Can I freeze lemon lush?

You should only freeze lemon lush if necessary. After thawing, the texture of the dessert may break down slightly, but it will still be delicious.

How do I prevent the crust for lemon lush from becoming soggy?

To help prevent the crust from becoming soggy, you can bake it until golden brown, or add a thin layer of melted white or dark chocolate between the crust and cream cheese filling as a moisture barrier.

How do I know when lemon lush is ready to serve?

Chill the dessert for at least four hours or until it feels firm to the touch. If the filling still seems soft or jiggly, continue to chill until set.

Lemon Lush Recipe

Name: Lemon Lush
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 305 min
Ingredients: 1 (19.1-oz.) pkg. cream-filled vanilla sandwich cookies, crushed (about 41/2 cups); 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened; 2 tsp. lemon zest plus 3 Tbsp. fresh juice; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided; 3 cups heavy whipping cream; 3 cups whole milk; 2 (3.4-oz.) pkg. lemon instant pudding mix and pie filling; Lemon slices, for garnish

Prep Time:

30 mins

Chill Time:

4 hrs 35 mins

Total Time:

5 hrs 5 mins

Servings:

12

This impressive-looking but easy-to-build lemon lush combines a cookie crust, cream cheese filling, lemon pudding, and whipped cream. The best part about this layered dessert is that no oven is required—it's a true icebox dessert.

The vanilla cookie crust is sweet, buttery, and slices like a dream when chilled. The cream cheese layer is lightly sweetened and pleasantly lemony. The box pudding mix is a vibrant yellow color and has a sweet lemon flavor for the right balance of sweet and tart.

To make this lemon lush even easier, use a food processor to blitz the sandwich cookies into fine crumbs for the crust. And for nice even layers, don’t rush the freezing process; each layer needs time to chill and set before placing the next component on top.

Lemon Lush - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

What Is a Lush?

A lush is an old-school, no-bake layered dessert that usually contains some sort of press-in crumb crust, a pudding filling, and whipped cream topping. Some lush recipes use graham crackers or cookies as the base of the crust, and others make a quick shortbread-like press-in crust.

The pudding layer, keeping with the easy theme, is typically made from instant box mixes, and the whipped cream topping can be homemade or store-bought ready-made.

Lush is only one of the many names this dessert goes by; chocolate versions are often called Chocolate Delight, for example. Whatever you call it, this dessert is as delicious as it is easy.

Ingredients for Lemon Lush

With vanilla sandwich cookies, cream cheese, fresh lemon, pudding, and cream, you know this dessert has to be good. To make lemon lush, you'll need:

Cream-filled vanilla sandwich cookies: For a sweet, crunchy base for the crust. You could also use graham crackers.
Butter: Binds the crust and helps it set when chilled.
Cream cheese: For a thick, whipped filling that sets up firm and sliceable.
Lemon zest and juice: Adds a kick of fresh citrusy flavor to the dessert. Increase the quantity of zest if you love a zesty, lemony flavor.
Powdered sugar: Sweetens and helps stabilize the cream cheese filling and whipped cream.
Heavy whipping cream: Whipped to create an airy filling and topping. If you want to save the energy, you can use store-bought whipped topping.
Whole milk: Moistens the pudding mix for the right consistency.
Lemon instant pudding mix and pie filling: For a filling layer with a sweet, lemony flavor and bright yellow color.
Lemon slices: To garnish the dessert.

ingredients for lemon lush - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

How To Make Lemon Lush

This lemon lush whipped up in under 30 minutes of active time but you'll need to plan for several hours of chilling. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

Step 1. Prepare baking dish: Coat freezer-safe baking dish with spray, and line with parchment paper.
Step 2. Prepare crust: Make the crust mixture with cookies and butter. Press it evenly into baking dish, and freeze until firm.
Step 3. Prepare cream cheese filling: Beat the filling ingredients until fluffy. Whip cream and remaining powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Fold 1 cup whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, and spread over crust. Freeze until set.
Step 4. Prepare pudding layer: Whisk milk and pudding mix in a bowl until smooth and thickened. Spread over cream cheese mixture, and chill until pudding sets slightly.
Step 5. Top with whipped cream: Spread remaining whipped cream over pudding. Cover and chill until firm. Garnish with lemon slices.

Lemon Lush Variations

To add some variety to this lemon lush dessert, consider these variation ideas:

Cookie crust: Swap the vanilla sandwich cookies with any crisp cookie, including graham crackers, Biscoff cookies, shortbread, chocolate sandwich cookies, and more.
Additions: Add a layer of jam or curd, or sprinkle in shredded coconut, poppy seeds, toasted almonds, or white chocolate chips for extra flavor and texture.
Flavorings: Upgrade the lemon pudding layer with chopped fresh mint, basil, or thyme, or dried lavender for a floral touch. Add a splash of almond extract, limoncello, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau to jazz it up. Feeling spicy? Add a hint of cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg into the cream cheese layer for extra complexity.
Homemade lemon filling: Swap the instant lemon pudding mix for a homemade version, if desired.
Garnishes: Get creative and top the finished dessert with candied lemon slices or lemon peel, white chocolate shavings, toasted nuts, coconut, and more.
Individual servings: Fancy it up by layering the dessert into individual glasses or ramekins.

How To Store Lemon Lush

Chill the prepared lemon lush, covered, until firm. This could take as little as four hours, or you can stretch this time and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Freeze lemon lush only if needed. After thawing, the texture may break down slightly, but it will still be delicious.

More Lemon Dessert Recipes You'll Love

For a delightful combination of sweet and tangy, these lemon dessert recipes can't be beat:

Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse.

Ingredients

1 (19.1-oz.) pkg. cream-filled vanilla sandwich cookies, crushed (about 4 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 (8-oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. lemon zest plus 3 Tbsp. fresh juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups whole milk
2 (3.4-oz.) pkg. lemon instant pudding mix and pie filling
Lemon slices, for garnish

Directions

Prepare baking dish:

Coat a 13- x 9-inch freezer-safe baking dish with cooking spray, and line the dish with parchment paper.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Make crust:

Stir crushed cookies and melted butter in a large bowl until combined. Press firmly into bottom of prepared baking dish in an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Make cream cheese mixture:

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, and 1 1/4 cups of the powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Place heavy whipping cream and remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Spread cream cheese mixture:

Spread mixture over crust; freeze until set, about 10 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Add pudding:

Whisk milk and pudding mix in a large bowl until smooth and thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Spread pudding over cream cheese mixture in crust. Chill until pudding sets slightly, about 15 minutes.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Add whipped cream, and chill:

Gently spread remaining whipped cream over pudding. Chill, covered, until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Garnish with lemon slices. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 4 days.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze lemon lush?

You should only freeze lemon lush if necessary. After thawing, the texture of the dessert may break down slightly, but it will still be delicious.
How do I prevent the crust for lemon lush from becoming soggy?

To help prevent the crust from becoming soggy, you can bake it until golden brown, or add a thin layer of melted white or dark chocolate between the crust and cream cheese filling as a moisture barrier.
How do I know when lemon lush is ready to serve?

Chill the dessert for at least four hours or until it feels firm to the touch. If the filling still seems soft or jiggly, continue to chill until set.