My homemade vanilla wafers are perfect for enjoying on their own or in banana pudding, can be made in less than 30 minutes with basic ingredients (and there’s no chilling required)! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Homemade ‘Nilla Wafers
Oh the humble, unassuming vanilla wafer. Such a simple little cookie, perfect for snacking on its own or smothered in vanilla pudding and bananas (they also make a great banana cream pie crust).
If you follow me on Instagram, you got a sneak peek at these cookies a while ago, and you know that despite their overall simplicity, developing a good recipe for them was actually pretty complicated.
I used this vanilla wafer recipe as an example for how exactly I go through the process of developing a recipe (the stories are still available in my highlights) and I documented about 5 attempts in one day, though ultimately the recipe took me over 10 tries to totally perfect (who would’ve thought!).
Finally I’m ready to share this perfected sweet and simple recipe. It uses basic ingredients you probably already have on hand, meaning there’s no excuse to buy those yellow-box cookies! Let’s get to it.
What You Need
The main thing that I love about these cookies? They’re easy to make, fuss-free with very basic ingredients. Let’s go over a few of them:
- Butter. For perfect flavor (and for complete control over that flavor), I use unsalted butter and add salt. If you only have salted butter on hand just reduce the salt that the recipe calls for to ¼ teaspoon.
- Vanilla extract. You need quite a bit of vanilla for this recipe: 4 teaspoons. Fortunately, if you don’t feel inclined to dip into your stockpile of the “good stuff” (anyone else make homemade vanilla extract?) this recipe works well with imitation instead. In fact, it may even give you a flavor that’s closer to the vanilla cookies sold in a yellow box at the store…
- Egg. Just one! I tried this recipe with no eggs (too crumbly, dry, and all-around lacking), just the yolk (too tender, didn’t spread enough), just the white (not as good as using both the yolk and egg) and ultimately settled with one single egg.
- All-purpose flour. I tested this recipe with all-purpose and cake flour hoping for a finer crumb and a slightly more crumbly results with cake flour. To my surprise, the all-purpose flour won every time. Possibly also worth noting: I tried many versions using cornstarch (one of my favorite secret ingredients). I was sure it would help me get the consistency I was looking for, but ultimately that proved to not be the case!
- Milk. I recommend and personally use whole milk but I suppose 2% would work in a pinch.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Vanilla Wafers
- Beat together sugar and butter, then stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Separately, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir half into the wet ingredients, then stir in your milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. This just makes a more cohesive batter than if you were to add the milk with the butter mixture (where it tends to separate).
- Drop the dough by rounded spoonful onto a baking sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches (5cm) apart. This is a fairly soft dough.
- Lightly flatten the dough with dampened fingertips. This encourages them to spread jusssssttt enough and to cook evenly, otherwise they may end up too thick, meaning centers that are softer and chewier than they ought to be (vanilla wafers should be thinner and crisp!).
When they’re finished baking, the cookies will be pale golden in color with deeper golden edges. If you flip one over, the edge should be deep golden in color as well. If yours isn’t, it may just need more time in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they’re much better. The vanilla wafers you can buy in the store are overwhelmed by artificial flavors and some questionable ingredients (I’m clearly no health-food-fanatic, but high fructose corn syrup and unpronounceable ingredients are a turn off for me).
It’s those artificial flavors that overpower the store-bought cookies and gives them their distinct taste. This taste can’t be replicated by home bakers like us who are using commonly available (and… cough*so-much-better*cough) ingredients.
My vanilla wafers instead are richly flavored with real vanilla, perfectly sweetened with just the right amount of crunch, and accented with buttery undertones. It’s clear that they’re vanilla wafers, but they’re much better than anything you could buy at the store.
Yes, this recipe doubles well. However keep in mind that while it may not seem like very much dough, the cookies are small and this recipe makes quite a few!
Absolutely! I just did so with my own banana pudding recipe, which I’ll be sharing on Monday! One batch makes enough for banana pudding (my recipe, anyway).
