No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum

February 25, 2020
Banana pudding, step aside -- You've got some serious competition from this No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum! With its banana pudding-inspired filling sandwiched between two creamy ultra-fluffy layers of deliciousness, this is the stuff no-bake dessert dreams are made of.
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Slice of No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image


At our house, we're huge fans of the ever-popular Southern dessert known as Yum Yum.

What is Yum Yum, you ask?  A "Yum Yum" is a creamy layered dessert with a crust and a fruit or flavored filling sandwiched between two ultra-fluffy cream cheese/whipped cream layers.  Often, Yum Yums are no-bake, but whether or not the dessert is no-bake depends on the type of crust used in the recipe.

With its banana pudding-inspired filling sandwiched between two creamy ultra-fluffy layers of deliciousness, this is the stuff no-bake dessert dreams are made of.

The crust is typically a shortbread-type or made with graham cracker or other crumbs, and the filling ranges in all sorts of flavors ... from the ever-classic Blueberry Yum Yum and Cherry Yum Yum, to summery Strawberry Yum Yum and Peach Yum Yum, to even our fall-favorite Pumpkin Yum Yum.

The creamy combination of layers makes Yum Yum one totally delicious, totally satisfying comfort food dessert, for sure.

You know what else we're huge fans of at our house?  Banana Pudding -- another Southern classic.

So it made perfect sense to combine these two Southern favorites into one deliciously creamy dessert.  And that's how this No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum came to be.

And what a wonderful addition to the Yum Yum line-up it is!

No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum in Baking Dish Image

Not only is Banana Pudding Yum Yum a totally tasty dessert, it's also pretty easy to make too.  I love when creamy comfort, great flavor, and easy preparation come together in a single recipe.

To whip up a pan, start by preparing the no-bake crust.

I love when creamy comfort, great flavor, and easy preparation come together in a single recipe.

The crust for this Banana Pudding Yum Yum takes a nod from classic banana pudding itself, and is made with the classic banana pudding ingredient -- Nilla Wafers.  Nilla Wafers are then also layered in the banana pudding filling in the middle of the dessert, too.

To make the crust, place some Nilla Wafers in a gallon-size zip-top bag and crush them with a meat mallet.  Or, place the Nilla Wafers in a food processor and pulse until they're finely crushed.

Nilla Wafer Crumbs in Baggie Crushed with Meat Mallet Image

Combine the Nilla Wafer crumbs with some melted butter and a small touch of ground cinnamon.

The little bit of cinnamon brings a nice flavor to the Nilla Wafer crust, and pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the bananas and vanilla pudding in the filling.

Preparing Nilla Wafer Crumbs to Make Crust for No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Set aside a couple tablespoons of the buttered Nilla Wafer crumbs to sprinkle on top of the finished dessert.

Press the rest of the buttered Nilla Wafer crumbs into the bottom of a baking dish to form the crust.

How to Make Nilla Wafer Crumb Crust for No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Next mix up the fluffy layers' mixture -- a combination of softened cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and homemade whipped cream.

Spread a layer of the whipped cream mixture over the Nilla Wafer crust.

Adding Creamy Layer to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Then arrange a layer of whole Nilla Wafers on top of the creamy whipped cream mixture.

Adding Nilla Wafer Layer to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Top the Nilla Wafers with a layer of sliced bananas.

Adding Sliced Banana Layer to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Then top the bananas with a layer of vanilla pudding.

The vanilla pudding layer is made with standard, basic instant pudding mix.  The pudding is mixed up with a little less milk than usually used with the pudding mix to create a thicker pudding for the Yum Yum filling.

When spreading the pudding over the banana layer, be sure to cover the banana slices completely.  The pudding "seals" the bananas in from air, which helps keep the banana slices from turning brown.

Adding Vanilla Pudding Layer to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Top the pudding layer with more of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture.

How to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Mix the reserved Nilla Wafer crumbs (set aside when making the crust) with some chopped pecans.  Then sprinkle them on top of the Banana Pudding Yum Yum to finish it off.

Adding Crumb Topping to Make No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Cover the pan of Yum Yum and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight before serving.

As hard as it is to wait, I highly recommend refrigerating this dessert overnight before serving rather than waiting just a few hours. -- This is one of those desserts that just gets better and better with time.  

While it's certainly fabulous after being refrigerated overnight, I love it even more on the 2nd and 3rd day after the flavors have melded together even more!  So don't be afraid to prepare your Banana Pudding Yum Yum 2 days in advance of when you plan to serve it.

Layers in No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image

Once it's chilled and the flavors have melded together, get ready to cut into the creamy goodness!

With its beautiful layers of banana pudding filling and ultra-fluffy deliciousness, No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum is the stuff no-bake dessert dreams are made of.  It's a perfect blending of our two Southern favorites, and definitely will give banana pudding a run for the money, don't you think?

