Review: Little Debbie Banana Puddin' Creme Pies Are A Creative Twist On A Southern Classic

If you imagine your favorite childhood treat — not the ones your mom made, but the kind that showed up wrapped in plastic in your lunchbox — it's very likely that treat was from Little Debbie. Known for iconic snacks like Oatmeal Creme Pies, Zebra Cakes, and even Cosmic Brownies, Little Debbie has perfected the art of perfectly portioned, sweet and cakey treats. Sure, some treats are better than others, and there are plenty that have been discontinued (though some of those we'd love to see on shelves again), but even today, the brand continues to introduce crave-worthy sweets inspired by longtime dessert classics.

Little Debbie's latest invention releasing nationwide this coming January is what the brand calls "a nostalgic twist on a classic Southern favorite." The Banana Puddin' Creme Pies, made up of two soft vanilla cookies and a creamy banana-flavored filling, combine to create a single-serve, handheld version of banana pudding, individually packaged to be eaten easily on the go. Equipped with two boxes of pies and a recipe for banana pudding trifle, I set out to review Little Debbie's newest creation, eager to find out if the Banana Puddin' Creme Pie will be yet another of America's favorite snacks.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

If you've ever had any of Little Debbie's Creme Pies, you can likely already imagine what these Banana Puddin' Creme Pies taste like. The cookies, which fit neatly in the palm of your hand, are the same incredibly soft, pillowy texture of the brand's other cookie pies, but with a vanilla-forward taste that replicates a classic banana pudding's vanilla wafer base.The creme inside, which is arranged in four large dollops, is creamy, sweet, and banana-forward, tasting similar to banana pudding filling (just like grandma used to make). Combined, the flavors are spot-on to the vintage dessert — the texture, though, is not what I expected.

Both banana pudding and banana cream pie are creamy, endlessly moist desserts that, by nature, avoid any issue of dryness or crumbling. With Little Debbie's Banana Puddin' Creme Pie, it's hard not to expect the same intensely moist texture despite it being a cookie dessert. I found the cookie a little dense and dry, which could be better rectified with a little more of the deliciously creamy filling. The filling is what shines in these pies, the banana flavor forward but neither artificial nor overwhelming against the soft vanilla cookie. Fans of the long-discontinued Banana Twins will rejoice at the chance to have a fruity dessert again, but may not see these as a true replacement.

Like many Little Debbie products, each box is filled with eight servings, each portioned to be perfect for a light snack or after-meal dessert. Though sweet, each one is just 150 calories, which is standard (or even low) for sugary packaged foods. For comparison, the same amount of calories would be found in about two Oreo cookies. For just over $3 per box, the Little Debbie Banana Puddin' Creme Pies are a good value, with a nutritional value on par with other packaged snacks.

Little Debbie sent me two boxes of the new Banana Puddin' Creme Pies to try, and with them, a recipe for Banana Puddin' Creme Pie Trifle, complete with vanilla pudding and vanilla wafer cookies. The dessert was easy to put together, requiring only a few stirs to make the pudding and a few dexterous minutes of layering the ingredients into itty bitty trifle containers. The resulting combination, which I left to marinate until after dinner, was surprisingly elegant with a fresh pastry flavor — and none of the layering trickiness of real banana pudding.

Though easy to prepare, this recipe transformed the Creme Pies, making them nearly unrecognizable under the many layers of pudding and whipped cream. Even better was the taste, which replicated exactly the homemade flavor of banana pudding. The layering moistened the sandwich cookies, too, creating a perfect, fruity dessert with plenty of banana flavor.

As someone who neither loves nor hates banana, I found the Little Debbie Banana Puddin' Creme Pies palatable, with a pleasant banana flavor that is neither too overpowering nor too subtle. Most importantly, the banana flavor doesn't come across as artificial, which can so easily happen with fruit-based, shelf-stable desserts. I didn't like these as much as I like other Little Debbie desserts like the Christmas Tree Cakes, Cosmic Brownies, or even the similarly-designed Oatmeal Creme Pies, which are moister, with a more balanced ratio of cream to cookie. Like with the discontinued Banana Twins, these snacks may be popular for only a niche group of banana-lovers (but we see you, and we support you).

The good news, though, is that banana lovers will have plenty of ways to use these snacks, being that they seem to get even better when combined with other ingredients into larger desserts. Using them as the base for trifle or another vintage no-bake dessert is creative and delicious, and something I'd be eager to put together for friends as an elegant dinner party dessert, perhaps with a drizzling of whiskey for added flavor. The Banana Puddin' Creme Pies get points for versatility, which is more than what many snacks on the shelf can offer.