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This luscious lemon lasagna AKA Lemon Lush consists of 4 tasty layers, including a Lemon Oreo crust, cream cheese layer, lemon pudding layer and topped with whipped cream!

My White Chocolate Lasagna was the hit recipe that started it all. Since then, I’ve made this Lemon Lasagna, and even a Pumpkin Lasagna! I’m thinking I’ll have to try even more flavors, because everyone loves these layered desserts!

Lemon Lush dessert on plate


AKA Lemon Lush

You might have heard of “Lemon Lush”, or maybe even “Lemon Delight”, and now you’re reading about “Lemon Lasagna”.

Well guess what? They’re all names for this same recipe—a luscious layered lemon lasagna (try saying that three times fast!).

It’s one of those “layered” treats (hence why we call it lemon lasagna) that has so many levels of delicious-ness. It starts off with a Lemon Oreo base, then a cream cheese layer, lemon pudding layer, and lastly a layer of cool whip topping.

Top it with a fresh lemon and you’ll be getting rave reviews from everyone. No baking is required for this recipe, and it’s especially perfect during the warmer months since it’s a cool recipe.

Crushed Lemon Oreos for Lemon lush recipe

How to Make Lemon Lush

OREOS. Begin by crushing your Oreos. For a very fine mixture, place Oreos in a food processor. Place in a ziploc baggie and add melted butter. Mix until it is well combined.

CRUST. Press into the bottom of a 9×13 pan, spreading out to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, margarine/butter, powdered sugar, and ½ of the cool whip. Blend well and pour over your Lemon Oreo Crust.

PUDDING. In another bowl, make the pudding by adding your milk and instant pudding to your bowl. Whisk together until pudding thickens. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes.

TOPPING. Top off with the rest of your Cool Whip or Homemade Whipped Cream.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Add lemon slices and ENJOY!

Crushed lemon Oreo crust

Tips + toppings

TIPS. to ensure your layered dessert turns out perfectly, keep these tips in mind.

  • Leave the Oreo filling inside the Oreos when you make the crust. This helps to keep the crumbs together.
  • The pudding will not set if you try using a dairy free or lactose free milk.

TOPPINGS.  Here are some optional toppings for your lemon lasagna:

  • NUTS: crushed walnuts, crushed pecans, sliced almonds
  • FRUIT: strawberries, toasted coconut
  • OTHER: crushed Oreos, Sprinkles
How to make lemon lush process pictures

SUBSTITUTIONS

SUBSTITUTIONS. I get asked often if the lemon pudding can be replaced with lemon curd or lemon pie filling and the answer is yes! Those are great options. They will also give it a more tart, lemon flavor.

If you can’t find lemon Oreos, or if you don’t want the lemon flavor to be as strong, golden Oreos work just as well! You could also do a shortcake crust or Graham cracker crust instead.

PUDDING. Easily Change the flavor of the dessert using different pudding flavors. Some ideas include:

  • Chocolate pudding with chocolate oreos. Top with chocolate shavings
  • Banana pudding with golden oreos. Top with banana slices.
  • Cheesecake pudding with golden oreos. Top with fresh berries.
  • Pistachio Pudding with chocolate oreos. Top with mini chocolate chips.
Whipped cream on lemon lasagna

Just as good a day or two later!

The great thing about this recipe is that it stores well in the fridge or freezer and leftovers taste fantastic. Just cover your pan with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge 3-5 days. If you store it in the freezer, it will keep well for about a week.

Making the recipe ahead of time and storing it in the fridge for a day before serving works great for this recipe. In fact, giving it that extra time always helps the layers set even more.

If you want to make just the pudding layer ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a day this also can be done. It gives the pudding extra time to set and cool. 

Even though this Lemon Lush recipe is especially perfect for Spring and Summer, we love making it all year long, but that’s because Arizona is warm all year long. 😉 We really enjoyed it and hope you do too!

