No Bake Banana Split Dessert
No Bake Banana Split Dessert is a classic! It layers a graham cracker crust, cream cheese-based filling, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, whipped cream, nuts, chocolate & a cherry on top! Part banana pudding and part icebox cake, it’s a great dessert for the most special holidays or simple gatherings.
Each year, around Easter, I start to get a hankering for this no bake banana split dessert, which is peculiar to me, because I can only remember eating it once or twice ever, and that was at least 10 or 15 years ago. For some reason, it has stuck in my mind and I associate it with Easter. It’s quite possible that my mom made it for an Easter dessert a couple of years in a row, and then moved on to something else. A few years ago I finally asked my mom if she had the recipe for the “banana split dessert thing” that she made a long time ago, and she was able to dig it up for me. It took me approximately 2.2 seconds to assemble what I needed and I’ve been enjoying it at least a couple of times a year ever since!
First things first, let me break this banana split dessert down for you.
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Most importantly – it’s entirely no-bake. Absolutely no oven time is required, which makes it perfect for the summer when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen, and also perfect for when you need a quick dessert that you can throw together in very little time. Poof! Done!
Now, for the layers… It starts off with a graham cracker crust, topped with a cream cheese-mousse, and then layers of banana, pineapple, strawberries, and finally whipped cream, nuts, chocolate, and cherries on top! Talk about the ultimate banana split.
Now, a strange thing happened when I ran through the recipe the first time, and I had to do a double take. The layer above the graham cracker frosting consisted of butter, powdered sugar, and 2 eggs. EXCEPT… the eggs weren’t heated like a custard, and this dessert isn’t baked, so they’re just in there, raw. ::shudder:: I couldn’t do it, so after thinking through some workarounds, including a pastry cream layer or making it with pudding, I finally decided to use the filling from another of my favorite old-school desserts – the Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I went full steam ahead with that, and it works absolutely brilliantly in this recipe.
Don’t wait for a special reason to make this dessert, and certainly don’t wait years in between. Any ordinary day is special enough for this incredibly easy no bake banana split dessert.
If You Like This No Bake Banana Split Dessert, Try These Recipes:
- Banana Pudding
- No Bake Oreo Layer Dessert
- Banana Split Ice Cream Cake
- No Bake Cherry & Walnut Cheesecake
Four years ago: Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
No Bake Banana Split Dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups (168 g) graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Cool Whip
For the Fruit & Toppings:
- 3 to 4 bananas, sliced
- 20 ounce (566.99 g) canned crushed pineapple, drained well
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Cool Whip
- ½ cup (58.5 g) walnuts, chopped
- Chocolate syrup
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter with a fork, stirring until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened. Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the next layer.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the Cool Whip until thoroughly combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust.
- Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on top of the cream cheese filling, top with an even layer of the crushed pineapple, and then an even layer of the sliced strawberries.
- Cover with the Cool Whip, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, then drizzle with chocolate syrup and top with maraschino cherries. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Easy recipe. Flavor brought back memories of family gatherings. Made for a get together and was a huge hit.
I have always loved your recipes. Many are family favorites. I am annoyed at the over kill of adds both on your blog and videos. How many times does reader have to watch the same add and constantly close interruptions? Your blog used to be usable. So disappointed.
Love this one. So goooooood.
New favorite dessert for my husband who loves banana splits.
I have a picture just not sure where to post or tag??
I figured out where to post the picture, I read it again, lol.
This is my favorite Banana Split Dessert recipe. I’ve been making it for summer get togethers and cook-outs for 25+ years and it’s always enjoyed. I always soak my banana slices in the juice I remove from the pineapple to keep them from turning brown.
If I have to transport it I place it in one of the Yeti or Rtic coolers we have with a frozen ice block and it arrives and keeps well.
Delish!!!!!
Made this with sugar free ingredients. Used Splenda in the cream cheese and sugar free cool whip and chocolate syrup.
This is a great recipe for a party, shower or bridge group dessert.
It looks pretty and tastes good.
It wasn’t sweet at all! I will at least double the amount of sugar in the cream cheeses filling mixture next time. I also like more crust so I used 3 Cups of graham cracker crumbs and use 3/4 C butter melted in that crumb crust.
Made this for my youth group lock in….. church get togethers…..cookouts ….. has been a huge success
I am asked to fix one often now even for no occasions. Easy and simple love it
I love this. I made it for a get together and now I have to make it for everything. So fast and easy and taste delicious.
