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A slice of lemon lush dessert graces a white plate, crowned with whipped cream, a lemon slice, and delicate edible flowers. It rests on a yellow checked napkin, with two empty glasses and a plant softly framing the scene in the background.
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Lemon Lush Dessert Recipe

This easy Lemon Lush dessert features layers of shortbread, sweetened cream cheese, lemon pudding, and fresh whipped cream!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 347kcal
Author: Stephanie Wilson

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

  • 1 cup unsalted butter cold
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Cream Cheese Layer

  • 2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese room temperature
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice

Lemon Pudding (Quick & Easy)

  • 2 (3.4-oz) instant lemon pudding mix
  • 3 ½ cups milk

Lemon Pudding (By Scratch)

  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup freshly squeeze lemon juice about 2 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional: yellow food coloring

Sweetened Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup powdered icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Shortbread Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal.
  • Combine flour, cold butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a pastry cutter or food processor until the mixture is crumbly. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Layer

  • Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over cooled crust.

Lemon Pudding (Quick & Easy)

  • Whisk the milk and lemon pudding mix in a second bowl for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours to overnight.

Lemon Pudding Pudding (By Scratch)

  • Whisk milk, sugar, eggs, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a low simmer. Continue to cook and stir until the pudding is thickened. Then, stir in the lemon juice, vanilla, and food coloring. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Cool to room temperature before spreading over the cream cheese layer. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.

Sweetened Whipping Topping

  • In a medium bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
  • Spread over the chilled pudding layer and refrigerate the dessert until ready to serve. If using whipped topping, simply spread it over the pudding layer and chill until serving.
  • Serving: Cut into squares and garnish with twists of lemon and fresh lemon zest.

Notes

  1. Whipped Cream: As in several of our no-bake desserts, you can use one 12-oz tub of prepared whipped topped for the top layer to save time.
  2. Garnishing: I love adding a twist of lemon and a pinch of fresh lemon zest to the top of each serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 902IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg