Vegan Graveyard Pudding Cups
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Halloween celebrations become even more memorable when these vegan graveyard pudding cups make a spooky appearance on the dessert table. Creamy chocolate pudding, crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, and playful graham cracker headstones create a festive treat that takes just 40 minutes to make with no baking required.
Fall means two things: autumnal desserts like pumpkin Greek yogurt parfait, and Halloween-themed treats like graveyard pudding cups. Every spoonful combines silky homemade chocolate pudding with crunchy cookie dirt, making this recipe just as enjoyable to assemble as it is to serve at parties, classroom celebrations, or horror movie nights. If you love creating seasonal treats but prefer desserts that are quick to make and still impressive, these pudding cups are for you.
The idea for these graveyard pudding cups started during one of our family Halloween craft afternoons when my boys wanted a dessert that they could decorate themselves. Given what I know about their attention spans and their love for chocolate almond milk pudding, I knew these cups were the way to go. Once their graveyard cups were completed, they loved them since it reminded them of Plants vs. Zombies.
👩🏽🍳 Why I Love This Recipe
I love that these vegan graveyard pudding cups combine wholesome homemade pudding with a dessert that feels playful and looks spooky. The dairy-free chocolate pudding is rich and creamy, and the cookie topping adds a delightful contrasting crunch. I love Halloween, but as a health coach, I am always very much aware of the overconsumption of refined sugar that happens around this time of year. This recipe puts my mind at ease.
Half the fun of these vegan graveyard pudding cups is assembling them. The other half is eating them. I cook the chocolate pudding until it thickens and allow it to chill until perfectly creamy. Then I crush the cookies into fine crumbs and mix them with the graham crackers. Finally, I spoon pudding into the serving cups, adding a layer of cookie dirt and topping with the spooky decor.
A good friend of mine loves Halloween and looks forward to it every year. For her 30th birthday, we threw her a Halloween party, complete with vegan graveyard pudding cups that read “RIP 20s”. She absolutely loved it and, since then, has used any excuse to make graveyard cups. For her baby shower, they read “RIP sleep”. Ha! I really cannot recommend these pudding cups to you enough. When you make them, let me know what you wrote on your graham crackers.
🥘 Ingredients
Halloween desserts do not need to be complicated, and these graveyard pudding cups prove it. This is what I use to get the festive look and rich chocolate flavor.
Unsweetened soy milk: I like using unsweetened soy milk since it creates a creamy pudding while also adding extra protein. Unsweetened oat milk or coconut milk also work well.
Cornstarch: This thickens the pudding into a smooth consistency.
Organic cane sugar: I use this to sweeten the pudding and to balance the richness of the chocolate.
Cacao powder: This provides a full-bodied chocolate flavor, but cocoa powder works too.
Vanilla extract: A splash of vanilla enhances the chocolate flavor and rounds out the sweetness.
Vegan chocolate sandwich cookies: I grind up cookie crumbs to resemble dirt. Any crunchy vegan cookie works as long as it looks like soil.
Vegan graham crackers: I use these as the little headstones. You can use a store-bought version, but sometimes I make my own vegan graham crackers.
Black decorating gel: Decorating gel makes it easy to write little messages on each tombstone, but melted dairy-free dark chocolate piped through a small bag also works.
Optional decorations: I sometimes add vegan candy pumpkins, Halloween sprinkles, or vegan gummy candies to give the graveyards some more character.
🔪 How To Make
Making these vegan graveyard pudding cups is equal parts hands-on work and equal parts fun. This is how I do it:
Make slurry: First, I whisk the cornstarch with water until completely smooth and lump-free.
Cook pudding: Then, I add the soy milk, sugar, cacao powder, vanilla, and cornstarch slurry to a saucepan over medium heat. I stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook while whisking until it thickens.
Let the pudding cool: I remove the pudding from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before placing it into the fridge to cool completely.
Prepare decorations: While the pudding cools, I pulse the chocolate cookies into fine crumbs and decorate the graham cracker tombstones with spooky messages.
Assemble graveyards: I spoon the chilled pudding into serving cups, sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the top, then add the graham cracker tombstones and any extra Halloween decorations before serving.
💭 Expert Tips
My #1 Secret Tip for this vegan graveyard pudding cup recipe is to press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the warm pudding while it chills. This prevents a skin from forming, leaving the pudding silky smooth when it is time to assemble the cups.
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Whisk consistently: I keep the pudding moving while it cooks so the cornstarch thickens smoothly without forming lumps on the bottom of the pan.
- Cool completely: I wait until the pudding is fully chilled before adding the cookie dirt. Warm pudding creates steam that softens the cookie crumbs too quickly.
- Crush finely: Pulsing the cookies until they resemble fine soil rather than large chunks creates a more realistic graveyard effect.
- Decorate ahead: I write the messages on the graham cracker tombstones while the pudding chills to avoid smudging during assembly.
