I love the spirit of Halloween because the kids get so excited. The crisp Fall weather arrives and then our family starts to search for all of the fun Halloween decor when driving. My youngest usually starts talking about Halloween in early summer, so we really live it up when it arrives. These Spooky Halloween Pudding Cups are a super easy and fun halloween dessert to make with the kids.

It’s all about being creative with everyday products that we already keep around the house, like Oreo cookies and Milano cookies (guilty of always keeping some in the pantry). You can make a big batch for a kid’s halloween party or serve as a fun dessert option for an October dinner.

Of course, let the kids help you out. They’ll have fun decorating each pudding cup and licking fingers while helping. Letting the kids help me in the kitchen is one of my favorite bonding activities.

You can also make them ahead of time and serve them at a kid’s Halloween party. I’ll walk you through all the steps to make this cute (and spooky) Halloween dessert for your special occasion.

Looking for even more great Halloween desserts for the family? Here are my most popular recipes on Savvy Mama Lifestyle for Halloween:

• Halloween No-Bake Bat Cookies
• Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice (Copycat Universal Studios Recipe)
• White Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles
• Jack Skellington Chicken Dip

Kids Halloween Pudding Cups Dessert Recipe

These pudding cups came out of the need for an individual dessert that the kids could help make. My kids love being in the kitchen with me. You can make them ahead of time for a party, or the decorating can even be part of the party! Order the clear plastic cups off of Amazon or find them at your local grocery store!

Why We Love This Recipe & When To Make It

Spooky season starts in late August in our home. My kids would have me make these, as a snack, multiple times per week if I allowed myself. They’re versatile, fun and easy. I love them for Halloween parties, movie night, school parties and (of course) Halloween night after trick-or-treating!

The Halloween Pudding Cups look impressive, but they don’t take much work at all. You come off looking like a rock star mom for not much effort at all.

How To Prepare Your Halloween Pudding Cups Ahead Of Time

If you want to prepare your pudding cups ahead of time, it’s pretty easy to do so. Fill your plastic cups with the chocolate pudding and add the crumble topping. Instead of completing your “graveyard” look, add them into the refrigerator. Easily transport them from the countertop to the fridge by placing them on a baking sheet.

Keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Add the toppings at the very end. You don’t want the Milano Cookie to soften from being in the pudding too long. Give yourself about 15 minutes to add the toppings.

Tips For Letting The Kids Decorate The Dessert

If you want to prep the pudding cups and add the crushed cookies on top, the kids can finish the decorating. They love to do this! If you’re throwing a Halloween party, consider the decorating as an activity they can do. Then, of course, it’s snack time.

Each child will get their own Halloween placemat that has the pudding cup on it and all the toppings they’ll need. Adults can help with the writing portion, on the cookie, but the kids can arrange pumpkins on top and add the green frosting. Use small plastic sandwich bags, with the corners cut off, for piping bags that little hands can use.

Can You Freeze Leftover Halloween Pudding Cups?

Sadly, pudding cups don’t freeze well. If you have individual servings that the kids didn’t finish, just cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for later. For best freshness, the pudding cups need to be finished within 2-3 days after making them.

Recipe Substitutions

The biggest recipe substitution you can make is with the pudding. You can either make your own homemade, or buy store-bought. Pick whatever type of milk you want to use with the store-bought pudding. If you want to use pre-made pudding cups, you can certainly do so! It’ll be slightly more difficult to add your graveyard toppings – but it’s doable.

What You’ll Need From The Store For This Halloween Dessert:

• Instant Chocolate Pudding
• Whole Milk
• Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Oreo)
• Pumpkin Candies (Brach)
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Milano Cookies
• White Frosting
• Green Gel Food Coloring

How To Make Halloween Pudding Cups For Kids

Place cookies onto a flat surface. Add chocolate chips to a re-sealable bag but do not seal. Microwave on high, for 20 seconds and knead chips. Microwave for an additional 20 seconds, checking every 10 seconds and kneading until chocolate is smooth.

Carefully snip a small corner of the bag and pipe words (BOO, EEK) onto the cookies to create tombstones. Set aside for chocolate to harden, or refrigerate to speed up the hardening process.

In a small bowl, mix frosting and food coloring. Place into a piping bag with a grass tip. Set aside.

Place pudding and milk in a bowl and whisk well until no longer lumpy, Set aside. Add sandwich cookies to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Set aside 1/4 cup of crumbs. Dump remaining cookie crumbs into pudding and mix well.

Using a 2 tablespoon portion scoop, scoop 6 tablespoons of pudding into each cup.

Add cookie tombstone to each cup and sprinkle with remaining crushed cookies on top.

Add pumpkin candy and pipe green frosting around the pumpkin and tobmstone.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.