Slice and serve up this No Bake Christmas Lush for a layered dessert this holiday season. A pecan shortbread style crust, topped with a lime cream cheese layer, and a strawberry layer that uses fresh strawberries. A colorful Christmas dessert lasagna made with Jello, cream cheese, Whipped topping, and more.
Lasagna desserts are always a fun dessert for parties and crowds as the layers of flavor and colors always lure in a crowd. This Christmas dessert lush is no different, it is a crowd-pleaser. This is one of my favorite desserts for Christmas.
I used lime jello and strawberry jello paired with cream cheese and Cool Whip so you get that classic, red, white, and green look for the holiday season. Sweet, refreshing, and perfectly colored.
Reasons Why You Will Love This Christmas Lush
- Simple everyday ingredients you might already have on hand, in your kitchen.
- No decorating is needed for this dessert. Very easy to make with no special skills needed.
- A layered dessert so each bite you get a tasty bite of each flavor in the dessert.
- Colorful Christmas colors to get guests, family, and friends excited to try out the lasagna.
- You can make this the day before you plan to serve it up. A great make-ahead-friendly dessert for the holidays.
- Feeds a crowd! Make the servings smaller if you plan to serve a larger crowd.
Ingredients Needed
Full measurements and a list of ingredients for this Christmas lush are at the bottom of the post. This is a quick view of what is inside this Christmas recipe.
Flour – All-purpose flour.
Sugar – Granulated sugar.
Nuts – Pecans or walnuts, chopped.
Butter – Unsalted, softened.
Jello – Lime and strawberry gelatin.
Cream Cheese – Full fat, softened.
Cool Whip – Thawed.
Food Coloring – Red and green. Gel food coloring or liquid will work.
Strawberries – Fresh, and sliced.
Sprinkles – Optional.
Variations to Recipe
- Instead of a lime jello, you can swap with a watermelon flavor or even apple to keep the green color.
- Feel free to use a Pistachio pudding instead of green jello to add that green look. Just add some food coloring to get it a more vibrant green.
- If you are not a fan of strawberries you can use cherry or raspberry jello.
- If you don’t want the real fruit in the layered dessert leave it out. Or swap with cherries, raspberries, or other fruit you like.
- Add some mini marshmallows on top of the cream cheese layer for a nice fluffy texture to bite into. Plus it kind of mimics the snow.
- The crust could also be a graham cracker, Oreo cookie crumb, or even a Vanilla wafer-style crust if you don’t want more of a nut-flavored shortbread.
- Top with mini M&M and Christmas sprinkles, or do other types of Christmas candy that would compliment the layered Christmas dessert.
Tips For Making
Here are a few tips to help set you up for success. Feel free to utilize the tips listed to help you end up with a delicious layered Christmas lasagna.
Refrigerate Between Layers
Make sure you are taking time to refrigerate between each layer as the recipe suggests. This is going to help each layer set up a bit so that when you go to spread on the other layer the colors don’t run together. It creates a stunning defined layer look.
Press Crust Into Pan Firmly
Use the back of a measuring spoon to press down the crust into the pan. You want to pack the crust into the pan otherwise it will crumble apart when you go to slice and serve up the bars.
Softened Cream Cheese
Use softened cream cheese, otherwise, it won’t blend well with the other ingredients in the dish. It will stay clumpy and create an almost cottage cheese-curdled texture.
Grease Pan
Grease the 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray before you go to add layers to prevent the bars from sticking. Or place parchment paper inside of the pan so you can lift the bars out for an easy cut.
Storing
You can store any of the Christmas dessert lasagna in the fridge for around 4-5 days. You will find the fruit begins to release juice as it sits in the fridge. This can water down the dessert a bit.
Freezing is not recommended as it will not thaw well if you freeze jello. So just make and eat what you plan to eat within the time frame before it goes bad.
Can I use different flavors of Jello?
Of course. You can use any flavors of Jello you would like. If you want three colors, then you will need two different flavors of Jello to mix in this layered jello dessert.
How long does the dessert need to chill?
Once you are done assembling your dessert you will want the jello layered dessert to chill for a few hours overnight. This is going to allow all the layers to be fully set up, making it hold shape a lot better when you go to slice into it.
Can I make the dessert ahead of time?
Go right ahead and make this layered Christmas lasagna a day ahead of when you plan to serve. Just mix it up and assemble it as directed. Then cover and place in the fridge in a covered dish.
Craving More Christmas Recipes
Christmas Lush
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup nuts pecans or walnuts, chopped finely
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
First Layer
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 small box 3 oz lime gelatin
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 8oz container whipped topping, thawed
- Green food coloring optional
Second Layer
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 8 oz container whipped topping, thawed
Top Layer
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 small boxes 3 oz each strawberry gelatin
- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Additional Toppings
- Additional whipped topping
- Sprinkles or candy
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Spray 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray
- Add crust ingredients to large bowl and combine well
- Press into 13×9 baking dish
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown
- Cool completely
First Layer
- In a large bowl, add lime gelatin and add boiling water
- Stir for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved
- Place in refrigerator until partially set, about 1 hour
- In another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth
- Add cooled gelatin and slowly beat until well combined and smooth
- Fold in whipped topping
- Add food coloring for a brighter green layer, if you like
- Spread over crust and place in refrigerator until set about 30-40 minutes
Second Layer
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth
- Fold in whipped topping
- Spread evenly over lime layer
- Place in refrigerator until set about 30-40 minutes
Top Layer
- In a large bowl, add strawberry gelatin and boiling water
- Stir for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved
- Stir in strawberries
- Place in refrigerator until partially set, about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. You want the jello to easily spoon, but you don’t want it thin or it will go through the other layers.
- Gently spoon mixture over cream cheese layer
- Place in refrigerator until firm about 2-4 hours
- Garnish if desired with whipped topping, sprinkles or candy
- Store leftovers in refrigerator
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