This easy to make creamy chocolate lasagna is a no-bake dessert, created based on the popular Olive Garden Dessert. This chocolatey copycat dessert will wow anyone you serve it to, if you decide to share it at all!
Why is it so fun to make desserts that look like non-dessert foods? Dessert lasagna, dessert tacos, and even dessert pizza are all favorites, particularly for family get-togethers and special occasions.
The novelty of this chocolate lasagna recipe will not ever wear off, because this dessert is solidly delicious. Chocolate lasagna is a rich, velvety, creamy layered dessert with multiple textures and a beautiful curled chocolate topping. It tastes as good as it looks, and it’s not even hard to make!
Other no-bake desserts that you’ll love are my Banana Pudding Lasagna and Mint Chocolate Cheesecake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Bake: Leave the oven alone, you don’t need it for this lasagna. Part no-bake cheesecake, part chocolate pudding, part Oreo crust – all of these things are best eaten cold and require no cooking.
- Kind of Fancy: You can make a Chocolate Lasagna for a regular Saturday at home, or you can make it and take it to your fanciest friends’ houses. It’s impressive, no matter what.
- Simple Ingredients: Things like instant pudding and cool whip are used in this recipe to create shortcuts that make this chocolate lasagna recipe a cinch to put together.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
I’m listing the ingredients by layer here, so they are easy to see. All together there are 5 layers in chocolate lasagna, with the first being the Oreo crust and the last being the fancy looking toppings.
For the Crust
- Oreo Cookies: 36 is the magic number of how many oreos it takes to make a thick, crispy oreo cookie crust. Since a standard package of Oreos has 39 cookies in it, that means you can have a little snack for your troubles. This recipe is sometimes called an Oreo Lasagna, because the oreos are a key component.
- Butter: Similar to a graham cracker crust, mixing cookie crumbs and butter creates a crispy, crunchy layer.
1st Layer
- Cream Cheese: This is our cheesecake layer, so the base will be a brick of softened cream cheese.
- Heavy Cream, Vanilla Extract, Sugar: These ingredients are added to the cream cheese to give it a creamy, sweet flavor.
- Cool Whip: Frozen whipped topping, thawed, is folded in with the cream cheese to make this layer a bit lighter than a typical no-bake cheesecake would be.
2nd Layer
- Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix and Cold Milk: Mix up some Instant Chocolate pudding to create the rich center layer of the chocolate lasagna.
3rd Layer
- More Cool Whip! This stuff is delicious, sweet, and fluffy. You’ll need two 8 oz tubs total for this recipe, or buy the extra large size and divide it.
- Crushed Oreos and Chocolate Curls: For making the top of the lasagne as beautiful as the inside is.
How to Make a Chocolate Lasagna
- Make Crust: Use a food processor to crush the oreos into fine crumbs. Transfer them to a bowl and mix with melted butter until well combined. Press the oreo crumb mixture onto the bottom of a 9X13 inch (23x33cm) dish, and place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm up.
- Make Cream Cheese Layer: In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese on medium speed using a hand mixer. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Mix until well combined. Fold in the cool whip gently to combine. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the oreo crust layer and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set.
- Make Chocolate Layer: In a medium bowl, combine instant chocolate pudding and cold milk. Using a hand mixer, beat on a low speed until the pudding thickens. Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set.
- The Last Layers: Once the pudding is set, spread the cool whip genty over it. On top, sprinkle the crushed oreos and chocolate curls/shavings. Refrigerate for at least one hour for the layers to set. Slice into equal squares to serve.
The layers for chocolate lasagna, in less words, looks like this:
- Oreo Crust
- Cream Cheese Layer
- Chocolate Pudding Layer
- Cool Whip
- Toppings
Recipe Tips
Use Instant Pudding: When buying pudding mix, look for the box that says “instant”. The type of pudding mix that needs to be cooked won’t work properly here.
