Butterscotch Banana Pudding - a creamy, no bake dessert layered with butterscotch pudding, sliced bananas, and buttery shortbread cookies.
I've made a lot of no bake desserts this year. That is, after all, the entire point of a series called No Heat All Sweet. But this one gets to close it out, and I mean that literally. This is the last recipe in the series. There might be a season two next year, there might not, I genuinely don't know yet, my track record with sequels is mixed. What I do know is that butterscotch and banana have no business tasting this good together, and I wanted to end on something that felt like it deserved the send off.
If you're new around here and this recipe finds you at the right moment, welcome. If you loved this one, you'll probably also love my Biscoff Banana Pudding, which runs a little more caramelized and cookie forward, or my classic banana bread, for the mornings when pudding feels like a stretch.
Why You'll Love Butterscotch Banana Pudding
This isn't a recipe that asks much of you. There's no oven, no thermometer, no moment where you're standing over a pot praying it doesn't scorch. You whisk, you fold, you layer, you wait. The waiting is the hardest part, and even that's just your fridge doing the work while you do something else with your evening.
It also travels well, which matters more than people admit. Potlucks are unforgiving environments. A pudding that holds its layers for six hours in a stranger's kitchen is a pudding worth keeping in rotation.
What Ingredients You'll Need
A quick rundown before you start, because knowing what you're working with makes the whole process go faster.
- Instant butterscotch pudding mix, the base of the whole thing and non negotiable
- Cold whole milk, straight from the fridge, room temperature milk will not set up the same way
- Sweetened condensed milk, for the richness a box mix alone can't give you
- Cheeseman butter shortbread cookies, or Nilla wafers if that's what your store has
- Bananas, sliced right before you layer, not before
- Heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- Vanilla extract
Do Banana and Butterscotch Go Together?
Yes, and I'll die on this hill. Banana has a natural caramel sweetness that butterscotch just amplifies instead of fighting. Where banana and chocolate can sometimes compete for attention, banana and butterscotch feel like they were always meant to share a bowl. If you've only ever had classic vanilla banana pudding, this is the version that makes you wonder why that took so long.
How to Make Butterscotch Banana Pudding
- In a large bowl, whisk the cold milk and sweetened condensed milk together. It will look slightly clumpy and that's fine, it evens out.
- Sprinkle the butterscotch pudding mix over the top and whisk until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. A hand whisk works better here than a hand mixer, which tends to overwork the mixture and leave it clumpy instead of silky.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken while you make the whipped cream.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. If you overbeat it, a splash more cream and a little more beating will bring it back.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture with a spatula. Don't rush this part, you want to keep the air in. Chill for 1 hour.
- To assemble, use individual cups, a casserole dish/pan, or a trifle bowl, whatever you have that fits your fridge shelf. Layer pudding first, then whole cookies, then sliced bananas. Repeat for 2 to 3 layers, finishing with a final layer of pudding that fully covers the top and seals the edges so the cookies don't dry out.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 24, to let everything soften together.
- Smash the reserved cookies into bigger crumbs, not dust, and scatter them over the top. Finish with a few more banana slices right before serving.
Common Mistakes
- Using room temperature milk instead of cold, which keeps the pudding from setting up properly
- Overbeating the whipped cream until it turns grainy instead of stopping at stiff peaks
- Slicing the bananas too early, they'll brown before they even make it into the layers
- Skipping the seal on the final pudding layer, which is what keeps the cookies from drying out at the edges
- Not giving it enough time in the fridge, this is a recipe that needs patience more than skill
Tips and Tricks for Butterscotch Banana Pudding
Use a glass dish if you have one. It's not necessary, but watching the layers build through the side of a trifle bowl is genuinely half the appeal. If you're making this for a crowd, individual cups mean nobody has to fight over who gets the corner piece with the most cookie crumb. And if your bananas are on the smaller side, lean toward the higher end of the range, nobody has ever complained about too much banana in banana pudding.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few things people tend to ask when they make this one.
- Can I use a different pudding flavor? You can, but then it's not butterscotch banana pudding anymore, it's just banana pudding with an identity crisis.
- Can I make this ahead? Yes, that's more or less the point. It actually improves after sitting in the fridge for several hours.
- Do I have to use Cheeseman shortbread cookies? No, Nilla wafers work as a substitute if that's what you have on hand.
- Can I use a hand mixer for the pudding base? You can, but a hand whisk gives you a smoother result with less clumping.
- How far in advance can I make this? Up to 24 hours ahead, layered and chilling, is the sweet spot.
Storing and Freezing
To store, keep the pudding tightly covered with plastic wrap in the fridge, pressed against the surface if you can manage it, and eat it within 3 to 4 days. The bananas will keep browning slightly the longer it sits, which is normal and doesn't affect the flavor, just the look toward the end of that window.
This one does not freeze. The pudding base breaks and turns watery once thawed, and the bananas go mushy in a way that no amount of whipped cream can fix. If you want to plan ahead, make the pudding and whipped cream mixture up to a day before and assemble closer to serving instead.
FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS ONE, HERE ARE MY TOP PICKS!
Don't forget to save this recipe card and share it! I'd love to hear your feedback or answer any questions you have! Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. I post so many fun things on all platforms.
Recipe
Butterscotch Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 3.4 ounce package instant butterscotch pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups cold milk
- 1 can 13.4oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 bags Cheeseman butter short bread cookies, sub Nilla wafers. Set aside 3 cookies for the top!
- 6 to 10 bananas sliced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cold milk, sweetened condensed milk and mix. The mixture will be slightly clumpy. That's okay. Sprinkle butterscotch pudding mixture over the top. Whisk together until smooth. This will take 2-3 minutes. I prefer a hand whisk not a hand mixer because it will get clump. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken up. While it sets, beat the heavy whipping cream.3.4 ounce package instant butterscotch pudding mix, 1 ½ cups cold milk, 1 can
- In a bowl of a stand size mixer or with an electric hand held mixer, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form to make whipped cream. If you over beat it, add a dash more of cream and beat until stiff peak.2 cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the pudding mixture. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.
- To assemble, you can use individual cups, a large casserole dish, or a trifle bowl. Start with a layer of pudding on the bottom, then add a neat layer of whole cookies, followed by a layer of sliced bananas. Repeat until you run out of ingredients, aiming for 2-3 layers total. Finish with a final layer of pudding that fully covers everything, making sure to seal the edges so the cookies don't dry out.2 bags, 6 to 10 bananas
- Gently wrap with plastic wrap and allow it to sit on the fridge for at least 6 and up to 24 hours to soften up.
- Take over what's left over the cookies and just smash the cookies so there are somewhat bigger pieces and crumb. Spread that over the top. Garnish with more banana's!
Leave a Reply