This no-bake, make-ahead homemade dirt pudding recipe is as fun to make as it is to serve and eat. With its layers of creamy homemade chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo cookies, and buried gummy worms, this whimsical dessert brings out the inner child in everyone. Eating dirt and worms has never been so delicious (or encouraged)!
Go on, I dare even the grumpiest grownup to resist a smile when theyโre handed a cup of dirt and worms to eat with a spoon. Even the worms are smiling like theyโre in on the joke. ๐
Why Would I Eat Dirt?
Fair question. Hereโs why you will love this homemade dirt pudding dessert:
- Smooth, creamy milk chocolate pudding is surprisingly easy to make from scratch!
- Layers of Oreo cookie crumbs provide a wonderful texture contrast.
- This is a no-bake, make-ahead dessert.
- You can decorate the top to suit your party or holiday theme (ideas below)!
- Makes a great treat for kidsโ parties, spring or summertime, or Halloween.
- You can layer it in cups for individually portioned desserts, or all in 1 large baking dish or bowl.
- Fun to make, fun to eat! Both kids and kids-at-heart love digging into this dessert.
One reader, Allie, commented: โIโve never made chocolate pudding from scratch before, and after making this recipe, I will never go back to boxed pudding mixes ever again! Oh my, this pudding is an absolute dream. So simple and easy to make, too! โ โ โ โ โ โ
Ingredients You Need for Homemade Dirt Pudding
This is from-scratch stovetop chocolate pudding, and the best way I know how to make it. You donโt have to serve it as dirt and worms! Itโs incredible plain, as a trifle, or in a baked pie crust. Hereโs what you need:
- Sugar: For sweetening the pudding.
- Cocoa Powder: I use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, which, when combined with the sugar and milk, makes a nice milk chocolate pudding (a kid favorite!). If you prefer the bittersweet flavor of dark chocolate, you can use Dutch-process cocoa powder or Hersheyโs Special Dark cocoa powder instead.
- Cornstarch: This is the thickening agent for the pudding, just like we need for banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, and banana pudding.
- Salt: A little salt balances the sweet.
- Whole Milk: Use whole milk in this recipe. If you want to substitute in lower fat or nondairy milk, increase the cornstarch. I tested it, and almond milk worked nicely but the consistency was much thinner even with 1 extra Tablespoon of cornstarch. So, keep that in mind.
- Butter: Just 3 Tablespoons stirred in at the end of cooking gives the pudding a richer flavor, helps it continue to thicken, and smooths it out. (It does the same in homemade hot fudge, too.)
- Vanilla Extract: Flavor enhancer.
- Oreos: Crush classic or peanut butter Oreos for the โdirtโ layers, or crush Golden Oreos for โsandโ if youโd prefer a beach theme! (See below for some more theme inspiration and ideas.) If you want to include this recipe in your lineup of gluten free dessert recipes, be sure to use gluten free Oreos.
- Gummy Worms: Always the kidsโ favorite part of this treat!
Have you ever tried my butterscotch pudding before? The chocolate pudding is similar, but thereโs no need for egg yolks. The cornstarch obviously helps thicken, but the cocoa powder does too.
Make the Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Making homemade chocolate pudding is so much easier than youโd think, and the full printable recipe is below. These brief notes and step-by-step photos will help you understand the process before you begin. First, youโll combine most of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. (Youโll stir the butter and vanilla in after cooking.)
If youโve ever madeย coconut cream pie,ย mocha chocolate pudding pie, butterscotch pie, pumpkin pie in a jar, orย pastry cream, this process will seem a bit familiar. Youโre cooking the mixture on the stove.
I removed the saucepan from heat just to show you this picture. Hereโs the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and milk combined. Itโs pretty thin before it begins cooking:
Making homemade pudding is all about whisking. I always like to say: if you know how to whisk, you know how to make pudding.
