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Indulge in this delicious no-bake banana pudding pie with a crunchy Nilla wafer crust. It’s the perfect dessert for any occasion and requires minimal effort to make.
Table of Contents
I know it’s kind of a long title, but I wanted you to know that’s it not a graham cracker crust (which you can totally use instead if you want). And technically it’s not no bake pie either because you do have to bake the crust. Well, no you don’t. Oh gosh, this no bake banana cream pie with Nilla wafer crust is getting confusing let’s just shoot through a few facts (I’m channeling my inner Dwight Schrute from The Office)…
- Fact~ I’ve never seen all of The Office, but I have seen episodes and it was hilarious.
- Fact~ This crust uses Nilla Wafers not Graham Crackers.
- Fact~ I have called them Vanilla wafers my whole life until I made this recipe and realized that is not the name on the box.
- Fact~ You totally do not have to bake the crust. It just won’t be as hard on the bottom but it’s still wonderful.
- Fact~ The rest of the pie is no bake and I mean it. It just whisking and stirring and folding.
- Fact~ I actually made, photographed and wrote this post in December, but I’m posting in spring because I couldn’t justify one more treat during the already full schedules of desserts.
- Fact~ I love pie. And the number 7.
Ingredients for a Banana Pudding Pie
It’s surprising how few ingredients you need to make this super easy banana pudding pie recipe. Here is what you will need:
Crust
- Nilla Wafer Crumbs: I like to grind the cookies in a blender. A food processor would work great too.
- Sugar: adds a little sweetness to the crust
- Butter: binds the cookie crumbs and sugar all together to form the crust
Filling
- Banana Cream Instant Pudding: grab the 3.4 ounce box of instant pudding mix and make sure it isn’t the sugar free kind
- Milk: helps create the banana pudding
- Cream Cheese: adds richness and creaminess
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: adds sweetness and creaminess to the filling
- Cool Whip: feel free to use sweetened whipped cream if you prefer not to use Cool Whip
- Bananas: adds natural banana flavor to the pie
- Nilla Wafers: adds texture to the filling and looks pretty scattered on top
If you are looking for a traditional banana cream pie with everything made from scratch, we have that recipe for you too!
The measurements for all of the ingredients for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make a Banana Cream Pudding Pie
If you blink twice, you might miss the instructions for how to make this pie recipe. It’s that easy!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F to bake the pie crust (optional).
- Stir: In a medium size bowl, stir together the ingredients for the crust and then press it into a pie pan along the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake: For a more crunchy and sturdy crust, bake for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven to cool completely.
- Whisk: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pudding and milk and set aside.
- Beat: Grab another bowl and beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and then add in the sweetened condensed milk and beat again.
- Combine: Add the pudding into the cream cheese mixture and use a rubber spatula to combine.
- Fold: Add half of the Cool Whip in gently fold it into the mixture. Repeat with the remaining Cool Whip.
- Layer: Place sliced bananas in a single layer all over the cooled pie crust. Top with half of the filling. Add another layer of sliced bananas, followed by a layer of vanilla wafers, then top with the rest of the filling.
- Cool: Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (or up to overnight) to chill.
- Serve: Top with fresh whipped cream before serving and garnish with additional banana slices, and Nilla Wafers.
- PRO TIP: If you are a toppings lover, you can also add shaved chocolate, caramel sauce, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, etc.
With a quick bake on the crust, everything else is just stirring and layering…so simple! You’re family will love this easy banana pie! The complete recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How Do You Keep Bananas From Turning Brown When Cut?
One way to stop browning is to dip or brush the banana slices in lemon or lime juice. Pineapple or other acidic fruits also work.
Once the bananas are layered in between the pudding the filling, it will keep them from turning brown because they are no longer exposed to the air.
Can Vanilla Wafer Crust Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, bake the crust a day or two ahead, fill it, then add a topping before serving.
How Long Will Banana Cream Pie Keep?
Freshly made banana cream pie will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. It should be loosely covered with plastic or foil.
This pie can be frozen, but the texture won’t stay as creamy as if you eat it fresh. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil and it will keep for 2-3 months.
This banana pudding pie is creamy, easy and made with a Nilla Wafer cookie crust that is totally delicious. It’s total comfort food and I love when a dessert is a no bake dessert!
More Easy Pie Recipes:
- No Bake Coconut Cream Pie
- Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Fresh Strawberry Pie
- No Bake Oreo Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecake
- All our PIE RECIPES!
No Bake Banana Pudding Pie with Nilla Wafer Crust
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ Cups Nilla Wafer Crumbs, grind the cookies in a blender
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 7 Tablespoons Butter, melted
Filling
- 3.4 Ounce Banana Cream Instant Pudding
- 1 Cup Milk
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 ½ Cups Cool Whip, *see note
- 2 Large Bananas, sliced, plus more for garnish
- Nilla Wafers
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir together the wafer crumbs, sugar and butter and press into an 9" pie plate.1 ¾ Cups Nilla Wafer Crumbs, 1/3 Cup Sugar, 7 Tablespoons Butter
- Bake for 8 minutes and remove to cool.
