Easy, colorful graveyard Halloween Dirt Cups are a spooky upgrade on a classic kiddie party dessert. Decorated Milano cookie tombstones and creepy gummy worms might at first spook you, but once you dig in and take your first rich chocolaty spoonful, you'll realize that eating haunted "dirt" is not only delicious, it's also chillingly fun.
Whether you're heading to a Halloween party or you're simply craving a spooky treat, Halloween Dirt cups, along with Halloween Bark, are two of the easiest recipes you can make.
If you've made dirt cups before, then you already know there's just a few basic steps, which hardly take any time at all.
In this Halloween version, creamy chocolate instant pudding gets mixed with a tub of fluffy Cool Whip to make a simple mousse (the mud), which is layered in between crushed chocolate graham crackers (the dirt).
But the best part about making these graveyard dirt cups (and really any dirt cups) are the fun, creative toppings.
With Milano cookie tombstones stuffed into the graham cracker dirt on top, colorful gummy worms crawling over the edges, fun Halloween sprinkles (and of course, a yummy mellowcreme pumpkin), these haunted graveyard dessert cups are practically begging for you to dig in!
And who knows? You might even find a candy bone or two buried inside...😮
Jump to:
- 😍Why You'll Love These Graveyard Dirt Cups
- 🥘Just Fun (And Spooky) Ingredients Needed
- 🔪How To Make Halloween Dirt Cups
- 🥣Easy Substitutions
- 📖Creative Recipe Variations
- 🍽Equipment Needed
- 🍶Storing Halloween Dirt Cups
- ✅Betty's Top Tip
- ❓FAQ
- 🥄More Recipes With Pudding
- 👻What To Serve With Graveyard Dirt Cups
- 📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
- 💬 Comments
😍Why You'll Love These Graveyard Dirt Cups
| Super easy and portable- Halloween dirt cups are not only easy to make, they're easy to take! Arrange the cups in a sturdy large plastic container so they can be transported to the party! Very customizable- Make these your own by adding your favorite spooky candies on top (Peeps ghosts always make a fun addition). You can also switch out the pudding for vanilla and dye it green, orange, or purple for a chilling effect! Easy serving- With each dessert assembled in its own clear plastic cup, guests can pick up their serving, along with a plastic spoon. This means they can walk and talk while enjoying their treat (plus there's less mess and clean up for you!). |
🥘Just Fun (And Spooky) Ingredients Needed
- family size instant chocolate pudding + milk- I typically use skim
- chocolate graham crackers- I actually prefer using these over Oreos because there is less waste (what to do with all that middle cream?), plus graham crackers are easier to crumble
- Milano cookies- they are the perfect shape for tombstones, plus there are a variety of flavors to choose from (I like Raspberry 🥰)
- black decorating gel- I like Wilton's sparkle gel, found in most grocery stores
- frozen nondairy whip- thaw this in the fridge ahead of time; Cool Whip and frozen store brands are much more stabilized than other whip products and are therefore the best for this recipe
- long gummy worms, Halloween sprinkles, mellowcreme pumpkins
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪How To Make Halloween Dirt Cups
- Step 1: Make the pudding according to package directions; cover and partially set in fridge while you work on the next steps.
- Step 2: Crumble graham crackers in a food processor.
- Step 3: Decorate cookies with sparkle gel.
- Step 4: Fold defrosted whip into pudding mixture to make a mousse; then assemble cups with layers of graham cracker crumbs and mousse. Top with cookies and candy.
Hint: If you don't have a food processor, crush the graham crackers in a thick freezer bag with your hands.
🥣Easy Substitutions
- Dirt- Instead of graham crackers, you can use crushed Oreos
- Pudding- use food coloring with vanilla pudding instead to create different colored layers
- Letters on tombstones- instead of decorating gel, write the letters on with an edible marker
📖Creative Recipe Variations
- Banana ghosts- Make the dirt cups as directed, but omit the Milano tombstones. Stick half of a banana into the top and give it a "face" with 3 chocolate chips (eyes and mouth). The banana is a ghost coming out of the ground!
- Cookie zombies- Make as directed, but replace the tombstones with zombies! Buy Mint Oreos; remove the wafer from one side; place 2 candy eyeballs on the green cream and stick the cookie into the top. The zombies are crawling out of the ground!
- Extra spooky- Buy candy bones and hide them inside the dirt (try to bury them down into the center of the cup so they're a surprise)!
See Peanut Butter Spider Cookies for another quick and easy, customizable spooky treat!
Click here for more quick and easy Cool Whip Recipes!
🍽Equipment Needed
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- spouted measuring cup
- food processor
- mixing spoon
- tablespoon
- (8) 9 oz. clear cups
🍶Storing Halloween Dirt Cups
Best enjoyed within 3 days. Keep refrigerated.
This recipe isn't suitable for freezing.
✅Betty's Top Tip
Halloween Dirt Cups are best enjoyed shortly after assembled, or within a few hours. If you need to make them further ahead, wait to add the toppings closer to serving so they don't get soggy.
❓FAQ
Leftover dirt cups will last in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days if stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Keep in mind that the graham cracker "dirt" will soften the longer they sit.
Clear plastic or glass cups (typically 8 oz or 9 oz sizes) work best because they show off the fun, spooky layers of pudding and cookie crumbs.
You can use prepared vanilla pudding, thick vanilla Greek yogurt, or another stabilized non-dairy whip. Just be aware that standard canned whipped cream will deflate and melt into the pudding, so it isn't recommended.
Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos) are the classic choice. You could also use crushed chocolate wafers or even chocolate cake crumbs!
🥄More Recipes With Pudding
Looking for other layered dessert recipes like this? Try these, or head over to our Easy Desserts page:
👻What To Serve With Graveyard Dirt Cups
These are some of my other favorite kiddie treats to serve at Halloween parties with Halloween Dirt Cups:
📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
Halloween Dirt Cups
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- spouted measuring cup
- mixing spoon
- tablespoon
- 8 clear cups (9 oz)
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Ingredients
- 1 box (6 oz) family size instant chocolate pudding
- 3 cups milk
- 1 & ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs 32 squares or 4 fresh stacks
- 8 Milano cookies
- 1 tube black decorating gel
- 1 tub (8 oz) frozen nondairy whip thawed
- 16 long gummy worms
- 8 mellowcreme pumpkins
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Make the pudding according to package directions; cover and allow to partially set in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Using a food processor, crumble the graham crackers.
- Use the decorating gel to apply simple graveyard phrases (Boo, Eek, RIP) on the cookies.
- Fold the thawed whip into the partially set pudding to make the mousse.
- Arrange 8 clear plastic cups on workspace and assemble each with the following layers: 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs, 3 heaping tablespoon mousse, 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs, 3 heaping tablespoon mousse, 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs.
- Stick 1 decorated cookie in each cup. Push two worms halfway down into each. Top with 1 pumpkin and some sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
Mike Collins says
Betty, I love these Halloween dirt cups! We do something similar but we lay it out in a pyrex baking dish and make it look like a whole cemetary with the grave stones and creepy worms. Fun!
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Mike, that's a great idea for this easy Halloween dessert recipe. I like the individual cups for kids at parties because it's so easy to serve, but you're right, this is a fun recipe that's easy to enjoy in a variety of ways!