Banana Delightrn

a close up shot of a slice of Banana Delight on a plate

Deliciously creamy layers of pudding, cream cheese, and sweet bananas create this dreamy banana delight dessert.

Table of Contents

Banana Delight Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Banana Delight Recipe
How To Serve This Banana Delight Dessert
Storing This Banana Pudding Delight
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It’s time to get tropical with this creamy layered banana delight. The delicious dessert is the perfect mix of sweet cream cheese, banana pudding, and fluffy whipped cream, with a little crunch from the vanilla wafer crust.

Banana Delight Ingredients

Banana Delight raw ingredients that are labeled

When you bite into this banana delight, you will find a luscious, creamy filling that is complemented by the tantalizing crunch from the golden vanilla wafer crust.

The just-right sweetness grabs your taste buds and allows you to enjoy every single morsel of this heavenly dessert.

To make this delectable treat, you’ll need:

2 tablespoons of salted sweet cream butter, softened (for buttering the baking dish)
1 (11-ounce) box of vanilla wafers (reserve 4-6 wafers for an optional crushed wafer topping)
4 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
¾ cup of powdered sugar
2 (8-ounce) containers of Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
2 (3.4-ounce) boxes of instant banana cream pudding mix
2 cups of cold whole milk

PRO TIP:

You can treat the bananas with a spritz of lemon juice or lime juice to prevent them from browning.

To avoid changing the flavor, you won’t want to use a lot of citrus juice — just a quick brush to each side or spritz from a spray bottle.

Substitutions And Additions

VANILLA WAFERS: You can substitute Lorna Doone or Chessman cookies for the vanilla wafers.

VANILLA EXTRACT: You can substitute clear vanilla flavoring for pure vanilla extract.

BANANA PUDDING: If you cannot find a banana cream instant pudding mix, you can substitute vanilla pudding mix.

How To Make This Banana Delight Recipe

For this dessert, you’ll be creating layers of delicious ingredients.

First, create the base of crunchy vanilla wafers, followed by sweet banana slices. Then, add the cream cheese before repeating the wafers and bananas.

Top this off with creamy pudding and pop it into the fridge to chill. Just before serving, you’ll add the garnish.

Follow our step-by-step instructions below for the details.

STEP ONE: With your hands or a pastry brush, butter a 9×9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of softened butter.

STEP TWO: Line the bottom and sides of the buttered baking dish with a single layer of vanilla wafers (I got 56 wafers in the bottom and up the sides of the dish).

STEP THREE: Lay a single layer of sliced bananas on top of the bottom layer of the vanilla wafers. Two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer. Set it aside.

banana slices laid on top of the bottom layer of vanilla wafers

STEP FOUR: Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the softened cream cheese and vanilla extract for 1 to 1½ minutes until smooth.

STEP FIVE: Add the powdered sugar and 1 cup of the whipped topping. Beat for another 1½ to 2 minutes until smooth.

powdered sugar and whipped topping blended in a bowl

STEP SIX: Evenly spread the cream cheese layer over the sliced bananas and vanilla wafers.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, so it blends completely and doesn’t leave lumps in the cream cheese mixture.

STEP SEVEN: Lay another single layer of the vanilla wafers on top of the cream cheese layer. Lay the remaining sliced bananas on top of the vanilla wafers. About two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer.

vanilla wafers laid on top of the cream cheese layer in a baking dish

STEP EIGHT: Add the cold milk and 1 cup of the whipped topping to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the banana pudding mix over the milk and whipped topping.

Use a handheld mixer on medium-high speed to mix for 1½ to 2 minutes until the pudding is thickened.

cold milk and whipped topping mixed in a bowl

STEP NINE: Evenly spread the pudding layer on top of the vanilla wafer and banana layer. Cover the baking dish and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Just before serving, spread the remaining thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer. Crush the 4 to 6 reserved vanilla wafers and sprinkle the wafer crumbs over the top of the whipped topping. Slice into 9 slices and serve.

PRO TIP:

Make sure to give your dessert time to chill in the fridge before serving to ensure all of the fantastic flavors have time to mingle.

pudding layer spread on top of vanilla wafer and banana layer

How To Serve This Banana Delight Dessert

This banana cream delight would be a welcome treat any night of the week. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side with a drizzle of hot fudge for an extra decadent dessert.

To enhance this already delicious treat, it pairs perfectly with a cold glass of milk, a hot cup of coffee, and a homemade hot chocolate to wash it down.

If you have bananas on your counter waiting to be enjoyed, our banana upside-down cake and banana split cake are two more ways to make sure they don’t go to waste.

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Storing This Banana Pudding Delight

Once you’ve whipped up this delectable banana delight, you’ll probably want to savor it for as long as possible. Here is how to store this delightful treat!

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

IN THE FREEZER: Bananas will very quickly start to brown, so freezing is not recommended.

overhead shot of banana delight in a baking dish

You will love the great flavor found in all of the layers of this scrumptious dessert. The sweet and creamy dish is the perfect comfort food for any occasion. Plus, it’s easy to make and requires only a few simple ingredients. So why not give our banana delight recipe a try?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use a different type of crust for this banana dessert recipe?

You could use graham crackers or digestive biscuits in place of the graham cracker crust for this recipe.

Is this recipe the same as banana lush or banana lasagna?

Yes! This great recipe goes by many names, including banana lush, banana dream, and banana lasagna.

Can you freeze banana delight?

Since bananas start to brown quickly, we don’t recommend freezing this no-bake dessert.

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Banana Delight

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Deliciously creamy layers of pudding, cream cheese, and sweet bananas create this dreamy banana delight dessert.

Prep Time 20

Total Time 2 20

Servings

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter, softened (for buttering the baking dish)
11 ounces vanilla wafers (reserve 4 to 6 wafers for an optional crushed wafer topping)
4 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup powdered sugar
16 ounces whipped topping, thawed
6.8 ounces instant banana cream pudding mix
2 cups cold whole milk

Instructions

With your hands or a pastry brush, butter a 9×9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
Line the bottom and sides of the buttered baking dish with a single layer of vanilla wafers (I got 56 wafers in the bottom and up the sides of the dish).
Lay a single layer of the sliced bananas on top of the bottom layer of the vanilla wafers. Two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer. Set it aside.
Using a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and vanilla extract for 1 to 1½ minutes until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and 1 cup of the whipped topping. Beat for another 1½ to 2 minutes until smooth.
Evenly spread the cream cheese layer over the sliced bananas and vanilla wafers.
Lay another single layer of the vanilla wafers on top of the cream cheese layer. Lay the remaining sliced bananas on top of the vanilla wafers. Two large sliced bananas were the perfect amount for this layer.
Add the cold milk and 1 cup of the whipped topping to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the pudding mix over the milk and whipped topping. Use a handheld mixer on medium-high speed to mix for 1½ to 2 minutes until the pudding is thickened.
Evenly spread the pudding layer on top of the vanilla wafer and banana layer. Cover the baking dish and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Just before serving, spread the remaining thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer. Crush the 4 to 6 reserved vanilla wafers and sprinkle the wafer crumbs over the top of the whipped topping. Slice into 9 slices and serve.

Notes

You can treat the bananas with a spritz of lemon juice or lime juice to prevent them from browning. To avoid changing the flavor, you won’t want to use a ton of citrus juice — just a quick brush to each side or spritz from a spray bottle.
Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, so it blends completely and doesn’t leave lumps in the cream cheese mixture.
Make sure to give your dessert time to chill in the fridge before serving to ensure all of the fantastic flavors have time to mingle.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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