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My dirt pie is the most fun dessert I make, and it tastes even better than it looks. The filling is cold and thick and eats like chocolate mousse, and the Oreo crust underneath it stays crunchy. Then there are the gummy worms, which is the part every kid at the table goes for first.

Dirt pie topped with crushed Oreos and gummy worms with a slice cut out.
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I wanted chocolate flavor all the way through, so a full cup of crushed Oreos goes into the filling itself and not only on top of it. That cup does real work. Without it the pudding tastes thin once the whipped topping is folded in.

The cream cheese is why this one slices. Most dirt pies are pudding and whipped topping and nothing else, which tastes fine but has nothing holding it up once a knife goes in. Mine cuts into a wedge that stands on the plate.

If this is your kind of dessert, my whole no bake pie collection never goes near an oven.

photo of Jen

PARTY FAVORITE

I Bring This Dessert to Every Kid Party We Throw

Birthday parties, school parties, end of summer parties, this is the one I bring. It always turns into the dessert people crowd around, and not only the kids. I watch the adults go back for a second slice every time, usually while telling me they only wanted a taste.

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The One Thing I Always Tell People

Let the cream cheese sit out until it is fully softened. Not almost. Fully.

Cold cream cheese does not blend smoothly with the powdered sugar. You get little lumps running through the filling, and they do not work themselves out no matter how long you run the mixer. You will feel every one of them in the finished pie.

Beat the softened cream cheese on its own first, about a minute and a half to two minutes, until it is completely smooth. Then add the sifted powdered sugar and beat two minutes more. Get that part right and everything after it is mixing and waiting.

dirt pie ingredients.

The Ingredients That Do the Work

  • Oreo cookies: Crush the whole cookies, cream centers and all. That is how I make it, and one package does triple duty here. Two cups go into the crust, one cup gets stirred into the filling, and one cup becomes the dirt on top. If you would rather press the crust ahead of time, my homemade Oreo pie crust uses the same method.
  • Instant chocolate pudding and cold whole milk: Use instant pudding, not cook and serve. Cold milk is what sets instant pudding properly, and the fat in whole milk is what makes it thick enough to hold the whole filling up.
  • Whipped topping: Thaw it all the way before it goes in, and fold it rather than stirring it. Folding keeps the air in it. Run a mixer through it instead and the filling turns heavy and dense.
Overhead view of dirt pie topped with crushed Oreos and colorful gummy worms.

How to Make Dirt Pie

Step 1: Press the Oreo Crust Stir the melted and cooled butter into 2 cups of the crushed cookies until every crumb is coated, then press them into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Slide the crust into the refrigerator while you build the filling.Oreo cookie crumb crust pressed into a glass pie dish.

Step 2: Beat the Cream Cheese Smooth Mix the softened cream cheese on medium speed until there is not a lump left, then add the sifted powdered sugar and keep going until the whole thing is smooth and glossy. Do not rush this one.

Step 3: Thicken the Pudding Pour the cold milk into a separate medium bowl, then sprinkle the pudding mix over it. Mix on low with a hand mixer or whisk by hand until it thickens. Stir in 1 cup of the crushed cookie crumbs until evenly distributed.Chocolate pudding mixture swirled in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 4: Fold It All Together Fold the thawed whipped topping into the pudding with a silicone spatula, working gently so you keep the air in it. Then fold in the cream cheese mixture the same way, until the filling is one even color with no streaks.Whipped chocolate cream filling in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 5: Fill, Top, and Chill Spread the filling into the chilled crust and smooth the surface.Chocolate cream filling spread over an Oreo crust in a pie dish.

Step 6: Top and Chill Sprinkle the last cup of cookie crumbs evenly over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut it into 8 slices and arrange 2 to 3 gummy worms over each one right before it goes to the table. Any gummy insect works if worms are not what you have.Overhead view of dirt pie topped with crushed Oreos and gummy worms.

Easy Ways to Switch It Up

Use a different sandwich cookie. Generic chocolate sandwich cookies work in place of the brand name ones, in the crust and the dirt both.

Change the pudding. Vanilla pudding gives you a lighter filling under the chocolate crumbs, and Oreo flavored pudding leans the whole thing further into cookies and cream.

Make individual servings. Build it in disposable cups instead of a pie plate for a party or a lunchbox. My individual dirt cups are built that way from the start.

Dirt pie with a slice cut out, showing creamy filling and gummy worm topping, with a slice on a plate behind it.

Things That Make a Difference

Press the crust through waxed paper. Lay a sheet of waxed paper over the crumbs and press through it with the bottom of a half cup measuring cup. The buttered crumbs stick to the pie plate instead of your hands and the cup.

Sift the powdered sugar. It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a smooth filling and one with gritty pockets in it.

Give it the full four hours. The filling needs that whole stretch in the refrigerator to set. Cut it early and the slices sag instead of standing up.

Slice of dirt pie lifted from the pan showing creamy filling, Oreo crust, and gummy worms.

