Lemon Delight
This Lemon Delight is a no bake dessert that has a buttery Oreo cookie crumb crust, smooth lemon pudding and sweet cream layers and is bursting with bright citrus flavor!
A NO BAKE LEMON DESSERT
I LOVE no bake desserts, no need to turn on the oven and they’re usually easy enough that the kiddos can help make them. This citrus flavored layered dessert is perfect for spring and summer and it’s especially easy to whip up for serving a crowd or to take to a potluck. It’s sweet, it’s smooth, and creamy. If you are a lemon lover like me, then this Lemon Delight (a.k.a. Lemon Lush) is the one you want to make!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
You can use Golden Oreos if you can’t find the lemon ones. This dessert will still have plenty of lemon flavor.
Typically this dessert turns out really well unless you use the wrong kind of pudding. You have to use the Instant Pudding, not the Cook and Serve kind. Cook and serve pudding requires heat to set up where the instant does not. They’re usually right next to each other, so be sure you use the correct kind of pudding or this won’t turn out correctly.
Yes, I love making lush desserts with a graham cracker crumb crust sometimes. I use a graham cracker crumb crust using 3 cups graham cracker crumbs and ½ cup (1 stick) of melted salted butter. I use this kind of crust in my Pistachio Layered Dessert.
Whenever I use this specific mixer in my recipe process photos, I get asked about it so I will share the info here. I used a Bosch mixer (paid affiliate link) for this Lemon Lush recipe. Truly, you do NOT need to use this mixer, or any other fancy stand mixer. This Lemon Layered Dessert will come together just fine if you use a hand-electric mixer. I do think the Bosch mixer is really nice, hence why I enjoy using it, but it is pricey, and honestly, regular stand mixers and electric mixers work just as well as this Bosch mixer.
Making sure you crush your cookies into a finer crumb will help them stick together better. If the crumbs are too big, the crust won’t hold together well.
Instead of the Lemon Oreo crumbs on top, you could use Golden Oreo crumbs on top, or try some crushed walnuts or pecans on top. If you want to change up the flavor profile a bit, try adding some finely diced strawberries on top. This may bring a strawberry lemonade type flavor profile.
This dessert can be covered or transferred to an airtight container and should be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. The Cool Whip layer may fall out over time. You can try freezing this dessert for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- Lemon Oreos– if you can’t find lemon flavored Oreos, you can use Golden Oreo or see my Frequently Asked Questions above if you want to use graham crackers.
- unsalted butter – Additionally, you can use salted butter if that is all you have. There is so little salt in salted butter that it truly won’t make much of a difference.
- instant lemon pudding mix – double check your box of pudding that you are using because you will need the instant pudding mix. You do not want to use the Cook and Serve kind, it will not set up properly. Stores like to put these two different kinds of pudding right next to each other for some reason and the boxes look quite similar. So, carefully look at your pudding box to ensure it’s the right kind.
- cold whole milk– cold milk helps pudding set properly. I prefer whole milk but you could use 2% if that is all you have. I definitely would not use skim milk.
- cream cheese– softened to room temperature. I have some Tips for Softening Cream Cheese Quickly if you need them.
- powdered sugar
- fresh squeezed lemon juice– trust me when I say that you NEED to use fresh lemon juice, not the bottled stuff. The bottled stuff doesn’t give the same flavor and can taste extremely acidic.
- lemon zest
- Cool Whip– It doesn’t have to be the Cool Whip brand, any brand will work. Just be sure to grab the larger tub, or two of the smaller tubs.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON DELIGHT:
Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Place Oreo cookies in a food processor (or smash in a sealed bag) to make fine crumbs. Reserve 3/4 cup to garnish top.
In a small bowl mix crumbs with melted butter until evenly moistened. Press crumbs in the bottom of the baking dish, and let the crust set up in the freezer while you work on the next layer.
Squeeze lemon juice in a bowl so it’s ready to be used and zest your lemon.
In a medium bowl, mix together lemon pudding mixes and cold milk. Whisk well to combine. Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill. Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until smooth.
Blend in powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Fold in 1 container of thawed Cool Whip.
Spread the mixture gently and evenly over the Oreo crust. Spread the chilled lemon pudding filling evenly over the cream cheese layer.
Spread the remaining container of Cool Whip over the lemon pudding layer. Sprinkle the remaining crushed Oreos over the Cool Whip top.
Allow dessert to set up in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Speed the chilling process by putting it in the freezer for the first hour. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Slice and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Ingredients
Lemon Oreo Crust:
- 36 Lemon Oreo cookies (see notes below)
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted (salted can be used)
Lemon Pudding Filling:
- 2 (3.5 ounce) boxes instant lemon pudding mix
- 3 ¼ cups cold whole milk
Lemon Cream Layer:
- 16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- 2 (8 ounce) tubs Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed (divided use)
Instructions
Lemon Oreo Crust
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Place 36 Lemon Oreo cookies in a food processor (or smash in a sealed bag) to make fine crumbs. Reserve 3/4 cup to garnish top.
- In a small bowl mix remaining crumbs with 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted until evenly moistened. Press crumbs in the bottom of the baking dish, and let the crust set up in the freezer while you work on the next layer.
Lemon Filling
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 (3.5 ounce) boxes instant lemon pudding mix and 3 1/4 cups cold whole milk. Whisk well to combine. Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the next layer.
Lemon Cream Layer
- Place 16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature in a mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon until smooth.
- Fold in 1 tub thawed Cool Whip. Spread mixture gently and evenly over the Oreo crust.
Assemble
- Spread the chilled lemon pudding filling evenly over the cream cheese layer.
- Spread the remaining tub of Cool Whip over the lemon pudding layer.
- Sprinkle remaining crushed Oreos over the Cool Whip.
- Allow dessert to set up in the refrieraror for at least 3 hours. Speed the chilling process by putting it in the freezer for the first hour.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This dessert makes 12-16 servings depending on how big you slice your pieces.
- One (18.71 ounce) family size pack has 36 cookies.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Hi there love to make that lemon-delight for my grandkids. Can i half the recipe. Please reply.
You should be able to. I haven’t personally done it myself though
Could you use lemon curd instead of the pudding?
Wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing!!!
It’s delightful. We tried this today and absolutely loved it.