Whisking occasionally, cook the mixture until it begins boiling. You want big bubbles erupting and popping in the very center of the pan. When that happens, let it boil for 1 minute, and then whisk in the butter and vanilla extract off heat.
Look how wonderfully thick! Pour the hot pudding into a heatproof bowl, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a rubbery โskinโ from forming on top.
Let the pudding thicken in the refrigerator for an hour, and then assemble the dirt cups. After that, refrigerate the assembled dirt cups for 3 hours, or up to 48 hours. Great make-ahead dessert!
Layer the Dirt Dessert Cups
This recipe makes about 4 cups of pudding, so thatโs enough for eight 1/2-cup servings of pudding. Layer a couple spoonfuls of crumbs into the bottom of each glass, followed by a layer of pudding (about 1/4 cup), and repeat with another layer of crumbs, a second 1/4-cup layer of pudding, and a final topping of crumbs. Donโt forget the worms!
Success Tip: Taking these to go? Use glass jars with lids or plastic cups with lids to make transporting easy!
You can also make this as a larger dessert, rather than individual cups, in a 9-inch-square glass baking dish or glass trifle bowl.
Other Ideas for Decorating Dirt Pudding
Here are a few more ideas to inspire youโget creative and have fun with it!
- Flower Pot: Flower pot, gummy worms, shovel spoons, flower lollipop
- Halloween: Candy pumpkins, candy eyeballs, Halloween sprinkles
- Beach: Mini pails, Golden Oreos for the โsand,โ shovel spoons, cocktail umbrellas, gummy flip-flops. You could even use vanilla pudding, butterscotch pudding, or banana pudding for a lighter color.
- Pirate Buried Treasure: Treasure box, Golden Oreos for the โsand,โ chocolate coins
- Easter: Green-tinted sweetened shredded coconut โgrassโ on top, candy eggs, mini chocolate bunny
- Terrarium: Clear glass tumbler for visible layers, chocolate candy succulents, chocolate pebbles, meringue mushrooms
No matter how you decorate or serve these dirt pudding cups, kids and kids-at-heart cannot get enough. Hereโs to a silly, happy dessert!
Homemade Dirt Pudding Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 50 minutes (includes refrigeration)
- Yield: 8 1/2 cup pudding servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade chocolate pudding comes together in about 10 minutes on the stove. Youโll want to make and assemble these pudding cups ahead of time so the chocolate pudding has time to thicken in the refrigerator. Crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms turn the smooth and creamy from-scratch pudding into โdirtโ!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 and 1/2 cups (1,080ml) whole milk*
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 24โ30 Oreo cookies (or about 1 standard package)
- 24 gummy worms
Instructions
- Make the pudding: Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan and place the saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until combined.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes and do not try to rush it by turning up the heat, as the pudding will not thicken properly. The mixture will begin to bubble around the edges, and then in the center. Once bubbling in the center, whisk constantly and allow to boil for 1 minute. The pudding should be thickened, and youโll know itโs thickened enough if it coats the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping off.
- Remove from heat, and then whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Pour into a heatproof bowl, let sit for 5 minutes, and then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour. The pudding will not be fully thickened at this point, as you still want it a little thin to assemble the pudding cups in step 6.
- Place the Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse into crumbs.ย
- Assemble the dirt dessert: Itโs helpful to know that this recipe makes 4 cups of chocolate pudding, and you can make individual cups, a trifle, or assemble/serve in a 9-inch baking pan. The amount of pudding/Oreo crumbs in each cup really depends on the size of the cup (or other vessel) you are using. Youโll want to layer Oreo crumbs on the bottom, then pudding, Oreo crumbs in the middle, more pudding, and more Oreo crumbs on top. Start with a couple Tablespoons of Oreo crumbs in the bottom of each cup. Spoon 1/4 cup of pudding on top of the Oreo layer, then repeat with another couple of spoonfuls of Oreo crumbs, another 1/4 cup of pudding, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs. Place a few gummy worms in the top layer of Oreo crumbs.
