It’s safe to say that here at Delish we are a bit banana pudding obsessed. There is just something about the sweet, creamy, banana and cookie-filled dessert that consistently captures our minds, hearts, and stomachs. We’ve tried countless variations on the classic Southern dessert, like our banana pudding lasagna, several types of banana pudding cake, cookies, cupcakes, and even egg rolls, but during a recent taste test, our food editors found a new question: Would our classic banana pudding be even better with a cookie other than Nilla wafers?
Nilla wafers are great. The soft bite and vanilla flavor work beautifully with the sweet pudding and banana mixture and help to add some textural difference to the dish, but they aren’t exactly showstoppers. They are light in flavor and texture, which helps them blend into the pudding, but what if you want something to stand out? The classics are the classics for a reason, and it’s not as if you need to switch it up every time, but there are so many other cookie flavors that could make banana pudding really pop. Why stop at vanilla?
Our team of food editors came up with a list of 6 cookie swaps that might just become your new favorite rendition of your favorite dessert.
Oreos
This one is a no-brainer. Oreos are a staple in the cookie aisle and a staple in many of Delish’s favorite recipes. The crisp chocolate cookies and sweet cream filling are the thing of snacktime dreams and are perfect for adding into already classic desserts. Who hasn’t finished an entire sleeve in one sitting? Chocolate and banana are a match made in heaven, and this is no exception.
Where Nilla wafers tend to blend into the banana pudding, Oreos stand out with rich chocolate flavor and a stronger crunch. Aside from the chocolate, the cream filling matches well with the flavor of the vanilla pudding and whipped cream mixture, essentially enhancing what we already love about banana pudding. For a bonus, sprinkling crushed up Oreo cookies on top of the white whipped cream looks stunning.
Girl Scout S’mores
Get these while they last! The 2025 Girl Scout cookie season is the final year that the beloved S’mores cookies will be available. With graham sandwich cookies and gooey chocolatey, marshmallowy centers, these cookies really are miniature s’mores.
If you are a fan of our s’mores banana pudding, there’s a good chance you’ll like this combination. However, where the s’mores banana pudding really amps up the s’mores flavor, subbing in the Girl Scout S’mores in place of Nilla wafers in our classic recipe still keeps the focus on banana pudding. The graham sandwich cookie is somewhat reminiscent of a Nilla wafer, but slightly more firm and with toasted, nutty notes. This and the sweet, chocolatey center adds a pop to the banana pudding.
Biscoff
Biscoff cookies deserve so much more love than they get. The iconic Belgium cookies are crisp with a deep, sweet, caramel flavor, and, in addition to pairing perfectly with coffee, they go great with other sweets.
The caramel crunch of the buttery Biscoff cookies isn’t overwhelmingly sweet, and the warming spices really amplify the richer notes of the pudding. This banana pudding variation would be especially nice during colder weather months, due to the spices in the cookies, but is a welcome addition year round.
Circus Animal Cookies
There is something so whimsical about circus animal cookies. The fairly straightforward shortbread cookies are cut into the shapes of circus animals like lions, camels, elephants, and more and coated in either pink or white frosting before being dotted with colored sprinkles.
These nostalgic cookies are sweet and crunchy, and because of their frosting coating, are probably your best choice if you want a really crunchy cookie in your banana pudding. Similar to Nilla wafers, they aren’t going to change the flavor of the banana pudding too much, but they will add some extra sweetness and a gorgeous pop of color to the classic dessert. This is the perfect dessert to make to get your kids into the kitchen as well. Simple, sweet, special.
Nutter Butters
Nutter Butters are a peanut butter lover's dream. The peanut-shaped cookies are not too sweet and really hit home on the peanut butter flavor. The cookies are crisp, and the peanut butter filling is thin, so they aren’t too rich—which is what makes them so super snackable.
Peanut butter and bananas is a classic pairing. I’m not ashamed to admit that when I’m feeling lazy, one of my go-to snacks is just a banana and a spoonful of peanut butter. This is a gourmet version of that simple snack. The Nutter Butters hold up fairly well under the pudding and so still have some crunch but are easy enough to break up with a spoon. If you are a fan of our peanut butter banana pudding, this is the variation for you.
Chips Ahoy
The age-old Chips Ahoy debate is original or chewy, and really, is there a wrong answer? Chips Ahoy cookies work especially well in banana pudding, as the options for either soft or crunchy cookies give you more room to customize your dessert. The chewy Chips Ahoy are already soft, so after soaking in the pudding mixture they are on the very soft side, whereas the original Chips Ahoy cookies hold up for a decently crunchy bite.
Like our banana chocolate chip cookies, this variation plays on the warm, chocolatey flavors of the cookies and the sweet, tropical taste of the bananas. It’s a classic combination that is hard to beat, and may just become your new favorite cookie for banana pudding.
