What Are Vanilla wafers and How Can I Use Them?

If vanilla wafers have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 82 recipes to try them in.

What are vanilla wafers?

In cooking, a wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them.

They frequently have a waffle surface pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the food's manufacturer or may be patternless. Many chocolate bars, such as Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp, have wafers in them.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find vanilla wafers: Vanilla wafers are usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Vanilla wafers are a member of the Baked Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

香草晶圆

British (UK) term

Vanilla wafers

en français

gaufrettes à la vanille

en español

galletas de vainilla

How much do vanilla wafers weigh?

Related

Baked Products

Recipes using vanilla wafers

There are 82 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Instant Banana Pudding

Indulge in a heavenly bowl of Instant Banana Pudding with this easy recipe. With layers of crispy cookies, sweet banana slices, fluffy whipped topping, and smooth pudding, this dessert is an absolute delight for your taste buds.

Black Forest Cheese Cupcakes

Mini Black Forest chocolate cheesecakes topped with Cherry filling.

Southern Banana Pudding

Old-school authentic southern banana pudding. Sugar, if you ain't had banana puddin' in the South, you just ain't had banana puddin'. - Any Southerner

Dark Rum Balls

Dark rum balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, cocoa, nuts, and a generous pour of dark rum, rolled in powdered sugar. No-bake holiday cookie that improves with age in the tin.

Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes

Mini-bites of heaven. Individual chocolate cheesecake topped with cherries.

Moms' Banana Custard Pudding

Mom's banana custard pudding layered with homemade stovetop custard, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers in a 9x13 dish. The Southern church-supper classic that feeds a crowd of 20.

Light Rum Balls

Light rum balls roll up in 5 minutes from ground walnuts, vanilla wafer crumbs, honey, and rum. No-bake holiday cookies that stash in a tin for over a month and only get better with age.

Vanilla Wafer Walnut Rum Balls

Vanilla wafer walnut rum balls combine crushed cookies, ground walnuts, honey, and golden rum into bite-sized no-bake holiday treats rolled in powdered sugar. Five-ingredient Christmas classic.

Holiday Rum Balls

These classic yet delicious rum balls are always one of holiday's favorites in many family. They are so easy to make and too yummy to stop addiction.

Petite Cherry Cheesecake

Mini cheesecakes with vanilla wafers, topped with cherry pie filling. Best of all they're so easy to make! Cheesy, smooth and delicious cheesecake that is made in your muffin pan.

Banana Vanilla Wafer Pie

No-bake banana vanilla wafer pie layered with sliced bananas and vanilla whipped cream. Just four ingredients, chilled overnight for a soft, creamy icebox dessert.

Mother's Rum Dainties (Christmas)

No-bake rum balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, pecans, cocoa, powdered sugar, and real rum. A classic Christmas cookie tin staple rolled in powdered sugar.

Cashew/Pecan Cheesecake

A rich brown sugar cheesecake studded with cashews and pecans on a vanilla wafer crust. Creamy, nutty, and caramelly, this showstopper bakes in just 30 minutes in a springform pan.

Confetti Snowball Freeze

Showstopping frozen dessert layered with scoops of ice cream, rainbow sherbet, whipped cream, and sugar wafer crumbs in an angel food pan. No baking needed.

Choco-Almond Confections

Chocolate almond confections, a no-bake holiday rum ball cousin made with crushed vanilla wafers, melted chocolate, toasted almonds, and a splash of orange Curacao. The kind of homemade candy that keeps for weeks.

Favourite Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Mini cherry cheesecakes baked in a muffin tin over a vanilla wafer crust, topped with glossy cherry pie filling. Creamy individual portions, make-ahead, and no springform pan required.

Heavenly Chocolate Cheesecake

No-bake chocolate cheesecake built on a toasted almond wafer crust with a silky milk chocolate, cream cheese, and whipped cream filling. No oven required.

Strawberry Ice Box Cake

Strawberry icebox cake layered with vanilla wafer crumbs, whipped cream, and Jello-marshmallow filling. A vintage no-bake dessert that sets up in the fridge with zero oven time.

Pretty Party Mousse

Frozen fig and chocolate ice cream mousse with vanilla wafers, toasted walnuts, instant coffee, and whipped cream. A retro molded dessert garnished with whole figs.

Little Round Cheesecakes

Mini cheesecakes baked in cupcake liners with a vanilla wafer crust, cream cheese filling, and fresh fruit on top. A 5-ingredient, individual-sized cheesecake dessert.

Holiday Almond Treats

No-bake holiday almond treats with vanilla wafer crumbs, pumpkin puree, amaretto, cinnamon, and ground almonds. Rolled into balls and coated in toasted almonds.

Cheesecake Ala Linda-Bah-Linda

Rich sour cream cheesecake with four packages of cream cheese, six eggs, cinnamon, and a vanilla wafer crust. Baked in a springform pan for 70 minutes. Dense, creamy, and tall.

Orange Cheesecake with Strawberries

Orange cheesecake with a vanilla wafer-cinnamon crust, blended cottage cheese and cream cheese filling, topped with fresh strawberries and orange sections. Lighter than traditional cheesecake.

Rich Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles

No-bake chocolate pumpkin truffles with vanilla wafer crumbs, ground almonds, cinnamon, and coffee liqueur, dusted in powdered sugar. A rich fall candy that makes 48 pieces.

Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust

A no-bake vanilla wafer crumb crust made with just three ingredients. Press into a pie pan, chill, and fill with your favorite pudding, cream, or fruit filling.

Mini Big Macs

No-bake mini burger cookies made from vanilla wafers, chocolate mint patties, dyed coconut lettuce, and white frosting. A fun kids party treat that looks like tiny hamburgers.

Super Lemon Icebox Pudding

frozen dessert

Chocolate Ice Box Pudding

Chocolate icebox pudding layers a rich German chocolate filling between vanilla wafers, then chills until the cookies soften into a cake-like, no-bake dessert. A vintage make-ahead treat with just four ingredients.

Chocolate Date Truffles

Chocolate date truffles made with melted milk chocolate chips, crushed vanilla wafers, chopped dates, and vanilla yogurt, rolled in powdered sugar. No-bake holiday candy with chewy date and creamy chocolate in every bite.

Orange Cheesecake & Strawberries

Lighter orange-scented cheesecake made with cottage cheese and Neufchatel, baked on a cinnamon vanilla wafer crust and crowned with fresh strawberries and orange sections. Brighter than classic.

Easy Tiny Cheese Cakes

Tiny cheesecakes built on a single vanilla wafer crust and finished with a candied cherry. Four-ingredient mini cheesecakes that bake in muffin liners for instant holiday party trays.

Mocha Blanca Cheesecake

Mocha white chocolate cheesecake with a cocoa vanilla wafer crust, Kahlua coffee filling, and sour cream topping. Baked in a water bath for a crack-free finish.

Fruit Rolls

Thus fruit rolls are always welcomed in any place!

Chocolate-Bourbon Balls

Chocolate bourbon balls are no-bake holiday treats made with crushed vanilla wafers, walnuts, honey-sweetened melted chocolate, and a splash of bourbon. A Southern Kentucky tradition.

Party Cheesecakes

Mini party cheesecakes baked in muffin cups on vanilla wafer crusts, topped with cherry pie filling and whipped cream. Perfect bite-sized desserts for a crowd.

Mom's 4-Star Cheese Pie

Mom's cream cheese pie on a vanilla wafer crust, topped with a sweetened sour cream layer and baked in two quick stages. A simple, no-fuss cheesecake-style pie that's been a family favorite for generations.

Easy McHamburger Cookies

McHamburger cookies sandwich a chocolate cookie "patty" between two vanilla wafer "buns" with green-tinted coconut lettuce and yellow frosting cheese, then sprinkle sesame seeds on top. A novelty no-bake cookie kids can build themselves.

Blueberry Buttercream Torte

No-bake blueberry torte layered with a vanilla wafer crust, rich buttercream filling, blueberry pie filling, and a thick layer of whipped cream. Comes together in 30 minutes with a quick chill, and it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Lemon-Pineapple Delight

Lemon-pineapple delight folds prepared lemon pie filling, drained crushed pineapple, and whipped topping into a frozen pie set in a vanilla wafer crust. Tropical no-bake summer dessert.

Hamburger Cookies

Hamburger cookies made with vanilla wafers as buns, chocolate mint cookies as patties, green-tinted coconut as lettuce, and sesame seed tops. A fun no-bake kids' treat.

Bonbon Cookies

No-bake bonbon cookies built from crushed vanilla wafers, cocoa, walnuts, and a splash of Southern Comfort, then dipped in chocolate. Chilled overnight, served cold, gone by morning.

Microwave Butterscotch Applesauce Bars

No-bake butterscotch bars with applesauce, vanilla wafers, raisins, and wheat germ, cooked in the microwave in 8 minutes. A quick, chewy snack bar the kids will love.

Hello Dollies

Hello Dollies are layered magic cookie bars with vanilla wafer crust, pecans, coconut, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk baked until gooey and golden.

Chocolate Hazelnut Balls

No-bake chocolate hazelnut balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, melted dark chocolate, Frangelico and toasted hazelnuts. Rolled in powdered sugar for a marbled finish. Boozy holiday cookie box staple.

Strawberry Pudding

Layered strawberry pudding with vanilla wafers, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped topping. A no-bake icebox dessert that comes together in minutes.

Aunt Cissie's Banana Cream Pudding

Old-fashioned banana cream pudding layered with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas in a rich, stovetop custard. A Southern-style dessert that's ready in 20 minutes flat.

Cream Pineapple Ice Box Cake

Pineapple ice box cake, a vintage no-bake dessert with lemon gelatin and whipped cream folded with crushed pineapple, layered between vanilla wafer crumbs. Chilled overnight for sliceable dessert.

Decadent Banana Pudding

Treat yourself tonight with this decadent banana pudding made with whipped topping and vanilla wafers.

Hippo's Heaven

Hippo's heaven is a no-bake icebox dessert with a vanilla wafer crust, buttercream filling, and pineapple-pecan whipped cream layer. Chill overnight, slice cold, serve to a crowd.

Cocoa Bourbon Balls

No-bake cocoa bourbon balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, pecans, powdered sugar, and a generous pour of bourbon. Roll in fruit sugar, chopped pecans, or cocoa powder. Ready in 15 minutes.

All 82 recipes