You ever stand in the kitchen and have that big dessert debate? Part of you wants that creamy, comforting banana pudding, but the other part is yelling for the rich, tangy goodness of a cheesecake. It’s a real problem.
Well, I got tired of choosing. So I decided to just mash them together into one perfect dessert. I’m going to show you how to make Banana Pudding Cheesecake Squares.
And trust me, it’s easier than it sounds. You’re going to end up with a perfect, crowd-pleasing dessert that tastes like you worked on it for days.
What You’ll Need
Getting your ingredients ready first is like, the number one rule of not having a meltdown mid-recipe. It’s called ‘mise en place’ if you want to be fancy, but I just call it ‘not losing my mind’.
Here’s the breakdown for the crust. It’s the crunchy, buttery foundation for everything.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Nilla Wafers | 1½ cups, crushed |
| Unsalted Butter | 6 Tablespoons |
| Granulated Sugar | 2 Tablespoons |
Next up is the main event: the cheesecake filling. This is where the magic happens. Don’t skimp on the full-fat stuff here; it really makes a difference.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cream Cheese | 2 blocks (16 oz total) |
| Granulated Sugar | ¾ cup |
| Large Eggs | 2 |
| Sour Cream | ¼ cup |
| Very Ripe Banana | 1 medium |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 teaspoon |
And for the top, we’re doing a classic banana pudding style topping. It’s simple, light, and just feels right.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 cup |
| Powdered Sugar | ¼ cup |
| Banana | 1 medium, for slicing |
| Nilla Wafers | A handful, for garnish |
Tools To Get The Job Done
You don’t need a bunch of crazy expensive gadgets for this. Just the basics will do fine.
- An 8×8 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- A food processor (or a zip-top bag and a rolling pin for the cookies)
- A few mixing bowls (small, medium, and large)
- An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A rubber spatula (this thing is your best friend)
- A knife for slicing bananas
Step-by-Step: Let’s Make Some Magic
Alright, got everything? Let’s do this. Just follow along, one step at a time. I’ll walk you through it.
Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Oven
First things first, get your oven preheating to 325°F (that’s about 165°C). Then, take your 8×8 pan and line it with parchment paper. Leave a little extra hanging over the sides like little handles. It’ll make lifting the whole thing out later so much easier.
Step 2: Make the Nilla Wafer Crust
If you have a food processor, toss your Nilla Wafers in there and pulse until they’re fine crumbs. No food processor? No problem. Put the wafers in a big zip-top bag, seal it, and smash them with a rolling pin or even a wine bottle. It’s good for getting a little stress out.
Step 3: Mix and Press the Crust
Melt your 6 tablespoons of butter. In a small bowl, mix the wafer crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the melted butter together. It should feel like wet sand. Dump this mixture into your prepped pan and press it down firmly and evenly. I use the bottom of a measuring cup to get it nice and flat. Pop it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then take it out and let it cool a bit while you make the filling.
Step 4: Start the Cheesecake Filling
This is the most important part, so pay attention. Your cream cheese and eggs have to be at room temperature. Seriously. If they’re cold, your filling will be lumpy, and nobody wants lumpy cheesecake. Put the two blocks of room-temp cream cheese in a large bowl and beat it with your mixer on medium speed for about a minute until it’s totally smooth.
Step 5: Add Sugar and Eggs
Add the ¾ cup of granulated sugar to the smooth cream cheese. Mix it until it’s all combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your spatula. Now, add your two eggs, but add them one at a time. Mix on low speed just until the yellow of the yolk disappears, then add the next one. (Mixing on low and not for too long keeps the cheesecake from cracking later).
Step 6: Finish the Filling
In a separate small bowl, mash up your very ripe banana with a fork until it’s basically baby food. Add the mashed banana, the ¼ cup of sour cream, and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture. Mix on low speed just until everything is blended together. Give the bowl one last scrape to make sure you got everything.
Step 7: Bake the Cheesecake
Pour your beautiful, smooth filling over the cooled crust in the pan. Spread it out so it’s even. Bake it at 325°F for about 35-40 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the edges are set but the center still has a little bit of a jiggle to it, kind of like Jell-O.
Step 8: The All-Important Cooldown
Don’t just yank it out of the oven! This is the secret to a crack-free cheesecake. Turn the oven off completely, crack the door open, and just leave the cheesecake in there for one full hour. After an hour, take it out and let it cool on a wire rack on your counter until it’s at room temperature.
Step 9: Chill Out
Once it’s at room temperature, cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. It needs to chill for at least 4 hours, but honestly, overnight is even better. The flavors get to know each other and the texture becomes perfect.
