Calling all chocolate lovers for this rich and decadent brownie trifle recipe using 2-bite brownies and vanilla pudding mix. Easy no bake chocolate dessert that you can make in 10 minutes or less. Perfect for parties, potlucks, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and any other large gatherings or holiday celebrations!
Similarly to my no bake chocolate delight dessert, this brownie trifle uses instant pudding mix, and I’ve opted to use 2-bite brownies from the grocery store for the sake of ease. This easy dessert will be a hit at any party or holiday celebration, and everybody will be coming back for more!
In case you’re wondering, trifles are traditionally made up of alternating layers of cake, custard or pudding, and sometimes fruit, all served up in a decorative trifle dish. The word “trifle” basically means something of little importance, signifying just how quickly and easily you can make this layered dessert. This classic dish has British origins, but today it remains a popular holiday dessert in the South.
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Instant Pudding Mix – You’ll need both chocolate instant pudding mix and vanilla instant pudding mix for this recipe.
- Whole Milk – I recommend using whole milk for best flavor, but in a pinch you can also use 2% milk, skim milk, etc.
- Cool Whip – I use Cool Whip because it’s quick and easy, but you can also use homemade whipped cream or even Dream Whip.
- Two-Bite Brownies – I like two-bite brownies because they are pre-baked, pre-cut and 100% ready to go for this dish, enabling this to be a truly no bake recipe. That said, you can also make homemade brownies, so long as you cut them up into small squares before you use them for this dessert. Alternatively, you can always just use chocolate cake instead.
How to Make Brownie Trifle Dessert Recipe
Before starting your brownie trifle, you’ll want to get your trifle dish cleaned up and ready to go. Let’s get started…
Mix Up the Pudding
- In a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the chocolate instant pudding mix with one-half of the whole milk ’til well combined, usually about 1 & 1/2 minutes.
- Use a spatula to fold in almost half of the Cool Whip tub and set aside. Remember to save the rest of your Cool Whip for later.
- In another large bowl, beat the vanilla instant pudding mix with the rest of the whole milk for another 1 & 1/2 minutes, ’til well combined.
How to Layer Your Brownie Trifle
- Now that your pudding is all mixed up and ready to go, start by adding 1/2 of the two-bite brownies to the bottom of your trifle dish.
- Next, add about 1/2 of the vanilla pudding mix on top of the brownie bites in the trifle dish.
- Then add about 1/2 of the chocolate pudding mix.
- Now repeat all 3 steps above, first adding the rest of the brownie bites, then the rest of the vanilla pudding mix and finally the other half of the chocolate pudding mix.
- Remember that leftover Cool Whip from when we mixed up the chocolate pudding mix? Use a rubber spatula to spread all of it out evenly across the top of your brownie trifle.
- Last but not least, use a cheese grater to grate chocolate shavings all over the top of your brownie trifle dessert for an extra decorative touch.
You can serve your brownie trifle immediately, or you can store it in the refrigerator ’til ready to serve cold. Everybody will love it!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can make this recipe gluten free. You’ll just need to use both gluten free chocolate instant pudding mix and gluten free vanilla instant pudding mix. Then you’ll want to use gluten-free brownies. Everything else should be good to go, but as always be sure to check the labels over on all your ingredients to ensure that they are truly gluten free.
Yes, you can make this brownie trifle dessert recipe ahead of time. I usually just cover my trifles with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Of course! For this, I recommend storing your brownie trifles in an airtight container. Stored this way, they should last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Optional Add-Ins & Variations
Here are a few ways that you can spice up your brownie trifle…
- Try adding more toppings! Sometimes I top mine with crushed Oreos, Reese’s Minis, chopped Butterfingers, chopped Snickers, M&M’s, mint baking chips or even regular chocolate chips.
- I think it would be really good sprinkled with crushed up chocolate chip cookies.
- You can also drizzle chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, strawberry syrup, or really any kind of syrup over the top of your brownie trifle!
- What about fresh fruit? Think strawberries, raspberries, sliced bananas, etc.
- While we’re talking fruit, try adding canned pie filling on top! You can use strawberry pie filling, cherry pie filling, raspberry pie filling, or really any flavor that goes well with chocolate.
- When all else fails, top it off with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream!
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Marshmallow Creme Fantasy Fudge
- Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- No Bake Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Cookies
- Buckeye Balls
- Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Whoopie Pies
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Brownie Trifle
Equipment
- Hand Mixer optional
- Cheese Grater optional
Ingredients
- 3.4 ounces Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix
- 3.4 ounces Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
- 4 cups Whole Milk divided
- 8 ounces Cool Whip divided
- 1 48-ct pack Two-Bite Brownies
Instructions
Mixing Up the Pudding
- In a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the chocolate instant pudding mix with one-half of the whole milk 'til well combined, usually about 1 & 1/2 minutes.
- Use a spatula to fold in almost half of the Cool Whip tub and set aside. Remember to save the rest of your Cool Whip for later.
- In another large bowl, beat the vanilla instant pudding mix with the rest of the whole milk for another 1 & 1/2 minutes, 'til well combined.
How to Layer Your Brownie Trifle
- Now that your pudding is all mixed up and ready to go, start by adding 1/2 of the two-bite brownies to the bottom of your trifle dish.
- Next, add about 1/2 of the vanilla pudding mix on top of the brownie bites in the trifle dish.
- Then add about 1/2 of the chocolate pudding mix.
- Now repeat all 3 steps above, first adding the rest of the brownie bites, then the rest of the vanilla pudding mix and finally the other half of the chocolate pudding mix.
- Remember that leftover Cool Whip from when we mixed up the chocolate pudding mix? Use a rubber spatula to spread all of it out evenly across the top of your brownie trifle.
- Last but not least, use a cheese grater to grate chocolate shavings all over the top of your brownie trifle dessert for an extra decorative touch.
- Serve and enjoy your brownie trifle immediately, or you can store it in the refrigerator 'til ready to serve cold!
