Oreo Dirt Cake has layers of white chocolate pudding, cream cheese, whipped cream, Crushed Oreos, and more. This delicious and addicting dessert is cool, creamy, and 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 dessert. If you like this, you’ll definitely love Oreo No Bake Cheesecake, or Oreo Ice Cream Cake, also some 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 I was little – it’s called Kansas City Dirt Cake.
I’m not sure where we found the original recipe, but it’s one we’ve been making for family get togethers for as long as I can remember, and it’s one we still make all the time 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 cake is amazing. Everyone loves it!
How to Make Dirt Cake
From start to finish, this cake only takes about 15 minutes to make. It does need to set up in the fridge for a few hours, but it takes little work and the result is amazing.
PUDDING. Begin by making your creamy, pudding mixture. To make this, cream your cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar with a hand mixer and fold in whipped topping. Set this aside.
In another bowl, make pudding by mixing milk, pudding mix and vanilla. Let this set up for a few minutes and then pour into the cream cheese mixture. Use your hand mixer to mix well. Set aside.
OREOS. Then, crush all the Oreos by putting them in a food processor or Ziploc bag and crushing with hands, rolling pin, or the bottom of a cup. Pour about 2/3 of the Oreos into the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
LAYER. Pour the cream cheese/pudding mixture over the Oreos. Then top with remaining crushed Oreos.
CHILL. Place in fridge and let set for a few hours before serving.
Tips for crushing Oreos: Crush the entire cookie—do not remove the filling. You can crush your oreos in a blender or food processor if you want them to be super fine. Crushing the Oreos in a ziploc bag will give you both small and chunky pieces (we prefer it this way!).
Can I use different pudding flavors? Yes! The recipe calls for white chocolate pudding or vanilla, but I’ve also used cream cheese pudding and chocolate pudding and gotten good results. If you’re feeling adventurous you can try using a different flavor.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Can Dirt Cake be made ahead of time? We almost always make this dessert ahead of time. We typically make this the morning of, but you can also make this up to 24 hours in advance. If possible, we recommend placing the crushed Oreos on top right before serving because those can get a little soft with the moisture of the cake.
How to store dirt cake? Dirt Cake is best stored when covered tightly with Saran Wrap or foil and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days. We love to have this cake for leftovers, but admit we rarely have them. It’s just so good!
Why did my dirt cake come out soupy? This dessert should be able to hold its shape and have a fluffy creamy texture. If yours turned out soupy there are few things to check and try:
- You must make sure you bought INSTANT pudding mix the pudding and milk until it takes on a creamy pudding consistency. Refrigerate 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
- FOLD do not Mix: When you add the whip cream to the cream cheese mix and then again when you add the pudding make sure you are gently folding the ingredients together.
- Make sure your butter is not too soft and definitely not melted
- Chill for at least 2 hours before serving
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 that are holiday favorites. We also like to make parfait versions of this recipe to make fancy single-servings for parties.
The other classic version is to make this recipe but with chocolate pudding and to serve it in cups (you can even put these cups in mini terra cotta pots) and have gummy worms sticking out.
I seriously LOVE this recipe and have loved it since I can remember. Hope you like this Oreo treat just as much as my family. 🙂
For more Oreo desserts, check out:
- Oreo Ice Cream Cake
- Oreo Peanut Butter Delight
- Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
- Oreo Pudding Pie
- Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Oreo Snickers Pie
Dirt Cake Recipe
Oreo Dirt Cake - layers of creamy, white chocolate pudding, cream cheese, cool whip and more and topped off with Oreos!
Ingredients
- 1 package Oreos
- 8 oz PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese softened
- 1/2 cup Margarine or butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 16 oz cool whip
- 2 boxes INSTANT White chocolate or vanilla pudding 3.3 oz box size
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
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Crush ⅔ package of Oreos and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
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Mix cream cheese and margarine (or butter) until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and fold in whipped topping. Set aside.
