Chocolate Pudding Pots {Dirt Pudding Cups}

Easy mini chocolate pudding pots or dirt pudding cups recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Smooth and creamy pudding is topped with Oreo cookies and fresh mint. Great for Earth day or kids Spring birthday parties. Add gummy worms to turn these into a Halloween treat.

The first time I saw these dessert cups was a birthday party years ago and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The cocoa pudding represents mud or soil. The crushed Oreos represent stones and pebbles. The stalks of fresh mint leaves represent the actual green plant. These are just as yummy as my Homemade Vanilla Pudding, Creamy Rice Pudding and even this Coconut Rice Pudding.

Jump to:

• Key ingredients
• Variations for mini dessert cups
• How to make easy chocolate pudding pots?
• Tips and techniques
• Recipe FAQs
• Storage
• More fun desserts for kids
• Recipe

Key ingredients

• Chocolate pudding- This can be homemade or store-bought.
• Oreos- I like to use the classic original flavor but you can try their other unique flavors such as cookie dough, peanut butter, toffee crunch e.t.c.
• Mint leaves- You will need to use the whole stalks that are intact with leaves. Wash and pat dry them dry with paper towels prior to using them.

Variations for mini dessert cups

• Turn these into dirt pudding cups- By adding gummy worms and other creepy seasonal candies. These would be great for Halloween just like my Halloween Pudding Cups.
• For a Christmas spin- Add fresh cranberries or even Sugared Cranberries (Candied) on top of the cookie layer. Another idea is to try crushed candy canes or use seasonal peppermint flavored Oreos.
• Turn this into an Easter dessert- By adding some candy eggs and Peeps marshmallows on top of the cookie layer.
• If you are short on time- Use store-bought pudding.
• Try chia pudding- This is my all time favorite Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Recipe with only 5 ingredients.
• For more texture- Add some chopped nuts like pecans, almonds and walnuts on top of the Oreo layer.
• Consider using other herbs- Such as fresh thyme or rosemary.
• Use fresh flowers instead of mint- Please make sure they are edible and safe for consumption. Speak with a florist to confirm.

How to make easy chocolate pudding pots?

1. Make chocolate pudding- Pour into individual cups.
2. Add topping- Such as roughly chopped Oreos or chocolate graham crackers or chocolate shortbread.
3. Add mint leaf stalks- Just prior to serving.

Tips and techniques

• Thicken with cornstarch- I have made chocolate pudding without cornstarch and it was thickened with egg yolks but to be honest, I found that to be tricky and sometimes I could taste the egg, which was weird. That's why I think this is the best chocolate pudding recipe ever!
• What milk to use? That choice is up to you. You can use soy, whole, 2%, coconut, almond. I have noticed the higher the fat content in milk, the creamier the pudding texture.
• Limp mint leaves- Inserting the mint leaf stalks into the cups just prior to serving prevents them from going limp and lifeless.
• Use unsalted butter- That's because salted butter can make the pudding too salty and inedible.
• Pudding thickens more as it cools- Don't add additional cornstarch just because it doesn't look thick enough in the saucepan. It will continue thickening as it cools. Just be patient.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Refrigerate- Without mint leaves in a covered container for up to 3 days.
• Freeze- This dessert cannot be frozen as it doesn't thaw well.
• Make ahead- The pudding and topping can be assembled 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. Add the mint just prior to serving.
• Room temperature- This can stay out for 1-2 hours but the mint stalks may start to wilt and droop a bit.

More fun desserts for kids

• Easy Fall Cookies (Leaf Cookies)
• Easy Acorn Cookies (With Nutter Butter)
• Chocolate Tree Cake (Fall or Thanksgiving)
• Easy Flower Cookies (Buttercream)
• Ladybug Cupcakes

Recipe