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–+ servings
Banana pudding on a white plate with Chessman cookies on top.

The Best Banana Pudding Ever!

Print Recipe
This easy banana pudding is rich, creamy, and layered with bananas, pudding, whipped topping, and buttery Chessman cookies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Refrigeration Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 20 servings
Calories 269
Author Kim

Ingredients

  • 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Butter Cookies* 20 cookies for the bottom layer and 20 cookies for the top layer
  • 4-6 sliced bananas** sliced (I used 5 bananas)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 3.4 oz box of Jell-O French Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix (you will use 1 full box and about 1/2 of the other)*** or one 5.1 oz box of Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix
  • 1 8 oz package softened cream cheese
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 8 oz container whipped topping I use Cool Whip

Instructions

  • Line the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish with 20 cookies and layer banana slices on top.
  • In a very large bowl, combine the 2 cups whole milk and 2 3.4 oz box of Jell-O French Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix (you will use 1 full box and about 1/2 of the other)*** and blend well using a handheld electric mixer, stand mixer or whisk. Blend for at least 2 minutes and until pudding thickens.
  • Using another large bowl, combine the 1 8 oz package softened cream cheese and 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the 1 8 oz container whipped topping into this cream cheese mixture. Add this cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
  • Pour the mixture over the cookies and banana slices; spread evenly. Top with additional banana slices and then the 20 cookies. Refrigerate about 2-3 hours and until ready to serve.

Video

Notes

Recipe is Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. 
*I recommend buying an extra bag of cookies in case some are broken.
**Just barely ripe, no brown spots. 
***This recipe originally used a 5.1-ounce box of Jell-O French Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix, but the larger size now seems to have been discontinued.
You can substitute a 5.1-ounce box of regular vanilla instant pudding, or use 1 full 3.4-ounce box of French Vanilla plus about half of a second box to equal 5 ounces. If you have a kitchen scale, you can also weigh out exactly 5 ounces.
This recipe was originally published April 2014. It was updated and republished April 2019, August 2020, April 2023 and May 2026 with new content.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 0.1mg