Chocolate Lasagna

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Celebrate Thanksgiving with this fun chocolate lasagna. It’s simple to prepare and impossible to resist! Made with layers of tangy cream cheese mixed with fluffy whipped topping, and of course that classic chocolate pudding, this simple treat will delight all holiday season long.

Top down view of chocolate lasagna on a dish.

Chocolate Lasagna 

Chocolate Lasagna is a wonderland of creamy whipped layers and chocolatey goodness. It’s so simple to make, it’s a great dessert to whip up with the kids. Someone has to lick the spoons, right? This recipe is also super easy to customize to fit any dietary needs.

You can swap out ingredients to make this chocolate lasagna gluten free, sugar free, etc. You can even switch up the pudding mix flavors and toppings for any occasion! Best dessert ever? We think so.

How To Make Chocolate Lasagna 

For the First Layer:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, softened butter, walnuts, and powdered sugar. Blend the ingredients into a dough and then press the dough into the prepared 9×13 inch baking dish.
  3. Bake the crust in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before adding the other layers.

For the Second Layer:

  1. Now, in a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy.
  2. Pour them into the baking dish over the completely cooled crust. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth out the mixture and cover the entire crust. Place the dessert in your fridge while you make the next layer.

For the Third Layer:

  1. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the instant pudding mix and milk. Make sure the pudding is completely mixed, then pour it over the cream cheese layer. Use a spoon to smooth and even out the layer.
  2. Place the dish back in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to set.

For the Fourth Layer:

  1. Remove the pan from the fridge and use a spatula or frosting knife to spread out the whipped topping. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts as a garnish.
  2. Place the chocolate lasagna back into the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
  3. Slice and serve chilled.
Collage showing how to make chocolate lasagna.

Chocolate Lasagna Tips and Variations

  • If you aren’t a fan of chopped walnuts there’s a myriad of other toppings that work great with this dessert! Try:
    • Heath bar pieces
    • Chocolate shavings or chocolate chips
    • A caramel drizzle
    • Strawberries or raspberries
    • Peanuts
    • Pistachios 
  • To tailor this chocolate lasagna to any dietary needs you can always use a sugar-free instant pudding mix with skim milk, or fat-free cream cheese.
  • You can even try a gluten-free baking mix for the crust.
  • Don’t use soy milk in the chocolate pudding layer; otherwise, the pudding won’t set up.
Serving of chocolate lasagna on a plate.
Can you make the crust without walnuts?Can chocolate lasagna be made ahead of time?

Yes, this layered chocolate pudding dessert can be made a day or two ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The places where the chocolate pudding layer touches the cream cheese and whipped topping layers will turn pink over time, but it doesn’t change the taste.

Can you make chocolate lasagna without cream cheese?

Sure! Simply omit the cream cheese layer. This will leave you with the crust, chocolate pudding, and whipped topping. It will still taste amazing without the cream cheese.

Can you make the crust without walnuts?

The walnut crust can be swapped out with a shortbread crust like the one used in Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, a graham cracker and Biscoff crust like our S’mores Bars, or even an Oreo crust.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store any leftover Chocolate Lasagna in the fridge for up to four days. You can even make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it. Just be sure to thaw before serving.

Reheating: No need to reheat chocolate lasagna! Keep it nice and chilled.

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Slice of chocolate lasagna with a spoon.

Chocolate Lasagna

4.9 from 19 votes
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Author: Kimberly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 2 minutes
Servings: 20 Servings

Ingredients

First Layer (Crust)

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
  • cup powdered sugar

Second Layer (Cream Cheese Layer)

  • 8 ounces block-style cream cheese, softened
  • 8 ounces whipped topping, similar to Cool Whip
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Third Layer (Pudding Layer)

  • 7.8 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix, two (3.9 ounce) packages
  • 3 cups milk, do not substitute soy milk

Fourth Layer (Whipped Topping)

  • 8 ounces whipped topping
  • ¼ cup walnuts, chopped; optional

Instructions
 

For the Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 
  • In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the flour, softened butter, walnuts, and powdered sugar until a soft dough forms. 
    1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    ½ cup unsalted butter
    ¾ cup walnuts
    ⅛ cup powdered sugar
  • Press the dough into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove it from the oven, and allow it cool for at least 20 minutes. ½

For the Cream Cheese Layer

  • In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy.
    8 ounces block-style cream cheese
    8 ounces whipped topping
    1 cup powdered sugar
  • Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto the cooled crust. Use a spatula to smooth out the mixture and cover the entire crust. Return the dessert to your refrigerator while you prepare the next layer.

