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.
Lemon Delight
Serves 12- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant lemon pudding mix
- 3 cups cold whole milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon), plus more for garnish
- 1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafer cookies, divided
- 1/4 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
Whisk 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix and 3 cups 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.
