Quick, easy & delicious, Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe has layers and layers of creamy banana pudding, crispy vanilla wafers, fresh and flavorful banana slices. The flavor and texture are unparalleled.
Magnolia Bakery Famous Banana Pudding is always a hit at a cookout or potluck. This easy banana pudding can be whipped up in just 10 minutes!
MAGNOLIA BAKERY BANANA PUDDING
Banana Pudding is much like avocado in regards to the length of time that both are perfectly ripe and ready to eat. The optimal time to eat Banana Pudding is about 30 minutes in my opinion. A banana pudding needs to sit long enough that the vanilla wafers get soft, yet still have crunch and by no means are the wafers soggy. 😉
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe is an easy, no-cook banana pudding recipe. It’s much like a no-cook cheesecake except the ‘crust’ is vanilla wafer cookies.
With the help of cream cheese and instant pudding, this pudding is wonderfully creamy and rich.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR MAGNOLIA BAKERY FAMOUS BANANA PUDDING
- Cream cheese
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Whole milk or heavy cream
- Bananas
- Pudding mix
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Vanilla wafers
TIPS FOR THE BEST BANANA PUDDING
- Especially important, have your cream cheese at room temperature before you begin mixing the recipe together. It will blend much easier with the other ingredients and won’t have lumps if you’ll start with it at room temperature.
- I used full-fat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla wafers in my recipe. It is luscious and rich and tasted wonderful. However, this is one recipe that you can use low-fat cream cheese, fat-free (or low-fat) sweetened condensed milk, and/or reduced-fat vanilla wafers. You’ll save fat and calories. These changes don’t affect the flavor and texture.
- You can use homemade whipped cream in the recipe or take the shortcut version and use Cool Whip brand whipped cream. However, homemade is much better.
- If instant pudding isn’t available in your area, there really isn’t a substitution. In that case, you can make cooked vanilla pudding, allow it to cool, then continue with the recipe. See notes below for Cooked Vanilla Pudding recipe. It won’t be exactly like Joanna Gaines Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe but it will be close.
- For banana pudding, I like firm bananas that have no spots on the skins.
- Finally, all joking aside, I recommend eating this within a few hours of making it. I don’t prefer it the next day after the bananas become mushy.
HOW TO PREVENT BANANAS FROM TURNING BROWN
Bananas, apples, pears, and other fruits turn brown after cutting because polyphenols, a natural chemical in them, turn into ‘melanin’ when exposed to oxygen. Melanin is an iron-containing compound that gives the fruit a brown color.
First, choose bananas that have a green stem. They will brown slower.
You can slow down the browning process by adding citrus juice to bananas, or any fruit that browns. Lime, lemon, orange, and even pineapple juice will slow fruit from browning. The only issue with juice is it does alter the flavor slightly. For this reason, it’s best to brush or spray on citrus instead of soaking the bananas in it.
Water as well as club soda (NOT tonic) helps slow the browning process. Be sure to drain well before adding to your pudding.
Finally, store banana slices/banana pudding in an air-tight container to limit oxygen exposure.
YOU’LL LOVE THESE RECIPES TOO!
- Banana Pudding Dessert Dip
- No-Bake Banana Pudding Twinkie Cake
- Red Velvet Banana Pudding
- Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Eclair Banana Pudding
- Bailey’s Banana Smoothie
- Best Banana Pudding Pound Cake with Amaretto Liqueur
- Skinny Bailey’s Banana Smoothie
- Best Toffee Banana Layer Cake
- Orange Banana Weight-loss Smoothie

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Recipe
Want to save recipes? Create an account or login & then you can use the “Save Recipe” button when viewing a recipe to save it to your Recipe Box. You can access your saved recipes on any device and generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections.
Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream OR whole milk
- 3.4 ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
- 3 large bananas with green stem (see note), sliced
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 11 ounce package Nabisco Nilla Wafers regular or reduced fat
Instructions
For the Whipped Cream
- Beat on high until soft peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream into a separate bowl.
- Clean out the bowl of the stand mixer.
For the Pudding
Assemble
- In a trifle dish, mason jar, or individual glasses lay a single layer of wafers on the bottom.
- Spoon pudding on top, and then add another layer of vanilla wafers. Add sliced bananas, and then spread the remaining pudding mixture and top with a few more wafers and banana slices.
- Top with whipped cream and refrigerate 1 hour up to 24 hours.
Nutrition

Cooked Vanilla Pudding
Want to save recipes? Create an account or login & then you can use the “Save Recipe” button when viewing a recipe to save it to your Recipe Box. You can access your saved recipes on any device and generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections.
Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles forms at edges.
- In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve.
- Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil.
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes here or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Visit all my recommended products at Paula’s Picks on Amazon. Read my entire Privacy Policy here.

Glenda says
What a delicious change of pace! These were some of the best nachos I’ve ever had. My family gobbled them down quickly.
Kadir Bora says
This recipe looks great and perfect…
Bernie says
Didn’t you mean CONFECTIONERS SUGAR for the whipped cream?!
Paula says
No, I meant granulated sugar
DeAnn says
I have made many different banana pudding recipes and this is by far the very best. The cream cheese and sweetened milk makes all the difference. Yummy!!
Drucilla says
The best banana pudding recipe I’ve ran across in awhile. It’s very delicious. Thank you so much for this gem.
Caroline says
This is my favorite dessert and I get it and give it to people from there. It tastes just like my grandmother’s, except possibly better. (Sorry Mamaw). Otherwise, yum.
MFG says
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. My son who is a HUGE fan of Magnolia’s banana pudding said it tastes just like it!
Amanda Aldous says
This recipe looks great but I do want to note that “Magnolia Bakery” is a New York City standby (opened in 1996) famous for banana pudding and cupcakes. That’s probably the reason that the Waco bakery under the Magnolia brand is called “Silos Baking Company.”
Dorothy Reinhold says
Now that is a decadent banana pudding! Joanna knows what she is doing!
Jamie says
Hi Paula! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I look forward to trying others you have posted too, all look amazing!
I see that others have already mentioned this in the comments of this recipes post and that this goes back to 2018, hopefully you are alerted of new comments regardless if the aging original post. I love Joanna Gaines and companies, but I feel it’s only right to remove their association from this post.
How does that expression go? Give credit as credit is due… (something of that sort, but everyone know what mean)
Check out the Magnolia Bakery of New York website, they will even ship a tub of the pudding if one is too busy to make it at home! h
Douglas Chapman says
Thank you, Paula! For the clear, detailed, intelligent additional comments. Unlike the frustrating recipes too often proudly, ignorantly and uselessly offered, yours are encouraging. Many of us live in remote parts of the world, without recourse to pre-prepared or unusual ingredients.
Paula says
I try to remember that and give alternatives, sometimes I forget. That’s one of the surprising things I’ve learned from blogging is so many ingredients are widely available. Always message me if I forget something or you have a question.