Banana Cheesecake is a delicious hybrid of Banana Cream Pie and cheesecake. A rich, creamy, pile of cheesecakey banana deliciousness. It’s the perfect finale to any meal!
Banana flavors are my jam! Try my Banana Pudding Cookies, or my highly rated Banana pancake recipe, too!
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This cheesecake though. Vanilla cookie base. Creamy filling with banana pudding, real bananas, topped with whipped cream and garnished with more banana.
The Cheesecake Factory makes a Banana Cream Cheesecake…. and I like mine better. Yup, I said it.
Baked cheesecake can be intimidating to make, I get it – but below is the step by step recipe, including water bath, and possible substitutions if needed. I hope you give this a try, it really is worth it!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Make ahead. This cheesecake is the perfect choice for making ahead for a celebration.
Delicious. Banana cream pudding mix in the cheesecake filling makes the banana flavor pop!
Water baths for Cheesecake
I have made this recipe a few times – with a water bath, and without. I know, I know – many of my previous cheesecake recipes have been either mini cheesecakes, or have been non-water bath methods. BUT – and this is important – just this once, try the water-bath. For me?
Without it, the edges get brown, but the center is still wobbly and unset. Or, it cooks up, then cracks after cooling. The cracking is usually no big deal – if you are covering the top with ganache like in this To Die For Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. The ganache just fills the cracks and actually improves each slice that is lucky enough to HAVE a crack!
I’ve actually messed up with my water bath – and water got into my pan. If this happens to you – don’t freak out. Just CHILL. Literally.
Chill the cheesecake overnight (24 hours is awesome), and everything will work out just fine. Trust me.
Key Recipe Ingredients
Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
How to make Cheesecake
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Make the crust
Heat oven to 325F In a food processor, crush the cookies until they become crumbs. Melt the butter the add to the crushed cookies with the sugar, and mix well. Press into the bottom and a little way up the sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes then remove, and cool.
Make the filling
Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees F. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attached (or a large bowl and a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and pudding mix with an electric mixer until combined.
Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each.
Add the mashed banana and vanilla. Mix on low speed until well combined, but still lumpy.
Let’s bake!
Pour the filling into the cooled crust.
Wrap the outside of the pan in a double layer of foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top. Set wrapped pan in a large roasting pan, and pour hot water into the roasting pan—to a depth of 2 inches or about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake for 90 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven with the door closed for 20 minutes. Crack open the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes or until set.
Remove from oven and chill overnight.
Serving
Slice and decorate as desired – with fresh bananas, extra vanilla wafers and whipped cream (heavy cream whipped with a little powdered sugar).
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
Whipped topping (like Cool Whip) can be used instead of whipped cream if you prefer.
Make the Banana Cream Cheesecake ahead – I typically can’t wait to try desserts and might make it the same day – for eating that night. However, I’ve found that the flavor develops more with more chilling time, the crust is more solid.
Brush the sliced bananas with a little lemon juice to stop them from going brown!
Water bath – if a little water gets into your springform pan, no worries – just chill overnight, it will be just fine!
The crust – if you prefer a graham cracker crust, just switch them out in place of the wafer cookies.
What do do with leftovers
Hide them. You aren’t going to want to share. But if you do have any – just place in a sealed container and refrigerate until needed.
Some of my favorite cheesecake recipes:
- No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake. A delicious no-bake cheesecake that whips up in very little time
- Toffee Caramel Cheesecake. Creamy. Dreamy. Easy to Make.
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. It’s rich, decadent, and full of chocolate dessert (the best kind!). Seriously, just go make this immediately.
- Classic Cheesecake from Sugar Spun Run
- All Dessert Recipes
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Banana Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 28 vanilla wafer cookies
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons white sugar
Filling
- 1 ½ pound softened cream cheese (3 boxes)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3.4 oz package dry banana cream pudding mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish
- sliced bananas
- mini vanilla wafers
- whipped cream
Directions
Crust
- Heat oven to 325°F
- In a food processor, crush 28 vanilla wafer cookies until they become crumbs.
- Melt 5 tablespoons butter then add to the crushed cookies with 5 tablespoons white sugar, and mix well.
- Press into the bottom and a little way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes then remove, and cool.
Cheesecake filling
- Reduce oven temp to 300°F.
- Using an electric mixer with the paddle attached, mix 1 ½ pound softened cream cheese, 1 cup white sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 3.4 oz package dry banana cream pudding mix with an electric mixer until combined.
- Add 3 large eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each.
- Add the 1 cup mashed bananas and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until well combined, but still lumpy.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust.
- Wrap outside of pan in a double layer of foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top.
- Set wrapped pan in a large roasting pan, and pour hot water into roasting pan—to a depth of 2 inches or about halfway up the sides of cheesecake pan.
- Bake for 90 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in oven with door closed for 20 minutes.
- Crack open the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes or until set.
- Remove from oven and chill overnight.
To Serve
- Slice and decorate as desired – with sliced bananas, extra mini vanilla wafers and whipped cream.
- Devour.
- Hide the leftovers.
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Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Update: This recipe was originally published in January of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in November of 2020.
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