Oreo Dirt Cake

By
Stephanie Gallagher
Stephanie Gallagher
Stephanie Gallagher is a journalist and food writer who has authored multiple cookbooks.
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Updated on 05/5/21
Oreo dirt cake recipe

​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
801 Calories
41g Fat
101g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 801
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41g 53%
Saturated Fat 26g 130%
Cholesterol 39mg 13%
Sodium 487mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 101g 37%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 64g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 208mg 16%
Iron 7mg 40%
Potassium 391mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This dirt cake recipe is a fun cooking activity to do with the kids. It is easy to make (no baking or heating required), and the kids love the idea of eating dirt (really crushed sandwich cookies, like Oreos or any other chocolate cookie). Although you can make this dirt cake in any pan, it is fun to make it in a clean flower pot. It enhances the whole effect, especially topped with gummy worms. It's a whimsical dessert for birthday parties and unusual enough for Halloween.

Ingredients

  • 1 (1-pound) package chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos

  • 2 (3.9-ounce) boxes instant chocolate pudding

  • 3 1/2 cups milk

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • 2 (8- to 10-ounce) containers whipped topping, thawed

  • 24 gummy worms

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for oreo dirt cake
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Wash a 7-inch deep by 9-inch wide flower pot with soap and warm water. Dry and line with plastic wrap. (If the flower pot has a hole at the bottom, place it on a clean dish. If you are using a regular dish, then you do not need to line it with plastic wrap.)

    Grease pot
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Place chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the cookies become coarse crumbs.

    Blend cookies
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Whisk together the chocolate pudding and milk until thick and pudding-like. Chill while making the cream cheese mixture.

    Whisk together chocolate pudding
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy.

    Beat cream cheese
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Beat in 1 container of thawed whipped topping until smooth.

    Beat
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Add the cream cheese mixture to the chocolate pudding mixture, mixing until smooth.

    Add cream cheese
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Place a layer of the cookie crumbs in the bottom of the lined flower pot.

    Place cookie crumbs in pot
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Top with a layer of the chocolate pudding mixture.

    Top with pudding
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Continue making layers of the dirt cake: the cookie crumbs, then the chocolate pudding mixture, until there is about 1 inch left at the top. (Note: Be sure to leave plenty of cookie crumbs for the top - you can't have a dirt cake without a lot of dirt!)

    Make layers
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Spread the remaining container of thawed whipped topping over the last layer of chocolate pudding.

    Spread thawed whipped cream
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Top with the remaining cookie crumbs and place a few gummy worms on the dirt cake. You could even bury them partially, making it look like they are crawling out of the dirt.

    Top with crumbs
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  13. Place a clean fake flower stem in the dirt to finish the effect.

    Place flower in
    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Tip

  • This dirt cake can be made several hours before serving. Just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready, be sure to scoop into the layers so that everyone gets a little bit of everything.