Halloween Dirt Pudding Cups

Halloween dirt pudding cups is a no-bake dessert that’s decorated to look like a graveyard. The easy recipe starts with instant chocolate pudding mix, Oreo dirt, and brownies layered in individual cups. Add fun graveyard pudding cups to your next Halloween party for adults and kids alike.

small jars of Halloween theme graveyard pudding cups on silver tray on black table.

Here’s a Halloween dessert that I know you’re going to love, and it’s a great idea for a graveyard theme party, a Halloween dinner party, a pumpkin carving party, or any spooky theme!

Halloween graveyard dirt cups have creamy chocolate pudding, Oreo cookies, Milano cookies and fun candies all coming together for festive mini desserts similar to a pudding trifle.

Halloween graveyard dessert cups on black table with flowers in background.

Why You’ll Love It

When it comes to fun desserts it doesn’t get much better than these. Serve it on a Halloween candy & treats table for kids or a dessert table for adults.

  • It’s easy to make and you can get creative with toppings.
  • You make it ahead so party prep is stress free.
  • The ingredients are simple but delicious.
  • It’s a fantastic no-bake dessert.
  • It’s as fun for adults as it is for kids.
ingredients for pudding dirt cups with brownies, chocolate pudding and cookie crumbs.
Halloween dirt cups candy decorations on marble table, with candy pumpkins, gummy worms, skeletons and tombstone cookies.

Ingredients

This is a great recipe made without cool whip or cream cheese.

  • Instant pudding mix. Use 2 boxes of chocolate pudding. If you want to change up the flavor you could use chocolate fudge, cookies n’ creme, butterscotch or vanilla pudding. There are also pudding mixes with sugar-free options available if that’s a concern.
  • Milk. You’ll need milk to make the pudding and you can use low fat or whole milk. Make sure it’s good and cold.
  • Oreos. Oreo cookies are standard but you could use other brands of chocolate sandwich cookies. There are even low or sugar free brands.
  • Brownies. Add an extra layer to these dessert cups with small chunks of brownies. Save yourself the time and trouble and just buy a package of brownie bites in the baking section of the grocery store.

How to Make Graveyard Pudding Cups

chocolate pudding in small cup, overhead view.
Oreo crumbs in small cup, overhead view.

It’s simple to double or triple the recipe for a crowd. You can make large graveyard dirt cakes inside a ceramic baking dish.

  • Use a large mixing bowl to make the pudding mixture according to package directions. Refrigerate pudding so it can set.
  • Place brownie pieces in the bottom of each cup then add chocolate pudding layers using a spoon or piping bag, leaving enough room at the top of the cups for Oreo crumbs and candies.
  • Another fun idea is to add some of the toppings like worms or skeleton bones while your building the layers inside. Make sure they show through if you’re using clear cups. If not, it will be a sweet surprise inside!
  • On top of the dessert, add the candies and treats from the list below. Push the tombstone cookies into the pudding so they stand upright.

PARTY TIP: Make a large Halloween dirt cake similar to my Easter dirt cake. They’re as much fun to make as they are to eat.

crushed Oreo cookie crumbs in food processor, overhead view.

How to Make the Dirt

Use Oreos or other chocolate cookies to make the dirt on top of the pudding. The easiest way to crush them is to use a food processor or blender to get fine crumbs.

If you don’t have those you can add the cookies to a large Ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or mallet to break them up until they are fine crumbs.

The cool thing is that the mix of white cream filling and black cookies creates a variation in color, similar to what you might find in nature.

PARTY TIP: Use light brown sandwich cookies for a “sand” look and make a version for a beach theme party.

small jars of Halloween graveyard dirt cups on silver tray on black table.

What to Put on Top of the Dirt Cup

Decorating the Halloween dirt cakes may be the best part! Top the dirt layer with any combination of these fun treats.

