No-Bake ‘Lemon Delight’ Is an Easy Dessert Anyone Can Make
RECIPES

No-Bake ‘Lemon Delight’ Is an Easy Dessert Anyone Can Make

This no-bake dessert is light, creamy, and bursting with mellow, sunny lemon flavor.

Ready IN
4 hrs 40 mins
Servings
12
Save
By Kelli Foster, TheKitchn.com
Updated:
I’ve developed a lot of no-bake “delight” recipes over the past few years. It started with strawberry delight, then there was pumpkin delight, chocolate delight, a very tropical coconut delight, and many more. And of all of them, this dreamy lemon delight is hands-down my absolute favorite; I knew it instantly after the first bite. This four-layer(!) no-bake dessert is light, creamy, and bursting with mellow, sunny lemon flavor. Plus, it’s totally gorgeous and perfect for summer.

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s so lemony! There’s lemon in just about every layer. Lemon zest gets rubbed into sugar and mixed into the crust; zippy lemon juice is blended into the cream cheese layer; and a layer of lush lemon pudding is spread across the middle. And if you really want to go all-in, garnish with finely grated lemon zest.
  • It couldn’t be easier to make. It takes about 30 minutes to put together, and doesn’t require turning on the oven or cooking anything on the stovetop.

Key Ingredients in Lemon Delight

  • Vanilla wafer cookies: Reserve several cookies to use for topping, then use a food processor to crush the remaining cookies into fine crumbs for a buttery no-bake crust.
  • Cream cheese: Full-fat cream cheese is the best option for this dessert. It’s the star ingredient in the bottom layer, which is similar to a no-bake cheesecake. Allow plenty of time for it to soften, which makes for much easier mixing.
  • Lemon pudding: Make sure to buy instant lemon pudding (not the cook-and-serve variety), which sets up quickly when mixed with cold milk.
  • Heavy cream: Lightly sweetened whipped cream not only makes for a dreamy top layer, but also lightens the cream cheese layer.
  • Lemon: Both the zest and juice get used to maximize the bright lemon flavor in this layered dessert.
No-Bake ‘Lemon Delight’ Is an Easy Dessert Anyone Can Make
Kelli Foster, TheKitchn.com
Time
4 hrs 40 mins
(Prep 40 mins)
Servings
12
ingredients
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6.8 ounces (2 boxes) instant lemon pudding mix
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon), plus more for garnish
  • 11 ounces (1 box) vanilla wafer cookies, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon or vanilla extract
Instructions
STEP 1
Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan (about 2 inches high) with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other so that the parchment hangs about 2 inches over all 4 sides of the pan to form a sling.
STEP 2
Whisk instant lemon pudding mix and cold whole milk together in a large bowl until dissolved and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Let sit to thicken while you prepare the crust and other layers.
STEP 3
Rub granulated sugar and finely grated lemon zest together in a small bowl until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor.
STEP 4
Reserve 5 cookies from vanilla wafers for topping. Place the remaining cookies and 1/8 teaspoon of the kosher salt in the food processor. Process until the cookies are the texture of sand, about 15 seconds. Add melted unsalted butter and pulse until combined, 6 to 8 (1-second) pulses.
STEP 5
Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup or your fingers to press the crumbs into an even layer, making sure to reach the edges and fill the corners. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
STEP 6
Beat cold heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar together in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
STEP 7
Beat room-temperature cream cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in the stand mixer (no need to clean) with the whisk attachment on medium speed until light and very fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula halfway through, about 3 minutes total.
STEP 8
Transfer 1 cup of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold together with a flexible spatula until just combined. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread into an even layer.
STEP 9
Dollop the lemon pudding over the cream cheese mixture and spread in an even layer. Dollop the remaining whipped cream over the lemon layer and spread into an even layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
STEP 10
When ready to serve, crush the reserved 5 cookies and sprinkle over the top. Garnish with more finely grated lemon zest if desired. Grasping the excess parchment, transfer the slab to a cutting board. Cut into 12 pieces, wiping the knife between each cut for cleaner cuts.
Notes
Substitute 12 whole graham cracker sheets (about 6 1/2 ounces), or 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, for the vanilla wafer cookies for the crust.
One (8-ounce) container thawed whipped topping can be substituted for the sweetened whipped cream.
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Kelli Foster, TheKitchn.com
Kelli Foster, TheKitchn.com
Author
Kelli Foster is a senior contributing food editor for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to [email protected].