The Best Sand Pudding Recipe (2024)

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By Kristie Sawicki 77 Comments

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This Sand Pudding Recipe has been a family favorite for many years.

Kids and adults absolutely love this recipe any time that I make it and I’m sure you’re family will too!

It’s similar to the traditional dirt cake or dirt pudding that so many have made and loved over the years, but this one is a little less chocolatey and a lot more vanilla-y.

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Sand Pudding tastes delicious and is so realistic looking that it is the perfect dessert for any backyard barbecue, beach or pool party or just because.

This is a recipe I shared here with you last summer, but it was such a treat with my family, so I am sharing it again today and making up a batch for my family!

The ingredients were simple as were the instructions to create this dessert that will have people wondering if it is REALLY sand or not.

I brought it to our family reunion and it was gobbled up quickly!

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My daughter asked if I would make it again the next day.

I’m pretty sure she ate half the pail herself 😉

Seriously though, this was a very quick & easy dessert to whisk together with a LOT of wow factor included.

I just make mine and put it in a large sand pail, it’s the perfect size.

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Sand Pudding Cups

If you prefer to make individual sand pudding cups, it’s easy to do. Just make it the same as you would for a large sand pail, but layer it into plastic cups or little individual mini sand pails like these ones instead.

Sand Pudding Ingredients

  • Vanilla Wafers
  • Oreo Cookies
  • Cream Cheese
  • Butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • French Vanilla instant pudding mix
  • Milk
  • Cool Whip
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How to Make Sand Pudding

Before starting, gather up all the ingredients needed!

Step 1: Add Vanilla Wafers and 2 Oreos to your food processor and crush until they resemble sand.

Expert Tip

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender. You’ll need a blender that is able to really blend up the cookies into a fine “sand” like substance.

Step 2: In a small bowl, cream together softened 8 oz cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.

Step 3: In a larger separate bowl, mix vanilla pudding with cold milk and then add the instant vanilla pudding mixture to the cream cheese mixture and mix together.

Step 4: Fold in all of the Cool Whip.

Step 5: Layer into sand bucket in this order: sand, pudding, sand, pudding, sand…

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Step 6: Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Notes: I know some people like to line the sand pail with wax paper before filling.

I guarantee if you take this to your next barbecue party it will be a hit!

Looking for more fun summer desserts?

If you love this dessert recipe, you’ll love these ones too!

  • Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches – SO EASY to make! This recipe includes a homemade sugar cookie filled with delicious ice cream and sprinkles.
  • Easy Watermelon Popsicles Recipe – Made from fresh fruit and no added sugars, you’ll love knowing that the ingredients to make them are pretty healthy and inexpensive too.
  • Banana Pudding in a Jar Recipe – I made this Banana Pudding in a Jar for a family party and they were a hit! They tasted great, but also because obviously putting any kind of dessert in a jar makes it SO much more fun!
  • No Fail Banana Pineapple Dessert Recipe – I have been making this Banana Pineapple dessert for years!
  • Chocolate Eclair Icebox Cake Recipe – Looking for a dessert that will cool your taste buds and your cravings? This Eclair Icebox Cake is about to become your new tasty best friend.

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Sand Pudding Recipe

Kristie Sawicki

Super quick & easy summer time dessert that is sure to be the talk of the party!

4.41 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Candy/Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 426 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg Vanilla Wafers
  • 2 Oreos
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1/4 C Butter
  • 2/3 C powdered sugar
  • 2 small pkgs French Vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 2 3/4 C Milk
  • 12 oz Cool Whip

Instructions

  • Add Vanilla Wafers and 2 Oreos to your food processor and crush until they resemble sand.

  • In a small bowl, cream together softened 8 oz cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.

  • In another larger bowl, mix pudding with milk and then add the pudding mixture to the cream cheese mixture and mix together.

  • Fold in all of the Cool Whip.

  • Layer into bucket in this order: sand, pudding, sand, pudding, sand

Video

Notes

Allow to chill in fridge at least one hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 8gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 303mgPotassium: 270mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1024IUCalcium: 227mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear how you liked it (or not lol) Share a photo with me @KRISTIESAWICKI or tag #SAVINGDOLLARS!

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About Kristie Sawicki

I'm the blogger behind Saving Dollars & Sense. I started this website over ten years ago, to share my journey out of debt, while living a simple, frugal lifestyle. You'll find lots of great MONEY SAVING TIPS, DIY PROJECTS, HOMEMADE RECIPES, SIMPLE LIVING IDEAS and MORE!! I'm so glad you're here.

