This St. Patrick’s Day Brownie Trifle is a quick, easy, and tasty way to add some festive green into your St. Patty’s Day! Consisting of rich, chocolatey brownie layers, sweet vanilla pudding, and Oreo’s, this easy dessert idea not only tastes great, but looks pretty too!
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Easy St. Patrick’s Day Green Trifle
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really a big deal in our family, but I love any excuse to have some chocolate and mint treats!
If you are looking for a quick and easy St. Patrick’s Day dessert, you’ve found it! This delicious Mint Chocolate Brownie Trifle is a sweet minty green dessert made with layers of creamy vanilla pudding, chocolate mint cookies, whipped topping, sprinkles and brownies that are perfect for any St. Patrick’s Day gathering!
Not only does this no-bake mint Oreo layer dessert trifles taste delicious, but it’s a show stopper! With the eye-catching green and brown layers, this trifle is an easy St. Patrick’s Day dessert.
You can make this recipe as a big batch in a bowl or in individual servings in trifle cups, mason jars, or any other dish. It’s completely up to you!
What is a trifle?
According to Taste of Home, the traditional version of trifle that originated in England in the 18th century (with less similar dishes being made even earlier) consisted of three or four layers, including some sort of fruit, alcohol-soaked sponge cake and custard. The fruit and cake were often layered with homemade jelly. This classic interpretation was always served in a round bowl.
American trifles are similar but fortunately, a bit less complicated. They consist of multiple layers of crumbled or cubed cake, pudding and fruit. The flavors can vary widely, from raspberries, peach yogurt and angel food cake to brownies, white chocolate pudding and candy bar bits. They’re topped with whipped cream and some sort of crumbs or nuts to add texture. Trifle should be served in a deep, round dish—ideally one that’s clear so diners can see all of the layers.
Ingredients Needed
This trifle is a super easy recipe mostly made from store-bought ingredients that come together in no time at all. Scroll below for full printable recipe card!
- Brownie Mix- (enough to make an 8×8 tray) *you can also use a homemade brownie recipe
- Vanilla Pudding (instant)
- Cool Whip
- Green Food Coloring
- Mint Oreo’s- crushed
How to make this St. Patrick’s Day Brownie Trifle
- Cook brownies according to directions. Allow to cool completely.
- Make pudding according to directions. Once pudding is done, add in a few drops of green food coloring, or until desired shade of green is reached.
- Take a Ziploc bag and place a few Oreo’s inside. Seal the bag and smash the bag to crush the Oreo’s.
- To assemble trifle; layer cut up brownie, a layer of pudding, a layer of cool whip, another layer of cut up brownie, a layer of pudding, and a few crushed Oreo’s on top!!
- Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve!! *You can also use pistachio pudding if you don’t want to use food coloring!
Tips for making the best St. Patrick’s Day Layered Trifle
- St. Patrick’s Day Brownie Trifles can be made up to one day ahead of time.
- These brownie trifles need to be stored in the refrigerator if you are not eating them right away.
- These trifles will last up to 3 days in the fridge, although they are the best right after they are made.
- If you don’t want to use boxed brownie mix, use THIS recipe for homemade brownies.
- You can make these in mini trifle dishes, or one large trifle bowl.
- If you don’t want to use green food coloring, feel free to use Pistachio pudding in place of the vanilla pudding and food coloring.
How to store this trifle
- Make Ahead- this can be assembled up to 1 day in advance.
- Refrigerator- if you have leftovers, cover trifle bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer- unfortunately, the leftovers cannot be frozen as the cool whip and pudding textures won’t maintain and it won’t hold up once thawed.
Variations to try
- Change up from regular brownie mix and try a caramel version, dark chocolate, one with nuts, etc.
- Make homemade whipped cream versus using store bought.
- Use homemade brownie recipe in lieu of boxed brownie mix.
- Try Pistachio pudding in place of the vanilla.
- Add a dash of mint extract to the pudding for a burst of St. Patrick’s Day flavor!
More St Patrick’s Recipes to try
St. Patrick’s Day Mint Oreo Truffles– the most delicious 4-ingredient dessert recipe. Easy to make and perfect for St. Patty’s Day!
Lucky Charm Cereal Bars– no-bake, take just a few simple ingredients, and look party perfect!
Kahlua White Leprechaun Cocktail– this popular Kahlua cocktail is so easy to make – and not just around St Patrick’s Day, this should be enjoyed year round!
Boozy Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes– Skip the stout and enjoy a festive boozy milkshake instead that’s loaded with delicious minty flavor and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.
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Easy St. Patrick's Day Brownie Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 box Brownie Mix *plus ingredients on box, 8x8 pan size
- 3.5 oz Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix * use large box if making full size trifle
- 8 oz Cool Whip
- Green Food Coloring
- Mint Oreo's *crushed
Instructions
- Cook brownies according to directions. Allow to cool completely.
- Make pudding according to directions. Once pudding is done, add in a few drops of green food coloring, or until desired shade of green is reached.
- Take a Ziploc bag and place a few Oreo’s inside. Seal the bag and smash the bag to crush the Oreo’s.
- To assemble trifle; layer cut up brownie, a layer of pudding, a layer of cool whip, another layer of cut up brownie, a layer of pudding, and a few crushed Oreo’s on top!!
- Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve!! *You can also use pistachio pudding if you don’t want to use food coloring!
Nutrition
FSHDVA says
Delicious!!! I gave it 4 stars only because I veered slightly from the recipe as written; I substituted pistachio pudding for the vanilla, and sprinkled crushed pistachios over the top in lieu of the mint Oreos to cut down on the sweetness a bit. A huge hit! I have a question though; will these hold up if made the night before (in the interest of time-management?)
Kristin says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed and I love the idea of using Pistachio in this! As for making the night before, yes, that works perfectly! In fact, that is how I do it most of the time as to save on time! Enjoy!
Chris Duffy says
The amount of pudding as suggested in the recipe is not nearly enough to make the dessert look like the picture. I would suggest doubling the pudding amount so it does not look skimpy!
Kristin says
I made these into mini trifles, only 4, so it worked out great! If making a large trifle, I agree, use the bigger box OR double up and use two boxes so there is plenty to use! Thanks!
Cindy says
Yes, please change recipe to two packages of pudding, nobody can tell from the picture that it’s a mini trifle. I had to go back to the store and get another box after I realized I didn’t have enough and never read the comments until it was too late.
Kristin says
Sorry about that! I will correct the recipe right now!! Enjoy!
Carlene says
How many does this recipe serve? Would it be enough for 12 pepple? I am using a crystal bowl insteadf individual bowls
Kristin says
Oh absolutely! I typically get about 12-16 servings out of this! You’ll love it!