Worms and dirt for dessert? Trust me. Kids will love this Oreo dirt dessert and you will too!
Say what? What is Dirt dessert, exactly?
Dirt dessert is a classic American dessert made by blending pudding, cream cheese and cool whip then topping or layering with crushed Oreos.
The crushed Oreos look a lot like dirt especially when you add in gummy worms or other candies that make you think of Earthy dirt!
This delicious dessert is one of my favorites for several reasons. It tastes amazing, it’s easy to make, and it’s just so fun to eat dirt. Ha!
It’s a dessert that kids love too and can be made into a cake, or transformed to fit many different party themes so it’s often made in a flat pan and not layered when presented as a cake.
What ingredients do you need to make Oreo Dirt Dessert?
You only need 6 ingredients to make this recipe!
You’ll need: cream cheese, instant vanilla pudding mix, milk, Cool Whip, Oreos and gummy worms.
Easy enough for kids to make.
This recipe is fun to make with kids and if you have older children, they could probably make it themselves. No cooking required. Gottta love that right? Just a little blending and layering.
How do you make dirt dessert?
This classic dessert is easy to make starting with Oreo cookies, cream cheese, pudding and Cool Whip. Typically you mix and then layer the ingredients in a trifle bowl. Gummy worms are added to the top layer to give the illusion of edible “dirt.”
Watch this video to see step-by-step how to make this layered dessert:
Share with friends! So you don’t eat it all yourself… 😉
A good friend shared with me this recipe classic featuring Oreo crumbs as “dirt.” Well, I just about devoured the whole dang thing! I can’t even say how many bowls of this I had… Just warning you, it’s addicting. 🙂
Serving this “Dirt Dessert” for a crowd?
You can prepare this dessert in one large bowl. I use a trifle bowl. This option is fun because all the layers are visible so people can see what they are digging into. 🙂
Or maybe you want it to look more like a cake. In that case, you can prepare this dirt dessert in a flat cake pan.
Want individual servings of this dessert?
Serve this dirt dessert in individual cups like a cupcake. You could use small disposable cups, or reusable silicon cupcake liners.
You could even use flower pots! Get creative.
People sometimes prepare this dessert in little cups and add edible or silk flowers or plants to the “dirt” which would be cute for a wedding or baby shower.
Try looking for food-safe mini flower pots to serve them in. Or line regular flower pots with cupcake liners, and then place a real, fondant, or silk flower in each pot.
This would be really cute for a girl’s birthday or graduation party too. You could choose any color flower to match the other party decor.
Since this recipe for dirt dessert is pretty easy and doesn’t take a lot of time to make, you can spend more time planning out the look of the dessert. Have fun with it!
The “dirt” theme is pretty versatile and can transform to fit almost any party theme.
This is a great dessert for a little boy’s birthday party or even a Halloween party. I’ve also seen this dirt dessert used made into a graveyard with graves made from Milano cookies labeled with a food-safe marker!
Use edible fondant succulents and turn this into a pretty wedding dessert.
Or add trucks and it would make a cute birthday “mud” cake… You can get really creative with things when dirt is your starting point, ha!
This dirt dessert is perfect for potlucks, birthdays and holidays too.
You truly don’t even need a special occasion to make this yummy dessert though. It’s so delicious and is always a hit at potlucks or family gatherings. Kids especially love the worms, of course, but honestly adults get a kick out of them too!
We made this for Easter this year and topped it with green sprinkles and candy eggs so it looked like an Easter Egg hunt. The possibilities are endless!
Two Ways to Crush Oreos
You can use a food processor, or you can place the Oreos in a large ziplock bag and go over them with a rolling pin until the turn into crumbs.
Use vanilla Oreos to make “sand.”
Prefer a beach theme? You could swap out traditional Oreos and the “dirt” look with vanilla Oreos and create a “sandy” looking dessert! This would be great for a beach or ocean themed party. You could serve them in mini beach buckets and add drink umbrellas!
You could combine this sandy theme with this other Jello dessert of mine — Jello Fish Bowls — to create a beach and water dessert.
How long is this Oreo dirt dessert good for?
I would recommend making this and serving right away. After a few hours, the Oreo crumbs can begin to get a little soggy. For that reason, I would not recommend making it the night before.
Looking to cut calories but not taste?
Try substituting vanilla Greek Yogurt for half the cream cheese and half the Cool Whip. The creamy texture and sweet-tart flavor of Greek yogurt tastes great and makes and awesome substitute for lighting up the original recipe.
Do you just love desserts? Me too!
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This Oreo Dirt Dessert was featured on Sew It Craft It Cook It, South Your Mouth, Meal Plan Monday, and Hearth and Soul!
Oreo Dirt Dessert
Ingredients
- 16 oz. cream cheese softened
- 8 oz. Cool Whip
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding 3.9 oz
- 3 cups milk
- 1 ½ packages Oreos
- 1 small package gummy worms
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl, add instant pudding mix and milk then blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip and place dirt mixture in fridge until ready to assemble.
- Place Oreos into a plastic bag and lightly roll with a rolling pin until the cookies crumble and you can't see the white cream anymore and it begins to actually look like dirt.
- Assemble in layers. Oreo "dirt" crumbles on the very bottom, then cream cheese mixture, alternating until the last layer of Oreos is on top.
- Refrigerate until served. Add worms or other decorations to your dirt dessert right before serving!
Emily
Monday 20th of June 2022
I love this dessert and I made your recipe perfectly the first time. Now that I'm trying to make it again, I have failed 3 times and feel defeated. The pudding, cream cheese, milk mix just stays liquid and won't solidify at all. Any suggestions!?
Emily
Sunday 26th of June 2022
@Angela G., thank you so much!!! I am going to make sure I double check it and try again.
Angela G.
Saturday 25th of June 2022
Oh Emily, I'm sorry! I would guess that maybe you picked up regular pudding instead of instant pudding. The packaging is very tricky. "Instant" is in very small lettering. I've made this mistake myself. I hope this helps!
Allie Wells
Saturday 16th of April 2022
If I mix it all together instead of layering, do you think there would be an issue?
Angela G.
Sunday 17th of April 2022
The Oreos may get a little soggy if you don’t layer. Ideally you’ll want to have Oreos as a top layer so they keep some of their crunch.
Martha
Saturday 18th of September 2021
Turned out good! I used a blender for the Oreos and that was a lot easier.
Angela G.
Saturday 18th of September 2021
Glad you enjoyed it!