Crowd Pleasing Christmas Banana Pudding for Holiday Parties and Potlucks

This easy Christmas banana pudding is creamy, fluffy and full of nostalgic banana flavor. It is the kind of dessert that disappears fast at holiday parties, potlucks and family gatherings, and it takes just a few minutes of hands on time. Let’s make it!

Why this Christmas banana pudding works for the holidays

• No bake and quick
  Comes together in about 10 minutes, then chills in the fridge while you prep the rest of dinner.
• Perfect for parties and potlucks
  Travels well in a casserole dish, and you can easily double or triple it for a crowd.
• Make ahead friendly
  You can assemble it a few hours in advance, which is gold on busy Christmas weekends.
• Simple ingredients
  Instant banana pudding mix, Cool Whip, vanilla wafers and fresh bananas. Nothing fussy.
• Easy to add Christmas flair
  A little warm spice and a festive topping instantly turns it into Christmas banana pudding, even if the photos show the everyday version.

Ingredients

For the pudding:

• 1 box (3.4 oz / about 96 g) instant banana pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) very cold milk
• 1 tub (8 oz / about 225 g) Cool Whip, thawed but still cold
• 2 cups (about 90 g) vanilla wafers, crushed
• 2 medium bananas, sliced

Optional Christmas twist:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Extra vanilla wafers, gingerbread cookies or Biscoff for topping
• Festive sprinkles for serving

1. Mix the pudding

In a large mixing bowl, add the instant banana pudding mix and cold milk. Whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth, slightly thickened and no dry bits remain on the sides of the bowl.

Tips

• Make sure you are using instant pudding mix, not cook and serve.
• Cold milk helps the pudding set quickly and firmly.
• If you see a few lumps, let the mixture sit for 2 minutes, then whisk again.

If you are adding warm spices for Christmas flavor, whisk in the cinnamon and nutmeg with the pudding mix.

2. Fold in the Cool Whip

Add the thawed Cool Whip to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold it into the pudding until the mixture looks mostly even and fluffy.

Tips

• The Cool Whip should be thawed but still cold. If it is rock hard, it will not fold in. If it is soupy, it can make the pudding too loose.
• Fold by scooping from the bottom of the bowl up and over the top. This keeps the mixture thick and airy.
• Stop as soon as there are no big streaks of plain Cool Whip left. Overmixing can deflate it.

3. Add bananas and crushed wafers

Slice the bananas just before adding them. Gently fold the banana slices and most of the crushed vanilla wafers into the pudding mixture, saving a small handful of crumbs for the top.

Tips

• For less browning, you can lightly toss the banana slices with 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice before folding them in.
• Crush the wafers as finely or as chunky as you like
  • Finer crumbs give a more pudding like texture.
  • Larger pieces keep a bit more crunch.
• Folding in only part of the wafers now and saving some for the top gives you a mix of soft and crunchy textures when serving.

4. Chill the pudding

Transfer the mixture to a serving dish or airtight container. Smooth the top with a spatula.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding, then cover with a lid. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until cold and set.

Tips

• Pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the surface helps prevent a skin forming and slows down banana browning on top.
• For potlucks, use a 2 quart (about 2 liter) casserole dish with a lid. It travels and serves easily.

Add Christmas touches:

• Spiced flavor
  The cinnamon and nutmeg in the pudding give a subtle Christmas flavor so I highly recommend adding them.

• Cookie topping
  Mix some crushed gingerbread cookies or Biscoff with the remaining vanilla wafer crumbs and sprinkle that over the top for serving.

• Simple garnish
  Add a light dusting of cinnamon on top and a few extra banana slices around the edge of the dish. If you like, scatter a few red and green sprinkles on one side of the pudding for Christmas gatherings, and simply skip them if you are serving it in spring or summer.

Make ahead and storage

• Make ahead
  This Christmas banana pudding is best assembled 2 to 12 hours before serving. The flavors meld, the wafers soften a bit, and the texture becomes silky.
• How long it keeps
  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. After that the bananas soften and brown more than most people enjoy.
• How to keep the bananas pretty
  For the topping, slice and add the bananas right before serving. If you want them to hold a little longer on a buffet, toss them very lightly in lemon juice first.

Variations

• Evergreen banana pudding
  Skip the cinnamon, nutmeg and Christmas toppings and serve it all year long as a classic banana pudding.
• Extra light and fluffy
  Add an extra half cup of Cool Whip for a softer, mousse like texture.
• More crunch
  Hold back half of the wafers and sprinkle them over each serving instead of folding them all into the pudding.