Lemon Lush

If you're a fan of layered, creamy desserts, this Lemon Lush recipe is for you. With a buttery pecan shortbread crust, tangy homemade lemon pudding, fluffy cream cheese filling, and real whipped cream on top—this old-fashioned icebox dessert is a total crowd-pleaser.

Unlike other versions, mine skips the Cool Whip and instant pudding for a fresher, from-scratch flavor that’s worth the extra step. If you love citrus treats like my Lemon Icebox Pie or Lemon Cake, you’ll want to add this to your dessert list.

I'm always on the hunt for delicious dessert recipes, especially lemon desserts. I could make and enjoy a batch of Lemon Bars any day!

Things to Know Before Making Lemon Lush

What is lemon lush

At its heart, a lush is an icebox dessert. Typically lush desserts are made in a baking dish or casserole pan and have a crisp crust topped with layers of creamy (luscious!) fillings made from cream cheese, whipped cream, and pudding.

It's sometimes called lemon delight or lemon lasagna.

A lush dessert can be made with all kinds of different flavors from lemon to pistachio, to chocolate and everything in between! This Lemon Lush has a pecan crust, cream cheese filling, lemon pudding, and whipped topping.

Why you'll love this recipe

Unlike traditional recipes that rely on Cool Whip and pudding mix, I make my lemon lush from scratch with real whipped cream and homemade lemon pudding.

• It's Easy: You'll find that each layer is simple to make. You'll get decadent flavor without breaking a sweat.
• Delicious anytime of the year: Lemon is a classic flavor that can be served all year long. You'll want to make this old-fashioned dessert for holidays, family gatherings, and potlucks.
• Perfect prep-ahead recipe: It's designed to be made in advance. The layers benefit from chilling for hours so the dessert can set.
• Feeds a crowd: A 9-by-9 pan makes 9 generous servings of lemon lush to feed a crowd with minimal effort on your part.

Can I swap ingredients?

Yes! See the Variations section below for ideas like graham cracker crust, gluten-free swaps, or using instant pudding in a pinch.

Jump to:

• Things to Know Before Making Lemon Lush
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment you'll need
• Make-ahead and storage
• Variations
• Tara's top tips
• FAQ
• More lemon dessert recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

Simple, quality ingredients make the best desserts, and that's what you'll find here. Check out these ingredient tips as you get ready to make this lemon lush. See recipe card for quantities.

Lemon pudding filling

• Granulated sugar: Use regular white granulated sugar.
• Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the pudding.
• Egg yolks: It's best to use the yolks from large eggs, not medium or extra large.
• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor. I highly recommend squeezing it yourself instead of using store-bought lemon juice.
• Whole milk: To make a nice thick filling that will remain stable, you need the extra fat from whole milk. Don't replace it with a lower-fat milk.
• Boiling water
• Yellow food coloring: You can use standard liquid food coloring or gel food coloring to enhance the yellow filling. It's optional and can be left out if desired.

Pecan shortbread crust

• Pecans: Use raw, unsalted pecans. Feel free to toast the pecans before preparing the crust if desired.
• Flour: A little all-purpose flour helps to hold the crust together.
• Granulated sugar
• Salted butter: I used salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter -- just add a pinch of salt. It's also best to cube the still-cool butter to help it blend more easily into the dough.

Cream cheese filling and whipped topping

• Cream cheese: Bring full-fat, brick-style cream cheese to room temperature. It will need about 30 minutes on the counter to soften.
• Confectioners' sugar: Used in both the filling and topping for sweetness and thickening.
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor to the filling and topping.
• Heavy whipping cream: Gives the filling and topping fluffy texture and creamy flavor. It's also known as heavy cream and should have at least 36% milkfat.

Instructions

Let's get started! Follow this photo tutorial to stay on track and avoid common mistakes.

Make the lemon pudding layer

Making the pudding first ensures it has time to set in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the layers.

1. Start pudding: Over medium-high heat, add ½ cup sugar and 3½ tablespoons cornstarch to a medium saucepan, stir gently to combine.
2. Add yolks, lemon juice, and milk: Whisk in 3 egg yolks and a ½ cup lemon juice. Continue whisking until very smooth. Then add 1 cup whole milk, whisk to combine and continue stirring until the mixture is warm.
3. Whisk in boiling water: Whisk in a ½ cup boiling water and continue whisking vigorously.
4. Thicken the mixture: As you continue whisking, the mixture will bubble and thicken. Remove it from the heat when it bubbles on its own if you stop stirring, about 2 to 4 minutes. It should be thick!
5. Strain the pudding: Place a clean bowl below a fine sieve. Pour the pudding into the sieve and use a spatula to strain the pudding. If desired, stir in yellow food coloring a drop at a time until pale lemon yellow.
6. Cool: Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, pressing gently until it comes in contact with the top of the pudding (helps to prevent a thick skin on top). Cool in the fridge about 1 hour.

Make the pecan shortbread crust

I like to heat the oven while I get the crust started. Set the temperature to 350ºF.

1. Mix pecans, flour, and sugar: Pour a ½ cup (2 ounces) pecans into a food processor and pulse until chopped. Then add ⅔ cup flour and 2 tablespoons sugar, and pulse just to combine. (See hint below for how to make the crust without a food processor.)
2. Add butter: Add the cool, cubed butter to the bowl.
3. Form dough: Pulse the mixture until a crumbly dough forms that holds together when pinched.
4. Bake and cool: Press crust evenly into a 9-by-9-inch pan, and bake until just done and slightly golden in places, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. To speed up the cooling process, the mostly cool crust can be placed in the fridge to finish cooling.

How to make the crust without a food processor: Finely chop the pecans. One way to do this is to place the pecans in a plastic zipper bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Place the chopped pecans, flour, and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until a crumbly dough forms (see picture 3 above).

Make the cream cheese layer

1. Beat cream cheese: Once the crust is almost cool, beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl until smooth.
2. Mix in sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla: Add ⅔ cup confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the cream cheese. Mix until smooth.
3. Make whipped cream: In a separate bowl, whip ½ cup heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture until just combined.
4. Top the crust: Spread the cream cheese layer over the cooled crust, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and chill until cold, about 1 hour.

Layer and chill

1. Smooth the pudding: Take the lemon pudding from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and use a whisk to stir it until smooth.
2. Cover cream cheese layer with lemon pudding: Remove the pan from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Gently spread the pudding on top of the cream cheese layer, cover with plastic wrap, and chill again until set, 2 to 3 hours.
3. Prepare whipped topping: Once the other layers are set, prepare the topping by whipping 1¼ cups heavy cream, ¼ cup confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to soft peaks.
4. Spread whipped topping: Cover the lemon layer with the whipped topping. If desired, use the back of a spoon to make pretty swirls. For a firm slice, it's best to chill the lush 1 to 2 hours before serving, but it can also be served immediately.

Make-ahead and storage

To Make-Ahead: Prepare your lemon lasagna 24 hours in advance to have it ready for the next day.

Storage: Keep the lush refrigerated until you are ready to serve, and return leftovers to the fridge immediately. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. Do not freeze—this icebox dessert doesn’t hold up well to freezing.

Variations

Need to switch things up? Try these variations for your lemon delight:

• Try a different crust: Use a graham cracker crust or Nilla Wafer crust
• Make it gluten-free: You could also make the crust with your favorite gluten-free ingredients like GF all-purpose flour.
• Use store-bought pudding: If you are feeling rushed for time, you can speed this recipe up by using a store-bought instant lemon pudding mix in place of the homemade lemon pudding.

FAQ

More lemon dessert recipes

Looking for other recipes with lemon? Try these:

📖 Recipe