This banana pudding cheesecake recipe might just be the best cheesecake recipe ever! With a buttery graham cracker crust, creamy banana pudding-inspired cheesecake, and topped with rich Bavarian cream, this flavorful cheesecake is sure to steal the show wherever it goes!

a close up of a cheesecake that has been sliced

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When the idea of making a banana cream or banana pudding cheesecake first came into my head, I honestly had no idea where I was going with the recipe, or even where to start.

All I knew was that I loved cheesecake and banana cream pie, especially my banana pudding banana cream pie. And it was high time the two of those became one.

This recipe is admittedly kinda long, so I’ll keep this opening short and sweet. Now and then, when you spend your life cooking, you create a really good recipe, not just good, but really good, great even.

a banana pudding cheesecake with whipped cream and sliced bananas on it, you can also see a plate and fork behind the cheesecake.

And every once in a blue moon, you create something so good, you can’t actually believe you were the one who made it.

To date, this is the best cheesecake I have ever made, and it has set a pretty high bar. One, I’m likely going to be trying to live up to for the rest of my life. Honestly, this might just be the best thing I’ve ever made, and believe me, I don’t say that lightly.

This cheesecake was and is my moment of glory. I took a bite, and I swear I died and went to heaven; it was that good, it is that good.

a banana pudding cheesecake with a dish of bananas and come banana slices around it

It’s 1000% worth the time it takes to make. Don’t skip the Bavarian cream topping, and be mentally prepared to eat a whole cheesecake in one sitting.

This is a fairly standard baked cheesecake recipe, but I did play around with a slightly different baking method, and trust me, you’re going to want to try it. So let’s get down to business!

a close up of a banana cheesecake with a slice taken out of it

Banana Pudding Cheesecake Recipe

Graham Cracker Crust

crushed graham cracker
white sugar
butter, melted
sea salt

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

cream cheese, softened. Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese.
sour cream
white sugar
all-purpose flour
banana extract
ripe bananas, pureed or mashed. You should end up with roughly 1 cup of pureed banana
eggs

Homemade Bavarian Cream Topping

cold water
unflavored gelatin
half and half
egg yolks
white sugar
vanilla extract
heavy cream

a close up of a slice of cheesecake on a plate, there is also a fork on the plate

How To Make A Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Place a large piece of foil over the bottom of the cheesecake pan. (It should cover about 2/3 of the outside sides of the pan as well.) Line the inside of the pan with parchment paper. To do this easily, flip the pan upside down and trace a circle on a piece of parchment with a pencil. Cut along the outside of the traced circle and place the finished circle at the bottom of the pan.

Then make your graham cracker crust. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and sea salt. Mix using your hands or a fork until the cracker crumbs are completely soaked in butter and hold their shape when pressed together.

Press the crust mixture into the bottom and roughly 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.

Now it’s time to make the banana cheesecake filling. In a large bowl (or stand mixer), combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and white sugar, and beat until smooth and creamy.

Add the all-purpose flour and beat until well combined. Then add the eggs, banana extract, and banana puree and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat the mixture again.

Scoop your cheesecake filling into your prepared pan. Be sure to scrape as much of the filling as possible out of the bowl! Gently smooth out the top of your cheesecake with the back of your spatula.

Place your cheesecake into a water bath. I like to use a cast-iron skillet or a rimmed baking sheet/broiler pan for this. To create a water bath, you’ll want to use an oven-safe pan/dish that is big enough to hold your cheesecake and deep enough to hold1-2 inches of water.

Place the cheesecake(in the waterbath) into your preheated oven and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours or until the cheesecake is set. The center should be slightly jiggly, but set. The top of your cheesecake may be slightly golden brown.

Once the cheesecake is set, turn off your oven and prop the door open slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature before removing it from the oven.

Once the cheesecake has cooled, remove it from the oven and the water bath, then transfer it to the fridge to chill until ready to top.

a close up of a cheesecake with a slice taken out of it

While the cheesecake is baking and cooling, prepare your Bavarian cream topping.

Place the cold water in a small bowl, then sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the top of the water. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the half and half to a boil, stirring often to make sure you don’t scald the half and half, and it doesn’t boil over.

While the half and half is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl.

Once the half and half comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Then, whisking continually, slowly and carefully pour the hot half and half into the egg mixture. Make sure you whisk the hot liquid in quickly and continue whisking the whole time you’re adding to it, to avoid cooking your egg yolks and to keep the mixture smooth and creamy.

Pour the egg mixture back into your saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is hot.

Then add your bloomed gelatin to the pan and stir until it is completely melted and combined.

Finally, pour the mixture into a clean medium-sized mixing bowl, and place the bowl into a large mixing bowl filled with ice water. (I just used really cold water from my faucet and didn’t bother with actually getting ice cubes.)

While the pudding mixture is cooling, prepare your whipped cream.

In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat until stiff peaks form.

Once the pudding mixture has cooled to room temperature, remove the bowl from the ice bath. Then gently fold in your whipped cream until completely combined.

Cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until ready to use.

a slice of banana cheesecake on a plate with a fork

Topping the cheesecake.

For the best results, I like to let my cheesecake cool a bit and allow my cream topping to firm up before I actually put the two together.

I would recommend waiting until your cheesecake has chilled for at least 1 hour before topping. Or you can allow both the cheesecake and Bavarian cream to chill overnight, then top in the morning and allow the cheesecake to chill for an additional 1-2 hours before serving.

When you are ready to add the Bavarian cream topping to your cheesecake, gently scoop the Bavarian cream onto the cheesecake(leave the cheesecake in the springform pan for this) and gently spread it out with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula, keeping it as even as possible.

I like the cream topping to be quite thick, so I used just about all of the Bavarian cream, but if you’d like the topping a little thinner or you don’t think it will all fit, feel free to use less. Allow the cheesecake to chill for 1-2 hours once it has been topped, to give the Bavarian cream a chance to settle before removing the cheesecake from the pan.

Once you are ready to serve your cheesecake, release the springform pan and transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate (though you can also serve it from the bottom of the pan). I like to top mine with a little whipped cream and some fresh banana slices, but that is completely optional!

Cut into 12 slices and serve.

Enjoy!

a close up of a banana cheesecake with whipped cream and banana slices on it

Recipe Notes

Any leftover banana pudding cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days!

I usually make my cheesecake filling and whipped cream with a hand-held electric mixer, but a stand mixer also works well. On the same note, I like to crush my graham crackers in a food processor for the best results. But you can also place the crackers in a seal-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.

If you like, you can replace the homemade Barivan topping with a store-bought version or even whipped cream. I know it might seem like a lot of extra effort to make, but I can promise you it’s worth it! The barvian topping is delicious, and so creamy, and honestly, really pulls the whole recipe together in my opinion.

I love using Graham cracker crusts for my cheesecakes, but if you wanted to create a more classic banana pudding flavor, you could make a vanilla wafer crust instead!