This tasty Dessert Cheese Ball is made with instant banana pudding and served with sweet and served with light and crunchy wafer cookies for a unique take on the classic cheese ball appetizer!
If you’re a fan of cheese ball dip and want to try a new variation, this recipe is perfect for you! Though simple to make, this sweet dish comes out perfectly every time. Serve it as a fun dessert or a sweet appetizer!
With familiar flavors, this banana pudding cheese ball will be a huge hit with all ages! Just like these tasty Banana Pudding Cups, it combines creamy and rich pudding with crunchy vanilla wafers. You’ll love this combination of sweet and light flavors that are sure to leave you satisfied!
This banana pudding cheese ball combines cream cheese with pudding mix and vanilla wafers for a delicious appetizer or dessert!
Why You’ll Love this Simple Cheese Ball Recipe
It’s so easy to create a fantastic dessert or appetizer by combining banana pudding with cream cheese and a few other tasty components!
With only 5 required ingredients, this is a fun and exciting dish that’s perfect for impressing guests. The combination of nilla wafer and banana pudding provides a light and sweet experience.
With cream cheese and butter to make the base of this cheese ball even creamier, you’ll have a hard time waiting for it to rest in the fridge! A sweet twist on the savory cheese ball, this dish can be served as a fun and hands-on dessert or an excellent appetizer.
Prep is so simple and won’t take much time or effort on your part, but you’ll end up with a delicious and impressive treat that’s perfect for any occasion!
Cheese Ball Dessert Recipe Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients to prepare this sweet and satisfying cream cheese ball!
- Whipped Cream Cheese – using whipped cream cheese provides a nice creamy base that has a touch of airiness to prevent this cheese ball from becoming too heavy.
- Softened Unsalted Butter – gives your dessert cheese ball a distinctly buttery flavor and contributes to the smooth and creamy texture.
- Powdered Sugar – helps the ingredients come together and provides plenty of sweetness with being overpowering.
- Instant Banana Cream Pudding Mix – the key ingredient for this cream cheese ball, instant pudding is a quick and painless way to add lots of flavor and a rich consistency to your dish.
- Vanilla Wafer Cookies – these wafer cookies will act as both the outer layer of your cheese ball and as the perfect dipping apparatus!
How to Make a Cream Cheese Ball
- In a mixing bowl beat together the whipped cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and banana pudding mix. Once combined, refrigerate for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Prep is simple and only takes a few steps, making this a low effort recipe with high reward!
- Put vanilla wafers into a plastic Ziploc bag and then use a rolling pin to crush the wafers into small crumbs. Pour vanilla wafer crumbs onto a large plate. Remove your cream cheese mixture from the bowl and roll into a ball.
Using vanilla wafer cookies as the outer coating of this dessert ball gives it an extra dimension of sweetness and a crunchy texture.
- Roll the cream cheese ball into the vanilla wafer crumbs to completely coat the dessert ball. Place the ball back in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm.
This banana pudding cream cheese ball is a fruity take on the classic savory appetizer.
- Remove from the refrigerator and serve with additional wafer cookies.
FAQs
What to serve with a dessert cheese ball?
When it comes to dipping and scooping up your banana pudding cheese ball, using more vanilla wafers is a great way to work in more of that light cookie flavor.
Other good options include buttery crackers, pretzels, chips, graham crackers, or pieces of fruit. The combination of sweet and salty can be a great one to play with, so feel free to experiment with your dippers.
Or… you can always just eat your dessert cheese ball by the spoonful!
What is a cheese ball?
Traditionally, a cheese ball is a savory party appetizer. They usually consist of a cheesy interior made of cream cheese and different varieties of shredded cheese.
In many cases, cheese balls are coated with a crunchy layer of ingredients like crushed nuts, bacon bits, green onions, and more.
This dessert cheese ball takes the shape and texture of the appetizer and gives it a sweet spin, using banana pudding instead of cheese and cookies instead of nuts on the outside.
Serve this Banana Pudding Cheese Ball on a pretty platter, surrounded by nilla wafers or pretzels.
Popular Variations and Substitutions
- To add more sweetness and flavor, combine the crushed vanilla wafers with mini chocolate chips before rolling your banana pudding cheese ball. You can also mix some chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture.
- If you find your cheese ball needs something extra, try adding ingredients like brown sugar or vanilla extract.
- Serve with vanilla wafers, strawberries, graham crackers, or go the sweet and salty route and pair with buttery crackers, your favorite chips, or pretzel sticks.
- For a more decorated dessert, combine the crushed cookies with sprinkles. You can easily use specific festive variations of sprinkles to make this cream cheese ball appropriate for any holiday or celebration!
Next time you need a simple but impressive appetizer or dessert, make this yummy banana pudding cheese ball!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Pinecone Cheese Ball with Almonds – This savory cheese ball looks just like a pine cone, perfect as a quirky centerpiece to any party, celebration, or holiday meal!
- Jalapeno Cheese Ball Bites – Make these mini cheese ball bites with pretzel stick handles to give your guests a fun finger food that’s even more convenient to eat than a regular cheese ball.
- Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball – Infuse a classic cheese ball with the flavors of bacon and ranch for this super savory appetizer.
- Baileys Strawberries and Cream Pudding Shots – If you love desserts with pudding, try this delicious and boozy treat that’s made with strawberry pudding for a creamy dessert!
- S’mores Cheese Ball – This recipe from Homemade Hooplah takes a chocolate flavored cheese ball and combines it with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham crackers for a fun new way to enjoy s’mores!
Serve this dessert cheese ball with Nilla wafers or buttery crackers.
Cream Cheese Dessert Ball Recipe
Dessert Cheese Ball - Banana Pudding
Make this sweet twist on the cheese ball appetizer using banana pudding mix, cream cheese, and vanilla wafers!
Ingredients
- 8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3.4 oz package of instant banana cream pudding mix
- 1 Cup Crushed Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl beat together the whipped cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar & banana pudding.
- Once combined, refrigerate for 1 ½ - 2 hours.
- Remove your cream cheese mixture from the bowl and roll into a ball.
- Roll the ball into the vanilla wafer crumbs.
- Place the ball back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator & serve with cookies.
Notes
- For other coating ideas, use chocolate chips or pretty sprinkles.
- You can also mix ingredients like chocolate chips, vanilla extract, or brown sugar into the cream cheese mixture for extra flavor.
- Serve with cookies, graham crackers, pretzels, pieces of fruit, or chips.