Banana Pudding Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

These Banana Pudding Cookies are everything a banana cookie should be — soft, pillowy, and packed with real banana flavor in every single bite. The secret is using both a ripe mashed banana AND a box of banana cream pudding mix in the same dough. Double the banana flavor, and a texture so soft it practically melts.

White chocolate chips round everything out with a creamy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the banana. Ready in 30 minutes and guaranteed to disappear fast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Double banana flavor — a real ripe banana plus banana cream pudding mix means serious banana flavor throughout every cookie
• Pillowy soft texture — the pudding mix is what gives these cookies their signature soft, fluffy texture that stays that way for days
• Ready in 30 minutes — no chilling required, no complicated steps
• White chocolate chips — creamy and sweet, the perfect complement to the banana flavor
• Endlessly customizable — swap the white chocolate for semi-sweet, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips for a totally different cookie

The Secret to Soft Banana Pudding Cookies

Two things work together in this recipe to create that pillowy, bakery-style texture:

The ripe banana — a fully ripe banana (the spottier the better) adds natural sweetness, moisture, and that real banana flavor you just cannot get from extract alone. The riper the banana, the stronger the flavor and the better the cookie.

The banana cream pudding mix — added as a dry powder directly to the dough, the pudding mix absorbs moisture during baking and holds onto it as the cookies cool. This is what keeps these cookies soft on day three instead of hardening overnight. It also amplifies the banana flavor in a way that makes every bite taste unmistakably like banana pudding.

Ingredients in Banana Pudding Cookies

Butter — Half a cup, softened to room temperature. Properly softened butter creams smoothly with the sugar and gives the cookies their tender structure.

Granulated sugar — One cup for sweetness and a slightly crisp edge.

Ripe banana — One banana, mashed. The riper the better — fully ripe bananas with brown spots have the most concentrated banana flavor and blend into the dough most smoothly.

Banana cream instant pudding mix — One 3.4-oz box, added as a dry powder. Do not make the pudding first — the dry mix goes straight into the dough. This is what makes these cookies so soft and gives them their deep banana pudding flavor.

Eggs — Two large eggs to bind the dough and add moisture.

All-purpose flour — Two and a half cups for structure.

Baking soda — Half a teaspoon to help the cookies rise and spread just the right amount.

Salt — Half a teaspoon to balance the sweetness and enhance the banana flavor.

White chocolate chips — Two cups. White chocolate and banana is one of those combinations that just works — creamy, sweet, and the perfect contrast to the fruity banana flavor. Semi-sweet, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips are all delicious swaps.

How to Make Banana Pudding Cookies

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Step 3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy — about 2 minutes.

Step 4. Add the mashed banana, dry pudding mix, and eggs to the butter mixture. Mix until smooth and well combined.

Step 5. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Step 6. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Step 7. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. A 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop gives you perfectly uniform cookies every time.

Step 8. Bake for 10 minutes until just set and barely golden at the edges. The centers will look slightly underdone — that is correct. They will finish setting as they cool.

Step 9. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

How to Store Banana Pudding Cookies

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Add a slice of bread to the container to keep the cookies soft — they absorb moisture from the bread and stay fresh longer.

Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Unbaked dough: Scoop the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen at 350°F, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes to the bake time.

Tips for the Best Banana Pudding Cookies

Use a very ripe banana. The spottier the better — an overripe banana has a much stronger, sweeter flavor than a yellow one and will give you noticeably more banana flavor in the finished cookie.

Add the pudding mix dry. Do not prepare the pudding according to package directions — the dry powder goes straight into the dough. This is what creates the soft texture and concentrated flavor.

Do not overbake. Pull the cookies when the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They continue baking on the hot pan and will be perfectly soft once cooled.

Use a cookie scoop. Uniform cookies bake more evenly and look more consistent. A 1.5-tablespoon scoop is the right size for this recipe.

Try different chips. White chocolate is the classic pairing but semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter chips are all delicious variations worth trying.

Add mix-ins. Chopped walnuts or pecans add a great crunch alongside the soft cookie. A handful of sprinkles mixed into the dough before baking adds a fun pop of color for parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes banana pudding cookies so soft? The banana cream pudding mix added as a dry powder to the dough. Pudding mix contains cornstarch which absorbs and holds moisture during baking, keeping the cookies soft and pillowy for days instead of hardening overnight.

Do I need to add pudding mix to banana pudding cookies? The pudding mix is what gives these cookies their signature soft texture and deep banana pudding flavor. You can omit it, but the cookies will be less soft and have less banana flavor throughout. It is worth including.

Can I use a different pudding flavor? Yes — vanilla pudding mix works as a substitute and gives you a slightly milder flavor. The banana cream pudding mix is recommended for the most pronounced banana pudding taste.

What chocolate chips work best in banana pudding cookies? White chocolate chips are the classic choice and pair beautifully with the banana flavor. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter chips are all delicious alternatives.

Can I use banana extract instead of a real banana? A real ripe banana is strongly recommended — it provides both flavor and moisture that extract cannot replicate. The texture of the cookie depends partly on the moisture from the mashed banana.

How ripe should the banana be? The riper the better. A banana with brown spots has a more concentrated, sweeter flavor and blends into the dough more smoothly than a yellow banana. If your banana is not ripe enough, microwave it for 30 seconds to soften it slightly.

Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes — refrigerate covered dough for up to 48 hours before baking. The chilled dough may spread a little less, giving you slightly thicker cookies.

Why are my banana pudding cookies flat? Flat cookies almost always come down to butter that was too warm or too much banana. Make sure your butter is softened but not melted, and use exactly one banana — too much moisture from the banana can cause the cookies to spread flat.

More Pudding Mix Cookie Recipes

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies — the same soft pudding cookie technique with peanut butter flavor and Reese’s pieces throughout.
• Mint Oreo Pudding Cookies — cool mint and Oreo flavor in a soft pudding cookie — a fan favorite.
• Butterscotch Pudding Cookies — rich, caramel-like butterscotch flavor in a pillowy soft pudding cookie.
• Pistachio Pudding Cookies — soft green cookies with a subtle nutty flavor — beautiful and delicious.
• Cookies and Cream Pudding Cookies — Oreo pudding mix and Oreo chunks for the ultimate cookies and cream cookie.

Soft, pillowy, and packed with banana flavor in every bite — these are the Banana Pudding Cookies that disappear before they even have a chance to cool.