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Get ready for the creamiest, dreamiest no-bake dessert! This Chocolate Lasagna is layers of creamy cream cheese and rich chocolate pudding with an Oreo cookie crust. This dessert is excellent for serving a crowd, and you can adapt in so many ways.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a chocolate no-bake dessert I didn’t like – I pretty much love them all! But I have a special place in my heart for chocolate lasagna. There’s just so much too much love about it!
It’s one of my all-time favorite desserts when I need to serve a crowd. It’s easy to make, it’s no-bake, and it can be ahead. Oh, and it’s incredibly cool, creamy, and chocolaty.
What is Chocolate Lasagna?
Chocolate lasagna is a decadent no-bake dessert. It gets its name because the dessert is made in layers, like lasagna. Except there’s no pasta involved!
Sometimes it’s called a chocolate icebox cake or chocolate dream dessert, but no matter what you call it, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream. A chocolate cookie crust, cream cheese layer, and a chocolate pudding layer combine to make the best no-bake dessert ever.
You can make it up to a day in advance, and leftovers keep for two days in the refrigerator. It’s a great choice for potlucks, cookouts, and parties because it feeds a crowd.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Crushed Oreo cookies – use a food processor to crush the cookies or place them in a bag and pound them with a rolling pin
- Melted unsalted butter – this helps to make the crust
- Cream Cheese – make sure it’s softened
- Powdered sugar – to sweeten the cheesecake layer
- Vanilla extract – for flavor
- Cool Whip – thaw at room temperature for a few hours before you use it.
- Instant chocolate pudding mix – get the 3.4 ounce size and make sure it’s instant
- Nonfat milk – to make the pudding
- Chocolate shavings – for the topping
How to Make Chocolate Lasagna
1. Crust: Start by making the crust and mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter. Press the mixture into an even layer in a 9×13″ baking dish. Chill the crust while you make the rest of the filling.
2. Cream Cheese Layer: Make the cream cheese layer by beating the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
Gently fold in one container of thawed whipped topping. Once combined, spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the crust. Chill the crust and filling while you make the next layer.
3. Pudding Layer: Whisk the pudding mix and milk. Let it sit until it’s soft-set – this usually takes about five minutes. Spread the pudding over the top of the cream cheese layer.
4. Toppings: Spread the rest of the whipped topping over the pudding layer. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the top for decoration.
5. Chill: Place the chocolate lasagna cake in the refrigerator and chill it for at least two hours before serving.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
I love this recipe because you can change the ingredients to make all kinds of lasagna desserts – you aren’t limited to chocolate lasagna. So, experiment by mixing and matching different crusts and pudding flavors. You can also dress it up with other mix-ins and toppings.
- Cookie crust: Any crushed cookies will work for the crust – vanilla wafer cookies, graham crackers, gingersnaps, Golden Oreos, Nutter Butters… basically any cookie that you can use for a no-bake crust will work.
- Pudding layer: There are so many instant pudding options! Any instant pudding will work, so match it up with the type of crust you’re using.
- Topping: Feel free to use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. You will need approximately six cups.
- Decorations: Switch the chocolate shavings for grated chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Or, skip the chocolate and decorate with crushed cookies, chopped candy (like peanut butter cups or candy bars), or sprinkles.
Ready to treat your friends and family to this creamy, decadent dessert? This chocolate lasagna recipe is destined to be a new favorite, I’m sure of it!
Other No Bake Frozen and Lush Desserts to Try
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Chocolate Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 36 Oreos (from a package of about 14.3 ounces)
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter melted
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup (28g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 (8 ounces each) containers whipped topping, thawed and divided
- 2 (3.4 ounces each) boxes chocolate instant pudding
- 2 ½ cups (592 ml) nonfat milk
- Chocolate shavings for garnish
Instructions
- Crush Oreos in a food processor until a fine crumb. If you don’t have a food processor, roughly chop them then add them to a Ziploc bag and crush using a rolling pin.
- Stir crumbs together with melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Chill while preparing filling.
- Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer, mixing until smooth. Mix in vanilla then fold in one container of whipped topping (8 ounces). Spread cream cheese layer over crust and chill while preparing next layer.
- Whisk together pudding mix and milk and let get soft-set, about 5 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer.
- Spread remaining (8 ounces) whipped topping over the top of the pudding. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Be sure the cream cheese is softened so it mixes smoothly with the sugar.
- Be sure to thaw the whipped topping for a few hours prior to making the recipe.
- You can use any cookie for the crust, and any pudding flavor for that layer.
Recipe Nutrition
This Chocolate Lasagna is layers of creamy cream cheese and rich chocolate pudding with an Oreo cookie crust.
Last Updated on May 20, 2022
Can you just use two oreo cookie pie crusts for this recipe? I have all the ingredients except the oreo cookies but I have the pre-made crusts. Thanks!!
You could and make them as pie yes!
Thank you Ray for this recipe. I made a similar recipe. And, I can’t wait to try this one out. Which I can now Ttl for Gluten free Oreo’s for people like me with celiac disease or Gluten sensitivity. The world I’d a better place in with some ores and milk. And even better with a slice of lasagna cake yummy 😋
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