This easy Dirt Cake recipe is made with a homemade chocolate pudding base and topped with crushed cookies for a dirt-like effect. It’s the perfect no-bake, kid-friendly dessert for any occasion and comes together in 30 minutes!
Want more no-bake dessert recipes? Try my No Bake Mint Chocolate Cheesecake, No Bake Mint Chocolate Bars, and No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake!
Table of Contents
Though it may look like a bucket of dirt, this Dirt Cake is way more tasty!
Most classic Dirt Cake recipes use instant chocolate pudding mix and Cool Whip, but we do things our own way here, so I choose to make my pudding from scratch.
This recipe starts with a fluffy chocolate base made with cocoa, sugar, eggs, and milk and mixed with homemade whipped cream.
Then it’s topped with crushed Oreo cookie crumbs for that “dirt” effect. I also added gummy worms for a kid-friendly spin, but you can leave them off if you like!
Why we love this Dirt Cake dessert:
- Crowd-pleaser: Most everyone will enjoy this pudding-like dessert, so it’s perfect for birthday parties, potlucks, or any special occasion where you need an easy dessert.
- Make-ahead friendly: With a chill time of 2 hours, this recipe is the perfect make-ahead dessert.
- Kid-friendly: Kids will love the edible garden effect with the gummy worms on top!
Chocolate Dirt Cake recipe ingredients:
- Granulated sugar: sweetens our pudding
- Cornstarch: this helps thicken the pudding.
- Cocoa powder: this gives the cake a rich chocolate flavor! Use 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.
- Milk: adds creaminess to the pudding. Any kind of milk works, as we’re just using it for the pudding. You could even use dairy-free if you want!
- Eggs: help the pudding to set.
- Chopped chocolate (your choice): Use any kind of chocolate you like for this recipe. You can use milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor or dark chocolate for a less sweet option!
- Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: we’re making a homemade whipped cream that is mixed in with the pudding to create a fluffy texture. You can use whipped topping if you prefer.
- Oreo cookies: crushed into fine crumbs and sprinkled on top of the cake! You can crush them using a food processor or place the Oreos in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Gummy worms: these are just for fun, but make the dirt cake a little more realistic!
How to make this Oreo Dirt Cake:
Making this Dirt Cake is a breeze! Check out the recipe card below for the full list of recipe instructions.
- Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa powder in a skillet. Add milk and eggs, and whisk until smooth.
- Heat over medium, stirring until thickened.
- Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla.
- Pour pudding into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled to room temperature.
- Top with crushed Oreos.
Recipe Tip
I recommend at least 2 hours of chill time for this dessert, but you can let it set overnight! Just keep in mind the crumbs will have a softer texture.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use different flavors: Use different flavors of Oreos or pudding flavors to get a unique result. You could use French vanilla pudding, regular vanilla pudding, banana pudding, or any other flavor you like. Vanilla, mint, or peanut butter Oreos would be delicious, too!
- Use a different topping. Ditch the gummy worms and add edible flowers to make a garden.
- In a hurry? You can use instant pudding mix and cool whip if you like, but I love making things from scratch, so I chose to make everything myself!
How to store Dirt Cake:
Whether you use serving dishes or one large dish, cover it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Can I make one large cake with this recipe?
Yes! You can add the cake to a trifle dish, clear serving bowl, or even a 9×13 inch baking dish and add the pudding.
For a layered effect, you can add the Oreo layer, then a pudding layer, then the whipped cream layer. Repeat those layers until each mixture runs out. Then, you can top it with a layer of Oreo crumbs for one large Dirt Cake!
More chocolate recipes for any occasion:
- Mom’s Double Chocolate Cookies — we’re never without a stash of these!
- The Best Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe + VIDEO
- Double Chocolate Monkey Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie — this one never lasts long!
Dirt Cake (with homemade pudding)
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2½ cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup chopped chocolate (your favorite kind) about 125 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1½ packages Oreo cookies (405 grams — about 36 cookies) crushed
- 12 gummy worms
Instructions
- In a large skillet, whisk together the sugar, corn starch and cocoa powder.
- Add the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth.
- Place on the stove over medium heat, cooking and stirring until thickened (this can take 10-12 minutes).
- Remove from heat and strain if desired (this just removes any clumps of eggs or cocoa). Stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla until chocolate is melted.
- Pour into a shallow dish and press a piece of plastic wrap to the top. Refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 2 hours (you can speed this up in the freezer if you need, just don't freeze it!).
- Whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, then add to the cooled pudding and beat on low to combine.
- Spoon pudding into desired serving dish or dishes, and divide crushed Oreos evenly among them. Top with gummy worms.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Alfie says
Delish!