- Shape crackers: I round the corners of the graham crackers to make them look more like traditional-shaped headstones.
📖 Variations
I have made these graveyard pudding cups for everything from classroom parties to office parties, and these are the versions that garner the most compliments:
Creepy critters: I tuck 3 or 4 vegan gummy worms into each pudding cup before adding the cookie dirt, leaving a few peeking out of the top. My boys love this version and always try to jam as many gummy worms in as possible.
Muddy graveyard: For a more disheveled-looking graveyard, I use a vegan version of edible brownie batter instead of cookie crumbs for soil. This is an especially rich pudding cup, which my husband loves.
Pumpkin patch: If the thought of graveyards is too spooky for your little ones, make a pumpkin patch version instead. I decorate each cup with a few vegan candy pumpkins, orange sprinkles, and green icing vines instead of traditional tombstones.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This Halloween, you have to include these graveyard pudding cups on your dessert table. Be sure to include some other festive treats and snacks to really set the mood. I recommend adding a platter of brightly colored Halloween monster cookies or funny face Halloween apples for something on the healthier side. A few glasses of bright orange apple carrot smoothies also look fantastic.
Last year, my book club had a small Halloween get-together complete with snacks. I made these graveyard pudding cups and put the names of famous villains from classic novels on the headstones. I also made a batch of white chocolate matcha brownies, which I decorated with candy eyes, and some Halloween Jack-O-Lantern quesadillas.
🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating
Refrigeration: I store assembled pudding cups covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If I know I am making them ahead for a party, I keep the pudding separate from the cookie crumbs until just before serving.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this dessert.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Why is my pudding too thin after chilling?
If the pudding still seems thin after it has completely cooled, it may not have cooked long enough for the cornstarch to activate. I continue cooking the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil and noticeably thickens before removing it from the heat.
What can I use if I do not have a food processor for the cookie dirt?
I place the chocolate cookies in a sturdy zip-top bag, remove as much air as possible, then crush them with a rolling pin until they resemble fine crumbs. If you have kids, this is a great activity to get them in on the action.
How do I stop the graham cracker tombstones from falling over?
I gently press each graham cracker into the pudding before adding the cookie crumbs around the base. The pudding acts like an anchor, while the surrounding cookie dirt provides extra support to keep the tombstones standing upright until it is time to serve. If the crackers are slightly skewed, I leave them as they add to the creepiness.
🎃 More Halloween Recipes!
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Vegan Graveyard Pudding Cups
Halloween celebrations become even more memorable when these vegan graveyard pudding cups make a spooky appearance on the dessert table. Creamy chocolate pudding, crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, and playful graham cracker headstones create a festive treat that takes just 40 minutes to make with no baking required!
Servings: 8
Calories: 224kcal
Ingredients
Chocolate Pudding
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup raw sugar
- 3/4 cup cacao powder
Graham Cracker Tombstones
- 2 vegan graham crackers broken into quarters
- black decorating gel or dairy free chocolate melted
Cookie Dirt
- 12 Oreo cookies
Equipment
Instructions
Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water to form a paste in a small bowl.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cornstarch slurry, soy milk, vanilla extract, sugar, and cacao powder. Stir consistently until it comes to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and continue to cook and stir until the pudding thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. Allow it to cool to room temperature for 5 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- While the pudding is cooling, remove the cream filling from the chocolate Oreo cookies. Place it in the food processor and pulse until crumbly.
- Break each large vegan graham crackers into four separate pieces. Shave off the top using a butter knife to round the edges. With a black gel decorating pen, carefully write the letters RIP, or whatever other message you like.
- Once the pudding has cooled, transfer it to individual cups or jars. Top it with the chocolate cookie dirt, graham cracker tombstone, and any other additional decorations you'd like.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this vegan graveyard pudding cup recipe is to press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the warm pudding while it chills. This prevents a skin from forming, leaving the pudding silky smooth when it is time to assemble the cups.
- Whisk consistently: I keep the pudding moving while it cooks so the cornstarch thickens smoothly without forming lumps on the bottom of the pan.
- Cool completely: I wait until the pudding is fully chilled before adding the cookie dirt. Warm pudding creates steam that softens the cookie crumbs too quickly.
- Crush finely: Pulsing the cookies until they resemble fine soil rather than large chunks creates a more realistic graveyard effect.
- Decorate ahead: I write the messages on the graham cracker tombstones while the pudding chills to avoid smudging during assembly.
- Shape crackers: I round the corners of the graham crackers to make them look more like traditional-shaped headstones.
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 283IU | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 2mg
These are so adorable! My kids are going to love these! I can’t wait to make these!
These graveyard pudding cups are the cutest ever! My nephew loves chocolate. He is definitely going to love these!
These are so cute! I just know my kids are going to love them already, saving to make soon!
These are super cool and perfect for Halloween! I’ll definitely be making these in the run up to the day!
This is so fun and delicious too! My kids absolutely adored it. We’ll definitely be making again for Halloween!