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In a separate bowl mix pudding, milk and vanilla. Fold this mixture in with the cream cheese mixture.
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Pour over crumb mixture.
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Sprinkle with the reserve crushed Oreos. Let set for a few hours and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
DROOOOOOOOOOOOL ——- DROOOOOOOOOOOOL ——— DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
MY HIPS THANK YOU
Looks so yummy! For the halloween version, you using the candy corn oreos? 😉
Nom, nom, this looks amazing!!! I love the name too, it’s always fun to have a fun name for something we love to make (and eat!)
xoxo, Tanya
Looks fabulous! Unfortunately I just started a healthy diet and exercise routine this week, so I’ll have to file this away for the someday-when-I’m-skinny-and-oreos-are-calorie-free file… that day will come, right???
And I have to ask what’s probably a totally dumb question… as a Kansas Citian, I can’t figure out what on Earth makes this a “Kansas City” dirt cake… I was looking for BBQ sauce, or a side of beef, maybe something jazzy… but alas, I couldn’t find any Kansas City in the cake… so where’s the name from??? 🙂 🙂 🙂
~Jess
Good question!! I have NO idea!! Our fam got the recipe so long ago and when we did it was called this, so we’ve kept the name. I’m thinking maybe someone from Kansas City made it up. ??
Yum! My husband would appreciate this post 😀
if ypu freeze almost like homemade icecream
hello!
I’m on my way to purchase ingredients for the cake…but a question: the kansas city dirt cake recipe states white chocolate or vanilla pudding, is the pudding instant?
Yes. I will make sure to edit the recipe so it says that. 🙂
Yes. I will make sure to edit the recipe so it says that. 🙂
Is a large cool the16 ounce size or a reg. 8 oz size
I use the LARGE size. 🙂
Getting ready to make this recipe for my sons birthday tomorrow, does it matter if the cool whip is frozen or sofTened?
Sorry to have not gotten back to you sooner. It is usually softened. Hope everyone likes it!
Do you use the 3.4 oz or the 5.1 oz boxes of pudding?
Two boxes of the 3.5 oz.
One of my co-workers (in Kansas City) brought this layered in a new, clean, lined with plastic wrap clay flowerpot and had “buried” gummy worms in the “dirt”. Sprinkled more gummy worms on top. It was a fun treat.
I’ve been making the dirt cake by an old printed recipe that I have that’s labeled “Oreo Delight”. Guess someone renamed it somewhere along its travels through the ether.
Yummy I love it. I make oreo truffles by taking one 8oz. Package of crram cheesr one package of any flavvor oreos. A12oz bag of chocolate chips (or any flavor chips you like). Crush oreos to crumbs mix with the cream cheese set in refridgarator for 30 minutes. After mixture is chilled take a tsp.full roll into a ball set on cookie sheet lined with wax paper after rolling all the mixture set pan in fridge. Melt chips in double boiler. Take out the balls insert toothpicks into the balls dip into melted chocalate put back on tray refrigaratr until set. Enjoy.
Oh man – that sounds delicious. Will have to give it a try!
Do you crumble just the cookie or the cream also?
Crumble the whole cookie. 😉
Sorry, but is the instant pudding prepared AS pudding, or you just add the “powder”?
You mix the dry mix with the 3 cups of milk and vanilla so it starts to thicken up like regular pudding. Then you add this to the cream cheese mixture and mix well. 😉
This is amazing!!!!!!!!!
It’s a dessert we love and make ALL THE TIME!! So glad you like it. 🙂
This cake looks dangerously good and simple to make!
Now with this dirt cake do you mix the pudding an cook it first or just pour the powder in with the mix. Let me know
It’s the Instant Pudding so no cooking involved, but you add the pudding mix to the milk and vanilla as noted in Step 3. 😉
Did you use large or small boxes of instant pudding?
This recipe looks so good! I am going to make this for a BBQ tomorrow. I wanted to know if you use the large or small boxes of instant pudding?
