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My no-bake Oreo Dirt Cake is always a hit, made with layers of crushed Oreos, a creamy pudding center, and a fluffy cream cheese whipped topping. Top it with gummy worms for a fun twist!
Classic Dirt Pudding Cake Recipe
We’ve been making this Oreo Dirt Cake since my kids were little—anything with Oreos is an automatic yes in our house. Over the years, we’ve perfected the recipe, and now it’s always requested at BBQs, potlucks, and has even made an appearance at a birthday party or two. It’s easy to make ahead, which makes it even better when you’re feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: You can substitute instant chocolate pudding, French vanilla pudding, white chocolate pudding, or cheesecake pudding for your pudding layer.
- Milk: For the creamiest results, use 2% milk or whole milk for this Oreo dirt cake recipe.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for creamiest results.
- Cream cheese: Soften the cream cheese to room temperature to avoid lumps in the pudding layer. Opt for full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Oreo cookies: Feel free to create your Oreo crumbs using the classic Oreo cookies, Double Stuf Oreos, or your favorite brand of chocolate sandwich cookies. You can also use gluten-free sandwich cookies.
- Vanilla extract
- Whipped topping: I like prepared whipped toppings like Cool Whip because they are more stable and keep well in the fridge. However, you can use our Homemade Whipped Cream (Stabilized Recipe) by whipping powdered sugar with heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gummy worms
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Oreo Dirt Cake
- Prepare The Pudding: In a large bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and milk until well combined.
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Combine With Whipped Cream: Mix the pudding mixture into the cream cheese mixture and then fold in the whipped cream.
- Crush The Cookies: Crush the cookies in a food processor (for fine crumbs) or in a ziplock bag with a roll pin (for both small and chunky pieces).
- Assemble: Press half of the crushed cookies into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread a layer of pudding mixture over the Oreo cookie crumbs and sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs on top.
- Serve: Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Garnish with gummy worms, slice, and serve. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Beach Sand Cups: Swap Oreos for golden Oreos and graham crackers. Top with Teddy Grahams, Swedish Fish, or mini umbrellas.
- Halloween Dirt Cups: Add candy eyeballs, skeletons, or spiders. Finish with marshmallow ghosts or candy pumpkins.
- Easter Dirt Cups: Brighten with pastel M&M’s, jelly beans, or mini eggs. Top with Peeps or chocolate bunnies.
- Graveyard Dirt Cups & Garden Cups: Create a spooky graveyard with candy tombstones, or serve in mini flower pots with artificial flowers.
Serving Suggestions for Oreo Dirt Cake
- Display Your Dirt: A glass trifle dish will make a pretty presentation for a party or potluck. Or serve it out of a bucket or flower pot, add artificial flowers and bugs on top, and serve with a small shovel.
- Make Them Mini: You can make individual dirt cake cups using clear plastic cups, like my dirt cake cups, Oreo dessert cups, and chocolate peanut butter dessert cups.
- Prepare A Pie: Dirt pie is prepared in a pie plate with and Oreo cookie crust piled high with pudding filling and finished with chocolate dirt and gummy worms.
Storage Instructions
Keep this cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour (2 hours is even better). This will give the pudding enough time to set up, and it tastes best when chilled.
Leftover cake can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I do not recommend storing dirt cake in the freezer.
Making Oreo Dirt Cake Ahead of Time
You can prepare this no-bake cake a day ahead of time. If possible, I recommend adding the crushed Oreos on top right before serving because they can get a little soft with the moisture of the cake. Reserve the gummy worms for serving too.
Love Recipe using Oreos? Try these:
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Birthday Cake Oreo Balls
- Air Fried Oreos
- Oreo Fluff
- Golden Oreo Dessert
- Oreo Dump Cake
If you tried this Oreo Dirt Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Oreo Dirt Cake
Ingredients
- 6.8 oz instant vanilla pudding
- 3 cups cold milk
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 oz package cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 19.1 oz family size Oreo cookies
- 8 oz container of thawed whipped topping
- 1 cup 1 cup gummy worms
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pudding and milk until well combined and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth.
- Mix the vanilla pudding mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until just combined.
- Crush the Oreo cookies in a food processor or in a ziplock bag with a roll pin.
- Press half of the crushed oreo cookies into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
- Carefully pour the pudding mixture on top of the oreo cookies layer and spread evenly.
- Top with the remaining crushed oreos. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
- When ready to slice and serve, top with gummy worms, enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature so they’re easy to combine.
- Oreo cookies can be crushed with a rolling pin or food processor.
- Before serving the dirt cake, make sure you chill it for at least 1 hour (2 hours is even better). You want to make sure the pudding has enough time to set up.
