Easter Dirt Cake {No Bake}

Oreo Easter Dirt Cake is sure to be a huge hit this spring. It's a whimsical, chocolatey, and fun no-bake dessert treat the whole family is sure to love. Made with rich and creamy chocolate pudding, chocolate sandwich cookies, sweetened shredded coconut, and your favorite Easter candy. 

If you want easy recipes to pair with this Easter dessert idea, try making a Coca-Cola Glazed Ham, Southern Mac and Cheese, Collard Greens, and Deviled Eggs. 

One way that you know Easter and Spring are fully upon us is by the large number of marshmallow Peeps you see everywhere you turn. There really is no avoiding them in the store this time of year.  

So I couldn't resist picking up a few packs and finding a way to use them to make a fun Easter dessert recipe that's a delicious treat and perfect to enjoy after Easter dinner. 

This dirt cake is sweet without being overly sweet and has different flavors and textures. Plus the kids will love helping to make it.

Let's get started!

Why You'll Love This Easter Dessert

• Easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and requires no baking!
• Kid-friendly, indulgent, and fun digging into a dessert that resembles a pot of dirt. 
• Great crowd-pleasing dessert for Easter celebrations, parties, and gatherings 

Ingredients You'll Need

1. Chocolate Pudding - Use a large box of instant chocolate pudding mix to create the base layer and main component of the pudding. If you prefer to use instant vanilla pudding mix, then you could substitute with that instead. 
2. Cold Milk - Whole milk is needed to mix with the pudding mix and helps it to set. Make sure the milk is very cold as it helps the pudding set faster. 
3. Oreo Cookies - Chocolate sandwich cookies are crushed to make the texture layer of the dirt. You will need to crush the cookies into smaller pieces, using a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin. If you're using vanilla pudding, then you can substitute with vanilla sandwich cookies instead. 
4. Shredded Coconut - Sweetened shredded coconut will help create the coconut grass layer topping. 
5. Food Coloring - A few drops of green food coloring are added to the shredded coconut to create the edible grass topping. But you can use any color of food coloring that you prefer. This should be easy to find at your local grocery store in the aisle with the baking goods. You could omit the coconut and food coloring and use green sprinkles 
6. Easter Candy - The fun part of the dirt pudding that ties it all together. Use Easter Peeps, Peeps bunnies, jelly beans, white chocolate candy eggs, etc. 

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.

How to Make Dirt Cake 

Using an electric hand mixer on low speed or whisk and a large bowl, combine the chocolate pudding mix and cold milk for about 5 minutes, until thick and smooth. 

Evenly spread the thick pudding into the bottom of a square baking dish. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. 

While the pudding sets, use a food processor or plastic storage bag with a rolling pin to crush the cookies into Oreo crumbs.

Evenly spread a small layer of the Oreo cookie dirt over the chocolate pudding layer. 

In a large ziploc bag, add coconut and food coloring. Seal the bag and gently shake it until the food coloring is evenly distributed and the coconut turns into colored grass. Spread it evenly over the cookie dirt layer.

Decorate the top of the Easter dirt cake with Peeps marshmallow bunnies and mini chocolate candy eggs. To get the bunnies to stand up straight, press a toothpick into the bottom of the marshmallow candy, and then into the layered dessert.

Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until you're ready to share it with family and friends. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks 

• Be sure to use full-fat whole milk to make the pudding for the richest and creamiest texture. 
• Make sure that you're using instant pudding mix and not the cook and serve version. This makes the process quick and simple. 
• Thoroughly crush the chocolate sandwich cookies into fine cookie crumbs, this helps the cookies blend better with the pudding. 
• Allow the Easter dessert time to chill before serving. Refrigerate it for at least 1 to 2 hours, or overnight if possible. 
• Get creative with the decorating! Add Easter M&M candy, gummy worms, chocolate eggs, Cadbury eggs, or other candy for a fun and festive dessert. 

Storage Tips

Storage. If you have any leftover pudding, then be sure to cover it tightly with a lid, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. After a few days, you may notice that it becomes slightly watery, so I suggest fully enjoying the pudding within a day or two after it's made. 

Make Ahead. Make this Peep cake up to 24 hours in advance. Follow the instructions up to the point of spreading the coconut grass on top. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. Add the candy decorations before serving.

Freezing. This dirt dessert recipe is best enjoyed the same day or up to 2 days after it's made. I do not recommend freezing it as the texture of the pudding will change once it's thawed and it will not taste the same.

Want More Delicious Dessert Recipes? Try These:

• Oreo Delight
• Dessert Board with Chocolate Fondue Dippers 
• Chocolate Delight 
• Icebox Cookies 
• Banana Pudding 
• No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake 
• Chess Squares 
• Easy Sweet Potato Pie 

Do you have any comments, questions, or other tasty ways to enjoy this Easter Dirt Pudding Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!

📖 Recipe

Original post date 04/05/2015. Updated 03/25/2024 and 03/03/2025.