I usually use 2 small boxes, since I’ve never seen white chocolate pudding in the large boxes. Would love to know how it goes! 😉
Will make this tomorrow have several Oreo lovers in my home, will let u know the results.
Yes, please let me know how it goes. It’s a FAVORITE!! 😀
I lived in kansas city all my life and never heard of kansas city dirt cake and i never been to any restaurant with it on the menu
these sound great
It’s one of our favorite!!! We use this recipe a lot and it’s always a hit! Thank you!!
I made this and it turned out to be a watery mess! Have any idea what I did wrong?
Not sure what you did, but you just add the pudding mix with 3 cups total of milk, and the vanilla. I know some have made the pudding according to directions and added the 3 c milk, which would make it runny. Hope that helps!!
How many servings does this recipe yield??
It can feed quite a few, depending on how much you give. I bring it to family functions & we can get all of us 25-30 a scoop. Hope that helps!
Can this be made the night before serving?
Yes, it sure can 🙂 Hope you like it! It’s one of our favorites!
This mixture was really soupy……
I’m sorry it was soupy. It shouldn’t be, so I’m not sure what happened. Did you make the pudding, then added more milk? That might be the only thing what would make it soupy.
The Recipe was soupy, but it’s delicious. the only problem wiTh the recipe it just was not firm enOugh.
It shouldn’t be soupy. Did you make the pudding according to the box, then add ingredients? Some have done that, which would definitely make it soupy.
My husband and I made this back to back. His was soupy, mine was fluffy and great. The only DIFFERENce was I only used the electric mixer on the butter, cream cheese, cool whip and powdered sugar. then hand mixed the pudding mix,milk and vanilla (WHere he used the electric). Then hand mixed the TWO together ( he again electric mixed). I have noticed the same thing happens with cookies. Hope this helps
Glad yours was fluffy!! Thank you for sharing!
Butter…. soften or melted?????
Softened 🙂 Enjoy!!
Just a tip for crushing the cookies. put them in a sealed baggie and then crush them to how you want them. no mess and clean hands. be sure to push the air out of the bag before crushing. i do this with a lot of things that need crushed. Hope this helpful.
That’s what I do 🙂 Thank you!
This is my favorite!! The combination of the oreos, pudding, & cream cheese is so good!! My family requests this all the time!
This is the best ever! I could eat the whole thing my self!
So easy and so YUm!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This is such a classic – so good!
You had me at cake!!! then to see white chocolate jello pudding… hello!!!
This cake is so fun, delicious, and easy! Love making it with my kids – its our new go-to!
We have so many favorite desserts! If I had to pick one this would be the one! Its creamy,cool and has oreos in it. WHat a combination! Totally a top dessert in our family.
This is one of my famiLies favorite reciPes. I usually choose this when im asked to bring a dessert to a family/friend gathEring and its always a hit.
When it comes to desserts, this is by far my favorite!
My kids are so excited about this recipe!! DElicious- This is on the menu for this week! For our super bowl party we have so many of your amazing recipes! Thanks for sharing
cool
so how i do a dirt pudding
I like more of a cream cheese taste, so I added an etra 4 more 0z of cream cheese into the mixture, with a tad more butter. I mixed in only half of the 16oz cool Whip. After spreading, I tOpped IT off with the rest of the cool whip. Its makes it heavier, but the taste of the creaM cheEse mixture is fabulous! Oh, hands done white CHOCOLATE pudding!
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing that!
This was simply amazing! It did not last long with a house full of teenagers! Definitely making again soon!
Getting ready to make this cake but don’t understand why you would put butter in the cream cheese and powder sugar? Nor Vanila
That’s just how I make this specific recipe 🙂 I promise it comes out delicious!
Kids would love this
This recipe inspired me. I’m going to make a Christmas dirt cake, using chocolate pudding and grasshopper thin mint cookies instead. It would look great with some little edible pine trees on top 😉
Perfect!! Glad I could inspire 🙂 Thank you!