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Home » Type » Desserts » Puddings and Custards » Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups Recipe (aka Worms in Dirt Dessert) For the Kid in All of Us

Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups Recipe (aka Worms in Dirt Dessert) For the Kid in All of Us

April 1, 2022 by Faith 26 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This chocolate pudding dirt cups recipe combines layers of pudding and crushed Oreo cookies with gummy worms for a fun, delicious, and easy dirt and worms dessert.

worms in dirt

This recipe is great for April Fool’s Day or Halloween. Kids and adults both love it!

Depending on how far you want to take it, you can make these look very realistic or super gross.

dirt cups

For April Fool’s Day, you can add serve these pudding cups in food-grade small flower pots. (Or simply line regular small flower pots with plastic wrap.) Add a few edible flowers on top and you have a beautiful treat that can look fairly realistic.

Alternatively, you can go the Halloween route and make these dirt cups extra disgusting. The trick is to get gummy worms that look as life-like as possible. Amazon has very realistic gummy worm candy available – it looks disgustingly accurate!

digging into dirt cup with spoon

In This Article

  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • The Best Dirt Cups Dessert Recipe
  • Tips
  • Dirt Cups FAQs
  • More Chocolate Treats to Try
  • Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups Recipe (aka Worms in Dirt Dessert)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s quick and easy with just three ingredients. And this recipe is easy to cut in half or make a bigger batch of!
  • You can use instant pudding or make your own; either way works fine.
  • Kids love making dirt and worms too, so this is a fun project to do together.
  • Worms in dirt is surprisingly delicious!
dirt and worms pudding cups with description

The Best Dirt Cups Dessert Recipe

Ingredients

dirt cups ingredients
  • Chocolate pudding
  • Oreo cookies
  • Gummy worms

Step-by-Step Instructions for How to Make Dirt Pudding

how to make worms in dirt dessert
  1. Crush the Oreo cookies.
  2. Spoon some chocolate pudding into serving cups.
  3. And now layer in some crushed Oreos. Repeat the layering so you end up with 2 layers of pudding and 2 layers of cookie crumbles per cup (with a layer of crushed cookies on top).
  4. Decorate with gummy worm candy!

How to Store Dirt Cups

This dirt and worms dessert will stay good for up to 5 days stored covered in the fridge. Note that the cookie crumbs will get softer the longer this sits.

dirt and worms dessert

Tips

  • Crush the Oreos finely. The more you crush the cookies, the more it will resemble dirt and the more realistic this dirt pudding dessert will look.
  • To make it look more convincing, build the parfaits in food-grade flower pots. Or line regular flower pots with plastic wrap.
  • Choose your toppings wisely. You can add edible flowers to make it pretty, or make it look completely disgusting with realistic-looking candy worms like these gummy worms on Amazon.
worms and dirt dessert graphic

Dirt Cups FAQs

Can You Freeze Pudding?

I don’t recommend freezing these Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups because the texture of the crushed Oreos changes. They have a tendency to get soggy after freezing and thawing!

Can I Use Instant Pudding to Make This Dirt and Worms Recipe?

Yes! You can use any type of pudding you like. You can make it from-scratch, use a boxed pudding mix (instant works well), or keep it really simple and use pre-made store-bought pudding.

dirt and worms recipe

What Other Flavors of Pudding and Oreos Can I Use to Make Dirt Cups?

To make this look as realistic possible, chocolate pudding and regular Oreo cookies work well. The chocolate pudding simulates “mud” and the crushed regular Oreo cookies replicate “dirt”. Hello, dirt pudding!

However, if keeping this looking realistic isn’t a concern, you can use any flavor of pudding and Oreos you want.

worms in dirt dessert

More Chocolate Treats to Try

  • Black Forest Hot Chocolate
  • Brigadeiro (Fudgy Brazilian Chocolate Truffles)
  • Mexican-Spiced Triple Chocolate Muffins
easy pudding dirt cups

Let’s Connect

I love hearing from you!
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment.
You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
xoxo, Faith

worms and dirt featured image

Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups Recipe (aka Worms in Dirt Dessert)

By: Faith Gorsky
This chocolate pudding dirt cups recipe combines layers of pudding and crushed Oreo cookies with gummy worms for a fun, delicious, and easy dirt and worms dessert.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 253 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 cups prepared chocolate pudding instant or homemade
  • 20 Oreo cookies crushed
  • 16 gummy worms candy for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Put the Oreo cookies in a plastic gallon-sized zip-top bag. Crush them with a rolling pin. Alternatively, to get them very finely pulverized, you can use a food processor.
  • Spoon some chocolate pudding into the bottom of each of 8 individual-sized serving cups.
  • Layer in some crushed Oreos.
  • Repeat the layering so you end up with 2 layers of pudding and 2 layers of cookie crumbles per cup (with a layer of crushed cookies on top).
  • Decorate the tops with gummy worm candy!

