Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

a banana pudding cheesecake bar topped with a dollop of whipped cream, a nilla wafer, and a banana slice on a white background.

Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars have a nilla wafer crust and a creamy banana flavored cheesecake. This banana dessert is a handheld version of a southern favorite.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings bars

Calories 393kcal

Author Ellie Haley

Ingredients

For Nilla Wafer Crust:

5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter melted
2 cups nilla wafers finely crushed
4 tablespoons (50 grams) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

For Banana Pudding Cheesecake:

3 packages (681 grams) cream cheese room temperature
1 ½ cups (297 grams) granulated sugar
1 3.4 ounce box banana cream pudding mix
3 large eggs room temperature
⅓ cup (75 grams) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

For Nilla Wafer Crust:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine the nilla wafer crumbs, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of prepared pan.
Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For Banana Pudding Cheesecake Filling:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and banana cream pudding mix together on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
Gently pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.
Bake the cheesecake bars for 30-40 minutes or until the filling is set, but still a bit jiggly in the center.
Turn the oven off, prop the oven door open, and allow the cheesecake bars to cool like this for 30 minutes. Transfer to the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

- Beat at a low speed. Beating your cheesecake filling at a low speed will prevent air bubbles from forming. It takes a bit longer, but it is worth it in the end.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. If all of your ingredients are at room temperature they will combine a lot easier and it will prevent lumps from forming.
- Scrape down the bowl. I scrape down the bowl often while making the cheesecake filling. This ensures that everything is getting well combined.
- Don’t over-bake. A lot of times we think cheesecake isn’t done baking because it is still jiggly, but this is when we want to stop the baking process. If you let the cheesecake cool in the oven and then in the fridge, they will set up and be a perfect consistency.
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.

Nutrition