3 ingredient graham cracker “ice cream” sandwiches are a low-calorie alternative that are just as good as the real thing! Made with pudding and graham crackers, they’re a delicious and easy summer treat.

These simple little faux ice cream sandwiches come with a touch of nostalgia for me. My mom used to make them to serve during those Texas hot summer days. They just scream pool days and freedom!

But aside from the nostagia there’s a lot more to like. For instance, the fact that they taste like ice cream sandwiches. Really. It feels sort of magical. 

They’re also endlessly versatile. Change your graham cracker flavor or your pudding flavor and you suddenly have a completely different ice cream sandwich recipe. 

Another thing to love is that this easy dessert recipe takes about 15 minutes of hands on time. And they’re also cheap. Where I live, graham crackers will cost you about $1.85. The pudding runs $0.72. Since you can get 2 batches from the graham cracker box, the cost of each sammie comes to $0.10. There are not many snacks I can think of with that low a price tag!

One last positive for these homemade “ice cream” sandwiches is that they are a low calorie dessert. Where else can you get a treat that tastes like an ice cream sandwich for only 100 calories?

In summary: 

Why you want this recipe: 

• 15 minutes of hands-on time
• versatile – change the flavor to keep it fresh!
• tastes like a real ice cream sandwich
• no-bake dessert recipe
• perfect dessert for a hot day!
• low calorie — 100 calories a serving

What do I need?

Graham Crackers

Cinnamon, chocolate, honey, or gluten-free, you have variety in crafting a flavor combination of your choice. Each graham cracker sheet makes 1 standard sandwich. You can also break graham crackers in half to make mini-sandwiches for dessert trays or smaller children.

Instant Pudding

This could really be done with any type of prepared pudding, but the recipe below uses a 3.5 oz package of instant pudding mix . Any flavor of pudding will work with this. You can mix and match with your graham crackers to create a wide variety of flavor combos!

If you are looking to stay dairy-free or even vegan, you can use Jello Instant Pudding in Vanilla, Lemon, Banana Cream, or Pistachio. They’re all vegan!

Milk

This is solely to make the instant pudding. If you want to make these vegan, you can sub soy, almond, or coconut milk for regular cow’s milk. Be aware — if you choose to sub the milk, you may get a softer set with the pudding.

Sprinkles, drizzle, candy bits, etc: 

These optional additions can be used to roll the sides of your sandwiches, or sprinkle or drizzle on top. The ones in the pictures in this post have been drizzled with melted white chocolate chips.

How do I make graham cracker ice cream sandwiches?

Step 1 | Make the Pudding

In a large mixing bowl, prepare the pudding according the package directions, but continue mixing it for 2 minutes more than the directions state. Overmixing the pudding will make it set up more firmly, which will give your sandwiches more thickness. Once you’ve mxi the pudding well, chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Step 2 | Prep the Pan

While the pudding is chilling, line a 9×13 pan with wax or parchment paper. Take a graham cracker sheet and break it in half, then place it in the bottom of the pan. You can fit 15 graham cracker halves in a standard 9×13. 

Step 3 | Spread the Filling

Once the pudding is fully set up, place a dollop on each graham cracker half and spread it around. You don’t need to get it perfectly spread out. When you press the top half down, it will push the pudding to the edges. 

Step 4 | Finish the Sandwiches

Your last hands-on step is to put the top layer of the sandwiches on. It’s as simple as place the other remaining half of the graham crackers on top of the pudding. You can press them down gently in order to spread the pudding out, but don’t use too much force, or you’ll have pudding oozing out the sides!

Step 5 | Freeze

Cover your ice cream sandwiches with aluminum foil and place them in the freezer. They’ll need about 2 hours to fully freeze and be ready for that first bite!

Once they’re fully frozen, you can add decorations, like drizzled chocolate or sprinkles. 

Variations

TikTok Cool Whip Ice Cream Sandwiches

To make the viral version of this sandwich, you can simply replace the pudding with Cool Whip. Some versions recommend crushing up Oreos and mixing them into your Cool Whip before you spread it over your graham crackers. 

Frosting Sandwiches

These sandwiches can also be made with a tub of store-bought frosting. Just replace the pudding with your chosen flavor of frosting and freeze!

Greek Yogurt Sandwiches

These are the perfect way to make a low-calorie dessert even healthier! You can replace the pudding with greek yogurt. 

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

If you want to drop the whole “low-calorie” thing, you can do this exact same thing with cookies! I love using these chocolate chip cookies, or these double chocolate chip cookies. Just replace the graham crackers with cookies and follow the instructions as written.

Frozen S’mores

These are an absolutely delectable variation. To make this special treat you will do the graham crackers as written, but put a layer of chocolate pudding on, followed by a layer of Cool Whip. They are gorgeously two-toned, and the perfect fix for your sweet tooth!

How do I store my own homemade graham cracker ice cream sandwiches?

If you think you’ll eat them quickly, you can simply put some aluminum foil over the pan you made them in.

My favorite way to keep them long-term is to individually wrap each frozen one in Saran wrap and then place them into a freezer bag or other airtight container. This way, I can dole them out to the kids easily, and they will keep for up to 1 month in the bag without developing freezer burn.

The trick to this is to make sure that the ice cream sandwich is frozen before you wrap it, otherwise the wrapping process will squish your treat and create a gooey mess.