Lemon Lush Recipe - melissassouthernstylekitchen.com (2024)

This Lemon Lush Recipe features four layers beginning with a crumb crust filled with white chocolate and a macadamia nuts. The bright fresh flavor of lemon pudding layered with a luscious cream cheese filling and whipped cream, can only be eclipsed by the crust filled with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. It’s sure to be the hit of your dessert table.

Easy Lemon Lush Recipe

This popular layered dessert has been rotating through Southern kitchens for many years. I love this vintage layer dessert so much I have several versions in the Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen recipe index. To this lemon version, I added macadamia nuts and plenty of creamy white chocolate chips to the crumb crust. The top is also garnished with white chocolate to gild the lily. Layered desserts do take several steps to make by nature but none are difficult and the end result is totally worth it! How to make Lemon Lush. (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

• Prepare Pan – Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spritz the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.
• Crust – Melt the butter then toss with the vanilla wafer crumbs, macadamia nuts, sugar, and white chocolate chips.
• Press firmly onto the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden and set. Cool completely.
• Cream Cheese Layer – Whip together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with vanilla. Whip until fluffy then add cool whip or sweetened fresh whipped cream. Spread over the cooled crust.
• Pudding Layer – Whip together both packages of lemon pudding with cold milk until thickened. Pour over the cream cheese layer.
• Topping – Frost with the remaining whipped topping garnished with grated white chocolate and reserved finely chopped macadamia nuts.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting.

How to Make the Best Lemon Lush Recipe

• Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Lemon Lush: For the crust you’ll need crushed vanilla wafers, granulated sugar, melted butter, white chocolate baking chips and white chocolate chips.
• For the cream cheese layer: Softened plain cream cheese, powdered sugar, whipped topping and vanilla extract.
• For the pudding layer: Two boxes instant lemon pudding mix plus whole milk or half and half to prepare. Half and half is half cream and half whole milk. It’s sold as such in the US and will give even more richness to the flavor of the pudding layer. Rest assured, whole milk will work fine.
• The top layer consists of whipped topping and grated white chocolate. Grating white chocolate on top is purely optional but it’s a nice touch and pairs beautifully with the flavor of the lemon pudding.
• You may opt to omit the macadamia nuts or swap them out using pecans, almonds or walnuts in their place.
• You could also use the same amount of crushed graham crackers or lemon wafer cookies for the crust.
• These types of desserts really do best using frozen (and thawed) whipped topping. It’s more stable than fresh whipped cream and makes assembling a cinch.
• You can make this dessert one day in advance cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
• Store Lemon Lush chilled for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
• Other flavors of Lush desserts to try: Island inspire Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Lush, Chocolate Fudge Layered Lush and Banana Pudding Lush that combines this layered dessert with Southern banana pudding.

More Lemon Dessert Recipes to Make

• Lemon Lovers Pound Cakecan be glazed or dusted with powdered sugar.
• ClassicLemon Barsare a handheld dessert everyone will love.
• Who could resist a piece of homemadeLemon Meringue Pie.
• My recipe forGlazed Lemon Cookiesmelt in your mouth.
• Make your ownHomemade Lemon Curdfor filling tarts, cupcakes or serving with scones.
• Cool down with a glass ofBerry Lemonade.
• Mini Lemon Cup Candiesfrom Very Best Baking.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Stand Mixer
• Cooling Racks
• Measuring Set
• 13 x 9 inch Pan