Lemon Lush topped with a lemon slice on a white plate

For even more lemon desserts, check out:

4.97 from 151 votes

Lemon Lasagna Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
This luscious Lemon Lush consists of 4 tasty layers, including a Lemon Oreo crust, cream cheese layer, lemon pudding layer and topped with whipped cream! 
Servings: 16
Prep: 10 minutes
Refrigerate: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Crust

  • 1 (14.3-ounce) package Lemon Oreos (or Golden Oreos; about 36 cookies)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 (16-ounce) tub whipped topping (or homemade whipped cream) divided
  • 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes lemon instant pudding
  • 3 cups milk
  • lemon slices for garnish

Instructions 

  • Crush Oreos in a food processor to a very fine texture. Place crushed Oreos in a large resealable plastic bag and add melted butter. Shake to mix until well combined.
  • Press buttered crumbs into the bottom of a 9-x-13-inch baking dish, making sure to cover the entire bottom.
  • In a medium bowl, blend powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and half of the whipped topping with a hand mixer. Blend well and pour over crust.
  • In another bowl, combine instant pudding and milk. Whisk together until pudding thickens, then pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes.
  • Top off with the remaining whipped topping and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Add lemon slices for garnish.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: This recipe can be made 24 hours ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Variations: You can easily change the flavor of this dessert using different pudding flavors and types of cookies. Some ideas include:
o Chocolate pudding with chocolate Oreos, topped with chocolate curls
o White chocolate pudding with golden Oreos, topped with white chocolate curls
o Banana pudding with golden Oreos, topped with banana slices
o Pumpkin pudding with pumpkin or golden Oreos, topped with white chocolate curls
o Pistachio pudding with shortbread cookies, topped with chopped pecans

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 146kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 20mg, Potassium: 72mg, Fiber: 0.001g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 383IU, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 0.01mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




251 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I just made this for a family gathering and boy was it a hit! No leftovers! Super easy recipe with fantastic results. Thank you for sharing this one!

    1. You are so welcome!! That’s why I love this recipe 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!

  2. 5 stars
    Needs more tang, I will add a couple Tbsp lemon juice to the pudding mix next time – – it is too sweet otherwise.

  3. 5 stars
    I have made this yummy dessert on several occasions with someone asking for the recipe each time. I love anything lemony.Thank you for sharing.

  4. I used 2% reduced fat milk and mixed it with the instant pudding and I could not get it to thicken at all – came out very soupy like some others have mentioned. Do you need to actually follow the directions on the pudding box and boil the mixture first and all that? Or do I need to use whole milk instead? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

    1. That shouldn’t make a difference. I’m sorry it was too soupy. Did you use 2 boxes of pudding & just the 3 cups of milk? No, you don’t follow the directions on the box. I hope we can figure out why it was soupy!

    2. The recipe calls for two pkgs. of 3.9 oz. lemon instant pudding. In Wisconsin, pkg. size is now 3.4 oz., which equates to 1 oz. less pudding mix for this recipe. Thinking it might be too ‘soupy’ if adding 3 c. milk since less pudding mix is actually used, I used only 2-1/2 c. milk (I used whole milk so it would set up nice). Seemed a bit thick spreading it on the cream cheese layer; will see how it turns out tomorrow. Just a note: Pudding mix instructions says to use 2 c. milk per 3.4 oz. pudding mix for pudding so maybe 3 c. milk would set up even if not using two pkgs. 3.9 oz. pudding mix. The pudding box states the pudding will not set if using soy milk. 2% milk shouldn’t prohibit setting but it might be softer set than using whole milk.

  5. Has anyone made these and added some lemon juice or lemon extract to the cream cheese layer? And is the butter really necessary in the cream cheese layer? Thanks in advance for any help. I’m dying to make this!

  6. 5 stars
    Any chance these recipes can be prepared using sugar- and/or fat-free ingredients? I’m an overweight diabetic!

    1. I personally haven’t tried. It should be ok. I would take it out the day of & stick in the fridge. Let me know how it turns out 🙂