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    Home » Recipes » Halloween Recipes

    Published: Sep 15, 2022 Modified: Apr 2, 2023 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    Halloween Worms and Dirt Cups

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    promotional graphic for Halloween Worms And Dirt Cups

    If you've ever had a craving to eat dirt and worms, you're in luck because this recipe is much more socially acceptable. Halloween worms and dirt cups are made with Oreo cookies, chocolate mousse, and gummy worms for the ultimate sweet treat.

    worms and dirt dessert cups with halloween sprinkles

    One of our favorite no bake Halloween desserts is "dirt pudding," but we're taking it up a notch this year by making our own chocolate mousse instead of pudding. This makes it a little fancier and helps to make a few extra servings so that there's plenty to share!

    This is one of those treats the kids love because they're so much fun. It's like a trick and a treat in every cup. Serve them up with some Peanut Butter Jelly Spider Sandwiches and Frozen Whipped Zombie Brains for an awesome lunch!

    Why This Recipe Works

    1. Minimal ingredients. We don't need much to make this recipe, so it comes together fairly easily and quickly.
    2. It's not real dirt. I promise that we only use crushed Oreo cookies for the "dirt" and that you won't actually have to go harvest a scoop from outside.
    3. You can customize it. Add sour gummy worms and candy eyeballs or any of your favorite Halloween candies. Even tiny pumpkins would look great in these cups of dirt.
    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍽 Equipment Needed
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🧾 Substitutions
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • 🥣 Scaling
    • ⏲️Make Ahead Instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Storage
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    ingredients and stuff needed to make worms and dirt

    🥘 Ingredients

    Oreo cookies- Name brand or off brand won't matter as much as making sure that you use chocolate and cream sandwich cookies.

    Instant chocolate pudding- Make sure to use INSTANT pudding, or else you risk the dessert not setting up correctly.

    Milk- You need milk to activate the pudding mix so that it turns out well. Low fat milk or nondairy milk may be used in smaller quantities, but the mousse may not set up as well as it will with whole milk.

    Cool whip- Use cool whip (or another brand of thawed whipped topping) to make your pudding into a fluffy mousse.

    Gummy worms- We used sour gummy worms but you can use regular ones! these are what make these dessert cups feel more like "dirt."

    Halloween sprinkles- This is 100% optional, but if you have festive and fun Halloween sprinkles that you think would work well here, feel free to add them!

    For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    • 6 Clear parfait cups
    • Mixing Bowl
    • Whisk
    • Measuring Cups

    🔪 Instructions

    Check out how to make Halloween Worms and Dirt with these simple step-by-step instructions:

    oreo cookies in a food processor

    Add your oreo cookies to a food processor.

    oreo crumbs in a food processor

    Crush the oreo cookies until fine crumbs. Set aside.

    chocolate pudding mix in a bowl with milk and cookie crumbs and worms in bowls to the side

    In a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate pudding mix with milk until blended.

    chocolate pudding mix in a bowl and worms in bowls to the side

    Let rest and set for 5 minutes.

    whipped topping in a large bowl of chocolate pudding and worms in bowls to the side

    Fold in the thawed whipped topping.

    chocolate mousse in a large bowl and worms in bowls to the side

    Mix until no streaks remain.

    oreo dirt at the bottom of a glass cup

    Sprinkle a little oreo in the bottom of each parfait cup.

    chocolate mousse over cookie crumbs in a clear cup

    Top with a little of your chocolate mousse mixture.

    Add more cookie crumbs over the top of the mousse, and then repeat the layers. Do this for all 6 of your cups until layers are complete.

    Top with 2 gummy worms each. Add some festive Halloween sprinkles, if desired.

    Serve immediately or let cover and let chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

    worms and dirt assembled in cups

    🧾 Substitutions

    Oreo cookies. You can use gluten free oreo cookies to make this recipe gluten free. You could also use off-brand oreo cookies if desired. Whatever is easier!

    Pudding mix. You will need a box of prepared pudding mix, and while we like to use regular pudding, you can use sugar free pudding if you want to. Different size boxes will yield different amounts of pudding and request different amounts of milk. Just make sure to use instant pudding.

    Whipping cream. If desired, you can swap out the whipped topping for homemade whipped cream. To do this, beat 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Use in place of the whipped topping.

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    Make sure that when mixing the pudding and milk, you work to get all or almost all of the dry mix clumps broken up. These clumps will not dissolve as the pudding sits.