The wafers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If I’m going to be making banana pudding with them, sometimes I’ll leave them out uncovered overnight, just to make them a bit stale before I use them in the pudding.
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Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Vanilla Wafers
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy and well-combined.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir on medium/low speed until completely combined.1 large egg, 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add about half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir on low-speed to combine.
- Add milk and stir again on low speed until combined.1 Tablespoon milk
- Finally, add remaining flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Scoop dough into two-teaspoon sized scoops and drop onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart. Lightly flatten with damp fingertips.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Ricky
Could this be baked as one flat sheet (like a flatbread) instead of individual cookies? If so, are the baking instructions the same?
Sam
Hi Ricky! I honestly am not sure how that would work. The bake time would definitely change but you’ll have to keep an eye on it.
Sandy
I make these for my banana pudding and they’re absolutely delicious! Every raves over it! They freeze good too! Great recipe!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Sandy! 🙂
Cecelia
how long could I freeze these?
Sam
I would say they would be good in the freezer for a couple of months. 🙂
Vickie
I’ve been desperately searching for a vanilla wafer recipe, but, everyone keeps comparing yours to nilla (😖). Down here it was Jackson’s or nothing, and unfortunately, the plant over in Arkansas closed. I tried one recipe I found online & it was dreadful. I’m going to try your recipe tomorrow though. Is Watkins vanilla ok to use?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! We hope our recipe is a winner for you, Vickie 😊
M-K
I would like to use this recipe for a cheesecake, in which the wafer cookies are first crumbled, mixed with butter and other ingredients, and baked at 325F for about 10 minutes. Will this work without any problems?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We haven’t tried it ourselves, but we think it could work. Let us know how it goes for you!😊
Cathy Clark
I made these for a dessert. I’ve never had vanilla wafers so no idea what they are supposed to turn out. I ended up flattening them with a fork.
Morgan
Turned out delicious! Much better than the store bought variety that has all kinds of terrible ingredients. I appreciate you listing the ingredients with measurements in the recipe instructions! So so helpful <3
michele s
I love that too! I’ve never seen that before, but it’s one of those things that make you say ‘duh! why hasn’t everyone always done that???’ sooo helpful!
Maddison
These crisped up great but the tops didn’t brown how I’d have liked them to. The artificial vanilla is definitely the way to go or these taste like regular sugar cookies. The cookie turned out a bit too sweet for my liking and I couldn’t get great shaping on these cookies – but overall good recipe!
Lori
Mine spread a bit more than pictured, they ran into each other on the pan. I was planning on crushing them so it didn’t matter. If I ever needed them to look pretty, I think I’d need to refrigerate the dough. Or do you have another suggestion?
They were delicious and my kids kept sneaking them before I could use them in my intended recipe. Luckily, this made more than a box of the stuff in the stores.
I really love that you put the measurements in the description.
Thank you for a great recipe, it made my dessert a little extra and minimally processed.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lori! Hmm. Your butter might have been just a bit too soft or you may have needed some more flour in the dough. Do you weigh your flour? We’re so happy they worked nicely for you regardless!
KP
hello! I was wondering if I can substitute the small amount of milk for oat milk? we really don’t keep milk in our house at all.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work just fine! Enjoy 😊
Sherrie
I wanted a nilla wafer recipe because the ingredients in store bought cookies have gone cheap and flavorless. I doubled your recipe and added butter with salt and added a pinch more with the recipe. These were delicious and crisped up after I left them a minute or 2 longer in the oven than listed and also kept it on the pan to cool. I made into banana pudding for hubby’s birthday. He loved it, as did our guests. We used imitation vanilla. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed our homemade version, Sherrie! Thanks for using our recipe 🩷
Tom E
Another amazing recipe. I grew up on Nilla Wafers. We always had them on board during road trips. I recently bought Nilla Wafers and we were really disappointed. The cookie is now smaller, crumbly, and covered with cookie dust. Your recipe Sam is a better choice because they taste exactly as the taste of old. At your suggestion I used artificial vanilla and maybe that was the key. Next time I will double the recipe. One batch just wasn’t enough.
