Oreo Dirt Cake

This cookies and cream pudding dessert is a family favorite! Our Oreo Dirt Cake recipe is super easy and calls for layers of crushed Oreos to alternate with creamy pudding, cream cheese and Cool Whip.

Dirt Cake in a 9×13 Pan

This classic dirt cake or dirt pudding dessert is almost always brought to big family parties or potlucks because it’s always a winner that kids and adults love! Just like Chocolate Delight you expect to find at least one of these two pudding dessert recipes on the buffet table.

Oreo cookies are a family favorite dessert. Rather we mix them in Oreo Crispy Cookie Treats or make a pie crust for our Oreo Peanut Butter Pie we LOVE them! I try to keep a hidden pack somewhere when I want to make this recipe. Otherwise the Oreos are likely to disappear!

Pudding is so good on it’s own, but when it’s enhanced with powdered sugar and whipped topping and topped with Oreos vanilla pudding becomes irresistible! A similar filling mixture in our Cream Puff Cake reminds me of how amazing a pudding filling can be.

This no-bake dessert is great to make because it is easy, popular and can be decorated so many ways.  Using a basic 9×13 pan is my preference because it’s the quickest way to make this recipe. I always use a clear 9×13 pan so you can see the layers.

A 9×13 glass dish with a lid is so simple to fit in the refrigerator and easy to transport. Plastic wrap or foil are better than leaving the dish uncovered, but a firm plastic lid makes the dish stackable and it is reusable too.

Decorating Dirt Pudding

I made this recipe for a 4-H cooking contest and put a couple more layers of cookies and cream in a sand bucket, added gummy worms on top and served with a little shovel. A garden pot can be used and artificial flowers added to the top for a fun flair.

Gummy worms are often added to this dirt themed dessert. Gummy worms can be laid in the cream layer, laid on top of the Oreo “dirt” or mixed in a couple layers with only part of the gummy worm sticking out of the cookie crumbs.  

Peep bunnies are super cute at Easter. There are many more spooky options using Halloween candy to vary the theme based on the holiday.

This dessert is also beautiful served in a trifle dish or large glass bowl where multiple layers are visible from the side.

You are only limited by your imagination when thinking of fun ways to display and serve this no bake dessert dirt cake.

Variations of Dirt Cake Ingredients

As a chocolate lover the first version I tried as an adult uses chocolate pudding instead of instant vanilla pudding mix. Chocolate pudding and Oreos taste fine. Future trials confirmed the contrast between the vanilla pudding and chocolate Oreos tastes AMAZING!

I wondered if the powdered sugar and butter were necessary in an already sweet dessert, so I also tested variations of dirt cake ingredients. The butter gives more depth of flavor and the powdered sugar brings a sweet balance to the entire creamy mixture.

Since Cool Whip comes in regular 8 ounces and large 16 ounce tubs I wondered why not pick an existing container size? Cool Whip makes the dessert more light and airy and decreases the sweetness factor. So using only a small tub results in a slightly heavier pudding mixture and using a large tub makes the dessert lighter. This adjustment is the most minor flavor change that we tested.

Using whipped cream is a possibility too, but it takes a lot more effort to prepare that whipped topping. We like easy, so Cool Whip is the winner for us.

Dirt Cups

In this day and age where buffet lines at a potluck or sharing serving utensils raise more concerns, this layer dessert can easily be served in individual cups of any size.  Clear cups are best to use because you can see the layers and we eat with our eyes!  

When making dirt pudding cups I like to have an extra pack of Oreos handy so that I don’t have to worry about measuring exact proportions.  If there’s extra cream left just crush some more Oreos to make a few more cups.  

Ingredients Needed To Make Dirt Cake

• Oreos or another chocolate sandwich cookie
• Instant vanilla pudding
• Cool Whip or frozen whipped topping
• Powdered Sugar
• Milk
• Cream Cheese
• Butter

Tips For Making Dirt Pudding

• Oreo cookies can be crushed with a rolling pin or food processor. We find the machine makes the most consistent crushed cookie product.
• Start with softened cream cheese and butter or pudding mixture will likely be lumpy.
• Tastes best when chilled. Mixture will be cool after an hour in the refrigerator, but 4 hours of refrigeration is optimum.
• Flavors meld together and taste great the first 2 days, but the Oreos begin to get soggy. Dirt cake lasts for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
• Always store in the refrigerator. Recipe does not freeze well.
• Our family didn’t notice a flavor difference between vanilla and French vanilla pudding. We noticed that the regular vanilla is more cream-colored where the French vanilla is more yellowish. Both are enjoyable in this dish!

How To Make Dirt Cake 

1. Finely crush Oreos.  Using a food processor is the easiest way to make the “dirt” uniform.
2. Add softened cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth.  Then stir in powdered sugar and mix well. 
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together instant pudding and milk. Fold in whipped topping. Add spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture and mix well.
4. Layer half of crushed Oreos in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Ensure layer of Oreos is level and visible all the way around the edge.
5. Pour cream layer and gently spread out evenly without disturbing too many Oreos on the bottom.
6. Sprinkle remaining Oreo crumbs on top. Cover dish and refrigerated until chilled, about 4 hours.
7. Store in the refrigerator.

Other Easy Desserts with Pudding

• Pistachio Pudding Cake
• Banana Cream Delight
• Candy Land Dessert 
• Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Smores Dessert Cake

Printable Dirt Pudding Recipe

Originally published 7/17/20 and updated on 4/27/22.