this dessert to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. For the best results, overnight is better.

Serve It Up: I serve this up with a dollop of whipped cream (or Cool Whip), a little crushed Nilla wafers, and sliced bananas.

📖 Variations

Make It Vegan: To make this banana dessert vegan-friendly, I substitute dairy products for dairy-free alternatives such as vegan butter, plant-based milk, vegan vanilla pudding, vegan cream cheese, and whipped coconut cream.

Change Up The Cookies: Any crispy cookie will work well in this dessert! I’ve tried peanut butter cookies, gingersnap cookies, Golden Oreos, shortbread biscuits, gluten-free cookies (to make it gluten-free), or graham crackers instead of nilla wafers!

Use Add-Ins: Add a layer of chocolate chips after the banana layer, and top with a drizzle of chocolate sauce! Or, garnish the top with my caramelized bananas!

Make It Healthier: I lighten this recipe by using low-fat cream cheese, skim milk, keto vanilla wafers, half the amount of sugar, and light or fat-free Cool Whip.

Banana Pudding Pie: Instead of using a lasagna pan, I’ll layer these ingredients in a couple of pie pans for a banana pudding pie.

Use Different Pudding Flavors: To shake up the flavors, I’ll use different flavored puddings like chocolate, banana, french vanilla, cheesecake, or butterscotch.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My banana pudding lasagna dessert has plenty of sweetness to serve on its own! However, I’ve rounded up a few suggestions for other dessert pairings and drinks.

Drizzles: I love keeping things simple by just adding a drizzle of caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.

Drinks: I like to enjoy this refreshing dessert with a few iced drinks like my strawberry milk tea, lavender milk tea, or even chocolate milk tea!

Desserts: When I’m planning a holiday gathering or get-together, I like to add other layered desserts to the table like s’mores, pumpkin Greek yogurt parfait, or pumpkin brownies.

🧊 Storage Instructions

I store banana pudding lasagna in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container or in baking dish by covering it tightly with plastic wrap. I do not freeze homemade banana pudding. The bananas will turn brown, and other ingredients may separate or take on a grainy texture.

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