Strawberry Crunch Banana Pudding

The Ultimate Mashup: Strawberry Crunch Banana Pudding!

We need to have a serious conversation about nostalgia. What are the two desserts that instantly transport you back to childhood? For me, it’s a big bowl of Southern-style Banana Pudding and those iconic Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars with the pink crunchy coating.

So, I asked myself the important question: Why not put them together?

The result is this Strawberry Crunch Banana Pudding. It is a chaotic, beautiful, delicious mess of texture and flavor. We are talking layers of velvety cheesecake-style pudding, soft vanilla wafers, sweet ripe bananas, homemade strawberry jam, and—the star of the show—a neon-pink Strawberry Crunch topping.

If you bring this to a potluck, be prepared to leave with an empty dish and about twelve requests for the recipe.

The “Crunch” Factor: The Ice Cream Bar Hack

Let’s start with the most important part: that addictive Strawberry Crunch. You know the stuff—it coated those ice cream bars we chased the ice cream truck for.

The secret to making this at home is surprisingly simple:

• Golden Oreos: We crush them up (cream filling and all!) to create a sweet, vanilla base.

• Strawberry Jello Powder: This is what gives it that signature bright pink color and concentrated strawberry flavor.

• Melted Butter: The glue that holds it all together.

When you mix these three ingredients, you get a crumbly, sweet, crunchy topping that provides the perfect contrast to the soft pudding.

The Jam: Homemade is Best

While you could use store-bought preserves, making your own Strawberry Compote takes this dessert to the next level.

I simmer frozen strawberries with sugar and lemon juice until they break down into a juicy sauce. The key here is the cornstarch slurry—it thickens the juices into a glossy jam that won’t make your pudding watery. It adds a tart, fruity punch that cuts through the richness of the cream.

The Pudding: Not Your Average Box Mix

We aren’t just making instant pudding and calling it a day. We are doctoring it up to create a Cheesecake Mousse.

• The Tang: We beat softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together. This makes the base ultra-rich and slightly tangy.

• The Fluff: We fold in homemade stiff-peak whipped cream.

The result is a pudding that is light as air but stable enough to hold up all those heavy layers of fruit and cookies.

The Architecture of the Perfect Scoop

Now, we build! This is a “lasagna-style” dessert. We want to make sure every scoop has a bit of everything.

1. The Foundation: A layer of that creamy pudding.

2. The Classic Duo: A layer of Vanilla Wafers and sliced ripe bananas.

3. The Strawberry Twist: A generous swirl of the cooled homemade jam.

4. The Texture: A sprinkle of that Strawberry Crunch.

Repeat these layers until your dish is full of happiness.

The Hardest Part: The Wait

Just like traditional banana pudding, this dessert gets better with time. You need to let it chill in the fridge for at least a few hours (or overnight).

Why? The vanilla wafers need time to soak up the moisture from the pudding and the cream, transforming them into a soft, cake-like texture.

Serving Tips

When you are ready to serve, that’s when you go wild with the decoration. I like to add fresh whipped cream, more fresh bananas, and a mountain of the remaining Strawberry Crunch right on top so it stays nice and crispy for the first bite.

Get ready to meet your new favorite dessert obsession!

Strawberry Crunch Banana Pudding

Created by Sue Mun

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the Strawberry Preserves:

• 2 lb frozen whole strawberries

• 100g granulated sugar

• juice from 1/2 lemon

• 2 Tablespoon cornstarch plus 2 tbsp water

For the Strawberry Crunch:

• 2 1/2 sleeves (about 40 cookies) Golden Vanilla Oreos, crushed

• 4 tbsp melted butter

• 1, 3oz box Strawberry Jello Mix

For the Pudding:

• 14 ounces sweet condensed milk

• 8 oz cream cheese softened

• 1 cup cold milk

• 1 (5.4 ounce) large box Instant pudding mix Vanilla or French Vanilla

• 3 cups heavy cream

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

For the Layering:

• cooled off strawberry jam from above

• 6-8 bananas, sliced

• about 1 box Vanilla Wafers

• Strawberry Crunch Crumbs from above

For Decorating:

• Fresh bananas

• Fresh Strawberries

• extra cookies

• whipped cream

Instructions:

1. Make the strawberry jam: Cook the frozen strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a pot. Once it begins to simmer, continue stirring and cooking for 7 minutes until the juices come out of the strawberries. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cover and set aside to cool off completely before using.

2. To make the strawberry crunch: Crush the Golden Oreos (Oreo filling included and all) into very small crumbles. They do not need to be the same size crumb. You can use either a food processor, or place the Oreos in a plastic bag and pound them with a rolling pin.

3. Place the crumbled Golden Oreos in a medium bowl, and add strawberry Jell-O powder and melted butter. Mix gently to combine until most of the crumbs is coated in the strawberry flavoring. Set aside.

4. To make the pudding: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth.

5. Add in the milk, vanilla pudding mix, and the vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and place in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.

6. Meanwhile, in another large bowl, whip up the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Fold the whip cream into the pudding mixture.

7. Start assembling: To a 9×12 dish, evenly add a third of the pudding to the bottom. Cover the entire bottom with a layer of whole Nilla wafers, banana slices, cooled off strawberry jam, and a layer of strawberry crunch on top.

8. Add another third layer of pudding on top. Cover the top whole Vanilla wafers, banana slices, strawberry jam, and a layer of strawberry crunch.

9. Add the rest of the pudding on top and smooth it out.

10. Store in the fridge for a couple hours or overnight before serving.

11. The day of serving, decorate with strawberries crunch, whipped cream extra Nilla wafers, fresh bananas, and the strawberry preserves. Decorate however you prefer. Serve cold!