Banana Pudding Fluff Salad
Cool and creamy Banana Pudding Fluff Salad is a fun and delicious combination of pudding, marshmallows, bananas, and vanilla wafer cookies!
Why We Love Banana Pudding Fluff Salad
- Banana fluff pudding is an easy, no-bake side or dessert that comes together quickly for any and every get-together!
- This banana pudding fluff recipe has everyone’s favorite ingredients- marshmallows, pudding, whipped cream, and vanilla wafer cookies so it’s sure to disappear fast!
- Is banana pudding fluff salad a side dish or a dessert? It’s both because who doesn’t love the Southern tradition of loading your plate with something sweet along with savory dishes and then heading back for more fluff pudding for dessert?!?
- Banana fluff pudding has all of the classic banana pudding and vanilla cookie flavors everyone loves and this version is fluffier thanks to the addition of whipped cream and also more fun with all of the mini marshmallows folded in!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Banana Pudding Fluff Salad
WET INGREDIENTS: You will need sweetened condensed milk, cold water, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Pick up a package of instant vanilla pudding mix, a box of mini vanilla wafer cookies, and a bag of mini marshmallows. You can use a sugar-free pudding mix if you prefer.
BANANAS: I like getting bananas that are barely ripe. This helps them hold up against the creamy pudding and last a little longer if there are leftovers.
How to Make Banana Pudding Fluff
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Mix the sweetened condensed milk and water in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Sprinkle in the vanilla pudding mix and vanilla extract and mix until combined. It will be runny.
STEP 2 Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 2 hours or until the pudding is set.
STEP 3 To a large mixing bowl, add the heavy whipping cream and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
STEP 4 Mix scoops of the vanilla pudding mixture into the whipped cream on low speed until no streaks remain. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and fold in any unmixed whipped cream.
STEP 5 If desired, transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Then, fold the mini marshmallows, crushed nilla wafers, and sliced bananas into the pudding using a spatula. Top the salad with more cookies, marshmallows, and bananas for garnish, and serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
- Feel free to use sugar-free vanilla pudding mix in this recipe and if you can’t find mini vanilla wafer cookies then you can purchase regular-sized cookies and break them up more.
- You can also use banana pudding mix, cheesecake pudding, white chocolate, or French vanilla pudding mix in this recipe.
- Toss in freshly chopped or sliced strawberries for a wonderful strawberry banana pudding fluff!
- If you want to use Cool Whip in place of whipped cream you will need 16 ounces of Cool Whip. Just keep in mind that Cool Whip has sugar already added in, so the banana fluff salad will be sweeter.
- Serve the fluff salad immediately and store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cookies will absorb much of the moisture and become soft and thick. The bananas will brown a little and the marshmallows will start to dissolve some in the following days, but the salad will still taste amazing! I do not recommend freezing this salad.
Banana Pudding Fluff Recipe FAQ
What is the purpose of dessert salads?
Dessert salads are light and fun dishes that can be served as desserts but are more often served as side dishes. As you cruise through the buffet line or all of the dishes at a potluck, you will find some kind of dessert salad offered and yes, it’s there to go with your main meal!
Dessert salads not only help to cut through the heaviness of savory dishes but also give you a light dessert that doesn’t sit like a bowling ball in your stomach.
What is fluff salad?
Fluff salad is a dish that is served as a side or sometimes as a dessert. It’s a combination of ingredients like instant pudding, whipped cream, fruit, marshmallows, mayonnaise, and sometimes sour cream. Fluff salads as meant to be light and a little sweet and there are so many ways to make them!
- Classic Watergate Salad, full of creamy pistachio pudding, pineapple, nuts, marshmallows, and whipped cream, is a much-loved fluff salad.
- Ambrosia Salad is indeed the fruit of the gods, filled with maraschino cherries, pineapple, coconut, and pineapple.
- Everyone’s favorite Orange Fluff Salad is a delightful mix of mandarin oranges, orange pudding, and pineapple!
After reading about all of these fluff salads, you’ll see that one thing that is different about Banana Pudding Fluff Salad is the addition of vanilla wafer cookies, but the cookies in this recipe help keep the banana pudding vibe so they’re a must-have!
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Banana Pudding Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cup cold water
- 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (1 small box)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 11 ounces mini Nilla wafers slightly crushed (1 box)
- 3 cups mini marshmallows (1/2 bag)
- 3 bananas peeled and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and the water to a large bowl. Mix until combined with a hand mixer.
- Add the vanilla pudding mix and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until well combined, it will be runny.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the pudding is fully set.
- When the pudding is ready, pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, just be careful not to overmix it.
- Add spoonfuls of the pudding mixture to the whipped cream with the mixer on low speed until the pudding is fully incorporated with no steaks. I like to take a rubber spatula and scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure it's all combined.
- Transfer the pudding mixture to a serving bowl, if desired. Stir in the crushed Nilla wafers, mini marshmallows, and sliced bananas. Top the salad with more cookies, marshmallows, and bananas for garnish, and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you want to use Cool Whip in place of the whipped cream, you’ll need 16 ounces. However, the pudding will be extra sweet since Cool Whip has sugar in it already.
- You can use regular-sized wafers if that is all you can find, just crush them up a bit more.
- This fluff is really best served right away, or as soon as possible. The cookies will start to absorb the pudding mixture and become very thick. So, leftovers will have a different texture, and not be as fluffy, but let me tell you it is still out of this world delicious, so don’t throw it away! Just keep in mind if serving for a party. Also, the marshmallows will slightly dissolve and the bananas will begin to brown in the coming days.
- Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.