Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding
This famous Southern-style banana pudding is extra creamy, rich, and completely no-bake — layered with bananas, buttery cookies, and a fluffy cheesecake-pudding filling. Popularized by Paula Deen.
Ingredients
- 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
- 6–8 bananas, sliced
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 (5 oz) box instant French vanilla pudding mix
- 1 (12 oz) container whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a 9×13-inch dish with one bag of Chessmen cookies.
- Add a layer of sliced bananas over the cookies.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cold milk and pudding mix until smooth.
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until creamy.
- Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
- Combine the pudding mixture with the cream cheese mixture and stir until fully blended.
- Pour the filling over the bananas and cookies.
- Top with the remaining Chessmen cookies.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving (overnight is even better).
Tips
- For extra banana flavor, use very ripe bananas.
- Many people on Reddit recommend adding extra cookie layers or serving it in a trifle bowl for a beautiful presentation.
- You can substitute vanilla wafers if you can’t find Chessmen cookies.