There’s just something about Halloween that makes me want to make all of the fun treats! And these Halloween dirt cups are so much fun, not to mention so cute! I shared a Halloween dirt cake earlier this week and thought it’d be fun to do an individual serving version too! While these Halloween graveyard dirt cups aren’t a cake (they’re more like a classic dirt and worms dessert) like the graveyard cake, they are individual cups that look like little mini graveyards full of dirt and creepy crawlers! You can either make them all yourself or let kids help you decorate the top – I did the latter, and the kids loved being able to make their very own graveyards! I did it at home with my boys, but you could also do this as an edible craft at Halloween parties or classroom parties!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy dessert – this is one of the easiest no bake Halloween desserts I’ve ever made. It’s literally just making layers of pudding, adding Oreo layers, and decorating with candy! Cute dessert – these fun Halloween dirt cups make a great addition to a Halloween party table with their bright colors and festive toppings! Fun recipe – not are are these easy to make, they’re actually a fun dessert to make too! There’s just something satisfying (and fun) about adding a thick layer of pudding to each cup, then Oreos, and then topping with tombstone cookies. I may be weird, but I really think it’s fun. And my kids did too!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Cool Whip – you can use either Cool Whip or stabilized whipped cream if Cool Whip isn’t your thing. Just make sure it isn’t frozen! Oreo cookies – you’ll want to use either whole Oreo cookies or generic chocolate sandwich cookies work as well if you can’t for some reason find Oreos. Keep them whole, no need to scrape out the inside cream filling. Pudding mix – I like these Halloween dirt pudding cups best with chocolate pudding but if you don’t want chocolate for some reason, you can also use vanilla, cheesecake, or even white chocolate pudding mix in the same measurements instead. Oh and make sure to use instant pudding mix so you can make these quickly. No one wants to be waiting on pudding to set! Milk – I always prefer using whole milk for recipes like these where you want the pudding to be nice and thick! While you can use milk with less fat content, my favorite way is to use whole milk that’s thick and creamy! If you don’t have milk, your next best option is heavy cream, but honestly that may just be a little too thick anyone’s liking! Halloween candy – I put candy but really you could use anything for the graveyard decorations. We used Milano cookies on our graveyard dirt cake. I’ve seen Nutter Butter cookies used as tombstone or even just little ghost peeps or candy bones! The possibilities are pretty endless!
How to Make Halloween Dirt Cups
These dirt cups are simple to make in just three easy steps – making the pudding, making the Oreo dirt, layering the cups, and decorating them! Just make sure to read through the steps below and the recipe card carefully for any tips and tricks I have for perfect layers!
1 – Make the pudding
First, add the two packages of pudding and milk into a large bowl and mix until it becomes thick and smooth. You can either mix it by hand or mix with an electric mixer, either one works great! Just keep mixing until it’s thick, typically about 2-3 minutes. Then put in the fridge to allow it to chill for a few minutes. In a medium bowl combine the Cool Whip and one cup of the chocolate pudding you just made. Mix those together for about two minutes until well combined. Cool the pudding and whipped topping while you make the Oreo dirt.
2 – Make the Dirt
Put Oreos into a food processor and pulse until they become medium fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the Oreos in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them! If you want to go this route, I recommend double bagging the Oreos before rolling them out so if you poke a hole in the bag by accident, you don’t end up with Oreo crumbs everywhere. Trust me, they’re not fun to clean up!
3 – Layer the Cups
I like to setup a little assembly line for layering my cups but if you’d rather do one at a time or if people are doing these individually, you can just have everyone do their own layers instead. But if you want to do assembly line like I do, put out all eight of your cups in a line, then do the following for each of the cups!
4 – Decorate the Cups
Finish off your dessert cups by adding gummy worms, candy eyeballs, Halloween candy, and anything else you want to make your mini graveyard dirt cups. You could even use a little melted chocolate in a ziptop bag to add sayings to cookies for tombstones!
4 – Chill and Serve
While technically you can eat these right away (and my kids did), they’re even better if you chill for 30 minutes before serving. It lets all of the flavors really mingle together and lets the pudding set just a little better. But if you can’t wait to enjoy your very own cup of dirt, have at it! Spooky treats like these are made to be enjoyed!
Expert Tips & Storage Info
Use a spoon to carefully place the layers of pudding and pudding mixture into the Oreo dirt cups. This will give you the cleanest outside to see all of those yummy layers. If you do get pudding on the exterior of the cup, you can either leave it (no big deal) or clean it off carefully with a wet paper towel. Pat the cup on the counter after you add in each layer to help it settle into one even layer. This especially helps for the pudding layers! Place the finished Halloween dirt pudding cups in a muffin tin if you need to travel to your next Halloween party! These graveyard pudding cups are one of the easiest Halloween recipes to make for a group and to travel with! Store leftover cups in the refrigerator for up to three days before throwing away, if they last that long! They are best eaten the day of because the worms and Oreos can get a little soggy but I haven’t met a kid who ever complained about a soggy gummy worm! Make smaller cups by halving the layers! This recipe is written for larger cups, but you can easily make smaller versions as well! And honestly, I have measurements because this is a food blog, but you could always just eyeball the layers as well!
More Fun Halloween Treats
If you like this dirt pudding recipe, make sure to check out these other sweet treat options!
Halloween bark recipe – next time you’re craving a sweet treat, make this Halloween bark in minutes for satisfy that sweet tooth! Halloween pretzels – the cutest Frankenstein pretzels that make a great sweet and salty snack! Cauldron cupcakes – if you need a great idea for a witch themed dessert, these are some of my favorites! Peanut butter spider cookies – the best peanut butter cookies topped with a peanut butter cup spider! Ghost brownies – the perfect treat if you have just a few minutes but still want something cute!