Disregard previous comment/ question. I totally missed the cool whip listed in the topping. Sorry!!!
I’m confused as to where the additional cool whip (after the pineapple layer)comes from if I already folded the 8 0z in with the cream cheese mixture and spreaded over the graham cracker crust. So do I need 16 oz of cool whip?
Are you sure it’s granulated sugar for the Banana split dessert and not confectionary sugar?
I’ve used both granulated sugar or powdered sugar at times and both have worked fine for me.
I love this recipe! Super easy to a make. The longer it sits in the fridge the better it tastes.
I have been making this cake for years. It is absolutely one of the best deserts ever!
This is a family favorite!!! I have been making this Banana Split Dessert for over 40 years. It is my husband’s favorite cake/dessert (and was my Mother-in-Law’s favorite also.) The eggs are not cooked. The filling is beat for 20 minutes, no more, no less. It will go through several stages, but the end result will be smooth and creamy. I also use Dream Whip for the topping rather than Cool Whip.
Yes, a loooooooong beating time on the raw eggs mixture!! But tried and true …from about 40 years ago!!
I’ve made this dessert years ago always remembered the powdered mess seemed like lots of work but tonight it was so simple each step you provided made this dessert a pleasure to make without the powdered sugar everywhere
Yass qween
I absolutely love this recipe! Its super easy and sooooo delicious! I’m getting ready to make one for my dad for his birthday. This is his favorite! Thanks for sharing😊
What if you do not like pineapple? What could be substituted, coconut maybe, or just leave it with strawberries and bananas?
Hi Gena, You could either omit or substitute something else you like, coconut would be delicious!
My family recipe calls this “Santa’s Snow Delight” aka Santa Claus cake. My mom got this recipe from a neighbor who served it at her Christmas party about 30 years ago. It’s still a Christmas tradition, but we have it year round as well.
The one difference is that I often use Nilla Wafers in place of the graham crackers because that’s what we eat-the rest of the box of graham crackers would just ruin at my house. It’s still yummy, if fact, I almost think it’s better with the Nillas. Substituting pecans for walnuts works well too.
This cake will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, so don’t hesitate to make it for your small family. To keep leftovers in the fridge for more than a day, put a piece of paper towel in the end of the pan where there is no longer the dessert, and place a knife under the other edge(edge of the pan that still contains cake) of the pan so the pan is slightly slanted. This will allow any juice from the fruit to migrate down and be caught in the paper towel so that the cake doesn’t get soggy.
-if you know the cake won’t be eaten in just a day, you might want to dip the banana slices in a bit of lemon juice before adding them to the recipe. This keeps the banana slices from turning brown.
Made it Thursday for my wife. We loved it. So easy to make and was not super sweet.
Next time I will half as much because it’s just us us two
Absolutely Devine dessert. Have made it many times. What a fantastic recipe.
I have seen this cake with chocolate and vanilla pudding layers. Do you have a recipe for this cake?
Hi Barbara, I don’t have a banana split dessert with pudding, but I do have another no bake dessert with layers of chocolate and vanilla pudding: https://apex-male.info/mountain-mama-icebox-cake/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi,
Thank you for this post! My Mom used to make this when I was younger. So many wonderful memories are attached. I’m curious, what was the original recipe for the second layer (above the graham crackers)?
With much appreciation for your time and hard work,
Maria ☺️
Hi Maria, It was 2 eggs, 1 cup of butter, 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla – beat together and spread over the crust.
5 STARS . . . . MAKE THIS RECIPE FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR MY CARD CLUB LADIES AND IT WAS A HIT!!! Simple and easy!!!
Can you substitute the cream cheese layer for ice cream? Then put a thin layer of cool whip on top of the ice cream and then add fruit to continue.
Hi Laura, If you do that, it would need to be kept in the freezer, so the fruit would be frozen solid as well.
I made this dessert for a meals-on-wheels treat in individual jars. Because I had several diabetics, I substituted sugar free for every option that I could. Also, needing these to travel well, and last, I substituted sugar free banana pudding instead of the fresh bananas and sugar free strawberry ice cream topping. The result was very similar and worked well for my needs. Delicious!
My Mom always made Banana Split cakes for Thanksgiving growing up. It is so yummy! I can’t wait to make it to!
I made the Banana Split Dessert for a gathering on Memorial Day. Everyone loved it and said it’s just like a banana split. This dessert is now part of our summer party recipes!