My Mom’s 4-Ingredient Banana Pudding Is Always the First the Thing to Go at the Potluck

As much as I love burgers and potato salad, the thing that I always look forward to the most during the Fourth of July is my mom’s banana pudding. And I’m not the only one: Each year her banana dish is one of—if not the first thing—that gets eaten at community potlucks and barbecues. Lucky for us all, it couldn't be easier to make. 

Her famous banana pudding recipe takes just four simple ingredients (a box of Nilla Wafer Cookies, vanilla instant pudding mix, three ripe bananas, and a container of Cool Whip) and just a handful of steps, no baking required. And when I say four ingredients, that means four ingredients. The box calls for milk, and while you can use milk to make the pudding creamier, my mom taught me that water also does the trick—it’s the cornstarch in the mix that thickens, so it’ll solidify anytime you mix it with a liquid. 

This no-bake dessert has all of the signature elements of any great banana pudding: layers of custardy sweet pudding with vanilla wafers and fresh bananas all in a convenient 9x13-inch baking dish. It's the best thing at every Fourth of July celebration. Plus, after you learn the basics of the four ingredients, the options are endless. Add a dash of vanilla for a more complex flavor, some sweetened condensed milk into the pudding to give it an even more custardy flavor—the world is yours!

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) container of frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
• 1 box of vanilla wafer cookies (such as Nilla Wafer)
• 1 (5-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix 
• 4 large ripe bananas, sliced (plus extra for garnish)

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients. Set your frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. 

   

2. Prepare your instant pudding according to the package directions (with water instead of milk, if you’d like) and set aside in the refrigerator to set. 

   

3. Arrange your vanilla wafer cookies in a single layer on the bottom of your 9x13-inch baking dish. 

   

4. Use a spatula to spread your vanilla pudding mixture over the vanilla wafer cookies and then top with sliced bananas. Repeat with another layer of vanilla wafer cookies, pudding, and then more sliced bananas. 

   

5. Top the layers with the chilled whipped mixture and crushed remaining vanilla wafer cookies.