A close-up of a single slice of Banana Delight layered dessert on a white plate, showing thick layers of vanilla wafers, creamy pudding filling, sliced bananas, and whipped topping with crushed cookie crumbs sprinkled on top. Bananas and cookies are visible in the background.

No-bake Banana Delight is a layered dessert lasagna with graham cracker crust, creamy filling, bananas, pudding, and whipped topping—easy, sweet, and always a hit.

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Prep Time20

Total Time2 20

Servings

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

Why You’ll Love This Banana Delight

No-bake: Great for summer or when the oven is full.
Classic flavor: It’s like banana pudding grew up and got even creamier.
Easy to layer: 20 minutes in the kitchen. Just mix, layer, and chill.
Make-ahead magic: Actually gets better as it sits in the fridge.

Ingredients Overview

Banana Delight raw ingredients that are labeled — With layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas, fluffy cream cheese filling, and banana pudding, it’s a no-bake dessert that brings all the comfort and flavor of classic banana pudding.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons of salted sweet cream butter
1 box of vanilla wafers
4 large ripe bananas
2 packages of cream cheese
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
¾ cup of powdered sugar
2 containers of Cool Whip
2 boxes of instant banana cream pudding mix
2 cups of cold whole milk

Ingredient Tips

Use ripe but firm bananas for the best flavor and texture.
Room-temp cream cheese is key to a smooth filling.
Spritz bananas with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning (but go light to avoid affecting flavor).

Ingredient Substitutions

VANILLA WAFERS: You can substitute Lorna Doone or Chessman cookies for the vanilla wafers, and end up with a similar flavor.

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

Have Ripe Bananas To Use Up?

Don’t let them go to waste. Of course, you can make banana bread, but you can also try:

How To Make This Banana Delight Recipe

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

Start layering:

Bottom and sides: Line with vanilla wafers.
Add sliced bananas.

Step-by-step process photo showing how to make layered Banana Delight dessert lasagna:

Layer of vanilla wafer cookies in a square pan.

Sliced bananas added on top of the cookies.

Creamy filling placed in the center of the banana layer.

Filling spread evenly over bananas and cookies, creating smooth dessert layers.

Cream cheese filling:

Beat softened cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.
Mix in powdered sugar and whipped topping.
Spread this layer over the bananas.

More layers:

Add another round of vanilla wafers.
Top with the remaining banana slices.

Step-by-step image showing how to finish layering Banana Delight dessert:
5. Second layer of vanilla wafer cookies placed over cream layer.
6. Sliced bananas added on top of the cookie layer.
7. Creamy pudding layer spread smoothly across bananas and cookies.
8. Dessert topped with whipped topping and crushed cookie crumbs for garnish.

Banana pudding layer:

Mix pudding mix with milk and whipped topping until thick.
Spread over the banana layer.

Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Finish & serve:

Spread remaining whipped topping on top.
Sprinkle with crushed vanilla wafers just before serving.

Storage Instructions

Cover leftovers tightly and store in the fridge for up to three days. The wafers will soften over time, but the flavor only gets better.

CAN I FREEZE THIS? No, not really. Bananas will very quickly start to brown and they thaw mushy, so don’t try it.

A close-up view of a creamy, layered slice of Banana Delight dessert being lifted from the pan, showing visible layers of vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, creamy filling, and whipped topping, sprinkled with crushed cookie crumbs on top.

Banana Delight is the kind of dessert that never goes out of style. It’s simple, satisfying, and always a hit. Whether you’re serving it at a summer BBQ, prepping ahead for a holiday gathering or just want something cool and creamy in the fridge, it’s a guaranteed hit.

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Banana Delight

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No-bake Banana Delight is a layered dessert lasagna with graham cracker crust, creamy filling, bananas, pudding, and whipped topping—easy, sweet, and always a hit.

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 (We were able to place 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 more 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!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
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Banana Delight

Why You’ll Love This Banana Delight