Banana pudding cheesecake is creamy and sweet, with vanilla wafers baked right into the mix. This delicious twist on classic banana pudding is totally irresistible!
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Pin RecipeDo you love banana pudding? (Who doesn’t!) What about cheesecake? (Of course you do!) Well, this banana pudding cheesecake is the best of both worlds—and it’s so easy too!
My easy banana pudding cheesecake doesn’t take long to make. In fact, you can have the whole dessert baked and ready to serve in less than an hour. I use a premade graham cracker pie crust and boxed banana pudding mix to help save time, but these little shortcuts do not sacrifice flavor. This cheesecake has a great banana taste with some tasty additions.
(For another riff on banana pudding, try my Banana Pudding Cupcakes.)
Instant Banana Pudding Cheesecake Recipe
When you think of a cheesecake, you may think of a round, tall cake with a graham cracker bottom crust. I switched things up a little bit by baking this banana cheesecake in a graham cracker pie crust instead. Not only does this give you more tasty graham cracker crust with each serving, but it’s also easier to bake. No water baths needed for this cheesecake!
I fold chopped vanilla wafers into the cheesecake batter to give it a little crunch. The vanilla cookies are also quite tasty with the sweet banana pudding. Add some whipped cream on top of each slice as the perfect finishing touch.
You can serve this banana pudding cheesecake all year long. It is great in the summer, fall, winter and spring! You can never go wrong with banana pudding cheesecake pie—or Crescent Roll Cheesecake!
Items Needed
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Graham cracker pie crust – You can make your own graham cracker pie crust or use a store-bought crust. Both will work perfectly.
- Cream cheese – Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese.
- Sugar
- Banana cream instant pudding – Any brand of instant banana pudding mix will be great in this recipe. I like Jell-O brand the best.
- Eggs – Here’s the best way to crack an egg!
- Vanilla extract
- Banana – Ripe bananas will be yellow with brown spots on the peel. These have the most flavor and will be the sweetest in your cheesecake pie.
- Vanilla wafers – Nilla Wafers are my favorite brand. They are the perfect size and retain their crunch the best when baked. Or use Chessman cookies, as a nod to Chessman Banana Pudding.
- Whipped cream – Homemade whipped cream or the kind in an aerosol can will do!
Substitutions and Variations
Classic banana pudding cheesecake is always good but a little tweak may make it even better.
- Stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips to the cheesecake filling before baking. Banana pudding chocolate cheesecake is really fantastic!
- Use a chocolate graham cracker crust to make this recipe chocolatey in a different way.
- Top the banana pudding cheesecake with sliced bananas, then serve right away.
How to Make Banana Pudding Cheesecake
- Preheat the Oven: Get ready to bake by preheating your oven to 300ºF.
- Beat the Cream Cheese: Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until very smooth.
- Make the Banana Cheesecake Filling: Add the eggs, vanilla, banana and pudding mix to the cream cheese bowl. Beat well after adding each ingredient.
- Add the Vanilla Wafers: Stir the chopped vanilla wafers into the cheesecake filling by hand.
- Scoop and Bake: Pour the cheesecake batter into the graham cracker crust and smooth the filling evenly inside the pie pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 60 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Let the banana pudding cheesecake cool completely before slicing and serving. Top each slice with some whipped cream and enjoy!
Quick Tip
Leave the vanilla wafers in larger pieces if you want to add a crunchy texture to your banana cheesecake. Smaller wafer pieces still give the cheesecake a great flavor, but with less of a crunch.
How to Store Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Once your banana pudding cheesecake is baked and cooked, wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to one week.
Do not add the whipped cream to the top of the cheesecake if you plan to store it in the fridge. Whipped cream should be added fresh, right before serving.
FAQs
Graham crackers, shortbread, or butter cookies can all be used in place the the Nilla wafers.
Classic cheesecake and no-bake cheesecake are both delicious, but the texture is quite different. Which is better depends on your personal preferences, so make them both and give them a taste test!
Use a block (not a tub!) of full-fat cream cheese to make this banana pudding cheesecake.
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Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
- 1 pound cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 3.4 ounce box of banana cream instant pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ripe banana
- 15 vanilla wafers, finely chopped
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in your mixer until the cream cheese is smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the cream cheese is mixed in and there are no clumps.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping the bowl after each egg addition.
- Add the vanilla and mix.
- Add the banana to the mixer and blend into the batter. It will break apart as you mix.
- Add the instant pudding mix to the bowl and beat again.
- Stir the vanilla wafers into the cheesecake mix using a large spatula or spoon.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the graham cracker pie crust. Smooth the surface with your spatula to make the filling nice and even inside the crust.
- Bake the cheesecake for about 50 to 55 minutes. The cheesecake will be a beautiful golden brown on the top and the center will be set.
- Let the cheesecake cool completely then top with some whipped cream, slice and serve!
