Mini banana pudding cheesecakes are creamy with subtle banana flavor and a crisp Nilla Wafer crust!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Don’t get me wrong, making a full-sized cheesecake can be super rewarding, but it’s also easy to mess up! You have to worry about cracks, your springform pan leaking, and dealing with a water bath! These mini banana pudding cheesecakes don’t require any of those extra steps and only take 25 minutes to bake!

Ingredients you’ll need:

For the crust:

Nilla Wafer cookies
Granulated sugar
Melted butter

For the cheesecake filling:

Softened cream cheese
Granulated sugar
All-purpose flour
Sour Cream
Mashed bananas
Vanilla extract
Eggs

For topping:

Whipped cream
Nilla Wafer cookies
Sliced banana

Banana pudding is one of my favorite desserts but there’s something super fun about a handheld dessert, so I’ve made them into mini cheesecakes! I love making these for parties and potlucks, it’s always a fan favorite!

How to make the best mini banana pudding cheesecakes:

Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together Nilla Wafers, sugar, and melted butter. The crumbs should resemble wet sand. Add 2 tbsp of the mixture into each muffin tin cavity, then use the bottom of a spoon or measuring cup to pack them down. Bake for 5-8 minutes.
Make the cheesecake mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese with sugar, flour and sour cream. Once mixed, add in mashed banana, vanilla extract, and eggs. It’s ok if the mixture looks slightly lumpy from the banana.
Bake: Fill each muffin tin with the cheesecake mixture. You’ll want to fill them all way to the top, then bake for 25 minutes.
Chill and add toppings: Let the cheesecakes come to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to finish chilling (at least 1 hour). Once chilled, add whipped cream, a Nilla Wafer and banana slice on top of each one!

There’s nothing quite like a quick and easy dessert that looks like it takes way more effort than it actually does! I promise, the hardest part of this recipe is being patient enough to let the cheesecakes chill in the fridge! You can even use store-bought whipped cream for topping to make it that much easier!

My top tips:

If you don’t have a food processor to make the crust, you can crush the Nilla Wafer cookies in a Ziploc bag, then mix in the sugar and butter until the crumbs resemble wet sand.
Be sure to compact the crust before baking! I find the best way to do this is by adding about 2 tbsp of crumbs into each muffin tin cavity, then press down using the bottom of a shot glass or ¼ measuring cup. This ensures the crust holds together and isn’t too crumbly.
Mash your bananas before adding them to the cheesecake mixture. As with most baking recipes that include banana, I do recommend using ripe bananas here. They’re easier to mash and have a higher sugar content so they’re extra sweet and flavorful. Plus, it’s a great way to use up bananas that are going bad!
Fill each cupcake liner all the way to the top with cheesecake filling. These do not puff or expand so no need to worry about them overflowing while baking!
You’ll know the cheesecakes are done baking when the tops are shinny and slightly domed. The centers will be a slightly jiggly but the edges shouldn’t jiggle at all.
Let the cheesecakes chill in the fridge before topping with whipped cream, Nilla Wafers and banana slices. This ensures the cheesecakes are stable enough to hold all the delicious toppings!

Looking for more cheesecake recipes? Try this one out!

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