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Banana Pudding Pie takes everything you love about southern banana pudding, the creamy vanilla filling, the cookies, the bananas, and stacks it in a golden Oreo crust under a pile of brown sugar caramelized bananas. I first made it for a spring family dinner years ago, and it has outsold every other pie with Maddie and Lizzie since, even our no bake cheesecake.
The caramelized banana topping is the five minute trick that makes this taste like a restaurant dessert.
Banana Pudding Pie Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 10 slices
- ⚡ Calories: 301kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy vanilla and sweet caramelized banana
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our strawberry cheesecake dump cake
Quick Answer
Process 25 golden Oreos into crumbs with melted butter, press into a 9 inch pie plate, and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, then cool. Whisk two boxes of instant vanilla pudding with cold milk, fold in whipped topping, pour into the crust, and chill 3 hours. Caramelize banana quarters in butter and brown sugar for about 5 minutes, cool, then arrange them on the pie with more whipped topping.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Golden Oreos echo the vanilla wafer. The classic banana pudding cookie flavor is baked right into the crust, complete with the creme filling binding it together.
- Instant pudding plus whipped topping equals mousse. Folding the whipped topping into the set pudding lightens it into a silky, sliceable mousse instead of a dense filling.
- Caramelizing transforms the bananas. Five minutes in bubbling butter and brown sugar gives the bananas a toffee flavor and keeps them from browning the way raw slices do.
- A short bake sets the crust. Eight minutes firms the buttery crumbs so slices release cleanly, no soggy bottom.
- The 3 hour chill does the work. The filling needs that time to fully set, which conveniently makes this a perfect make ahead dessert.
- Cooking the topping means no brown bananas. Because the fruit is caramelized and coated in syrup, the pie still looks bakery fresh on day two.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The caramelized banana topping tastes like bananas foster on a pie.
- Only 15 minutes of actual cooking, the refrigerator does the rest.
- It is the pie version of the creamy comfort you get from our rice pudding.
Key Ingredients
A short list of easy grocery store staples.
- Golden Oreos: Twenty five cookies, creme and all, become the vanilla crumb crust.
- Instant vanilla pudding: Two small boxes whisked with cold whole milk set the creamy filling fast.
- Whipped topping: Folded into the pudding for a light mousse texture, plus more piled on top.
- Bananas: Two firm ripe bananas, quartered and caramelized so they stay golden and sweet.
- Brown sugar and butter: The two ingredient caramel that glazes the bananas.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This pie plays well with add ins.
- Use chocolate Oreos for the crust for a chocolate banana version.
- Layer sliced fresh strawberries under the pudding for a banana split feel.
- Add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon to the caramelizing sugar for a warm spiced note.
- Drizzle each slice with caramel sauce, or serve alongside our baked apples for a caramelized fruit dessert spread.
How to Make Banana Pudding Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Process the golden Oreos into fine crumbs in a food processor, then drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until every crumb is coated.
- Press the crumbs evenly into a 9 inch pie plate, bottom and sides, and bake for 8 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack.
- Whisk the pudding mix and cold milk in a large bowl until fully combined and starting to thicken.
- Fold in the whipped topping until smooth, pour the filling into the cooled crust, and refrigerate for 3 hours until set.
- While the pie chills, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saute pan until bubbling. Add the banana quarters cut side down and cook about 5 minutes until lightly golden, then cool them in the pan.
- Arrange the cooled caramelized bananas over the set pie, pile on more whipped topping, slice, and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use firm, just ripe bananas. Overripe fruit turns mushy in the hot caramel.
- Let the caramel bubble before the bananas go in. That is the signal the sugar has dissolved into the butter.
- Cool the bananas in the pan. The syrup thickens as it cools and glazes them beautifully.
- Whisk the pudding a full 2 minutes. It needs that time to start thickening before the whipped topping folds in.
- Chill the full 3 hours. Cutting early gives you delicious soup instead of clean slices.
- Wipe the knife between cuts. A damp, clean knife is the secret to pretty pudding pie slices.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This is a spring and summer dinner party hero because it is completely make ahead, chill the base in the morning and finish the bananas before guests arrive. Serve it after burgers alongside our no churn strawberry ice cream for an all cold dessert table.
For holidays, it slots right into the pie lineup next to pineapple upside down cheesecake and gives the banana lovers their moment.
Individual jars work too, layer crushed cookies, filling, and bananas in mason jars like our mini cheesecakes for picnic friendly servings.
Store the pie loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The caramelized bananas hold their color, though the crust softens slightly by day three. I do not recommend freezing, the pudding filling weeps when thawed.
Banana Pudding Pie FAQs
A golden Oreo crumb crust, a filling of instant vanilla pudding whisked with whole milk and lightened with whipped topping, and a topping of brown sugar caramelized bananas with more whipped topping. It is classic southern banana pudding reimagined as a sliceable pie.
Caramelize them. Cooking the bananas in butter and brown sugar coats them in syrup that blocks the air exposure that causes browning, so the topping stays golden for days instead of hours. It also tastes dramatically better than raw slices.
Yes, use stabilized whipped cream so the filling holds its structure. You will need about 1 cup folded into the pudding and another 2 cups for topping. Regular soft whipped cream can thin the filling over time in the refrigerator.
At least 3 hours for the filling to set enough to slice cleanly, and overnight works even better. Add the caramelized bananas and final whipped topping within a few hours of serving for the prettiest presentation.
Absolutely, it is built for it. Make the crust and filling up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Caramelize the bananas up to 4 hours before serving and hold them at room temperature, then top the pie just before it hits the table.
Instant vanilla pudding, two 3.4 ounce boxes. Cook and serve pudding works but must be fully cooked and cooled first. Banana cream instant pudding doubles down on banana flavor if you want to go all in.
Made this Banana Pudding Pie? Leave a comment and a star rating below, I would love to hear how it turned out!
Another fresh fruit pie we love is our patriotic mixed berry pie.
For a fall fruit pie, our apple cranberry pie is the from scratch stunner.
Banana Pudding Pie
Ingredients
Golden Oreo Crust:
- 25 Golden Oreos
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Caramelized Banana Pudding Pie
- 2 packages 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding
- 3 Cups cold whole milk
- 1 Cup cool whip plus more for topping
- 2 Bananas cut into 4ths
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
Golden Oreo Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oreos in a food processor and process into crumbs, drizzle in melted butter until combined. Mix with spoon to make sure all the crumbs are coated. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate and press in crumbs all around evenly. Bake for 8 minutes, sit on wire rack and let cool completely.
Caramelized Banana Pudding Pie
- Place pudding mix in a large bowl, add in the milk and whisk until fully combined. fold in the cool whip, pour into the crust. Place in fridge for 3 hours until set.
- While the pudding is setting up, make the caramelized bananas. Place the butter and the brown sugar in a sautee pan, mix together and let bubble. Once it is bubbling, add in the bananas, cut side down and let cook in the sugar until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool in the pan.
- After 3 hours, take out the pie and arrange the cooled bananas on top, garnish with lots more whipped topping, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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This looks incredible! I love that this has a bit of a different spin on banana pudding 🙂
Oh my, Dana-I’m always looking for YUMMY ways to use up banana! Your pudding looks so yummy-I have to pin so I can make it soon for my family! Thank you so much for sharing!
This looks so good can’t wait to try it!
This recipe looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing at I’m Lovin’ It Link Party.