How to Store It

Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cookie crumbs on top soften as it sits, so the first day is the best one for texture.

Dirt pie does not freeze well, so do not bother trying. If you want a no bake dessert that actually lives in the freezer, my no bake Oreo dessert is the one I make for that.

Questions People Ask Me

Can I make it the night before?

Yes, and for a party that is how I do it. The pie has to chill anyway, so building it the night before takes the timing pressure off the day of and costs you nothing.

Is dirt pie the same as mud pie?

No. Dirt pie is a no bake pudding pie with an Oreo crust and cookie crumbs on top. Mud pie is a much richer, fudgier chocolate dessert, and my Mississippi mud pie stacks four layers of it.

What is the difference between dirt pie and dirt cake?

Dirt pie is built in a pie plate on a pressed Oreo crust and cut into slices. Dirt cake has no crust and gets scooped out of a 9×13 pan. If the scoopable one is what you are after, make my Oreo dirt cake recipe instead.

More No Bake Desserts

5 from 2 votes
a slice of Dirt Pie on the plate with cookie crumbs topping and gummy worms.

Dirt Pie

Author — Jennifer Fishkind
Serves — 8
Dirt pie is the no bake dessert my kids asked for at every birthday. A pressed Oreo crust under a cold chocolate pudding filling, with cookie crumb dirt and gummy worms.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients
 

Oreo Crust

  • 40 Oreo sandwich cookies crushed with cream center (divide 2 cups for crust, 1 cup for filling, 1 cup for topping)
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled

Filling

  • 8 ounces (or 226g) cream cheese softened
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1½ cups cold whole milk
  • 3.9 ouncs (or 110g) instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 8 ounces (or 226g) whipped topping thawed
  • 24 gummy worms

Instructions
 

  • Add 2 cups of the crushed Oreo cookies to a small (3-4 cups) mixing bowl. Pour the melted and cooled butter over the crushed cookies. Stir to completely coat the cookie crumbs.
    6 tablespoons salted butter, 24 Oreo sandwich cookies
  • Press the buttered Oreo crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a standard 9 inch pie plate. (I used a sheet of waxed paper and a ½ cup measuring to press the crumbs. This way the buttered crumbs will only stick to the pie plate and not your hands or measuring cup) Place the crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
  • Add the softened cream cheese to a medium (2-3 quarts) mixing bowl. (It’s very important that the cream cheese is softened, to reduce any lumps) Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix the cream cheese until smooth, about 1 ½ – 2 minutes.
    8 ounces (or 226g) cream cheese
  • Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue mixing for another 2 minutes, or until the cream cheese and powdered sugar are smooth.
    ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • In a separate medium sized mixing bowl, add the cold milk. Sprinkle the pudding mix over the milk. Use a handheld mixer on low speed, or a handheld whisk to mix the milk and pudding until thickened.
    1½ cups cold whole milk, 3.9 ouncs (or 110g) instant chocolate pudding mix
  • Add in 1 cup of the crushed cookie crumbs to the pudding and stir until evenly distributed.
    8 Oreo sandwich cookies
  • Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the thawed whipped topping into the pudding and cookie crumb mixture. (Folding the whipped topping into the pudding should help keep the filling from being too dense)
    8 ounces (or 226g) whipped topping
  • Next, gently fold the cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture in the pudding.
  • Evenly spread the pudding filling into the chilled Oreo pie crust. Use either a silicone spatula or an offset spatula to smooth the filling.
  • Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of crushed Oreo crumbs over the top of the pie. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Just before serving, cut the pie into 8 slices. Arrange the gummy worms (2-3 per slice) on top of the cookie crumb dirt. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfortunately, Dirt Pie does not freeze well.
    8 Oreo sandwich cookies, 24 gummy worms

Jenn’s Notes

Tips:
  • Let the cream cheese soften all the way before you start. Cold cream cheese does not blend smoothly with the powdered sugar and you end up with lumps through the filling.
  • Sift the powdered sugar. It is the difference between a smooth filling and a gritty one.
  • Fold the whipped topping and the cream cheese mixture in gently instead of running the mixer. That is what keeps the filling light instead of dense.
  • Give it the full 4 hours in the refrigerator. Cut it early and the slices sag.
  • Add the gummy worms right before serving, 2 to 3 per slice.
Storage:
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cookie crumbs on top soften as the pie sits, so the first day is the best one for texture. Dirt pie does not freeze well, so plan to eat it fresh.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 739IU | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 7mg
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Comments

  2. we make this recipe with vanilla pudding and white sandwich cookies as my daughter doesn’t like chocolate

    Reply

  4. So I followed the recipe, but when you add 8 oz whipped topping, 3.9 ounces pudding mix, 1.5 cups milk, 8 oz of cream cheese – there’s a whole lot more than fits in one 9″ pie dish.. that much makes two, except I had to get another bunch or Oreos and butter for the second pie dish

    Reply