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If you just can’t decide between baking cookies and making banana pudding, you’ve hit the jackpot with this banana pudding cookie recipe! These soft, chewy cookies pack in pudding mix, ripe mashed banana, and white chocolate chips to deliver all the classic creamy banana pudding flavor without the fuss of a layered trifle. Perfect for lunchboxes, after school treats, or a cozy baking day with the kids.
For banana pudding in its traditional form, you can’t beat this Layered Banana Pudding. Or try my take on Paula Deen’s Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding!
Why you’ll love these irresistibly chewy banana cookies!
This banana pudding cookie recipe is like banana pudding in the form of a cookie. Talk about a crowd-pleaser!
My version of this recipe uses boxed banana pudding mix and also ripe bananas. Doubling down on the banana goodness really makes these cookies extra delicious and EXTRA banana-y!
- Soft and chewy texture: Because let’s be real, soft and chewy cookies are the BEST cookies.
- Rich banana pudding flavor: With the mashed banana and the banana pudding mix, the banana flavor really shines in these cookies.
- Quick and easy: You can make these banana cookies in under 10 minutes and be eating them in just another 8 minutes!
- Fun to make (and to eat): These easy cookies are a perfect bake for kids, potlucks, or after school snacks.
Looking for more pudding mix recipes? Try my Chocolate Cream Pie and Chocolate Lasagna.
What You’ll Need
You will just need a few ingredients you may already have in your kitchen or can easily find at your local grocery store.
For a full list of ingredients for these banana pudding cookies, see the printable recipe card below.
Here are a few notes about the ingredients:
- Butter – Let it soften just a bit, but not completely. (Melted butter will lead to the cookies spreading on the pan.)
- Light brown sugar – I prefer to use light brown sugar over granulated sugar. It gives the cookies a rich flavor thanks to the hint of molasses.
- Instant banana cream pudding mix – Any brand of instant pudding mix will work. However, I like to use the Jello brand. Their banana pudding mix is easy to find, and I think it has the best flavor. (Here are some more recipes that use pudding mix!)
- Ripe banana – A perfectly ripe banana will be yellow with brown spots all over. Bananas with brown spots are sweeter and will blend into the cookie dough more easily.
- White chocolate chips – White chocolate chips make the cookies even sweeter and creamier.
Variations
- Use milk chocolate chips in place of white chocolate chips.
- Use vanilla pudding instead of banana pudding for a slightly more subtle banana flavor.
- Add extra mix-ins like crushed Nilla wafers or chopped walnuts.
How to Make Banana Pudding Cookies
- Make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar, then add the pudding mix. Beat in the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla extract, then stir in the flour and baking soda until smooth.
- Add the white chocolate chips: Fold in the white chocolate chips, stirring by hand to keep the chips whole.
- Form the cookies: Scoop the cookies onto the prepared pan, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, move them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage Instructions
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for four to five days.
- Freeze the cookies for up to three months.
- Warm them for a few seconds in the microwave when you’re ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
These banana pudding cookies will last up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you’d like to make these cookies gluten-free, swap the flour for your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Pudding mix is naturally gluten-free, so as long as you swap out the flour, you are good to go!
Yes! Portion dough into scoops, freeze on a sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready, bake from frozen—just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
There are cookies like this recipe, which infuse the flavor of banana pudding into a cookie. And then there are the types of cookies you use to make banana pudding, like Nilla wafers and Chessman cookies, which are layered into banana pudding and used as a topping.
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Banana Pudding Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Hand mixer
- 1 Wire Rack
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant banana cream pudding
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to a bowl and cream with a hand mixer or paddle attachment until light and fluffy.¾ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add the dry pudding mix to the bowl and blend well. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to prevent any lumps and really make the batter smooth.1 (3.4 ounce) box instant banana cream pudding
- Add the mashed banana, egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and blend again.1 egg, 1 ripe banana, mashed, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour and baking soda to the bowl and mix again.2 ¼ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Stir in the white chocolate chips by hand.1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment lined tray, spacing them about 2 inches apart. The cookie dough will spread.
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. The edges should be golden brown. You want them to be slightly underbaked so they stay chewy.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy at least one while warm!
Video
Notes
- Replace the banana if needed: If you do not have a ripe banana, you can use an extra egg in the recipe in it’s place. You will still get lots of banana flavor thanks to the dry pudding mix.
- Don’t soften the butter too much: Use softened butter, not melted—if butter is too warm, cookies may spread too much.
- Don’t over-bake: The centers should still be slightly soft when you pull them; they’ll finish setting on the sheet.
Awesom cookies, everybody loves them!!
Thank you, David! We’re so happy to hear this!
This recipe hit nearly every button as far as banana pudding, but you can bring them to the next level by adding broken vanilla wafers to the dough. I only use about a cup, but they are a game changer. I also use a larger size banana and cut back on the butter because at published amount, they are way soft when baked. My friends ask if I put “crack” in these they are so good, and they can’t stop eating them!
Yum! We will have to try that. Thank you for sharing, Margo!
Made this for Pascha night and it was a big hit. I made the following tweaks: doubled the recipe, used instant vanilla pudding as banana is hard to find in Canada and used another banana. They turned out very soft so it got me thinking maybe next time I can try it as a cream filled sandwich cookie or ice cream sandwich
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Dylan! We would love to know how it turns out if you make a cream filled or ice cream cookie sandwich!
Can you chill dough for 24 hrs ?
I’ve made these 4xs in 9 days.
How big should the cookie balls be when putting them on the pan?
Can you chill dough for 24 hrs ?
Yes! We recommend letting the dough come back to room temperature before baking. 😊