The Best Sand Pudding Recipe (2024)

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.

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!

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.

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

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…

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.