This fun Oreo dirt cake combines Oreos, pudding, and of course worms to make this the ultimate dirt and worms dessert! Serve this up for a fun summer dessert, spooky Halloween treat, or really anytime you’re just craving something sweet!
There’s this one restaurant we go to in our local area that has my son’s absolute favorite dessert ever – dirt and worms. We’ve all had it before – pudding, crushed up Oreos, and gummy worms.
My son gets it without the pudding but the idea is the same – there’s just something about eating dirt and worms that’s fun.
This Oreo dirt cake makes it not only fun to eat but also delicious with the addition of layers of a pudding filling to go with the Oreo crumbs!
And of course, it’s all topped with gummy worms because what’s an Oreo dirt cake without worms!?!
If you want to make this for Halloween, you could make it even spookier by adding some candy tombstones, gummy body parts (like the ones in my Halloween punch), or anything else to make it a little more Halloween ish. It’d be kind of like my dig your own grave dessert bar!
You could even add some food coloring to the pudding like I did with this candy corn layered pudding dessert to go all the way Halloween!
Or just eat it as is, which is yummy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nostalgic – we’ve all eaten dirt and worms at some point in our life so this is a fun nostalgic recipe for adults and one that kids will just get a kick out of (if they’ve never had it before).
- Individual servings – while this recipe is written for an actual cake, you can totally just put this into individual cups or servings as well! It’s just a matter of a little more layering!
- Gummy worms – there’s a reason that so many of the Disneyland Halloween treats had gummy worms in them – people love gummy worms!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Vanilla pudding – make sure it’s the instant kind so that it’ll set in just a few minutes! You don’t want the regular vanilla pudding mix or it’ll take way longer to make this dessert!
- Oreos – I recommend just using regular Oreos rather than double stuffed! I just grabbed one of their large packages and that was about the right number of Oreos.
- Cream cheese – make sure it’s nice and soft so that it can cream with the other ingredients properly. If it’s still cold and hard, you’ll end up with chunks of cream cheese.
How to Make an Oreo Dirt Cake
Okay the first thing you need to do is put all of those Oreos into a food processor and pulse until they become Oreos crumbs. I recommend pulsing the cookies rather than just letting it process so that you can still have some small chunks in the mixture. You want larger crumbs, not fine ones like you would with these Oreo truffles.
Tip!
If you have a smaller food processor, do this in batches and remove the Oreo crumbs between batches rather than just trying to add more cookies to the processor. You’ll get the crumbs you’re looking for quicker that way.
Next you’re going to place the cream cheese in a bowl and cream it with a hand mixer (or with a stand mixer) until smooth.
Once the cream cheese is smooth, add the instant pudding mix and the milk to the cream cheese mixture.
Mix that until well combined. This will be the base of your pudding layers.
Finish it off by folding in the Cool Whip until it’s completely combined with the pudding layer. You want it to be one smooth and creamy mixture without being able to see streaks of the Cool Whip in it.
Add a layer of the Oreo crumbs (dirt) to the bottom of a trifle bowl (or a glass baking dish or individual glasses). Then top it with a layer of the pudding mixture. Continue layering until you run out of the mixtures, making sure to start and end with the dirt.
Top the cake with all sorts of gummy worms (you could actually put gummy worms in every dirt layer of the cake), making them look like they’re climbing out of the dirt!
Keep chilled until serving then serve using a large serving spoon and individual bowls.
Expert Tips
Add gummy worms to the internal layers of dirt for some surprise treats throughout the cake.
Make the pudding layer up to a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to use then just layer the cake together right before serving.
Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. After three days the Oreo crumbs tend to get a little soggy.
Recipe FAQs
Dirt and worms is a yummy dessert that combines Oreo crumbs (dirt) and gummy worms, often times with pudding to create a layered effect like the earth.
Along with gummy worms, you can also add little candy pumpkins, candy tombstones, gummy body parts, jelly beans, or anything else you might find in the dirt.
More Easy Oreo Recipes
If you like Oreos, you’ll love these other yummy Oreo inspired recipes!
- Mini Oreo cheesecake – these tasty little bites combine an Oreo crust with a peanut butter cheesecake filling!
- Grey stuff recipe – this copycat recipe of a Disney movie classic starts with Oreos and ends with something fit for any princess party idea!
- Oreo crust ice cream cake – this delicious ice cream cake features an Oreo crust, ice cream sandwich layers, and vanilla ice cream!
- Easy Oreo truffles – the easiest way to enjoy Oreos in truffle form! They’re simple and absolutely delicious.
Oreo Dirt Cake
Ingredients
- 80 Oreos
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding 3-4 oz each
- 4 cups milk
- 12 oz Cool Whip
- 1 pack gummy worms
Instructions
- In a food processor, turn Oreos into Oreo crumbs.80 Oreos
- Cream softened cream cheese until smooth with either a hand mixer or in a stand mixer.8 oz cream cheese
- Add instant pudding mix and milk to the cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined.2 boxes instant vanilla pudding, 4 cups milk
- Fold in the Cool Whip until the mixture is completely mixed together.12 oz Cool Whip
- Layer dirt and pudding in a glass trifle bowl, beginning and ending with dirt.
- Top with gummy worms and serve chilled.1 pack gummy worms
Joseph Banchik says
I recently published a graveyard dirt dessert recipe on my website, mine uses mascarpone and homemade whipped cream instead of cream cheese and cool whip. The modified cornstarch in instant pudding mix is not only a great stabilizer for homemade whipped cream, it also thickens it enough to be used as a cool whip substitute. I also used chocolate pudding and added some instant coffee to the pudding to bring out the chocolate.
Britni Vigil says
Thanks for those ideas.
Shane Fowler says
This recipe is so easy to make. Kids and adults love this dessert. I have also made it with different varieties of Oreos and they were all good but the classic Oreo is my favorite.
Amy says
So fun to make with kids! My kids like helping with crushing the cookies in the food processor. Always our favorite treat on Earth Day. I’m planning on making this for our Halloween party this year and maybe trying pistachio pudding for a back and green look – maybe decorating the outside of the trifle bowl to look like Frankenstein!
Leah says
My cooking toddler will love this. We’ll add marshmallow ghosts to keep with the Halloween theme. I’d make this with my toddler; she’s 3 and would love mixing and layering this fun treat. I think the Oreo dirt cake is loads of fun, especially since there’s no baking requirement. The prep to eat time is quick and rewarding; especially since I’m including a toddler.
Britni Vigil says
It’s perfect for toddlers! I hope she has fun with it!
Angie Pfleiderer says
Great recipe. I made this for my best friend’s 50th birthday celebration along with a sign that read, “Older Than Dirt.” It was a great hit.
Laura S. says
I need to make this for my kids for Halloween. They will love it!
Britni Vigil says
I hope they enjoy it!
Brittany Bauer says
This is a perfect special treat for my boys!
Britni Vigil says
I hope they enjoy it!
Jen Beckstrand says
I think this would be fun to add in the little candy pumpkins and maybe a half a cookie to look like a gravestone. I’m definitely going to be making this for my boys this year. We use to make this as a kid but just used plain chocolate pudding. I am loving the cream cheese and whipped cream added in!
Britni Vigil says
It’s a great recipe to modify and add whatever decorations you want! I hope you all like it!