Serve up the holiday cheer with this colorful Christmas Lasagna — a decadent dessert lasagna with layers of cookie, cheesecake, and pudding!
Christmas Lasagna
This is the perfect dessert to serve on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day! This Christmas Lasagna is rich and decadent, and brightly colored red, white and green. It’s beautiful, festive, and fun! And it’s easy to make!
Our Christmas dessert lasagna has 4 colorful layers:
- A red sugar cookie layer (the crust)
- Peppermint Cheesecake Layer (white in color)
- Green pudding layer (that’s white chocolate flavored)
- Whipped topping with lots of fun and yummy decorations
What is Dessert Lasagna?
You’ve probably heard of dessert pizza, but have you ever seen a dessert lasagna? This deliciously sweet concoction is one of the best holiday desserts we’ve ever had! Kids will be asking for seconds, and adults will have their sweet tooth fully satisfied when you serve this Christmas Lasagna at your next holiday party!
Just like a savory lasagna, dessert lasagna is layered with lots of tasty ingredients. But there’s no pasta or meat in this dish! Instead of lasagna noodles, we have a sugar cookie crust! Instead of ricotta cheese, we have a luscious cheesecake layer! For a little bit of crunch, we topped it with candy and sprinkles. So much festive fun!
Try these other dessert lasagna recipes:
Ingredients
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- Dry sugar cookie mix — You’ll need a box and half
- Unsalted butter — softened
- Whole Eggs
- Cream cheese — softened
- Powdered sugar
- Whipped topping or Cool Whip — thawed
- Peppermint extract
- Instant Pudding Mix — We used white chocolate flavor, but you could also use cheesecake or vanilla flavor
- Milk — You can use any type of milk you like, even heavy cream in a pinch!
- Green and red food coloring
TIP: Find full recipe amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. There’s a “jump to recipe” button at the top to help you find it!
Topping/ Decoration Suggestions
You can use any or all of the below, or any of your own ideas to make this treat extra festive and tasty!
- Mini marshmallows
- Christmas sprinkles
- Red and green M&M candies
- Crushed Candy Canes
- White chocolate chops
Kitchen Tools Used
- 9 x 13″ cake pan or casserole dish
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Stand mixer (we bought ours refurbished and saved a ton of money!)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
1. Make the Cookie Layer (Red)
- Add the dry sugar cookie mix, 2 sticks of butter, and the eggs to a large bowl. Mix with stand mixer or hand mixer on low speed until combined. Add red food coloring 1-2 drops at a time until you have your desired shade.
- Spread the cookie dough into your prepared pan and press down to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The edges will also start to just turn golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
2. Make the Cheesecake Layer (White)
- In a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese on low to medium speed for about 1 minute, until soft and creamy. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add 1 ½ cups of whipped topping and peppermint extract to your cream cheese mixture. Beat on low speed until incorporated.
- Spread cream cheese layer over the cooled cookie layer and place pan in freezer to set.
3. To Make the Pudding Layer (Green)
- Rinse out your mixing bowl and add to it the white chocolate pudding mix and 3 cups milk, whisk until combined.
- Stir in green food coloring until you have a bright green color.
- Remove the baking dish from the freezer and spread the pudding on top of the cheesecake layer. Return to the freezer for 5 minutes or until pudding starts to firm up.
4. Decorate
- A couple hours before you plan to serve, take the baking dish out of the freezer and cover the top layer with whipped topping. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- When it’s time to serve, decorate with sprinkles, mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, white chocolate chips, or anything you like really!
Prep Tips
- I recommend waiting to add these last decorations until you’re going to serve the dish (as opposed to decorating and waiting). The coloring from the M&Ms, sprinkles, etc. may soak into the whipped topping if left on there too long ahead of time. It won’t really affect the flavor, but it looks better when you’ve just added the decorative toppings.
- This is a recipe where you can easily substitute ingredients as needed. Don’t have white chocolate pudding mix on hand? Use vanilla or cheesecake flavored instead! You can also switch up the decorations on top, using your favorite holiday candy or sprinkles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Dessert Lasagna Stay Good?
Because it’s made with dairy, you’ll need to keep this dessert lasagna in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It can stay out on the party table for an hour or two, but any longer than that and you’ll want to return leftovers to the refrigerator. For best results, enjoy within the first 3-4 days.
How Many Servings Does This Recipe Yield?
This is a big recipe perfect for potlucks or serving a crowd. We used an oblong baking dish and it will serve about 18 or 24 people, depending on the size squares you cut the dessert into.
Can You Use Sugar Free Ingredients?
Sure! You can substitute sugar free pudding mix, whipped topping, etc.
Can You Use Real Whipped Cream?
I recommend sticking with whipped topping (such as Cool Whip) instead of real whip cream. Because whipped topping is made with oils, it is more “shelf stable” and will maintain its creamy texture better. Real whipped cream tends to “fall” over time and turn more liquid.
More of our most popular Christmas Desserts
- Peppermint Brownie Truffles
- Christmas Tree Pretzels
- Peppermint Bark Popcorn
- Candy Cane Ice Cream
- Christmas Puppy Chow
- Candy Cane Fudge
- Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
- Christmas Oatmeal Cookies
Christmas Lasagna Recipe (printable copy)
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Christmas Lasagna Dessert
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 boxes dry sugar cookie mix
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 cups whipped topping thawed
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 7.8 ounces white chocolate instant pudding 2 typical 3.9 ounce boxes
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- Christmas sprinkles
- Red and green M&M candies
- Green and red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cookie Layer:
- Combine dry sugar cookie mix, 2 sticks of butter, and eggs in large bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add red food coloring 1-2 drops at a time until the desired color is achieved.
- Spread dough into prepared pan and press down to cover bottom of pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Cheesecake Layer:
- Beat softened cream cheese for 1 minute, then mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add 1 ½ cups of whipped topping and peppermint extract. Beat on low until combined.
- Spread cheesecake mixture on top of the cooled cookie layer. Place in the freezer.
- Pudding Layer:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine pudding mix with the milk. Add green food coloring, 1-2 drops at a time until the desired color is achieved.
- Remove the baking dish from the freezer and spread the pudding on top of the cheesecake layer. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until firm.
- Top Layer:
- Remove the baking dish from the freezer and spread the remaining whipped topping over the pudding layer. Top with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours until set. Cut into squares and serve.
Video
Nutrition
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