Brandy
could I use vanilla paste in place of the vanilla? If so how much should I use?
Sam
Hi Brandy! You can use vanilla paste. I typically use the same amount when substituting paste. 🙂
Ashley
Hello,
I made this recipe and it was amazing! I was wondering how much coco powder would be necessary to make a chocolate version or what would need to be charged for a chocolate version?
Thank you so much
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you liked them, Ashley! Unfortunately, without having experimented with it, we are hesitant to advise exactly how to make a chocolate version.
KRYSTIAN R HALL
I haven’t actually tried the recipe… but A BIG THANK YOU for putting the ingredients in-line with the steps!
Ps
Made these because didn’t want the GMO version at the store. Wow these are absolutely delicious and just fantastic. Saving this recipe. Also love the way in her instructions she had the measurements. Made it that much better.
MEC
I’m going to address the elephant in the room…. they are mighty pale on top but brown on bottom. Should I brush melted butter on top to even out the color difference? Thanks!
Sam
Hi MEC! That’s pretty normal for them to have a lighter top and darker bottom so it doesn’t sound like anything is wrong there. If you brush melted butter on top it may affect the way they bake, but let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Kelly
Hi Sam! I just made these (for something to do … lol), and they are fantastic! Really good flavour, just the right spread and totally yummy. I was sad that we couldn’t get Nilla Wafers anymore here in Canada. But now, who needs em!!!! These really are very very good. I will definitely recommend your recipe. Thanks so much for all the work you did perfecting it!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Kelly! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for the feedback, I really appreciate it!! ❤︎
Keri
What a disappointment these vanilla wafers were! I decided to make these based on the many “positive” reviews. The cookies looked exactly like those in the attached recipe but despite using premium vanilla the end result was a definite let down. The cookies while edible were dry and really bland. Sadly, this are not a make again cookie.
Sam
Hi Keri! What a bummer. I haven’t had anyone else mention this before and I also personally make these pretty often with success. If they were dry and bland, I have a few guesses as to what may have gone wrong (assuming no substitutions or accidental omissions were made). First, make sure you are measuring your flour properly. Using a scale is best, but if you don’t have one you can follow my tips in my how to measure flour post. If that isn’t it, they may be over-baked, which can also make them dry and bland tasting. I hope that helps, and I hope you give them another shot!
Keri
Thank you for your feedback. As an experienced baker, I always measure my ingredients using a scale having learned that lesson a long time ago. Unfortunately, even with following your recipe to a tea without any modifications or substitutions and with using a premium pure vanilla extract they just missed the mark. I will say they looked lovely but the flavour and texture just wasn’t there. I like to try new recipes all the time and really appreciate you sharing your favourites.
Kelly
Hi Keri. I just made these with great success. Please try them again before you give up on them. They really are very good 🙂
Sam
Thank you for your feedback, Kelly, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Jaleeia Hill
Love the recipe! Mine turned out great, I will be making more but I was wondering if these could be frozen for future use?
Sam
Hi Jaleeia! I haven’t personally tried it, but I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. 🙂
PerfectlyBoring
but… Nilla wafers are a bland cookie, that’s kinda their thing
Nikki
We used these little cookies to go with homemade cannoli dip!
Silas
I just made these and they’re SO delicious!! They’re better than store bought. I have a question, do you think I’d be able to make them gluten free by using 1:1 gf flour? My mom has celiac disease but she loves vanilla wafers and I want to make her some. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Silas! I haven’t tried it with a gluten free substitute, but if you do I would love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Teri
Oooh, I’d love that dip recipe! It sounds delicious with these vanilla wafers!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
If you come back Thursday, your wish just might be granted! 😉