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If you’re looking for an easy banana pudding, then look no further: You are going to love this banana pudding fluff recipe. It’s basically your classic southern recipe but made easy with instant vanilla mix and Nila wafers all mixed up like dessert fluff salad!
Easy Banana Pudding Fluff
I can’t get over how soft this fluff is! It’s an easy banana pudding that’s cold and so fluffy to the bite.
I’ve always loved the traditional recipebut trust me when I say this banana pudding dessert is better. I’m not sure if it’s because of how easy it is to throw together or the fact that it’s a no-bake dessert.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Southern banana pudding is typically layered with Nilla Wafers and chunks of fruit and whipped cream or cool whip. But this recipe is a relaxed version of that because it’s a fluff salad.
The beauty of fluff salads is that they can easily be made with oranges, berries, cherries, or any kind of fruit you can think of (like pineapple fluff). You can use any pudding mix flavor! Really, the sky is the limit and the options are endless. No need to use anything specific, just grab what’s available and start mixing!
Ingredients Needed
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: or banana flavor – you may substitute sugar-free
- Milk: use any cold milk you have available but I find cows milk works best.
- Cool Whip: Since traditional fluff recipes are made with Cool Whip, that’s what I used. It stands up better too; Cool whip is more stabilized. You may substitute sugar-free cool whip if you prefer.
- Marshmallows: mini marshmallows are a must and give the salad the FLUFF it needs!
- Vanilla Wafers: we’ll break these vanilla wafer cookies into pieces
- Bananas: your bananas should be spotty or ripe enough to taste sweet but not be bruised. You don’t want the banana slices to turn to mush when you stir them in the mixture.
How to make banana pudding fluff
- Whisk the instant pudding mixture over cups of cold milk in a large mixing bowl.
- Let the cold pudding mixture sit for about 3 minutes to set.
- Stir in Cool Whip until smooth.
- Then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Mini marshmallows, Nila wafer cookies, and sliced bananas.
Expert Tips & Variations
- You can use sugar-free equivalent ingredients (pudding mix, cool whip, cookies) to make this a more diabetic friendly dessert.
- The cookies will soften, but if you have leftovers, place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I only recommend making this ahead by a few hours, it’s best within a day.
- You can use vanilla or banana flavored instant pudding mix.
FAQs
Store this in the refrigerator but eat it within one day, otherwise, the bananas will brown and the cookies will get soggy.
This will last for about a day in the fridge.
This banana pudding can be frozen except the bananas will brown.
Banana Pudding Fluff Salad Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 box 3.4 ounce INSTANT vanilla or banana pudding mix may substitute sugar-free
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 1 container 8 ounces Cool Whip may substitute sugar-free
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 3 cups Vanilla Wafers broken into pieces
- 3 medium bananas sliced
Instructions
- Whisk pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Let sit 3 minutes to set.
- Stir in Cool Whip. Then stir in marshmallows, cookies, and sliced bananas.
- Serve the same day it’s made (bananas will turn brown with age and cookies will soften).
This was easy to make and it tasted delicious!
I made mind the same way and add a can eagle brand milk
I am from the Puget Sound and am 62..I think these are an age thing recipe. We all grew up on these in the 50’s and 60’s and its not a Holiday without all the fluff and stuff. Thank you for the memories
Banana Fluff can be made into a Banana Split which I found out the modern day kids seem to have never seen..sigh Here goes, leave out the cookies and banana from the salad. Slice a banana lengthwise (thus “banana Split”) pile up some fluff on the slices, sprinkle with crushed cookes and a ribbon of hershey syrup, top with nuts if you like and a maraschino cherry
Only had one banana, so added strawberries and blueberries. Broken graham crackers instead of vanilla wafers. This is what I had on hand?
Great salad. Made it for Memorial Day picnic.
One thing , though, I believe Jello brand started around 1895, not in the 70s as your article says. Gelatin has been around since the 1600s.
Do you make the pudding according to box plus one cup of milk or just the cup of milk with mix?
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