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.

The Best Sand Pudding Recipe (1)

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!

The Best Sand Pudding Recipe (2)

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

PRINT RECIPE SAVE RECIPE

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 ingredient makes pudding thick? ›

Puddings are thickened in several ways: Using starch: In order for the starch granules to open up and actively absorb liquid, the mixture needs to come to a boil (1-3 minutes, until it starts to thicken). Stir constantly to prevent the mixture from burning.

How can I make my pudding better? ›

5 Ways to Make Instant Pudding Taste Better
  1. Use Evaporated Milk. AtlasStudio/Getty Images. ...
  2. Add a Little Tipple. Svittlana/Getty Images. ...
  3. Mix in a Sweet Addition. BURCU ATALAY TANKUT/Getty Images. ...
  4. Add a Topping. JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images. ...
  5. Let It Chill. bhofack2/Getty Images.
Apr 13, 2020

How to fix lumpy pudding? ›

So go for a handheld immersion blender or an electric whisk to smooth out the pudding. Strain:Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the undesired lumps for a silky and creamy end result. This should take you a total of 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the quantity you've cooked.

Why is my homemade pudding grainy? ›

Once the pudding cooled and the fat solidified, any bits that hadn't been thoroughly broken down came across as grainy on the tongue. Vigorously whisking the pudding—or any custard with a generous amount of butter—breaks down the fat into tiny droplets that are too small to detect once the mixture cools.

What are the three types of pudding? ›

Puddings made for dessert can be boiled and steamed puddings, baked puddings, bread puddings, batter puddings, milk puddings or even jellies. In some Commonwealth countries these puddings are known as custards (or curds) if they are egg-thickened, as blancmange if starch-thickened, and as jelly if gelatin-based.

How do you keep pudding moist? ›

After you have steamed and cooled your pudding, replace the foil with a freshly buttered piece to keep it moist and store in a cool, dark place, or the fridge, until you are ready to reheat it on Christmas day.

How do you keep pudding from getting watery? ›

How can I thicken my pudding? A simple way to thicken is with corn starch. 1 tbs of cornstarch will thicken 1 cup of liquid. If your liquid amounts to 4 cups, take half cup of that liquid (COLD) and mix with 4 tbs cornstarch in a small container.

Why didn't my homemade pudding thicken? ›

However, you can add, if, if your rice pudding di or vanilla pudding didn't thicken it is not only because of the kind of milk you used, you generally you need to use some kind of a starch, either arrow root or corn starch. I wouldn't use teca starch cuz that makes things a bit stretchy.

Should you stir pudding? ›

Resist the urge to stir

Once your pudding is set and chilling in the fridge, you're done stirring. Nope, don't even give it a swirl before serving up in dessert dishes. Extra stirring after the fact will loosen up the rich texture of the pudding that you worked so hard to create.

When to stop stirring pudding? ›

Keep stirring until the pudding is thick enough to coat the spatula and leave a clean line when you pull your finger through it.

How to make pudding mix better? ›

14 Hacks For Making Instant Pudding Taste Way Better
  1. Use a fattier milk when making the pudding. ...
  2. Try using evaporated or canned coconut milk instead. ...
  3. Add a mix-in for improved taste and texture. ...
  4. Give it time to chill in the refrigerator. ...
  5. Do not stir the pudding after it is made. ...
  6. Turn it into a cream pie.
Jun 12, 2023

How to make pudding smoother? ›

You should use the proper amount of liquid - start out with around 1.5 times more liquid than powder by volume, and make a slurry. When the slurry is smooth, mix it under the rest of the liquid. This frequently helps. Also don't store your pudding in humid places, because it can start clumping a bit in the pack.

What happens if you cook pudding too long? ›

As Cook's Illustrated shares, “Egg-based puddings and custards can curdle if cooked beyond 185 degrees. We take crème anglaise off the heat when the mixture registers 175 to 180, but when making the base for ice cream we push the temperature to 180 to 185 for maximum thickness.

How do you make pudding thick liquid? ›

Two scoops of Thick and Easy® powder are required to thicken 100 mL of fluid to pudding thick consistency. Add the powder a little at a time, stirring briskly with a fork or small hand whisk. Allow a few minutes for the drink to thicken. Fluids with thickening powder added will become thicker after standing.

What is usually used to thicken custard or pudding? ›

Eggs: Four eggs ensure a creamy, thick, and velvety texture. Sugar: Sweeten things up with ½ cup of white sugar. Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the custard.

What is the thickening agent used to make baked pudding? ›

Best thickener for pudding: xanthan gum, guar, carrageenan, others.

How do you thicken pudding sauce? ›

Your best bet would be to mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of sugar with some of the beverage and add it to the warm pudding. Heat it to a bubble and stir until it thickens.

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