This gorgeous lemon lush trifle has 7 layers of pure lemon bliss starting with toasted graham cracker crumbs, whipped cream cheese, fluffy lemon pudding, and heaping swirls of whipped cream and fresh lemon slices on top.
Why this recipe works
Aside from its beautiful presentation, this lemon lush trifle is packed full of dreamy layers of graham crackers, lemon pudding, and cream cheese similar to our original lemon lush. It’s fluffy, light, and airy – perfect for summer potlucks and parties.
Plus, it’s really easy to whip together and is virtually a no-bake dessert, aside from the few minutes in the oven to toast up the graham cracker crumbs (which is entirely worth it).
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CRUST – Toasting the graham cracker crumbs isn’t necessary – it enhances their flavor a bit and gives them some added crispiness, but is totally optional. You can also add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the graham cracker crumb/butter mixture to sweeten the crumbs up if desired.
PUDDING – Grab 2 – 3.4 ounce boxes of instant lemon pudding mix. You’ll mix this with milk and Cool Whip until it’s light and fluffy.
CREAM CHEESE – To properly soften cream cheese, remove it from the refrigerator, slice it into cubes, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes on a plate.
WHIPPED TOPPING – Cool Whip is our first choice as it is already stabilized, packaged, and ready to be used without any additional prep work. If you would like, you can use our homemade stabilized whipped cream in its place though that will tack on a bit more prep time for you. You can also use regular homemade whipped topping, but it will not last very long and you definitely want stability for a trifle.
How to Make Lemon Lush Trifle
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Pulse graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until completely crushed into fine, even crumbs.
- Add melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and pulse several more times until fully combined.
- Spread the graham cracker crumb mixture onto a sheet pan and place in the oven to brown for 5-7 minutes. Remove crumbs once they are toasted – do not burn. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Whisk until mixture thickens. Fold in one 8 oz container of Cool Whip and set the mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until fully combined and smooth. Fold or mix in 2 – 8 oz containers of Cool Whip and 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
- Build the trifle by layering 1/3 of the toasted graham cracker crumbs, then about 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture, 1/2 of the lemon pudding mixture, and another layer of graham crackers crumbs, the remaining cream cheese mixture, remaining lemon pudding mixture, and a final layer of graham cracker crumbs.
- Mound the top of the trifle with big swirls of the final 8 oz container of Cool Whip (you may not use it all). Decorate with fresh lemon slices, lemon zest, and/or mint leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
To store, cover with plastic wrap or in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can store the trifle in the freezer to keep it fresh for longer – be sure you are assembling the trifle in a freezer-safe dish if so.Â
If you can’t seem to find graham crackers, or they aren’t available to you where you live, you can substitute them with shortbread cookies, Golden Oreo cookies, or digestive biscuits.
Serving Suggestions
Optionally top lemon lush trifle with chopped nuts, mint leaves, lemon slices, lemon zest, and extra whipped topping. Serve chilled by the scoopful!
More Trifle Recipes
- Mango Trifle
- Mixed Berry Trifle
- Lemon Blueberry Trifle
- Strawberry Lasagna Trifle
- Chocolate Lasagna Trifle
- Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Icebox Cake
- Lemon Streusel Squares
- Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake
I love to bake and cook and share my kitchen experience with all of you! Remembering to come back each day can be tough, that’s why I offer a convenient newsletter every time a new recipe posts. Simply subscribe and start receiving your free daily recipes!
Lemon Lush Trifle
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 14.4 ounce graham crackers 1 box
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 6.8 ounces instant lemon pudding m ix 2 – 3.4 ounce boxes
- 3 cups whole milk
- 32 ounces Cool Whip 4 – 8 ounce containers
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 – 8 ounce blocks, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
Optional Garnish
- lemon slices
- lemon zest
- mint leaves
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- To store, cover with plastic wrap or in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You may not use all of the final 8 oz of Cool Whip to top the trifle. It’s up to you and your personal decorating preferences. I piped the Cool Whip onto the trifle with a decorating bag and piping tip #1M. Cool whip doesn’t pipe into crisp detailed designs, but it worked for nice soft swirly piled here.
