Pudding Dirt Cups

These pudding dirt cups are a fun and delicious no-bake dessert that kids love! They come together quickly and are full of rich chocolatey flavor! Perfect for parties or after school treats!

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I remember the first time I attended a party where someone brought a “dirt cake” everyone was so excited and I had no idea what they were talking about. Then I tasted it and WOW! I suddenly could get behind eating “dirt”! There is something so tasty about the creamy fluffy pudding mixture coupled with crushed cookies that makes this treat something special!

While the dirt cake is a delicious dessert I like these pudding cups even better! By making individual cups instead of one big dessert serving is easier, decorating is easier, and clean up is a breeze! Who could ask for more?? They are great for birthday parties, you can even let kids decorate themselves and add their favorite toppings and candies!

These are a fun treat for any occasion but I love make these pudding dirt cups for Halloween! With this recipe you can make the classic dirt cup recipe for all seasons and I’ve also included instructions on how to make them a little spookier for Halloween!

It doesn’t matter when you make them, these easy dirt cups will always be a hit!

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What you’ll need to make these oreo dirt cups

An electric mixer– This recipe creates a thick mixture so you’ll want to use an electric handheld or stand mixer so that it can be thoroughly mixed.

Clear plastic cups– Making these in clear cups helps to see the tasty layers and they are the perfect individual dessert size. I used the 5 oz. size for these. You can use different cups or dishes if you prefer depending on what size you use will determine how many portions this recipe makes.

Piping bag– If you are making these for Halloween you’ll want a piping bag in order to decorate the cookies as gravestones. You can also use a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off.

Here’s how to make the basic pudding dirt cups-

Ingredient Checklist

Find the exact amounts & detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post

Instant Chocolate Pudding– You’ll want to make sure to get the instant chocolate pudding mix, not the kind that you need to cook.

Milk- I used whole milk but you can use 2% if you’d like.

Cool Whip- You’ll need an 8oz tub, make sure it is thawed completely before putting this dirt dessert together.

Oreos– Oreo crumbs are what creates the “dirt” in this recipe. Any chocolate sandwich cookies will work, they don’t have to be brand name.

Gummy Worms– These add a little fun to the dirt! I like to use classic gummy worms but you can also use sour ones if you like a little tartness! Add whatever fun gummy worms you choose!

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low, mix together the pudding mix and milk. The mixture will be quite thick, that is ok. Then place bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile it is time to crush the Oreos. You can put them in in the food processor and chop until they are crumbs, or you can place them in a zip top bag and crush with a mallet or rolling pin.

Remove the pudding mixture from the refrigerator and whip in the cool whip until well blended.

Now it is time to assemble the dirt cups. Place about ½ and inch of crushed Oreo at the bottom of each cup. Spoon or pipe the pudding mixture evenly into each cup and top with a thick layer of crushed Oreos. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Decorate the cups with gummy worm or other candies and serve!

For Halloween Dirt Cups-

Milano Cookies– These are the perfect shape and size for tombstones plus they are delicious!

Chocolate Chips– You can use semi sweet or milk chocolate.

Shortening- This helps thin the chocolate and make it a nice consistency for piping.

Halloween Sprinkles– I like to use bone shaped ones but you can use any you like!

Candy Pumpkins– These add a nice fun Halloween feel!

Melt chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl or double boiler. Place in a piping bag and cut a small hole in the tip. Use the chocolate to decorate Milano cookies like gravestones or ghosts.

Remove the pudding cups from the refrigerator and press the bottom half of a Milano cookie into each cup. Decorate with gummy worms and sprinkles to create a mini “graveyard”

Serve immediately.

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Variations-

One of the great things about this fun recipe is with just a few tweaks you can make different varieties of dessert cups for lots of different occasions! Using different flavors of pudding, a variety of gummy candies, and cookies you can create fun and easy creations! Here are some of our favorites-

Sand cups– Put a beachy twist on these dirt cups by swapping out the regular Oreos for golden Oreos or vanilla wafers, the gummy worms for Swedish fish, and the chocolate pudding for French vanilla pudding. You can even put some blue food coloring to the pudding to create an ocean look.

Garden cups– You can dress these dirt cups up for a garden party with just a few tweaks. Use the same base recipe but instead of gummy worms you can use gummy carrots or flowers, and even use mini plastic flower pots in place of plastic cups.

FAQ & Tips

Can I make this with sugar free pudding & cool whip? Yes! If you are looking to cut the sugar and calories then you can swap the pudding mix and cool whip with their sugar free counterpart. Unfortunately they don’t make diet Oreos but at least you can cut the sugar down in other areas!

Can I make this in smaller portions? Absolutely! If you want to make these in larger or smaller containers you can! It can be difficult to find the clear plastic cups in a variety of sizes but you can always use other containers!

Can I use Almond Milk? I haven’t tried this with almond milk but I think it should work. Check out this post about how to make instant pudding with almond milk. While making pudding with normal milk takes 2 cups she has used 1 1/4 cup of almond milk to make regular pudding. Since this recipe changes the proportions up (1.5 cups per each box of pudding) So if we use those proportions for this recipe you’ll want to use about 1 3/4 cups. My recommendation is to mix it in slowly until you get the desired consistency of a thick pudding.

Can I use homemade chocolate pudding? If you prefer to use a homemade pudding recipe in place of the instant pudding in this recipe you can however it will change the consistency of the final product a bit. It won’t be quite as thick and creamy. If you use homemade pudding you’ll want to allow it to cool completely before folding in the cool whip.

Can I use whipped cream instead of cool whip? Yes! I know that there are people who hate cool whip so rest assured you can swap it out for whipped cream. One container of cool whip holds approximately 3 cups so you’ll want to use 3 cups of whipped cream. You’ll need to make it from scratch, the kind that comes in the can melts too quickly and won’t work.