Lemon Lush

Lemon lush, also known as lemon delight, is a summer dessert. Airy, almost no-bake and with the flavor of sunshine, it’s a refreshing, cool treat for sticky summer evenings. Every layer in lemon lush is a delight, to be sure, but the thick lemon pudding filling is the bright spot. For the biggest lemon dessert fans, finish your lemon lush recipe with lemon curd, lemon zest and dehydrated lemon slices for that little extra zing and zip.

Ingredients for Lemon Lush

• Butter: Keep the butter nice and cold for the crust. We want the crust to be somewhat flaky, sort of like a biscuit’s texture.
• All-purpose flour: Also similar to a biscuit, we want the crust’s texture to be firm yet tender. All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten for that.
• Cream cheese: Soften the cream cheese so it whips up nicely. Cold cream cheese will hold on to lumps, making a bumpy, dense filling.
• Confectioners’ sugar: The fine powder of confectioners’ sugar dissolves in no-heat applications, unlike coarse granulated sugar.
• Whipped topping: Thaw the frozen whipped topping in the fridge for a few hours before using it in our recipe for lemon lush dessert.
• Milk: Whole milk creates the richest, most luxurious pudding.
• Instant lemon pudding mix: Before leaving the grocery store, be 100% sure the packages of lemon pudding mix say “instant” and not “cook and serve.” You will not get the same results with the latter.

Directions

Step 1: Make the crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cut the cold butter into the all-purpose flour until the mixture is crumbly.

Step 2: Press the mixture into the pan

Press the mixture into an ungreased 13×9-inch baking dish. The bottom of a measuring cup is a useful tool to get the crust as even as possible.

Editor’s Tip: Avoid packing down the mixture or the crust will be too hard to cut through when serving. Instead, lightly press the mixture.

Step 3: Bake the crust

Christine Ma for Taste of Home

Pop the pan in the oven and bake the crust until it’s light brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Step 4: Whip up the cream cheese filling

Christine Ma for Taste of Home

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cooled crust.

Step 5: Mix the lemon pudding

Christine Ma for Taste of Home

In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the whole milk and lemon pudding mix on low speed for two minutes. Carefully spread the lemon pudding over the cream cheese layer.

Step 6: Add the whipped topping

Top the lemon pudding dessert recipe with the remaining whipped topping. Cover the lemon lush (being careful not to smudge the topping) with storage wrap, and refrigerate it for at least one hour.

Editor’s Tip: Feel free to get creative with the whipped topping, and pipe or swirl it on for an even prettier look.

Christine Ma for Taste of Home

Recipe Variations

• Bump up the lemon flavor: If you can’t get enough of that sour pucker of lemon, grate lemon zest or splash 1/8 teaspoon of lemon extract into the pudding or cream cheese layer. Or, swirl or drizzle lemon curd on top of the whipped topping.
• Add nuts to the crust: For more crunch, chop up a 1/2 cup of nuts and stir them into the crust layer before pressing it into the pan. Macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts or almonds would be best here.
• Finish with fruit: Just before serving, arrange lemon slices, berries or chopped nuts on top of the lemon pudding dessert recipe for a pretty presentation.
• Change the pudding flavor: You can change the recipe’s flavor entirely by choosing a different flavor of instant pudding mix. We use pistachio pudding mix to create our rich and nutty pistachio pudding dessert, but strawberry, chocolate, banana or vanilla would also work here.

How to Store Lemon Lush

Store lemon lush covered in the fridge for up to three days. Or, if there is only a little bit left, transfer slices to an airtight container to save room in the fridge.

Can you make lemon lush ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the lemon lush recipe ahead of time. In fact, this dessert needs to chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so it’s best to plan ahead. Feel free to fully assemble this dessert the day you plan to serve it.

Lemon Lush Tips

Christine Ma for Taste of Home

Can you make this lemon lush recipe in a different sized pan?

Yes, you can make lemon delight in a different sized pan. Instead of a 13×9-inch baking pan, use two 8-inch square pans or two 9-inch round pans.

Can you make the lemon pudding from scratch?

Absolutely! If you have a favorite lemon pudding or lemon pastry cream recipe, feel free to use it here instead of the instant lemon pudding mixes.

How do you serve lemon lush?

Serve lemon lush chilled from the fridge. It’s lovely with herbal teas, lattes or after-dinner drinks like moscato d’Asti, ice wine or a late-harvest riesling.