Here’s Our Copycat for Olive Garden’s Chocolate Lasagna

Molly AllenUpdated: Aug. 07, 2023

Courtesy Olive Garden, Molly Allen for Taste of Home

We love Olive Garden for the soup, salad and breadsticks, but what about dessert? Learn how to make chocolate lasagna, one of Olive Garden's signature decadent desserts.

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A visit to Olive Garden certainly doesn’t mean you’re going home hungry. Who can get enough of the beloved Olive Garden breadsticks, the chain’s comforting chicken and gnocchi soup and, of course, that tangy house salad? The list of savory options is certainly long, but what about dessert?

Olive Garden offers a range of desserts to finish out your meal, including classics like cheesecake and tiramisu. Another fan favorite? The Olive Garden chocolate lasagna. We’re talking four layers of fudgy brownie paired with layers of vanilla cream cheese frosting. It’s stacked high, then drizzled with chocolate and topped with chocolate shavings to make it that much more decadent. And now, even if you can’t get it at your neighborhood restaurant, I figured out how you can pull off this indulgent, towering chocolate lasagna at home.

How to Make Olive Garden Chocolate Lasagna

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

While this tall treat looks intimidating, you can certainly make a chocolate lasagna at home. It requires a bit of patience to stack each layer, but every bite makes the effort worth it.

Ingredients

For the brownie layers:

2 boxes brownie mix, plus ingredients on box
2 eggs

For the cream cheese filling:

2 (8-ounce) bricks cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 cups powdered sugar

For the chocolate ganache:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
Chocolate shavings, for garnish

Tools You’ll Need

Taste Of Home 8 Inch Non Stick Metal Square Baking Pan

Directions

Step 1: Make the brownie batter

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Prepare the brownie mixes according to the instructions on the box. Incorporate an additional egg into each batch of batter.

Test Kitchen Tip: Deputy Editor James Schend recommends lining the pans with foil or parchment paper before you add the batter. That way, once the brownies are baked and cooled, you can lift them right out of the pan.

Step 2: Bake the brownies

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Bake the brownies in two 8×8-inch square pans according to the instructions on the box. Once the brownies are fully baked, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Step 3: Make the cream cheese filling

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

In a mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese and softened butter. Mix with a hand mixer until fluffy, and then add two cups of powdered sugar. Mix in the powdered sugar, and then mix in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Gradually mix in the remaining powdered sugar until the frosting comes together.

Step 4: Layer the brownies and filling

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Once the brownie “cakes” are fully cooled, remove them from the pans. Use a large knife to cut each in half horizontally. This will create your four layers. Place the first layer on the serving platter and frost with the cream cheese filling. Top with another brownie layer and frost, then repeat with each layer. Once you’ve frosted the top layer, place the dessert in the fridge.

Step 5: Make the chocolate ganache

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Chop the chocolate and put it in a heat-safe bowl. Set it aside.

Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan and heat on medium. Allow the cream to heat just until simmering (boiling will scorch it, so watch carefully). Once heated, pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Now you have ganache. Drizzle it over the chocolate lasagna and garnish with chocolate shavings.

Here’s What I Thought

Molly Allen for Taste of Home

While Olive Garden has never shared its official chocolate lasagna recipe, it’s a simple enough combination of flavors to be able to mimic at home. The restaurant lists this impressive dessert with a description of “Eight decadent layers of rich, fudgy brownie and sweet vanilla cream cheese frosting, topped with chocolate shavings and a chocolate drizzle.” And I set out to make just that.

Brownie mix serves as the ideal base for your dessert. Of course, you could make your own brownies from scratch, as well. The key is to add an extra egg to each batch, which will deliver a fluffier result and make it easier to cut the layers horizontally. Once the layers are cut, layering the brownie and cream cheese filling takes a bit of patience and finesse, but it’s certainly doable. I wanted to be able to see all of the beautiful layers of the dessert, so I stacked it on a platter. Need a totable option to take to a potluck? You could build the treat in one of the 8×8-inch pans and serve it from there.

As for the flavor, this copycat Olive Garden chocolate lasagna is truly something else. It’s one thing to have a brownie with tangy cream cheese frosting slathered on top (or swirled in the batter). It’s a whole other ball game to multiply that four times. With each bite, you get an incredible flavor and contrast in texture, thanks to all of those layers. And of course, the chocolate drizzle on top makes it that much more delicious. It’s definitely a dessert that requires a few steps, but would I make it again? You can count on it!

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