The Best Sand Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 types of pudding? ›

Baked, steamed, and boiled puddings

These puddings are baked, steamed, or boiled. Depending on its ingredients, such a pudding may be served as a part of the main course or as a dessert. Steamed pies consisting of a filling completely enclosed by suet pastry are also known as puddings.

What can I add to pudding to make it better? ›

Sprinkle in chopped nuts, chocolate chips or baking spices like cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg. Don't be surprised if folks go back for seconds! And you can always top with sprinkles, too. They make everything more fun!

How do you doctor up pudding? ›

Top with whipped cream or whipped topping and sprinkle with shaved chocolate or cocoa powder. Layer pudding with crushed cookies or graham crackers for a parfait. Top with fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. Drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce.

How to jazz up pudding mix? ›

Stir a mix-in into the pudding before letting it chill in the refrigerator. The options are nearly endless, but a few ideas include crushed Oreos, chopped peanuts or pecans, sliced strawberries or bananas, pumpkin spice, or crushed pretzels.

What are the most popular pudding? ›

  • Chocolate self-saucing pudding.
  • White chocolate and raspberry self-saucing pudding.
  • Citrus passionfruit delicious pudding.
  • Bread and butter pudding.
  • Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce.
  • Baked rice pudding.
  • Raspberry & white chocolate waffle pudding.
  • Chocolate pudding.

What is the most common pudding flavor? ›

The most common kind of pudding is chocolate. Some other kinds are vanilla, butterscotch, banana, and pistachio. Most pudding today is made out of milk, sugar, flavoring, and flour. Eggs can be used, too.

What milk is better for pudding? ›

There are several alternative options you can use instead, such as: Reduced-fat milk: You can use reduced-fat milk instead of full-fat milk to reduce the amount of fat in the pudding. Non-dairy milk: If you prefer a non-dairy option, you can use almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or any other non-dairy milk.

Does Cool Whip thicken pudding? ›

I used to make my banana pudding with homemade whipped cream because I do prefer to use from-scratch whole food ingredients. However, I found that when you use the cool whip it helps to stabilize the rest of the ingredients and results in a thicker pudding.

What ingredient makes pudding thick? ›

It typically contains milk or cream, although there are non-dairy puddings made with plant-based "milk." Pudding is similar to custard in that they both can contain eggs and milk, but pudding is usually thickened with a starch, whereas custard is thickened by the eggs.

How do you make pudding extra thick? ›

If your pudding is too thin, you may thicken it by adding cornstarch. To properly thicken instant pudding with almond milk, but you don't want to use cornstarch, you need to add a quarter cup more of the powdered pudding mix than in the original recipe.

Why do you put eggs in pudding? ›

The eggs in the pudding provide some moisture, as well as acting as binding agents. Eggs can also make the pudding a little bit lighter and the main risk is that without eggs the pudding could be a little rubbery in texture.

Can you over mix pudding? ›

Baking Kneads points out that if you mix your pudding too much, it can also become watery. However, if you don't mix it enough, you will have the other extreme where your ingredients were not properly combined.

How to make smooth instant pudding? ›

I like to put the pudding mix in the bowl first and add the milk a little at a time, stirring or beating well after each addition, until you have smooth emulsion. Once the pudding mixture is smooth, add the rest of the milk and beat with your whisk as usual. Of course an electic mixer will help smooth it out as well.

Can you use heavy cream in pudding mix? ›

Whip 1 quart heavy cream, one (3.5-oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tsp.

What are the different types of puddings? ›

Custards and Puddings
  • Rice Pudding.
  • Creme Brulee.
  • Flan.
  • Banana Pudding.
  • Chocolate Pudding.
  • Chia Pudding.
  • Christmas Pudding.
  • Bread Pudding.

How many types of pudding are there? ›

There are four major types and ways to prepare puddings: boiled, baked, steamed and chilled in the refrigerator until it gels. Some recipes can be prepared by either one method or another or through a combination of methods.

What is the difference between British pudding and American pudding? ›

American puddings are closer to what the Brits would call "custard." A British pudding is a dish, savory or sweet, that's cooked by being boiled or steamed in something: a dish, a piece of cloth, or even animal intestine.

What's the difference between instant pudding and pudding? ›

They are both made with pre-gelatinized starch. Pudding mixes are combined with milk resulting in a soft, creamy custard-like texture. Instant pudding mixes take only a few minutes to mix up, and then they are ready to eat, once set. Regular puddings are cooked and take longer to set.

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