Beyond Banana Pudding: 13 Awesome Ways to Use Vanilla Wafers

This is a fun mashup between banana pudding and a sundae. You could even get the kids involved with this. Grilling the banana adds a little flavor, while charring the vanilla wafers makes for an interesting texture—together, it's delicious. Banana pudding ice cream pulls everything together, so it's definitely worth buying. 

For a pretty presentation, top the tart with sugared cranberries: Steep whole berries in simple syrup in the refrigerator 8 hours, then roll in sugar and let stand 1 hour to dry.

Crushed vanilla wafers and chopped pecans give these holiday treats their structure and crunch, while the balls are sweetened and flavored with powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa, light corn syrup, and peppermint schnapps.  Coat the balls two at a time in melted white chocolate and garnish with crushed peppermint candies.  

One of our testers called this "the ultimate banana pudding in cake form." Tender laters of cake, creamy vanilla custard, and bananas come together to create a mouthwatering dessert. Warning: There won't be leftovers. 

There's something so special about your own individual dessert. For the biggest impact, sprinkle on a beautiful flake salt at the end; if you don't have that, sea salt will work, too.

An almost-instant crust, made with vanilla wafer cookies and smoked almonds, is the secret to this simple and unusual tart.

An over-the-rim crust laced with toffee transforms a classic dessert into a blue-ribbon pie. Stop the meringue from shrinking by spreading just over the inside edge of the crust, covering the hot filling.

This lemon tart is hiding a secret: its tropical-inspired vanilla wafer crust.  Crushed vanilla wafers are processed with macadamia nuts, flaked sweetened coconut, brown sugar, and salt, drizzled with butter, and pressed into a pie plate for a quick trip to the oven.  The homemade crust pairs perfectly with the Meyer lemon curd filling and meringue topping.  

Combining coffee liqueur and melted semi-sweet chocolate morsels gives these delicious balls their mocha flavor.  Garnish with a single pecan on each mocha ball for an elegant presentation and extra crunch.  

Layering pudding in half-pint jars gives you room to garnish and screw on the lids so you can place them in your cooler for easy transport.

Two favorite desserts are blended into one sensational Banana Pudding Cheesecake.

We were wowed by the flavors of this luscious dessert. Grilling the fruit caramelizes its sugars and concentrates its flavor, while the creamy tang of crème fraîche perfectly complements the nutty, buttery topping.

This Banana Pudding Milk Shake is cool and refreshing. This treat doesn't have to be just for dessert; we love it for an afternoon snack as well. You only need 5 ingredients for this creamy drink. Chances are you already have a few on hand. If you have bananas, vanilla bean ice cream, and vanilla wafers, you can create this summer treat in just 10 minutes.