- Refrigerate uncovered for 3 more hours and up to 48 hours.
- Cover and store leftover cups in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This is a make ahead dessert because the pudding cups need to set and thicken. You can assemble the pudding cups up to 48 hours in advance. See step 7.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Whisk |ย Food Processor or Blender/Chopperย | Glass Cups (pictured are something like this), or try Glass Jars With Lids, Plastic Cups with Lids, or Trifle Bowl
- Milk: Whole milk is the best choice for this pudding. If youโd like to try a lower-fat milk or nondairy milk, add 1 more Tablespoon of cornstarch. But keep in mind that the pudding will still not thicken quite as much as the whole milk version. If you have heavy cream, you could use 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream and 3 and 1/2 cups (840ml) lower-fat or nondairy milk. No need to add an extra Tbsp of cornstarch if doing that.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This dessert is my husband and sons absolute favorite. They cannot get enough of it and have in not so subtle terms asked that we always have it on hand. We donโt add in any candy or any of the extra treats because the pudding and oreos are just too good.
Could I make 1.5x this recipe? Going up to two would be too much but wondering if I can just go to 1.5 or if anything would need to change on the pudding side.
Hi Emily, weโre so glad your family loves this recipe! Canโt see why not โ simply increasing the ingredients by 1.5 should work just fine. Let us know if you try it.
I really want to make an โadultโ version of this in a trifle bowl and was wondering if I could replace 1/2 cup of milk (or maybe 1/4 cup) with raspberry liquor for a nice little kick and flavor? I was thinking I could mix it in when adding the butter at the end. Thoughts? Or any other liquor that you suggest? Thank you so much!
Hi Chrys, we havenโt tested anything like that, but that sounds like a good place to start! If you do give it a try, please do let us know how it goes. Sounds delicious!
I absolutely love this pudding. I donโt really go by the cooking time, I normally cook it a bit longer after the bubbles start in the middle. I donโt make the pudding cups, I just make the pudding, and pour into a bowl to cool down, then put into the fridge and serve cold.
As I milk cows, this is the perfect delicious way to use up leftover or older milk. The puddingโs actually better with slightly older tasting milk that isnโt as yummy to drink any more.
My parents and siblings absolutely love the pudding and one recipe only lasts a very short time.
Hi! I want to make the pudding ahead of time and then let the kids assemble and eat. Can the cups be assembled after the pudding has set? That way, the kids can assemble and then eat right away? (Instead of waiting 3 hours )
Hi Michelle, Ideally youโll want the pudding to be a little bit on the thinner side to easily assemble the cups (after about an hour in the refrigerator). If you want to make your pudding a day or two before assembling that should be fine, just keep in mind may be a bit more difficult to layer cleanly once the pudding has fully thickened up.
good
Hi Sally! I made this tonight but I burned it ๐
Do you think maybe I used the wrong pan or didnโt stir frequently enough? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, it sounds like the heat may have been a bit too high on your stove. You can try turning it down a bit next time, and yes, whisking frequently will also help!
This is such a great recipe! I just put the pudding in the cups, and it is soo perfect!! I love this recipe so much! This is the first time iโve attempted homemade pudding, so i was nervous. For all you bakers wanting to try something for the first time, use Sallyโs Baking. All of her recipes are so easy and very well explained.
This was a 10/10 relapse so good
Hey! Iโm planning on making this today, but I donโt have enough Oreos. Is there something I can substitute it with?
This is such an amazing recipe, thank you! Iโm wondering if you have a vanilla pudding recipe that I could use for this dessert also? I love chocolate and also love vanilla.
Your well explained recipes always turn out for me and are such a hit
Hi Lisa, the vanilla pudding recipe from this Caramelized Banana Pudding recipe should be perfect!
Thank you very much for this info! Iโll try it right now and Iโm sure itโll be a hit too! ๐