    🥣 Scaling

    If desired, you can scale up this recipe and make it in a 9x13 baking dish for more servings. I would recommend tripling the recipe by using 3 tubs of whipped topping, 3 boxes of prepared pudding, and a full package of oreo cookies.

    ⏲️Make Ahead Instructions

    Yes, you can whip up the chocolate pudding or the chocolate mousse in advance. You can even make the oreo cookie dirt in advance. This makes assembly faster later. Go ahead and keep cookie crumbs in a Ziploc baggie for up to a few days or keep the pudding or mousse covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Storage

    This pudding and dirt combo can be kept covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it.

    💭 FAQs

    Can I use a different flavor of Oreos for dirt?

    Yes, you can use any flavored oreo cookies! I like Java flavor or peanut butter pie but feel free to select any that you already enjoy. Keep in mind that the filling colors can affect the color of your dirt.

    What is a dirt cup made of?

    Oreo dirt cups are usually made with a chocolate pudding mixture, oreo cookies, and gummy worms. This can vary depending on the holidays, recipe creator, and desired results as there are many different ways to customize these treats.

    How to crush oreo cookies

    The easiest way to crush oreo cookies is to use a food processor as that only takes a moment to do. That said, you can also place the cookies into a sealed plastic baggie and smack a rolling pin over the top to break them up.

    a fully assmebled worms and dirt dessert in a clear cup

    More great Halloween recipes to check out soon

    • Bloody Vampire Bite Cupcakes
    • 2 Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Intestines
    • Cookie Monster Cookies
    • Halloween Mummy Dogs

    📖 Recipe

    a close up of worms and dirt in a cup
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Halloween Worms and Dirt Cups

    If you've ever had a craving to eat dirt and worms, you're in luck because this recipe is much more socially acceptable. Halloween worms and dirt cups are made with Oreo cookies, chocolate mousse, and gummy worms for the ultimate sweet treat.
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 187kcal
    Cost Recipe $5.55 / Serving $0.93
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 6 Clear parfait cups
    • Mixing Bowl
    • Whisk
    • Measuring Cups

    Ingredients

    • 20 whole Oreo cookies ($2.20)
    • 1 box (3.9 ounce) Instant chocolate pudding ($0.98)
    • 2 cups Milk ($0.38)
    • 1 tub (8 ounce) Cool whip, thawed ($0.99)
    • 12 whole Gummy worms ($1.00)
    • Halloween sprinkles *optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Crush the oreo cookies until fine crumbs. Set aside.
    • In a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate pudding mix with milk until blended. Let rest and set for 5 minutes.
    • Fold in the thawed whipped topping until no streaks remain.
    • Sprinkle a little oreo in the bottom of each parfait cup. Top with a little of your chocolate mousse mixture.
    • Add more cookie crumbs over the top of the mousse, and then repeat the layers. Do this for all 6 of your cups until layers are complete.
    • Top with 2 gummy worms each. Add some festive Halloween sprinkles too, if desired.
    • Serve immediately or let cover and let chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

    Notes

    Substitutions

    • Oreo cookies. You can use gluten free oreo cookies to make this recipe gluten free. You could also use off-brand oreo cookies if desired. Whatever is easier!
    • Pudding mix. You will need a box of prepared pudding mix, and while we like to use regular pudding, you can use sugar free pudding if you want to. Different size boxes will yield different amounts of pudding and request different amounts of milk. Just make sure to use instant pudding.

     Recipe Tips

    • Make sure that when mixing the pudding and milk, you work to get all or almost all of the dry mix clumps broken up. These clumps will not dissolve as the pudding sits.
    • If desired, you can scale up this recipe and make it in a 9x13 baking dish for more servings. I would recommend tripling the recipe by using 3 tubs of whipped topping, 3 boxes of prepared pudding, and a full package of oreo cookies.
    • You can use any flavored oreo cookies! I like Java flavor or peanut butter pie but feel free to select any that you already enjoy. Keep in mind that the filling colors can affect the color of your dirt.

    Storage

    • This pudding and dirt combo can be kept covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it.
    • You can whip up the chocolate pudding or the chocolate mousse in advance. You can even make the oreo cookie dirt in advance. This makes assembly faster later. Go ahead and keep cookie crumbs in a Ziploc baggie for up to a few days or keep the pudding or mousse covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 1mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.

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    I'm Nicole and I am the owner and recipe developer here at Beeyond Cereal. I love saving money and one of the best places to trim expenses is in the kitchen. With this site, we are serving up tasty and frugal homemade dishes that the whole family will enjoy.

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