Banana Pudding Cheesecake

With a vanilla wafer crust and a creamy banana filling, this banana pudding cheesecake combines two of your favorite desserts into one delicious bite.

If you’ve been around MBA for a while, you know that I love banana pudding. Whether it’s homemade banana pudding or simple Magnolia Bakery banana pudding (or even peanut butter pudding and toasted bananas), I’m in.

And you all know what else I love: all cheesecake recipes.

So it made sense to me to combine these two beloved desserts into one. And let me tell you, this banana pudding cheesecake did not disappoint.

What is banana pudding cheesecake?

Banana pudding cheesecake is the best combination of two of my favorite things: banana pudding and vanilla cheesecake.

The base is a crust made with vanilla wafer cookies instead of graham crackers. Plus, we have a rich, creamy filling that contains a cup full of mashed bananas.

Top the cheesecake with some homemade whipped cream and you have all the ingredients of a delicious banana pudding in one delicious slice of cheesecake.

This banana pudding cheesecake is a great dessert any time of year, but I think it would be especially perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day!

How to make banana pudding cheesecake

If you’ve never made many cheesecakes before, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through each step, including my favorite tip for preventing leaks when using a double boiler.

Ingredients you will need

This banana pudding cheesecake recipe is very similar to my vanilla cheesecake, with a few simple changes that make all the difference.

Instead of graham cracker crust, this cheesecake has a vanilla wafer crust. For this you will need:

• 2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

You will need about 8 ounces of cookies to make 2 cups of crumbs. Save the rest of the biscuits to garnish the finished cheesecake.

Keep in mind that the vanilla wafer crust is a little softer than the traditional graham cracker crust. If you prefer to use graham cracker crust, don’t worry! The cheesecake will still be delicious.

To prepare the banana cheesecake filling you will need:

• 32 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons of 00 flour
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 1/2 medium bananas)
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt

One of the most important things in making a super creamy cheesecake filling is to make sure the cream cheese and eggs are both at room temperature.

If you forget to make the cream cheese or eggs ahead of time, I have some tips for softening the cream cheese and bringing the eggs to room temperature.

If you don’t want to see bits of banana in the final cheesecake, you can blend them in a food processor instead of mashing them.

Make the banana pudding cheesecake

Before you begin, prepare your 9-inch springform pan for the double boiler.

You can tightly wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, but my preferred method is to simply place the pan inside a 10-inch cake pan. Both pans can fit inside a baking pan – the regular cake pan will prevent water from seeping into the springform pan.

If you don’t have a 10-inch cake pan and want to use the traditional method, I have more details in my post on how to bake cheesecake in a double boiler.

Spray the springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.

To make the crust, mix together the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press this into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan.

Cook the crust for 8 minutes at 180°C, then let it cool while you prepare the filling.

To make the banana cheesecake filling, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and flour, then mix until well combined, about 1 minute.

Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure you incorporate them all before adding the next. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Finally add the banana puree, sour cream and salt. Mix until smooth and pour the mixture into the crust.

Pour the boiling water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the 10-inch cake pan. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 65-70 minutes.

The cheesecake is done when the edges appear to be set but the center still has a slight jiggle.

Now turn off the oven and open the door, but let the cheesecake sit in the oven to cool for 1 hour. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the bain-marie and leave it to cool on a wire rack.

Chill the cooled cheesecake for at least 8 hours before serving.

When serving, I like to top the banana pudding cheesecake with whipped cream, more vanilla wafer cookies, and freshly sliced ​​bananas. But a drizzle of salted caramel sauce would be delicious too!

Storage Tips

Store banana pudding cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you don’t intend to serve it immediately, I recommend storing it without condiments. Wait to add toppings until you plan to serve it.

If you want you can also freeze this cheesecake

Place the cooled cheesecake on a round cardboard and cover tightly with cling film. Then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 1 month for the best flavor.

When you’re ready to enjoy the cheesecake, thaw it at room temperature for a couple of hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

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