This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Delicious pistachio dessert has a crunchy shortbread cookie base for the perfect combination of crunchy, creamy, sweet + salty.
We love layered desserts, like this favorite pistachio dessert, especially for the holidays! It’s similar to our Lemon Lasagna which is also a must-try!
What’s Not To Love?!
If you love pistachio flavors and shortbread cookies, then this Pistachio Lush is the perfect dessert.
We’ve been making it since I was a little girl, and it’s always been a favorite!
Why we love it!
- Easy. It’s made in under 20 minutes and then just needs to chill!
- The flavors! There are so many delicious layers and textures, including a Shortbread Cookie crust, cream cheese layer, pudding layer and whipped cream!
- Enjoy it all year. It’s a cool treat, great for summer, but we love to enjoy this recipe all year long (it’s even great for Christmas with its green color).
This pistachio dessert mimics some of the flavors of a Watergate Salad (which uses pistachio instant pudding mix, canned pineapple, mini marshmallows, nuts, and whipped topping) – but trust us – it’s better!
Ingredients
- shortbread cookies – about 21 cookies. We use Keebler Sandies, but any shortbread cookie should work. Golden Oreos, pistachio cookies, or even crushed graham crackers work well too.
- butter
- instant pistachio pudding mix – use INSTANT pistachio pudding mix. Do not make it into a pudding, you will just be using the powder in this recipe.
- whole milk – it creates a creamy pudding mixture. We recommend a whole milk or at least 2% milk for this recipe.
- cream cheese – softened
- powdered sugar
- whipped topping – or Cool Whip
- Topping – We like mini M&Ms or chopped pecans, but toasted coconut, chopped pistachio nuts, festive sprinkles or even white chocolate curls.
A Quick Prep Dessert!
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- CRUST. Smash shortbread cookies in a Ziploc bag, until fine. For extra-fine crumbs, you can crush cookies in a food processor.
- Add melted butter to Ziploc bag with crushed cookies and mix around until coated. Press crumbs into a 9×13 pan.
- BAKE. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes in the oven until golden. Let cool.
- CREAM CHEESE. In a medium bowl, smooth together cream cheese, sugar and 2 cups of your cool whip (or whipped cream). Pour an even layer over cooled crust.
- PUDDING. Mix the milk and pudding mix together until thickened up. Pour the pistachio pudding layer over the cream cheese layer.
- CHILL. Spread your remaining Cool Whip over the top and refrigerate. Top with crushed pecans if desired.
Pro Tips!
- Refrigerate the pistachio layered dessert as you are making the next layer to help each layer set before adding on the next.
- If the crust seems too dry and crumbly, add 1-2 more tablespoons of butter.
Storing Info
- Make ahead of time. Don’t make this easy pistachio pudding dessert recipe more than 24 hours in advance, just so it’s fresh.
- Wait to add sprinkles or candies on top until right before serving, so they don’t discolor the whipped cream. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until serving time.
- STORE leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. I do not recommend freezing the dessert as the taste and texture will be negatively affected.
For More LAyered Desserts:
Lemon Lasagna
1 hr 10 mins
Oreo Peanut Butter Delight
20 mins
Brownie Delight
40 mins
7 Layer Bars Recipe
35 mins
Pistachio Dessert Recipe
Delicious pistachio dessert has a crunchy shortbread cookie base for the perfect combination of crunchy, creamy, sweet + salty.
Ingredients
- 1 (11.2-ounce) package shortbread cookies, (about 21 cookies)
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 (3.4-ounce) packages insatnt pistachio pudding mix
- 2¾ cup whole milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 cups whipped topping, divided (or 16 oz Cool Whip container)
- Topping: M&Ms or ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Smash shortbread cookies in a Ziploc bag, until fine. For extra-fine crumbs, you can crush cookies in a food processor.
- Add melted butter to Ziploc bag with crushed cookies and mix around until coated. Press crumbs into a 9×13 pan.
- Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes in the oven until golden. Let cool.
- Smooth together cream cheese, sugar, and 2 cups of your cool whip (or whipped cream). Pour an even layer over crushed cookie crust.
- Mix the milk and pudding mix together until thickened up. Pour over the cream cheese layer.
- Spread your remaining whipped topping over the top and refrigerate. Top with crushed pecans if desired.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead of time. Don’t make this easy pistachio pudding dessert recipe more than 24 hours in advance, just so it’s fresh.
- Wait to add sprinkles or candies on top until right before serving, so they don’t discolor the whipped cream. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until serving time.
- STORE leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. I do not recommend freezing the dessert as the taste and texture will be negatively affected
Nutrition
Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 174mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 379IU, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instead of the candy on top I put pieces of Pistachio on it.. It was awesome! My hubs loved it. Thank-you ?
Perfect! Glad he loved it! Thank you!
I think it is very sweet and you can leave out the powdered duger.
I added an EXTRA tablesPoon of butter to help the crumbs hold together before baking. I also drop the cream cheese layer gently over the crust in small piles and spread carefully. I then chilled for awhile before pouring over the pudding layer. Chill the pudding layer as well before the final layer of cool whip. This keeps the layers intact for a better looking dessert.
Thank you for sharing what you did 🙂 Sounds great!
I made this for christmas last year and got tons of compliments. My mother-in-law even asked for the recipe, and she turned around and made it for a church dinner.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂 I am glad it was a hit!
if you dont have shortbread cookies is it ok to use graham crackers instead?
Of course!! You could do your favorite crust 🙂 Hope that helps! Thank you!
The second layer of cool whip is just plain cool whip?
Can I use real whipped cream instead of cool whip?
We make this recipe all the time but our crust is different instead of cookies we use flour butter and chopped nuts. It’s my favorite dessert!!!!
We make our own shortbread for the crust for this type of dessert too. We also make several different flavor variations using the same method.
These receipes look so yummy and easy, cant wait to try them.