Creamy Banana Pudding Milkshake Recipe

There's nothing like a cold, creamy milkshake on a hot summer day. Whether paired with a juicy cheeseburger or just a bowl of salty popcorn, a nice milkshake always hits the spot. While we love a classic vanilla milkshake, there are so many fun ways to flavor this dessert. While a handful of chocolate chips or a few cookies can easily enhance a milkshake, why not try a dessert hybrid that will knock your socks off? Creamy banana pudding is a beloved recipe coast to coast, enjoyed at parties and backyard barbecues all year long, and now you can enjoy the dessert in milkshake form.

This recipe is that dessert reimagined as a milkshake, with all the same flavors and textures. Ripe banana, crisp vanilla wafer cookies, and sweet vanilla pudding mix are blended with ice cold milk and vanilla bean ice cream to make this decadent treat. Join us as recipe developer Taylor Murray makes an easy homemade milkshake that's good enough to rival any diner or soda shop.

Like any good milkshake, the base ingredients are whole milk and ice cream, in this case vanilla bean. To recreate the flavors of a classic banana pudding, we're adding ripe banana, vanilla wafer cookies, and instant vanilla pudding mix into to the milkshake. A splash of vanilla ensures the vanilla flavor comes through amidst all the other flavors. To decorate the final shake, we'll use some sliced banana, extra vanilla wafers, and a dollop of whipped cream.

Add vanilla ice cream, frozen bananas, and vanilla wafer cookies to blender.

Top with instant pudding mix.

Pour in vanilla and the milk.

Blend the ingredients until completely smooth.

Optionally, wipe the rim of each pint glass with water and dip in crushed vanilla wafers.

Pour milkshake into glasses and top with additional vanilla wafers, whipped cream, and sliced banana.

While milkshakes are an inherently dairy-centric food, there are some crafty and clever ways to make this recipe without dairy, if needed. The first and most obvious swap is with the milk. You can use any kind of dairy-free milk, like soy, almond, or cashew. Choosing a thicker, creamier milk will give you a richer final sip, so opt for something like cashew or oat milk for the best result. The same goes for the ice cream — find a neutral flavored ice cream that uses plant-based milk so as to avoid any dairy. The bananas and vanilla extract are dairy-free as they are, and most kinds of instant vanilla pudding mix don't have dairy either. Read the ingredients on the package to make sure.

The most common kind of vanilla wafer cookies, Nilla wafers, have whey in the ingredient list, so consider swapping them out or omitting entirely if that's something you're looking to avoid. Finally, skip the whipped cream or opt for a vegan or dairy-free version and voila — you've got a luscious, creamy banana pudding milkshake, completely dairy-free.

Aside from banana, vanilla wafer cookies are one of the signature flavors that make a banana pudding taste like banana pudding. The combination of the sweet, ripe banana, cool, creamy vanilla pudding mix, and slightly softened vanilla wafers is what creates this traditional dessert. That being said, there are ways to substitute this ingredient if needed for whatever reason (though the flavor might not remind you of classic vanilla pudding in the same way). 

If the concern is regarding dairy, there are dairy-free alternative vanilla wafer cookies that replicate the flavor fairly closely. If you're looking to switch the flavor up some, why not try the recipe with graham crackers instead? Graham crackers have a similar but separate flavor profile that matches well with banana. If you want to do something really wild, try the recipe with ginger snaps to add a slight sugary snap. Finally, vanilla wafer cookies that come in stick form are a good option, offering a similar flavor profile and easy-to-stick-on garnish for the finished milkshake.