Lemon Lush recipe is a light and fresh dessert with a shortbread crust. Layers of shortbread, cream cheese, lemon pudding, and fresh whipped cream make this Lemon Lush recipe the best of all.

Lemon Lush slice on a plate with a fork

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LEMON LUSH DESSERT

I’ve been on a lemon kick lately. I made 3 batches of lemon poppy seed muffins last week when my husband was out of town which means I ate way too many because I let my conscious have a sabbatical. And thank goodness I’m not taking a drug test anytime soon or I would surely fail from the two bottles of poppy seeds I used.

The muffins, however, still need tweaking which is why I’m bringing you another delicious lemony dessert.

I’m sure you’ve had this in some form or another. Maybe with chocolate pudding or pistachio, but lemon is the new black right now and it needed a turn in this dish. I have a Four Layer Yummy already on this blog but for this version I made the crust and cream cheese layer thicker.

This Lemon Lush dessert is light and creamy, with a crunchy shortbread crust. I could eat the whole pan. This Lemon Lush would be a great dessert for Easter.

Lemon Lush slice
For some reason taking pictures of yellow food is one of the hardest things in the world for me to do. My camera sees yellow and wants to do back flips into shades of grey and blue. So I’m applauding myself on getting a picture that isn’t 50 shades of grey.

HOW TO MAKE LEMON LUSH

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. For the crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour and butter together until a dough forms. Add the pecans and mix until combined. If you don’t have a good processor you can cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or 2 forks and add the pecans after the butter is cut in.
  3. Press the mixture into bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let crust cool. While the crust is baking prepare the remaining layers.
  4. For the Cream Cheese Layer: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice together until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
  5. For the Pudding layer: In a separate bowl, mix the lemon pudding and milk together and beat for 3 to 5 minutes. Let the mixture set up slightly in the refrigerator if it’s not thick yet. Once it has set up a little spread it over the cream cheese layer.
  6. For the Whipped Cream: Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over pudding mixture.
  7. Chill dessert until ready to serve.

RECIPE NOTES

Usually I make all of the layers while the crust is cooking. I place them in separate bowls and chill them in the fridge until I’m ready to assemble.

OTHER LEMON RECIPES

Lemon Lush

4.33 from 87 votes
Lemon Lush recipe is a light and fresh dessert with a shortbread crust. Layers of shortbread, cream cheese, lemon pudding, and fresh whipped cream make this Lemon Lush recipe the best of all.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 slices

Ingredients

Crust:

Cream Cheese Filling:

Pudding Layer:

  • 2 (3.4 ounce packages) instant lemon pudding
  • 3 cups milk
  • Whipped Cream:
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • For the crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour and butter together until a dough forms. Add the pecans and mix until combined. If you don't have a good processor you can cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or 2 forks and add the pecans after the butter is cut in.
  • Press the mixture into bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let crust cool. While the crust is baking prepare the remaining layers.
  • For the Cream Cheese Layer: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice together until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
  • For the Pudding layer: In a separate bowl, mix the lemon pudding and milk together and beat for 3 to 5 minutes. Let the mixture set up slightly in the refrigerator if it's not thick yet. Once it has set up a little spread it over the cream cheese layer.
  • For the Whipped Cream: Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over pudding mixture.
  • Chill dessert until ready to serve.

Notes

Usually I make all of the layers while the crust is cooking. I place them in separate bowls and chill them in the fridge until I'm ready to assemble.
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Lemon Lush - a light and refreshing lemon dessert with a shortbread crust. #lemon #bars #dessert #summerdessert
author avatar
Christy Denney
Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!