How to Make the BEST No-Cook Banana Pudding Dessert

My favorite comfort food dessert of all time has to be Banana Pudding. Besides tasting heavenly, it is served chilled and requires no cooking, two HUGE pluses, if one lives in the South and wants a nice cool, no-bake/no-cook dessert in the summertime.
When I was growing up in Texas, we had it quite often and I never grew tired of it.
I have a large family (8 children), so my recipes tend to be made on a large scale, but you can easily halve this and be just fine!
Banana Pudding is layered, so it looks beautiful in a trifle dish or a clear glass bowl.
This keeps well in the fridge for about three to four days, but that won't matter, it will be gone long before that.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 9-10 bananas, small to medium size ( for best flavor get small or medium size and with no green on the peel)
• two boxes instant vanilla pudding mix, and milk required in the box instructions. Whole milk or 2 percent is best for this dessert. The other lower fat version is too watery tasting.
• Two 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese (Room temperature). Lowfat or neufchatel cheese works too).
• One very large or two regular sized tubs of whipped dessert topping ~~ the creamy version is best, and low calorie version is fine as well.
• 1 whole box vanilla flavored wafer-style cookies
• a large bowl or trifle bowl for serving and another 2 bowls, one for mixing the cream cheese and the whipped topping together, and one for mixing the instant pudding together.
• Optional: Add mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts on top of each layer, or try mixing into the cream cheese/whipped topping blend, and sprinkle on top for garnish.

1. First, in one mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese and the whipped topping together with a hand mixer for maximum creaminess with no lumps. Set aside. Do not chill...it needs to be room temp for ease in spreading.
   Cover with a damp towel while completing the next steps.

2. Mix the boxes of instant vanilla pudding together with the milk, according to the instructions on the box, in another mixing bowl.
   
   Chill until it's set, about five to ten minutes. Pull out of fridge and proceed to next step.

3. Slice enough bananas (two or three usually) into slices about 1/4" thick slices, (not too thin and not too thick) , to cover the whole bottom of the bowl in one single solid layer. Don't slice any more yet~

4. Scoop about a third of the total amount of the pudding out, a large dollop at a time, placing each spoonful around the whole layer of bananas.
   Next, spread it across the top of the banana layer evenly. The pudding layer should be about 3/4 inch thick.

5. Carefully place about 1/3 of the box of vanilla cookies over the pudding layer in a solid single layer.

6. Carefully spoon some of the cream cheese mixture (about 1/3 of it) over the cookies.
   Be sure your mixture is room temp, but don't try to heat it up to soften it...that will ruin the texture of it..just wait till it hits room temperature.
   Cover the whole cookie layer evenly, about 3/4 inch thick.

7. If you are adding mini chocolate chips or nuts you can sprinkle those over the cream cheese layer.
   This is not the basic type of banana pudding ingredient, but for a more fancy dish it's nice.

8. Slice about three more bananas now and layer on top of the previous layer, just as you did the first time.

9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 until all ingredients are used up.
   
   Reserve a few of the vanilla cookies (or nuts or mini-chips) for the top layer to make it more attractive.

10. Chill till time to serve..Usually needs at least three hours to firm up and have all the flavors blend.
    This is one dessert that has always tasted better the next day in my opinion, if there is any left by then!
    Store any leftovers in the fridge tightly covered.
    
    My family LOVES this stuff!

[CRAFTYMOMMA]

on 6/11/2009 Thanx for the comment on my saurekraut chicken recipe. This sounds yummy thanx for sharing it. I have a banana pudding recipe on my page as well. : )

[annvans]

on 6/11/2009 This sounds sooo good. Thanks for the recipe!