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 they’re handed a cup of dirt and worms to eat with a spoon. Even the worms are smiling like they’re in on the joke. 😉
Why Would I Eat Dirt?
Ingredients You Need for Homemade Dirt Pudding
Have you ever tried my butterscotch pudding before? The chocolate pudding is similar, but there’s 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 you’d think, and the full printable recipe is below.. First, you’ll combine most of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. (You’ll stir the butter and vanilla in after cooking.)
If you’ve ever made coconut cream pie, mocha chocolate pudding pie, butterscotch pie, or pastry cream, this process will seem a bit familiar. You’re cooking the mixture on the stove.
. Here’s the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and milk combined. It’s pretty thin before it begins cooking:
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 “skin” 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 that’s 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. Don’t forget the worms!
Other Ideas for Decorating Dirt Pudding
Here are a few more ideas to inspire you—get 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 “sand,” 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 “sand,” chocolate coins
- Easter: Green-tinted sweetened shredded coconut “grass” 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. Here’s to a silly, happy dessert!
Homemade Dirt Pudding Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- 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 you’ll know it’s 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.
- It’s 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. You’ll 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.
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