Faith’s Tips

  • Instant box pudding mix works fine here. To get 4 cups of prepared pudding, you will need 2 (3.9 ounce) boxes of pudding mix and 4 cups of milk.
  • Crush the Oreos finely. The more you crush the cookies, the more it will resemble dirt and the more realistic this dessert will look.
  • To make it look more convincing, build the parfaits in food-grade flower pots. Or line regular flower pots with plastic wrap.
  • Choose your toppings wisely. You can add edible flowers to make it pretty, or make it look completely disgusting with realistic-looking candy worms like these gummy worms on Amazon.
  • Storage: This dirt and worms dessert will stay good for up to 5 days stored covered in the fridge. Note that the cookie crumbs will get softer the longer this sits. If you want to make it in advance, for the best texture I recommend holding off on adding the gummy worm candy until right before serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Pudding Dirt Cups Recipe (aka Worms in Dirt Dessert)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 253 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 303mg13%
Potassium 100mg3%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 30g33%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 1IU0%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Dirt and Worms, Dirt and Worms Dessert, Dirt and Worms Recipe, Dirt Cups, Dirt Pudding, Pudding Dirt Cups, Worms in Dirt, Worms in Dirt Dessert
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
chocolate dirt cups pin

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on April 1, 2010. I updated it with more information on April 1, 2022.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Puddings and Custards Tagged: Dirt and Worms, Dirt and Worms Dessert, Dirt and Worms Recipe, Dirt Cups, Dirt Cups Recipe, Dirt Pudding, Pudding Dirt Cups, Worms in Dirt, Worms in Dirt Dessert

Comments

  1. Reeni says

    April 4, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    Your worms and dirt look so yummy! This would of been a great treat to make for my nephews who were visiting! I will have to keep it in mind for next time.

    Reply
  2. Barbara says

    April 4, 2010 at 4:08 am

    I love it! Made these a while back and the kids screamed with laughter and then gobbled it all up!

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    April 3, 2010 at 6:49 am

    This looks fantastic! This will be a must-try!!! =)

    Reply
  4. Andrea @ CanYouStayForDinner.com says

    April 3, 2010 at 5:23 am

    Ah such a delicious summery dessert. I love this! Such a cool, creamy treat. And it’s just so adorable to look at too! I find things like this- trifles and such- to be such a great thing to bring to a party because it’s always a hit- love the worms too!

    Reply
  5. tasteofbeirut says

    April 2, 2010 at 8:47 am

    I had this once and thought it was the most fun dessert ever! I forgot all about it until today! Great idea for Easter!

    Reply
  6. Dawn (HealthySDLiving) says

    April 2, 2010 at 10:00 am

    OMG hahahaha I LOVE this! Used to be my absolute favorite dessert as a kid…so fun!

    Reply
  7. Erica says

    April 2, 2010 at 5:56 am

    That looks so delicious…..I would love to be a worm to and be inside that cup :) Fantastic.

    Reply
  8. Blond Duck says

    April 2, 2010 at 4:01 am

    How cute!

    Reply
  9. coco says

    April 2, 2010 at 4:02 am

    wooo… this looks dirty, but awesome! I can imagine the mix of texture and intense chocolate! love it~

    Reply
  10. Joanne says

    April 2, 2010 at 4:02 am

    This was my absolute FAVORITE dessert as a kid. Whenever anyone’s mom brought this into the class for a birthday…I absolutely died and went to heaven. Thanks for bringing back some really good memories! And sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  11. Jessie says

    April 2, 2010 at 3:13 am

    I used to make this in school when I was little! Only without the whipped cream – that was too complicated for a young ‘un :) I used to eat a ton of those gummi worms. Wow, this recipe really brings me back. Yum!

    Can’t wait to see the Easter recipes!

    Reply
  12. Veronica M. says

    April 1, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    I think this is cute. Have you heard of the kitty litter cake? That’s the one I want to try! You crumble up a cake in a new & clean kitty litter box and melt tootsie rolls so you can bend and stretch them to look like kitty poop and you put them on top of the cake! People like to do it for Haloween but it would be good for April Fools too!

    Reply
  13. [email protected] says

    April 1, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    Ok, not very pretty but I bet it tastes great. When we were kids I used to put string in pancakes and thought it was HI-larious. Boy, your worms and dirt is a lot nicer way to get a chuckle on April fools.

    Reply
  14. Lucy says

    April 1, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Worms in dirt looks absolutely gorgeous! Brilliant April Fool’s and marvellously tasty :)

    Reply
  15. Mimi says

    April 1, 2010 at 1:39 pm

    I use to make worms in dirt when my kids were small. In fact I’m sure they would still want to eat it.
    Mimi

    Reply
  16. Jen says

    April 1, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    I haven’t had worms in dirt since I can’t even remember. Adorable and scrumptious! Perfect April Fools’ Day fare!

    Reply
  17. lynn says

    April 1, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    Very cute :) I really need to make this some time. Happy April Fool’s Day to you.

    Reply
  18. grace says

    April 1, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    ah, definitely a fun one. i certainly wouldn’t mind being fooled if this were at the end of it. :)

    Reply
  19. Nicole, RD says

    April 1, 2010 at 10:49 am

    *worms in dirt – sorry!

    Reply
  20. Nicole, RD says

    April 1, 2010 at 10:49 am

    I think more delicious without the worms! YUM! My brother always used to request works in dirt for his birthday dessert. He was never for the traditional cake ;) I love this recipe, it sounds divine with the heavy whipping cream whipped to peaks….yummmm!

    Reply
  21. sophia says

    April 1, 2010 at 10:35 am

    This is one Fear Factor dish I would happily chow down! I like it :-)

    Reply
  22. [email protected] says

    April 1, 2010 at 9:59 am

    yum! i want worms in dirt-how delicious :)

    Reply
  23. Krista says

    April 1, 2010 at 7:41 am

    My kids LOVE worms in dirt!

    Reply
  24. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

    April 1, 2010 at 4:58 am

    LOL you are so funny! I love it and it’s the perfect Halloween dessert! :D

    Reply
  25. kim says

    April 1, 2010 at 5:59 am

    YUCK! That’s so gross! But I’d happily eat this pile of ‘dirt’ :) Could be a wonderful Halloween treat as well!

    Reply
  26. sugar plum says

    April 1, 2010 at 5:44 am

    Ha ha ha…..so cut……e …nottttttttttt…i’ll take ’em w/o the worms and they sure do look delicious……

    Reply

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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