Recipes with instant pudding mix, vanilla

Easy pumpkin cream pie skips the oven completely with vanilla pudding, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and whipped topping in a baked crust. A 10-minute no-bake Thanksgiving pie that tastes like the real deal.

Homemade sweet milk pudding, a light molded custard set with gelatin and lightened with whipped egg whites. Vanilla-scented, jiggly, and topped with cashews and raisins for a simple, delicate dessert.

Pumpkin pecan bundt cake from spice cake mix, canned pumpkin, and vanilla pudding for an extra-moist crumb. A 5-minute fall dessert dressed up with powdered sugar.

Mandarin orange cake layers a fluffy box cake with crushed mandarins and juice, then frosts it with a no-cook whipped topping, vanilla pudding, and crushed pineapple filling. Easy retro potluck favorite.

"The light and fluffy texture of this this cool and creamy mousse is perfect after a heavy turkey dinner."

Easy and delicious. I cheated a bit by topping with canned milk chocolate frosting that I nuked for 30 seconds to make it easier to spread. I refrigerated the cake 8 hours before cutting.

If you can't find orange cake mix, use white or golden---just use orange juice in place of the water when preparing the mix, and add 1 tsp. of orange extract/flavoring. To the topping I also add 3/4 tsp. each of vanilla and orange extract. Garnish, if desired, with Mandarin orange segments.

Layered dessert squares with a flaky pie crust base, rum-spiked vanilla pudding, and a glossy cherry-cranberry topping with cinnamon. Light, fruity, and feeds 12.

Gift cake: a birthday sheet cake decorated to look like a wrapped present, with coconut "paper," strawberry preserves filling, and a gumdrop bow. Perfect kid's party centerpiece.

Microwave creme de menthe bundt cake, a boxed mix cake laced with mint liqueur and a chocolate syrup swirl, cooked entirely in the microwave in just ten minutes. A retro shortcut dessert with mint-chocolate magic.

Gramma's chocolate peanut butter pie layers a creamy peanut butter pudding filling and melted chocolate chips inside a graham cracker crust, then crowns it with toasted meringue.

Double frosted brownies stack a fudgy pecan brownie under a smooth vanilla pudding buttercream and a glossy chocolate glaze. Three rich layers, chilled until the frosting and glaze set firm and sliceable.

Peanut pudding cake with four layers: peanut shortbread crust, peanut butter cream cheese, chocolate-vanilla pudding, and whipped topping with crumbled chocolate bars. A crowd-pleasing potluck dessert.

No-bake layered dessert with sliced angel food cake, almond-scented pudding cream, and cherry pie filling stacked in a 9x13 pan. Chill, slice, and serve.

Hawaiian cake starts with a yellow cake mix base topped with a cream cheese pudding layer, crushed pineapple, chopped nuts, maraschino cherries, and flaked coconut.

Layered chocolate mousse dessert with a buttery pecan crust, cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding with fresh strawberries, and whipped topping with chocolate shavings.