Dirt Pudding

Looking for a spooky-sweet Halloween treat or a crowd-pleasing after-school snack? Make dirt pudding! These overly-simple trifles made of layers of chocolate pudding and crushed Oreo cookies, then garnished with gummy worms may sound kind of silly, but the truth is this: This creamy and indulgent layered dessert tastes ridiculously good, is incredibly easy to throw together, and is equally as fun to make as it is to eat. Make this no-bake treat any time of year, for kids and adults of all ages, and trust us—you’ll be met with giddiness from everyone, young and old.

How to Make Dirt Pudding

INGREDIENTS

• Instant chocolate pudding mix: One of the great things about dirt pudding is how quickly and easily it comes together, but feel free to swap the instant pudding for your favorite homemade chocolate pudding recipe. Dirt pudding does lend itself to a chocolate flavor profile, but you could also try other flavors—vanilla, banana, pistachio, whatever you like.
• Whole milk: I’ve always got whole milk around, so that’s what I used here, but feel free to swap it out for heavy cream, oat milk, or coconut milk.
• Cold heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract: Most recipes call for folding a "whipped topping" like Cool Whip into the pudding, but I prefer to make my own whipped cream. It’s an easy upgrade that improves the overall taste in a major way.
• Oreos: I used classic here, but really, nearly any Oreo flavor would work here! Chocolate Oreos are kind of integral to the classic look here (they’re the dirt, after all), but if you’re really partial to vanilla, feel free to swap those in.
• Gummy worms: Here’s where the fun really begins. Gummy worms are classic, but you can really go wild with your decorations here. Add some gummy eyeballs or candy bones for a spooky version, or go cute by adding malt ball eggs and candy bunnies for a garden vibe (take inspiration from our carrot patch brownies for the latter!).

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

You'll start by making your pudding. If you're using instant like we suggest in the ingredients, you should be able to simply whisk together the pudding mix and milk and let it sit until thickened, only about 3-5 minutes. If you're using homemade, follow those directions and make it ahead of time. Either way, keep it in the fridge while you go to the next step.

Once you have your pudding chilling, you'll make your whipped cream. Combine your heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat them with your stand or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Check out our classic whipped cream recipe video for more in-depth tips on how to tell whether you've got soft or stiff peaks.

Once your whipped cream is done, fold it and about 1/3 of your crushed Oreos into your chocolate pudding.

Divide this into your 5 serving dishes (or one big trifle dish, if you like), top with the rest of your crushed Oreos, and decorate with gummy worms. Enjoy!

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

How to get thicker pudding? Instant pudding thickens up well only a few minutes after mixing the milk and pudding powder, but if you want a thicker pudding you can try heavy cream instead of milk, adding gelatin (follow instructions on the gelatin pack), or even cornstarch. If using the latter, heat the milk, whisk in the cornstarch, then let it cool slightly before adding the pudding mix and allowing it to set up.

How to serve dirt pudding?
Individual cups are really nice when you have a classroom full of children to feed, but that’s not the only application for this adorable treat. Try building these into medium-sized trifle dishes perfect for 2– you and a sweetheart can grab a couple spoons and share. Want to make these for a special occasion like a birthday party or baby shower? Try building them in food-proof plant pots or large plastic shovels.

Storage

Though you should really only assemble these right before serving, you can easily make the pudding up to a week ahead of time. Store it with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the pudding to avoid a skin forming. Feel free to crush your Oreos ahead as well, but wait to make your whipped cream and to mix everything together until day of to avoid the cookies getting soggy.