Dirt Cake Recipe

This deliciously addicting Oreo dirt cake recipe preps in minutes for a cool, creamy, family-favorite treat. It’s perfect for Oreo lovers!

Our family makes this Dirt Cake recipe year-round, but especially in the summer because it’s a cool and refreshing no-bake dessert. If you like this, you’ll definitely love Oreo No Bake Cheesecake, or Oreo Ice Cream Cake, which are also summer favorites!

Long time family favorite

I know I’ve shared this before, but I love Oreos. I’m not a fan of eating them by themselves, but they are probably my favorite ingredient to add to dessert recipes. They make everything so yummy!!

They also make today’s recipe a family favorite that we’ve made ever since we were kids; it’s called dirt cake.

I’m not sure where we found the original recipe, but it’s one we’ve been making for potlucks and family get-togethers and one we still make for holidays and special occasions.

Yes, this is called dirt cake, but for some reason when we first got the recipe it was called Kansas City dirt cake. I was told that’s because Kansas City is made up of a lot of dirt – but no matter the reason, this dirt cake recipe is amazing!

How to Make Dirt Cake

From start to finish, this dirt cake recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make. It needs to set up in the fridge for a few hours, but it takes little work and the result is amazing!

OREO. Crush all the Oreos in a large resealable plastic bag or in the food processor until they are crumbs. Press two-thirds of the crushed cookies into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Reserve the remaining cookie crumbs.

CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar. Fold in whipped topping until well combined and set aside.

PUDDING MIXTURE. In a separate bowl, mix pudding, milk, and vanilla. Let sit until thickened.

COMBINE. Fold this mixture into the cream cheese mixture.

LAYER + CHILL. Carefully pour the pudding/cream cheese mixture over the crumb crust in the pan. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed Oreos. Refrigerate for 3–4 hours before serving.

How to make it look more like dirt

Whether using this easy dirt cake recipe as written or replacing the white chocolate instant pudding mix with classic chocolate pudding, make this look and feel a little more like dirt:

• add some candy bugs and gummy worms
• serve it out of a bucket or flower pot
• divide the dirt cake mixture into plastic cups, place the plastic cups in mini terra cotta flower pots, and stick a mini shovel in each one to use as a spoon

recipe tips

Crushing Oreos. Crush the entire cookie – do not remove the filling. Crush Oreo cookies in a blender or food processor for super fine crumbs. Crush in a Ziploc bag for both small and chunky pieces (we prefer it this way).

Pudding flavors. The recipe calls for white chocolate pudding or instant vanilla pudding mix, but I’ve also used cream cheese pudding and instant chocolate pudding and gotten good results. If you’re feeling adventurous, try using a different flavor.

Soupy dirt cake. This dessert should be able to hold its shape and have a fluffy creamy texture. If it turned out runny there are a few things to check and try:

• Make sure to use INSTANT pudding. Whisk the pudding and milk until it takes on a creamy pudding consistency. To be extra cautious, refrigerate it for 5-10 minutes before combining it with the other ingredients.
• Use chilled metal bowls to mix and fold the ingredients in.
• Use whole milk for the creamiest texture.
• FOLD do not mix: Fold gently when adding the Cool Whip to the cream cheese mix and then again when adding the pudding.
• Use softened butter and cream cheese, but not too soft and definitely not melted.
• Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

storing info

Make ahead of time. We almost always make this Oreo dirt cake recipe ahead of time. We typically make this the morning of, but it can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Place the crushed Oreos on top right before serving – those can get a little soft with the moisture of the cake.

STORE. Cover tightly with Saran Wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. We love to have this cake for leftovers, but admit we rarely have them. It’s just so good!

FREEZE. I do not recommend freezing this ahead of time to serve on another day, it will not thaw well. However, leftovers can be divided and frozen to eat more like ice cream. 

More dirt cake recipes

This recipe happens to be one of our favorites to change up for seasons and holidays.

In fact, with so many OREO varieties, it’s easy to change up with your favorite cookie variations – the Peppermint Oreo is great for Christmas!

We now have an Easter Dirt Cake and Graveyard Dirt Cake – perfect for Halloween. We also like to make Parfait versions of this recipe to make fancy single-servings for parties as well as the classic Dirt Cake with Worms.

Recipe FAQ

For more Oreo desserts:

• Oreo Ice Cream Cake
• Oreo Peanut Butter Delight
• Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
• Oreo Pudding Pie
• Oreo Snickers Pie