  • Gummy worms. Worms and dirt go hand in hand! Add gummy worms to the tops of the pudding cups; there are a variety of colors and flavors to choose from.
  • Candy pumpkins. Add several of them to make pumpkin patch dirt cups. Use mint leaves as the vines.
  • Candy skeletons. You can find hard candy skeleton bones this time of year in most stores where Halloween candy is sold. But you can also make your own white chocolate skeleton bones by melting white chocolate pieces, adding it into molds, and let it cool to set up.
  • Milano cookies. These work well because they’re smooth and easy to right on using the decorator icing. Change it up with Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cookies.
  • Candy mushrooms. These go by the name Chocorooms and I’ve found them at Walmart grocery stores, World Market, and Five Below shops. They are delicious with a cookie stem and chocolate top.
  • Mint leaves. You may or may not want to eat the fresh mint but they offer a very cute portrayal of pumpkin vines. Stick a stem or two into the dirt along with candy pumpkins.
  • Halloween Peeps. Make ghosts in the graveyard with Peeps Halloween ghost marshmallows.

PARTY TIP: A fun idea for Halloween parties for kids is to prepare the pudding cups up to the point of adding the Oreo crumb layer. Set out all the toppings and let the kids put on the dirt using a spoon, and decorate their own graveyard in fun ways.

decorator icing package with Milano cookies with RIP written.

Tombstone Cookies

It’s easy to make the cookie tombstones for the top of the dirt cups. You just start with Milano cookies. They’re light in color and smooth in texture, so they’re easy to write on.

The quickest and easiest way to write on the cookies is to use a package of chocolate cookie icing with a writing tip built in.

Alternatively, you can melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, heating in 30-second increments and stirring each time. When melted, add it to a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag, snip off a tiny hole at the end, and write “RIP” on each cookie.

PRO TIP: Create these with homemade pudding and skip the bottom layer of brownie chunks as an alternative tasty dessert.

layered pudding dirt cups for Halloween.

Storing

Keep the Oreo dirt cups in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve, but add the graveyard decorations just before serving. The gummies and other candies tend to get hard and dry if stored in the refrigerator too long.

The dirt crumbs will soften as they’re stored in the fridge, too. Keep that in mind, if you want to keep the crunch factor you’ll have to add the crumbs when ready to serve.

PARTY TIP: Use a tray to hold all the pudding cups so you can get them in and out of the fridge, easily. Cover the whole tray with a large piece of plastic wrap.

Halloween pudding dirt cups on black table with flowers in background.

Serving Suggestions

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  • Use clear mini glasses that hold 4 to 6 ounces, so you can see the layers from the outside.
  • You can also use small clear plastic cups or 4-ounce mason jars. I use these for serving everything from baked beans to lava cakes in a jar.
  • I love using tiny terracotta flower pots to serve individual portions of dirt desserts in. Make sure they’re clean, and cover the hole in the bottom with a small piece of parchment or aluminum foil.
  • The key to the containers you use, is that the top opening needs to be large enough so you can add the fun graveyard candy decorations on top of the dessert with ease.
  • Serve with these with mini shovel spoons. Aren’t they the cutest!

More Halloween Recipes

Here are even more Halloween themed food ideas to add to your gatherings.

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recipe for Halloween dirt cups with layers showing through glass jars, topped with tombstone cookies and graveyard candy decorations.

Halloween Dirt Pudding Cups Recipe

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Fun Halloween dirt cups made with instant chocolate pudding, Oreo crumbs, brownie bites and candy decorations to make them look like graveyards. An easy recipe for parties for adults and kids.

Ingredients

  • 2 boxes (1.4-ounce each) instant chocolate pudding (4 servings each)
  • 4 cups cold milk
  • 1 package Oreos chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
  • 1 package brownie bites from bakery section
  • 1 package Milano sandwich cookies
  • 1 tube black or brown decorator gel or chocolate writing icing
  • Variety of graveyard themed candies: gummy worms, candy pumpkins, candy skeletons, fresh mint leaves

Instructions

    1. Whisk together milk and instant pudding for 2 minutes, until pudding is completely dissolved. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the pudding can set.
    2. Place a single layer of brownie pieces in the bottom of each cup.
    3. Divide pudding mixture among 8 serving cups, and top with a layer of cookie crumbs.
    4. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to decorate and serve.
    5. Before serving, decorate the dirt cups with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, candy skeletons, and cookie tombstones.
      

Notes

Double or triple the ingredients for a crowd and add the layers in a large baking dish for a full size graveyard cake.

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