What’s inside: A Patriotic twist on an Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding, today’s American Flag Banana Pudding is a decadent Memorial Day dessert with fresh fruit flavors, vanilla cookies and a semi-homemade vanilla custard. It’s easy enough to make with the kids while being a gorgeous addition to your summer cookouts.

American Flag Banana Pudding Recipe

Banana Pudding is one of the few things that makes summer BBQs in the south a little bit more bearable and today we’re sharing a fun twist that’s perfect for Memorial Day BBQs or 4th of July: an American Flag Banana Pudding!

This classic Southern dessert features a silky vanilla custard; soft, scoopable layers of vanilla wafers; and sweet, toothy bananas that melt just slightly into the cream.

It’s airy and lush, with the whipped topping keeping the texture light while the cream cheese and condensed milk add a subtle tang and richness. The berry decor isn’t just pretty and patriotic – it also adds a fresh, bright contrast that cuts through the sweetness and adds a gentle burst of fruity flavor with each bite.

Banana Pudding travels well, is a great, easy and reliable recipe to make for a crowd and with our cute twist, it makes a gorgeous addition to your party table.

And of course, it’s easy to make with the kids – they can help with every single step of this recipe, and older kids can even make this recipe independently!

— Jennifer

Ingredients

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• Cool whip, thawed
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Cream cheese, softened
• Milk
• Instant french vanilla pudding mix
• Bananas, sliced
• Vanilla wafer cookies
• Blueberries 
• Strawberries, sliced

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: if you’re not a fan of strawberries or don’t want to deal with cutting them all up, swap them out for raspberries or even pomegranate seeds.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• 9″ x 13″ Casserole Dish
• Mixing Bowl
• Electric Mixer
• Measuring Cups and Spoons

Instructions

To Prep: Wash and dry the berries.

1. Prepare the banana pudding according to the box directions. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the condensed milk. Add mixture to the instant pudding. 
3. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish in a layer of cookies. 
4. Pour half of the pudding mixture on top of the cookie layer.

5. Slice bananas and layer half of them on top of the pudding mixture then top with ½ the cool whip. 

6. Repeat layers starting over with the cookies and ending with the layer of cool whip. 

7. Add blueberries and sliced strawberries on top to resemble an American flag. 

8. Refrigerate for an hour or until ready to serve. 

Prep Tips

• Use ripe but firm bananas: Look for bananas with plenty of yellow and minimal brown spotting so they hold their shape without turning mushy.
• Soften the cream cheese fully: Let it sit at room temperature until very soft to avoid lumps when mixing with the condensed milk.
• Chill longer for cleaner slices: One hour works if whipping this up last minute, but two to four hours will give you neater layers and a more set texture.
• Advanced Prep Tip: If chilling this banana pudding for longer than a day, wait until the day of to add the berry decorations to prevent them from bleeding and making a the flag design messy.

More Fun Memorial Day & 4th of July Recipes You’ll Love

• “Surfin USA” Patriotic Surfboard Sugar Cookies
• Fluffy 4th of July Cake Mix Cookies
• Red White and Blue Swirl Bundt Cake
• Patriotic Rice Krispie Treats

American Flag Banana Pudding Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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