For the Chocolate Pudding Layer

  • In a third large bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the instant pudding mix and milk according to package instructions. Make sure the pudding is completely mixed, then pour it over the cream cheese layer.
    7.8 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
    3 cups milk
  • Use a spatula to smooth the pudding into an even layer. Place the dish back in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to set slightly before adding the whipped topping.

For the Whipped Topping Layer

  • After the chocolate pudding has set, carefully add the whipped topping. Spread in an even layer. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.
    8 ounces whipped topping
    ¼ cup walnuts
  • Transfer the chocolate lasagna back to the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow all the layers to set.
  • Enjoy chilled. See post for storage options.

Suggested Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes

*The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 1 slice of chocolate lasagna. Actual calories will vary.
 
*For more information, tips, and answers to frequently asked questions, please refer to the post.
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14 Comments

    1. Good Morning Nini, you sure can. It’s listed in the Storage and and Reheating section of the post. Thank you and have a lovely day 🙂

    1. That’s a good question, Terri. We have not tried using vanilla pudding. With that being said, Kim’s grandmother made it using fresh strawberries and a different flavor of pudding. So, I feel like you could make that substitution without any issues. I hope that answers your question. Have a lovely day 🙂

  1. I love this dessert, but am wondering: Would it be just as yummy if I used sugar-free pudding, low-fat milk and low-fat cream cheese? Have you tried it that way?

    1. Good Morning Nancy, great question! No, we have not tried it that way. Personally, I don’t care for the taste of sugar-free desserts. I feel the sweeteners tend to have a chemical after-taste and the lack of fat leaves the dish flat. However, that’s just how my taste buds work.

      If you enjoy the flavor of sugar-free and low-fat alternatives, then I would say yes, go for it. Also, I would never deter someone from modifying any recipe to meet his or her dietary needs. That’s what cooking is all about 🙂 In fact, I modify recipes for personal use all the time. For example, when a recipe uses cream cheese to thicken a dish and give it a creamy texture, I typically make a blonde roux instead. By using butter, cream, and flour.

      So, anytime you want to change a recipe to fit your dietary or taste preferences, I encourage it! I hope this response helps and we wish you a lovely weekend 🙂

  2. I love this dessert, but am wondering: Would it be just as yummy if I used sugar-free pudding, low-fat milk and low-fat cream cheese? Have you tried it that way?

  3. You say to make the crust up to an inch thick, will it shrink down so it’s not too thick? Almost an inch seems awfully thick. I’m making this tonight for tomorrow and it sounds yummy.

    1. Hi, Denise! According to my grandma’s written instructions it should be about an inch thick. However, depending on what brand of pan you use it may be little less. We have two different brands of pans, and supposedly they are the same size. However, the crust is a slightly different thickness from one pan to the next. It’s kind of strange. Thanks for stopping by. Let us know if you have any more questions. 🙂

  4. You say to make the crust up to an inch thick, will it shrink down so it’s not too thick? Almost an inch seems awfully thick. I’m making this tonight for tomorrow and it sounds yummy.

    1. Good afternoon, Darline! Thank you for commenting and asking a great question. I understand there are different sizes of boxed pudding. I plugged the numbers into my calculator and it looks like you would need 5.57 boxes of the 1.4-ounce pudding for the entire recipe. So, I would round up to 6 boxes because having a little extra pudding shouldn’t hurt the dish. Thank you again for commenting and have a lovely Wednesday.

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