The Secret Ingredient To Give Your Banana Pudding A Cheesy Twist

There's a lot to be said about what makes banana pudding so great. A classic dessert with a rich history in the United States –- particularly in the South –- this creamy, fruity treat is about as dreamy as it gets. The basic elements of a banana pudding include bananas, vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, and a dollop of whipped cream on top. But if you're looking to elevate this sweet to luxurious new heights, amp up the decadence with the secret ingredient of rich cream cheese and taste the difference. 

Putting a cheesecake-inspired twist on a classic banana pudding recipe creates an incredible explosion of rich, slightly tangy flavor and a distinctly delightful, silky mouthfeel in every bite. The result is reminiscent of a banana pudding pie, which is yet another unique take on the popular dessert. While this admittedly veers away from more old-fashioned methods of preparing banana pudding, it's not terribly different from adding sour cream, which is present in a few old-school variations. 

Adding a hearty helping of cream cheese to your pudding will thicken up the texture and bring it to more of a dessert dip-like consistency, so make sure you have extra vanilla wafers on hand to scoop up all of the deliciousness. The cream cheese will seem like it's been the missing ingredient all along.

It's important to know how to best use cream cheese to amp up the overall enjoyment of your banana pudding. For example, using a whipped cream cheese rather than the standard kind in a dense brick will make it easier to mix it into the custard. You can also use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to aerate a brick-style cream cheese, though this adds an extra step. 

Other things to consider include what flavor of cream cheese to choose. While plain is a good idea, you can also look at different sweetened cream cheeses, such as ones with honey or vanilla, which will enhance the flavors already present in your banana pudding. 

Furthermore, think about how you want the banana, cream cheese, and vanilla flavors to interplay. You can swap out your vanilla wafers for graham crackers or try using both to give your dish even more of a cheesecake-inspired feel.  If you like a little variation in texture, you might take a page from a bananas foster cheesecake recipe and flambé the banana slices on top for an extra-fancy, crowd-pleasing treat. Any way you scoop it, your banana pudding will be a total winner with the not-so-secret-anymore ingredient of cream cheese.