Step 10: Make the Topping and Serve
Right before you’re ready to serve, make the whipped topping. Pour the cold heavy cream into a chilled bowl and beat it with your mixer. When it starts to get a little thick, slowly add the ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Keep beating until you have soft peaks.
Lift the cheesecake out of the pan using your parchment paper handles. Slice it into squares. Top each square with a dollop of whipped cream, a fresh slice of banana, and a sprinkle of crushed Nilla Wafers. Then, stand back and watch them disappear.
Pro Tips from My Kitchen
I’ve made a lot of cheesecakes in my day, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Here are a few things I learned so you don’t have to.
- Room Temperature Isn’t a Suggestion. I know I said it before, but I’m saying it again. If your cream cheese is even a little bit cold, it won’t blend smoothly with the sugar. You’ll get these tiny, stubborn white specks in your filling that will never go away. Set your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream on the counter for at least an hour before you even start.
- Don’t Go Crazy With the Mixer. When you add the eggs, you are not trying to whip a bunch of air into the batter. Too much air makes the cheesecake puff up in the oven like a souffle and then collapse and crack as it cools. Mix on low speed, and only mix until each ingredient is just combined. Scrape the bowl. That’s it.
- Use Actually Ripe Bananas. You want the bananas with lots of brown and black spots on the peel. They might look ugly, but that’s where all the sugar and intense banana flavor is. A green or perfectly yellow banana just won’t give you that deep, sweet flavor you want for the filling.
- Fight the Brown Banana Topping. Sliced bananas on top look great for about five minutes, then they start to get brown and sad. To stop this, take your banana slices and toss them gently with a tiny bit of lemon juice before you put them on the squares. You won’t taste the lemon, but it will keep them looking fresh way longer.
Possible Substitutions and Fun Variations
This recipe is pretty great as is, but you can definitely play around with it.
- For the Crust: You can use shortbread cookies, graham crackers, or even crushed vanilla sandwich cookies instead of Nilla Wafers. A little cinnamon in the crust is also really nice.
- Gluten-Free? Easy. Just use your favorite gluten-free vanilla cookies for the crust. The rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Add Some Crunch: Want to get a little wild? Try adding a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the crust mixture. It adds a great texture.
- A Caramel Drizzle: Before you add the whipped cream, drizzle a little bit of caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake squares. Banana and caramel are an amazing combination.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
Life is busy, I get it. The good news is this is a perfect dessert to make ahead of time.
Making It Ahead: You can make the entire cheesecake (crust and filling, all baked and chilled) up to 2 days in advance. Just keep it covered in the fridge. Wait to add the whipped cream and banana topping until you’re actually about to serve it. The crust might get a little less crisp, but it will still be delicious.
Storing Leftovers: If you somehow have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sliced bananas on top might get a little brown, but they’ll still taste fine. I don’t recommend freezing the finished squares because the texture of the cheesecake and the bananas can get a little weird when they thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are some questions I get asked all the time.
Q1. Why did my cheesecake crack?
Ans: This is the most common cheesecake problem! It’s usually caused by over-mixing the batter (especially after adding eggs) or cooling it down too quickly. Follow that slow cool-down process I mentioned, and you’ll be golden.
Q2. Can I use a different size pan?
Ans: You can, but you’ll have to adjust the baking time. A 9-inch round pan works well, but it will be a bit thinner, so check it for doneness about 5-10 minutes earlier.
Q3. Do I have to use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream?
Ans: For the best flavor and texture, yes. Low-fat or fat-free versions have more water and stabilizers in them, which can make your cheesecake watery or rubbery. This is a dessert, so it’s okay to go for the good stuff.
Q4. My crust is too crumbly and isn’t holding together. What did I do wrong?
Ans: This usually means there wasn’t quite enough melted butter to hold the crumbs together, or you didn’t press it into the pan firmly enough. Make sure your crumb mixture feels like damp sand before you press it down.
Q5. Can I use frozen bananas?
Ans: Yes, absolutely! Just make sure you thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before you mash them and add them to the filling. Frozen ripe bananas are perfect for this.
Wrapping Up
See? You just made a dessert that solves one of life’s greatest dilemmas. You took two amazing things and turned them into one superstar treat. It’s got the crunch from the wafers, the rich tang from the cheesecake, and that sweet, comforting flavor of banana pudding.
Now it’s your turn. Go make a batch of these squares. Don’t be scared of the steps; you’ve got this.
When you’re done, come back and leave a comment. Tell me how it went! Did you try any variations? Did your family devour them in five minutes flat? I want to hear all about it.