- Toasting the graham cracker crumbs isn’t necessary – it enhances their flavor a bit and gives them some added crispiness, but is totally optional. You can also add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the graham cracker crumb/butter mixture to sweeten the crumbs up if desired.
- This makes a large amount of cream cheese filling and lemon pudding filling – enough to really fill a trifle dish. You may have a bit of leftover filling mixture. You could also halve the cream cheese filling layer and the lemon pudding layer though you may end up with a trifle that is not filled to the top.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Pulse graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until completely crushed into fine, even crumbs.
- Add melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and pulse several more times until fully combined.
- Spread the graham cracker crumb mixture onto a sheet pan and place in the oven to brown for 5-7 minutes. Remove crumbs once they are toasted – do not burn. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Whisk until mixture thickens. Fold in one 8 oz container of CoolWhip and set the mixture aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until fully combined and smooth. Fold or mix in 2 – 8 oz containers of Cool Whip and 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
- Build the trifle by layering 1/3 of the toasted graham cracker crumbs, then about 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture, 1/2 of the lemon pudding mixture, and another layer of graham crackers crumbs, the remaining cream cheese mixture, remaining lemon pudding mixture, and a final layer of graham cracker crumbs.
- Mound the top of the trifle with big swirls of the final 8 oz container of Cool Whip (you may not use it all). Decorate with fresh lemon slices, lemon zest, and/or mint leaves.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
- Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies - December 19, 2024
- Christmas Tree Cheese Platter - December 16, 2024
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - December 12, 2024
Rosalie Nimmo says
What size of cool whip is 8 oz. Is that a small container or a large one. I am used to metric and our containers are labelled as such. Thank you.
Amanda Davis says
8 oz is the regular sized container, they also make a large container which is 16 oz
Pauline says
Outstanding!! My family loved it!! A great Father’s Day treat 😊. Thank you for sharing!!
Rose Lehrman says
Just tried it and it was amazing. Wondering if there’s a sugar free version for diabetic’s. Thanks for your input.
Amanda Davis says
You shuld be able to substitute sugar free ingredients (pudding, graham crackers, etc) and it should be fine!
Mel says
Amazing light summer dessert!! I’ll be keeping this recipe !!!
Angie says
Hi! Do I toast the extra sugar with the graham cracker mixture or add after?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this out
Amanda Davis says
No need to toast it
Sharon Prakash says
This recipe looks amazing. Would I be able to do this recipe in mini dessert cups? I’m just wondering if the pudding and Cool Whip mixture would be OK to go to piping bag when I’m assembling?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes I would think a piping bag would work just fine
Brandi says
Can you make this the night before?
Kristen Formaro says
Definitely!
Kimberley Yarmy says
Could you please include in the recipe somewhere how much or how many the recipe will make thank you
Kristen Formaro says
Hi Kimberley, it shows in the recipe card this recipe yields 24 servings (24 slices) from one 13×9 baking dish. Hope that helps
Tatjana Johnston says
I am wondering if I could add some lemon juice to the cream cheese layer as well as the rind to make it a bit tangier.Other than that this looks yummy
Amanda Formaro says
Probably, just be careful not to add too much so as not to change the integrity of the cream cheese.
Lourdes says
I was thinking same thing – I like these lemon desserts on the tart side. I think maybe adding a few packets of crystallized lemon and/or some freshly grated zest might do the trick without thinning out the cream cheese layer – though I was thinking of leaving the cream cheese to mimic a creamy cheesecake style filling and adding more lemon to the pudding to keep the pudding from being too sweet. Just my two cents =) Hopefully will have a chance to try this recipe soon!
Lisa Glenn says
I made this for my Ladies’ group and they loved it!
Janet Hall says
It was fantastic. I didn’t add sugar except to the top layer of graham crackers. My granddaughter asked me to bring the rest of it to her. That is a huge compliment.
Derrick says
I’ve been plotting on this, I finally decided to pull the trigger for Thanksgiving! Wish me luck! I feel like it won’t look anything like that but at least it will taste good.
Derrick says
I made it for thanksgiving and this was a HIT! They murdered it! Thank you for the recipe.
Michelle says
Have to try that lemon lush truffle this weekend!
Jo-Ann says
Looking forward to Lemon Lush Trifle! 😊