Chill Between Layers: It’s a bit time consuming, but allowing each layer to chill for at least five minutes (but ten is better) will set it, and keep the layers from sagging or mixing together. You can use the freezer to make this process a bit shorter if you like.
Skip the Whip: You can replace the cool whip in this recipe with fresh whipped cream if you prefer. Whip two cups of heavy cream to get 16oz. Of whipped cream and divide in half for the different layers.
Use Regular Oreos: Standard Oreos work best for crusts. Double stuff or mega stuffed Oreos are delicious, but they have too much cream for this purpose. No need to remove the cream before crushing, it adds structure and flavor to the crust.
Press the Crust: Just tossing the Oreo mixture into the pan won’t work, you need to really press the crumbs down to make a dense crust. Use your hands, a spatula, or the bottom of a glass to do this.
FAQs
The best way to crush Oreos or other cookies is to use a food processor, and pulse the cookies until they resemble coarse sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the cookies in a zip top bag and use a rolling pin or a meat mallet to crush them, moving the bag around until they are the consistency you need.
You can see that I added additional cookie crumbs and milk chocolate curls to the top of this gorgeous dessert. You can try other things, like a drizzle of fudge sauce, chocolate chips, or just a chopped chocolate bar. As long as it’s chocolate, it will work.
Allow a thick chocolate bar to come to room temperature. Pop it in the fridge for a minute if it’s especially warm in your house. Use a sharp, clean vegetable peeler to create the chocolate curls.
This dessert works perfectly if you want to make something ahead of time. Store the finished chocolate lasagna in the fridge for up to three days.
Run a large knife under hot water before each slice. This will help it melt through the layers rather than dragging them, giving you clean pieces. This tip works for any no-bake cheesecake style recipe.
If you haven’t had a chocolate lasagna before, you are really in for a treat! This recipe will become a family tradition in no time.
Chocolate Lasagna
Equipment
- 9X13 inch (23x33cm) dish
Ingredients
For the crust
- 36 regular Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
1st layer
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cool whip
2nd layer
- 7.8 ounces instant chocolate pudding 2 packs
- 3 cups cold milk
3rd layer
- 8 ounces cool whip
Toppings
- Crushed Oreos
- Chocolate curls optional
Instructions
- Use a food processor to crush the oreos into fine crumbs. Transfer them to a bowl and mix with melted butter until well combined. Press the Oreo crumb mixture onto the bottom of a 9X13 inch (23x33cm) dish, and place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to firm up.
- In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese on medium speed using a hand mixer. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in the cool whip gently to combine. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the Oreo crust layer and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set.
- In a medium bowl, combine instant chocolate pudding and cold milk. Using a hand mixer, beat on a low speed until the pudding thickens. Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set.
- Once the pudding is set, spread the cool whip genty over it. On top, sprinkle the crushed Oreos and chocolate curls/shavings.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour for the layers to set. Slice into equal squares to serve.
Notes
- Use Instant Pudding: When buying pudding mix, look for the box that says “instant”. The type of pudding mix that needs to be cooked won’t work properly here.
- Chill Between Layers: It’s a bit time-consuming, but allowing each layer to chill for at least five minutes (but ten is better) will set it, and keep the layers from sagging or mixing together.
- You can substitute the cool whip in this recipe with fresh whipped cream if you prefer. Whip two cups of heavy cream to get 16 ounces of whipped cream and divide in half for the different layers.
- Use Regular Oreos: Standard Oreos work best for crusts. No need to remove the cream before crushing, it adds structure and flavor to the crust.
- Press the Crust: Just tossing the oreo mixture into the pan won’t work, you need to really press the crumbs down to make a dense crust. Use your hands, a spatula, or the bottom of a glass to do this.
- Slicing: Run a large knife under hot water before each slice. This will help it melt through the layers rather than dragging them, giving you clean pieces. This tip works for any no-bake cheesecake style recipe.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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