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This Banana Pudding Icebox Cake is the perfect no-bake dessert for summer. It’s a thicker, more fancy-looking version of banana pudding and it’s absolutely delicious!
Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
So I’m going to get serious for a minute. Yesterday’s church service was just too good for me to not share it with you. To finish up a series, we had Benjamin Watson of the New Orleans Saints join us. You may or may not be familiar with Benjamin Watson’s Facebook post that went viral last fall after the verdict in the Ferguson case was released. It’s one of the most well put things I’ve ever read – accurately capturing the range of emotions that I’m sure many have felt.
There have been so many cases in the news – Ferguson, Baltimore (and more) and now the awful shooting in Charleston. It overwhelms me how much hate and pain fills the news every time something happens and it makes me sad. Benjamin Watson said it better than I ever could have. He talked of sin and the Gospel and bringing communities together – not tearing them apart. Yesterday’s message was moving, insightful and sparked a great discussion between the hubs and I. I absolutely recommend watching it. I hope it inspires you like it did us. Before I move on to the recipe, I’ll leave you with this bit of scripture that was sort of the point of the message:
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26–28
So I’m not entirely sure how to move on from that to a recipe, so I’ll just do it. 🙂
This icebox cake is layers of a banana and vanilla flavored filling that’s somewhat mousse-like and very light, with a layer of vanilla wafer cookies and bananas in the middle. It’s so easy to make – the hardest part is letting it sit in the fridge to firm up.
How to Make Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
To put the layers together, you’ll make the banana and vanilla filling separately, though they have similar ingredients. The vanilla filling is made by mixing cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Some milk and vanilla extract are added, then homemade whipped cream is folded in. You could substitute Cool Whip if you prefer to simplify the recipe even further. I won’t tell.
The banana layer is made exactly the same way, except that dry banana pudding mix is added before the whipped cream is folded in. You don’t actually make the pudding, just add the dry mix. It will make the mixture kind of sticky, but that’s ok. As you fold in the whipped cream, it will loosen up and become a nice consistency. It might take a minute, so be patient. It will all come together.
The fillings are layered with the vanilla wafers and banana slices. I dipped the wafers in some milk first to help them soften. Nobody wants a cookie they can’t cut through.
Once everything is layered, just let it set up in the fridge until firm. It’s made in a springform pan, so that you can remove the sides and have a pretty looking dessert, but you could also make it in a 9×9 square pan, if you prefer. Either way, it’s easy peasy and delicious! The hubs’ literally refused to let me share it. 🙂
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Easy Banana Bread
Banana Cream Pudding in a Jar
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Bananas Foster Layer Cake
Banana Pudding Cheesecake
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Banana Churros with Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce
Banana Pudding Icebox Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Banana Pudding Icebox Cake is the perfect no-bake dessert for summer. It’s a thicker, more fancy-looking version of banana pudding and it’s absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
VANILLA FILLING
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
BANANA FILLING
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk
- 3.4 oz package of dry banana cream instant pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- Vanilla Wafer Cookies
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3–4 Bananas
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 527
- Sugar: 42.1 g
- Sodium: 336.9 mg
- Fat: 28.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.1 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 91.1 mg
Enjoy!
I’ve made this so many times, it sooo good. I know see so many catching on the the recipe and even putting a spin on it.
I’m so glad you enjoy it!
I love this recipe. The puddings are delicious! It’s such an impressive dessert with very little effort. I did make a vanilla wafer crust for the bottom and added a little vanilla flavoring in the whipped toppings. Also you can make the whipped topping all together and just measure out the amounts for each pudding mixture which is 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar equals 2 cups of whipped topping.
Is this recipe a frozen ice cream cake or icebox (fridge) cake? The directions say to place in freezer for 4-5 hours to firm up. Is it taken out and kept in the fridge after that? It looks delicious and I would like to make it in advance of a party but wondering if it is to be stored in the freezer.
This one is meant to be frozen, but I do think it would be fine if you stored in the fridge too. It’s been a while since I’ve made it, so I can’t remember the exact texture, but the ingredients are very similar to other icebox cakes of mine that I don’t freeze.
I need to write this review! I first made this recipe for my husband in 2020 and have been making it so much because everywhere I go people want me to make it! It is a TOP favorite and I bake all the time. Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing dessert. P.s. made it twice this week!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!
I made this for our staff meeting today. Many of our local staff here in Haiti have never had banana pudding. They loved it! I was looking for a recipe that would hold up and make a nice presentation. This was perfect. I made a cookie crust and the presentation was beautiful. I couldn’t find nilla wafers so I made it with langues de chat. They are thinner so I made a double layer of cookies. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
So glad to hear that!
This is a great recipe for an alternative banana pudding! It is very rich, but light and flavorful. I was concerned that the banana cream instant pudding would give it an artificial taste however mixing it with the homemade whipped topping is great. I did make a vanilla wafer crust to give it a base for all the puddings. Yummy!
Since the CDC says it’s now safe for vaccinated adults to get together with other vaccinated adults, I want to have a small group of friends over (after a very long year!) and I was thinking of serving this cake, it looks very festive. My question is this, the get together won’t be a sit down meal, but rather dishes set out so that people can help themselves. So I’m wondering, since it’s frozen, how long can this cake be left out. It’s not ice cream, so it won’t melt. But since the directions say to freeze it, not just refrigerate, I’m uncertain as to what might happen if it’s left out for a while.
It would totally be fine refrigerated as well as frozen and it should be fine sitting out for a few hours.
I made this with my daughter for my older daughter’s birthday. Super delish!
How long can i freeze this?If i made this tonight and didnt add the acutal banana slices would this be good come Thursday if i freeze it now until then? Traveling for the holidays and trying to make most of stuff ahead of time 🙂
Yes, it should be fine frozen for 4-5 days.
For the banana pudding filling, it states 3.4oz of dry filling of banana pudding mix. The dry boxes here are .9 oz. so was I supposed to put in 4 dry packets? It turned into a hard lump that would fold in. Should I have only used 1 .9oz package?
Gosh, I’m not sure. I’d think you’d want to use the same amount by weight but maybe the ingredients in the box are a little different?
If you didn’t have milk for the pudding mixtures, could you use heavy whipping cream in its place?
That should be fine, thought a little thicker/heavier.