Bite of No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum Image
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banana pudding yum yum recipe, banana pudding yum yum dessert, no bake dessert recipes, banana yum yum, banana pudding recipes
No-Bake Desserts
Southern
Yield: about 9-12 servings

No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum

No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum

Banana pudding, step aside -- You've got some serious competition from this No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum! With its banana pudding-inspired filling sandwiched between two creamy ultra-fluffy layers of deliciousness, this is the stuff no-bake dessert dreams are made of.
prep time: 30 Mcook time: total time: 30 M

ingredients:

Crust:
  • 1 1/4 c. Nilla Wafer crumbs
  • 3 T. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Mixture:
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
  • 2 c. whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
  • 3 T. granulated sugar
Banana Pudding Filling:
  • about 20 whole Nilla Wafers
  • about 2 medium bananas
  • 1 small (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 1 1/2 c. cold milk
Crumb Topping:
  • 2 T. reserved Nilla Wafer crumbs (reserved from making the crust)
  • 2 T. chopped pecans

instructions:

How to cook No-Bake Banana Pudding Yum Yum

Prepare the Crust:
  1. Crush Nilla Wafers  into small crumbs in a gallon-size zip-top baggie with a meat mallet, or pulse them in a food processor until fine, to make 1 and 1/4 cups crumbs. 
  2. In a bowl, combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, melted butter, and cinnamon. Blend with a fork until crumbs are moistened.
  3. Set aside 2 tablespoons of crumbs for the crumb topping.
  4. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch pan that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Prepare the Cream Cheese Mixture:
  1. With an electric mixer, cream together softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.
  2. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
  3. By hand, mix together whipped cream and cream cheese mixture until well combined.
  4. Spread a little less than half the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture evenly over the crust.
  5. Arrange the whole Nilla Wafers in a layer on top of the cream cheese/whipped cream layer. Set aside while you prepare the banana pudding filling.
Prepare the Banana Pudding Filling:
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine vanilla instant pudding powder and cold milk.  Whisk until well combined and beginning to thicken.
  2. Slice bananas into about 1/4-inch thick slices.
Assemble Remaining Yum Yum Layers:
  1. Arrange banana slices in a layer on top of the Nilla Wafer layer.
  2. Drop prepared vanilla pudding by large spoonfuls on top of the banana layer. Gently spread pudding evenly over the bananas, covering them completely.
  3. Top vanilla pudding layer with the remaining cream cheese/whipped cream mixture. Gently spread it evenly over the pudding layer.
  4. Combine the reserved Nilla Wafer crumbs and chopped pecans.  Sprinkle evenly over the top of the Yum Yum.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. You can substitute an 8 ounce container of Cool Whip non-dairy whipped topping for the homemade whipped cream in the cream cheese mixture if you'd like.
  2. Sugar-free instant vanilla pudding works just fine in this recipe.
  3. We like our Yum Yum and its layers thick! And that's just how this recipe turns out - nice, thick creamy layers. We recommend doubling the recipe for a 9x13" pan. You could "stretch" this recipe to a 9x13" pan, but the layers will be very thin (and you would probably need to double the crust portion for it to adequately cover the bottom of the pan).
  4. Work quickly once you start preparing & layering the banana pudding filling -- the bananas begin to brown pretty quickly once sliced.  You want to get those bananas layered in and covered in pudding (to seal them off from air ... which is what makes them turn brown) pretty fast.
  5. This is one of those desserts that just gets better and better with time.  While it's fabulous after being refrigerated overnight, I love it even more on the 2nd and 3rd day!
Created using The Recipes Generator


16 comments

  1. could you use lady fingers in place of nilla waffers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have never tried a lady finger but it sounds interesting. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. Thank you for reading.

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  2. This looks amazing! I love a good banana pudding! Visiting from the Country Cottage blog hop. Have a great week!

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  3. Wow! This looks so delicious! I pinned it to make next time I have to make dessert for an occasion. Thanks

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  4. This is definitely a pinnable recipe! It's so convenient that this is a no-bake version. I'm visiting from Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

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  5. Congratulations, Your No Bake Banana Pudding Yum-Yum will be featured on Full Plate Thursday,474 this week. Thanks so much for sharing this dessert with us and hope you are having a great week!
    Miz Helen

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  6. No bake, seriously!! That has got to be one of the loveliest banana pudding recipes I've seen!! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!

    Mollie

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  7. I love banana pudding! What a great version of a classic!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Have a great week.

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  8. This looks so yummy. Definitely making it. I am happy to feature this sweet dessert at Love Your Creativity.

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  9. I'm making this for Easter and can hardly wait! Might have to do a trial run first. ;) Pinned!

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    Replies
    1. I am happy to hear. My husband and daughter love this yum yum. I have to tell them they cannot eat it until we server or half it will be gone in a day or two.

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  10. My husband loves banana pudding. This might be just the thing for Father's Day!

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  11. This looks like a dessert my grandchildren would love! TFS!

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  12. Pinned! This looks so delicious! I must make this recipe soon! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  13. Thanks for the yummy looking recipe! Think there’s be any issue using Cool Whip instead of whipping my own ?

    ReplyDelete

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