The Best Dirt Pudding Recipe- A Favorite Dessert for Kids

My kids, like most children, love desserts! Today I’m sharing one of their favorites, Dirt Pudding!

Spring is almost here and our family could not be more excited! After being cooped up indoors for months, the temperature is finally rising and we’ll be able to spend more of our time outdoors.

One of our favorite activities to do together is head outside for a picnic. Sometimes we head to a local park and have a picnic there, other times we’ll just have a cookout at our own house (or the home of friends or family).

Dirt Pudding Recipe

No matter where we decide to eat, the kids are always thrilled when we whip up Dirt Pudding. This dessert is quick, easy to fix, and no-bake! It’s perfect even for the youngest bakers. Even my 21-month-old son was able to help with portions of this recipe, much to his delight. 

Ingredients

• 1 container of frozen whipped topping (8 ounces) thawed
• 1 package of instant chocolate pudding (5.9 oz box)
• 1 Package of chocolate sandwich cookies (14.3 oz)
• 5.5 ounces of Caramel Sauce (for this recipe I used Tastefully Simple Creamy Caramel Sauce)
• 1 Package of gummy worms and/or other gummy insects (8 oz)
• 2 Cups of Milk (I use whole milk)

Directions

1. Start by pulling the chocolate sandwich cookies apart and scrapping the cream out of the middle. I let the kids do this job and they had so much fun.
2. Place the cookies in a zippered storage bag and crush with a rolling pin. It’s nice to have a good mix of sizes, but I try to not have any size bigger than about the size of a quarter.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and milk for about 2 minutes or until completely mixed together.
4. Whisk in thawed whipped topping.
5. In a 13×9 cake pan, spread the pudding mixture across the bottom.
6. Drizzle caramel sauce across the pudding and then spread it out evenly.
7. Spread 3/4 of the crushed cookies over caramel.
8. Spread gummy worms and/or insects over the cookie crumbs.
9. Spread the remainder of the cookie crumbs over the gummy insects.
10. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve.

Your kids will love this delicious no-bake recipe. The adults will too! 

The Best Dirt Pudding Recipe

A fun, delicious no-bake recipes that kids will love, Dirt Pudding is quick and easy to fix and always a crowd pleaser!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Dessert, dirt, gummy, kids, no-bake, pudding

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 76kcal

Ingredients

• 1 container of frozen whipped topping 8 ounces thawed
• 1 package of instant chocolate pudding 5.9 oz box
• 1 Package of chocolate sandwich cookies 14.3 oz
• 5.5 ounces Caramel Sauce
• 1 Package of gummy worms and/or other gummy insects 8 oz
• 2 Cups of Milk I use whole milk

Instructions

• Start by pulling the chocolate sandwich cookies apart and scrapping the cream out of the middle. I let the kids do this job and they had so much fun. I find that using the flat end of a butter knife makes it easy to scrape the cream off of the cookies.
• Place the cookies in a zippered storage bag and crush with a rolling pin. Alternately, you can also put the cookies into a food processor and tap it a few times until you have lots of crumbs.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding mix and milk for about 2 minutes or until completely mixed together.
• Whisk in thawed whipped topping. Don’t over mix. I mix just enough to have everything blended together and no white remaining.
• In an ungreased 13×9 cake pan, spread the pudding mixture across the bottom. 
• Drizzle Creamy Caramel Sauce across the pudding (you may need to microwave it first so it spreads more easily). Don't worry if you have a few big chunks drop as you are spreading it. After you have drizzled half of the container over the pudding, use a spatula to spread it evenly across the top of the pudding mixture.
• Spread 3/4 of the crushed cookies over caramel. 
• Spread gummy worms and/or insects over the cookie crumbs. This is always my kids’ favorite part so I let them do it.
• Spread the remainder of the cookie crumbs over the gummy insects. This helps to give the illusion of the bugs coming out of the ground.
• Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve.

Notes

Some Fun Additions

If you’d like to add some variety to your Dirt Pudding, consider the following:

• Raisins or Craisins for additional bugs.
• Candy rocks
• Candy grass
• Gummy frogs, gummy spiders, or gummy snakes

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Can You Add Cream Cheese?

Some people want to know about adding cream cheese to this recipe. You absolutely can add 8 ounces of thawed cream cheese. I find that adding the cream cheese lightens the brown color, so I tend to omit that. However, if you’d like this recipe to have a slightly less sweet taste, adding in the cream cheese is a good addition. Just keep in mind that your dirt will be lighter colored.

Where Do You Find Gummy Insects?

Most of us can find worms at the grocery store, but finding other insects isn’t always easy. Annie’s makes fruit snacks that are “Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies”. I’ve also found insect gummies at some specialty markets in our area.

Don’t worry though, if you can’t find a variety of gummy insects, kids love it with just gummy worms too!

Serving More People?

You can double the milk, pudding, and frozen whipped topping for this recipe to make the “wet” mud portion thicker and therefore serve more people. This is what I do if I’m taking the dish to a pot-luck. It should still fit in a 13×9 baking dish and you won’t need to add extra cookies or gummies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 97mg | Sugar: 4g