If banana pudding and the best cheesecake had a love child, it would be this Banana Pudding Cheesecake. This creamy cheesecake is a riff on the popular Cheesecake Factory’s banana cream cheesecake. We’ve added more banana flavor and made it more like the Southern favorite pudding. And there ain’t no water bath happening here!
With a vanilla wafer crust and a whipped cream topping, this banana pudding cheesecake is impressive enough to serve the most finicky Southern grandma.
If y’all have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that we love our homemade banana pudding recipe. Edna Lewis’s custard recipe is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. And, we also are pretty attached to our classic cheesecake recipe (which might be the best cheesecake recipe out there!)
So it seemed natural to put those recipes together and come up with a cheesecake version of banana pudding. We’re not using the homemade custard recipe since it wouldn’t bake up well with cream cheese, but we’ve got some amazing banana flavor going on here. Y’all have to try this recipe!
Testing results for banana pudding cheesecake
- We wanted to stay traditional, so we made this cheesecake with a vanilla wafer crust. You could use any kind of cookie, though: graham crackers, shortbread, or even gingersnaps.
- We used homemade whipped cream, but you could use frozen whipped topping if you’re short on time. I highly encourage you to make the whipped cream. It’s easy and tastes so much better!
- With any cheesecake (except for my chocolate chip cheesecake), I like to let it chill overnight. I always make cheesecakes at least one day in advance because the texture is better after it has a nice long stay in the refrigerator.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
We’ve been on a banana kick lately, so please try our other banana recipes. This banana pudding layer cake is so gorgeous and would be perfect for your dinner party. Our cream cheese banana pudding offers a simpler take on the classic, featuring a layer of sweetened cream cheese with a layer of pudding and bananas, all in a graham cracker crust. It’s so delicious!
If you like homemade ice cream, try our caramelized banana ice cream version because the warm, caramelized bananas make it such a treat. And you don’t want to miss our banana pudding cupcakes with the perfect center of pudding. We’re bananas about bananas around here!
Ingredient notes
Here are a few things to know about the ingredients in this recipe.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Vanilla wafers: You can substitute graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, crispy snickerdoodles, shortbread, or gingersnaps. Use a crunchy cookie that will give good crumbs.
Bananas: You want ripe bananas with lots of good speckles, similar to what you would choose if making homemade banana bread.
Pudding mix: Be sure you get instant pudding and not the cook-and-serve kind.
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make banana pudding cheesecake
- Make the vanilla wafer crust and bake it for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the filling: cream cheese, sugar, mashed bananas, pudding mix, vanilla extract, and then mix in the heavy whipping cream.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Bake for about one hour and twenty minutes.
- Allow to cool in the oven for one hour, then cool on the counter for another two hours.
- Chill for at least six hours or overnight.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Banana Pudding Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
Filling:
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 blocks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 3.4-ounce box banana cream pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, and a pinch of salt.2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs, ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, pinch of salt
- Spray the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan lightly with non-stick baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Pack the crust into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let it cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower rack of the oven and fill it 1/3 full with boiling water.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar on medium-low until well-blended and creamy. 24 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 blocks), 1 cup granulated sugar
- Turn the mixer on low and add mashed banana, pudding mix, and vanilla extract. Beat on low until smooth and creamy. Then slowly beat in the heavy whipping cream.2 ripe bananas, mashed, 1 3.4-ounce box banana cream pudding mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Beat in one egg at a time until just incorporated and scrape down the sides of the bowl.4 large eggs
- Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 10-20 minutes. The cheesecake should be jiggly, similar to jello.
- Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Then, open the door slightly and let the cheesecake sit in the oven another 30 minutes. The cheesecake may still appear slightly jiggly but will set more as it rests in the refrigerator.
- Remove cheesecake and cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until completely cooled. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. The longer your refrigerate the better the texture will be.
Notes
- To remove the springform pan, chill the cheesecake for several hours in the refrigerator. Then, run a knife around the edges of the pan to help loosen and remove the side. Use an offset spatula to gently loosen the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan, and then remove the parchment paper and place the cheesecake on a platter.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Garnish with more vanilla wafers, whipped cream, or banana slices.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Storage
Store this cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. You can also freeze the cheesecake by following the instructions below.
Ingredients
Most baking recipes call for room temperature ingredients, and that is especially important when making a cheesecake. Be sure your cream cheese, eggs, and whipping cream are all room temperature.
Mixing
For cheesecakes, you want to mix the batter low and slow. If using a stand mixer, keep it low to medium-low. I usually start on medium-low to break up the cream cheese, then switch to low for the blend.
You can bake the cheesecake in a water bath, but we never do. If you want to, I suggest placing the 9-inch springform pan inside a larger (10-inch) cake pan, and then placing them in a roasting pan with hot water. This way, no water can seep through the foil and get into your cheesecake. I’d rather have a crack than a soggy cheesecake.
Here’s the way I’ve always baked my cheesecake. My cream cheese pound cake recipe, which came from an old church cookbook decades ago, calls for a cup or two of water in the oven while the cake bakes. The moisture helps the cake stay moist. I figured this concept would work with a cheesecake, too, so I’ve always placed my cheesecake in the oven and put a roasting pan below it filled with hot water.
This method, along with our unique baking method, ensures that our cheesecake does not crack.
We like to place our cheesecake on a pretty cake stand or platter when serving. To help, spray the springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
After the cheesecake cools in the refrigerator for several hours, it should be pretty firm. Run a knife or offset spatula around the sides to loosen them, then remove.
You can then use an offset spatula to carefully slide between the parchment and the pan bottom. The cheesecake should lift right off, and then you remove the parchment paper and place it on the platter.
Don’t add any toppings before freezing.
If you want to completely remove the cheesecake from the pan, follow the instructions above. Once the cheesecake has cooled in the refrigerator and you remove it from the pan bottom, slide it onto a plate or parchment-lined cardboard. Wrap it well with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and place it in the freezer.
Freeze the cheesecake for up to three months.