- In a bowl, whisk together the pudding and milk.3.4 Ounce Banana Cream Instant Pudding, 1 Cup Milk
- In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth, add the condensed milk and beat again.4 Ounces Cream Cheese, 1/2 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Using a rubber spatula, stir the pudding into the cream cheese mixture.
- Add 1/2 of the Cool Whip and gently fold in. Now, fold in the remaining Cool Whip.1 ½ Cups Cool Whip
- Place 1/2 the bananas in a single layer on the cooled pie crust. Top with 1/2 of the filling.2 Large Bananas
- Arrange one layer of Nilla wafers on top, then additional banana slices. Top with remaining filling.
- Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
- Serve with fresh whipped cream, additional bananas and Nilla Wafers.Nilla Wafers
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Now go eat yourself silly.
Without a doubt, this is the best Banana Pudding Pie I have ever made! My 80 year old pie-loving brother-in-law proclaimed this pie the VERY BEST PIE he has ever had! I’ve prepared other banana pudding pies using vanilla pudding (blah), some use more cream cheese or too much sweetened condensed mild. I believe the combination of banana cream pudding with smaller amounts of cream cheese and condensed milk make all the difference – Lots of flavor, but not too sweet. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Yay! Love to hear this Kathryn! Thank you so much!
hi what size pie pan should i use
like the size
Hello! 9 inch
I made this no bake version of banana cream pie and MAMA MIA!!! It is DELICIOUS!!! So decadent and banana yumminess! This is our families new dessert favorite! I can’t wait to dive in and make more recipes from Oh Sweet Basil. The good that’s come out of sheltering in place is having time to cook and now ordering out is getting duller and duller compared to making food at home. 🙂
Thank you so much Adriana! Cooking is so dang fun when you have the time to actually do it! Can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Hi. Delivious looking pies & i bookmarked! Im trying to subcribe but theres no box at the top of any page I go to to type my email addy in. Help!
Thanks Lisa! On our blog, there is a box where you can enter your email address to subscribe to our email list. That box is right under our gallery of pictures on the blog. You can also follow us on Instagram (@ohsweetbasil) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OhSweetBasil/).
Thank you for replying. I found the gallery of pictures on your home page and the box. However the box does not work when clicked on. In fact the box is just a “partial box”. I think it needs fixed as I’ve clicked numerous times to try & enter my email. Please help. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! It says, “Don’t miss a recipe! Subscribe via email:” Then you can type in your email address in the box and then click the two little arrows to the right of the box. It looks like it is working fine on our end. Let us know if that doesn’t work. Are you trying from a phone or a desktop/laptop?
I can’t believe some of these comments! Imamaed that people can’t follow a simple recipe. You need common sense at best. Just reading some of the comments just frustrated me, why in the world are you trying to make a pie (even as simple as this) and can’t follow directions? You need to stick to mixing up kool-aid and sugar.
Bahahaha! Thank you!
The part in the restipe about the puding, I don’t fully understand, so you make the puding as the pakige says and let it set up then add the cup of milk, do you take the puding pawder mix and put the one cup of milk in with it mix it and let set up in the frige then add to the other mixture of stuff , or what exactly do you do? The pie lookes relly dulishus and I want to make it, but I want to make it correctly so if you or someone could clarify that for me, I would thank you very much!
Hi, yes so you merely dump the powder into the milk. You aren’t making the pudding, just adding the powder. 🙂
Just a thought . Could they have added the 1 1/2 cup fresh whipped cream into the into the recipe. To clarify I mean the liquid instead of whipping it into
whipped cream then folding it in. This confused me at first because not everyone knows how make whipped cream if they are a beginner cook. I think it might help to add how to make your whipped topping. I CAN’T wait to make for my Sisters birthday in February.
as there Re no directions on how to make whipped cream.
That’s a great point. I’ll add a note. Thanks Joyce!
I used a different Nilla crust recipe, as I wasn’t confident using the cup measurement (depends on how fine the crumbs are and how much you push down on the crumbs), but it was essentially the same. Followed the filling recipe. Was quite sweet for me, so I also topped the whole pie with a layer of plain whipped cream. The pie was creamy, with a lot of yummy banana flavour. Went down well with everyone ?
Thanks for your thoughts Agnes and i love the layer of whipped cream on top!
Is it really an option to NOT bake the crust? Or is baking the crust required? Thanks!
Hi Madelyn,
You totally don’t have to bake cookie crusts so nilla wafer, graham or even oreo crusts can be baked to be more crisp or refrigerated to be solid. There’s hardly a difference, it’s just preference, or time as sometimes I’m just too lazy to turn on the oven. 🙂