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Sometimes known as chocolate lasagna or chocolate delight, this layered chocolate pudding dessert recipe features an Oreo crust with layers of rich chocolate pudding and no-bake cheesecake filling. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then assemble the rest without any need for the oven! Perfect for game day, cookouts, holidays, and more.
I have made a few versions of these layered desserts over the years. One of my most popular is my layered pistachio pudding dessert, which is always a hit in the spring. My layered lemon dessert is one of my personal favorites.
I consider these to be “low bake” desserts. You do need to bake the crust briefly, but from there it’s a no-bake assembly. They’re super easy to make and my friends and neighbors always love them. Plus, the layers make them look way harder than they are.
This version uses rich chocolate pudding and a chocolate cookie crust to make what some people refer to as chocolate lasagna or chocolate delight. No matter what you call it, this layered chocolate pudding dessert will disappear in minutes from any party or holiday gathering.
Jamie’s recipe testing tips
- Plan ahead! This dessert needs to chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving. I like to make it the day before and let it chill overnight. Consider it a perfect make-ahead dessert!
- Let the crust cool before moving on to the next step. I know this part requires patience, but it’s important. If you add the cream cheese layer before the crust has cooled, you’ll just end up with a melty, soupy mess instead of a beautiful, even layer.
- Use whole milk for the best texture in the pudding layer. I’ve used 2% milk with success, but found that the pudding layer wasn’t as rich and didn’t set quite as well as when I used whole milk.
Ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Oreo cookies: Or any other chocolate sandwich cookies. Don’t remove the filling—use the whole cookies. Use gluten-free cookies if needed, but make sure your other ingredients are also certified gluten-free.
- Salted butter: For the crust. I prefer to use salted butter to help balance the sweetness of the other ingredients, but unsalted butter works fine, too
- Cream cheese: Softened to room temperature for the creamiest filling. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my tips for softening cream cheese quickly.
- Powdered sugar: This will dissolve into the cream cheese layer better so you don’t end up with a gritty texture. If you’re out of powdered sugar, learn how to make powdered sugar with just 2 ingredients.
- Vanilla: Extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Whipped topping: Thawed per package directions. You’ll need two 8-ounce containers—one for the cheesecake layer and one for the topping.
- Instant chocolate pudding mix: Make sure you don’t buy cook-and-serve pudding mix. Regular chocolate pudding is my go-to, but you can also use chocolate fudge pudding mix if you’d like an even richer chocolate flavor.
- Whole milk: Make sure to use cold milk. You won’t use as much as is listed on the pudding mix box—that’s on purpose. We want the pudding to be super thick so the dessert is sliceable later.
Storage
Cover tightly and store the chocolate pudding dessert in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This dessert will not freeze well. The cream cheese layer can split when it thaws, creating a weird texture.
Layered Chocolate Pudding Dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust Layer
- 30 whole Oreo cookies crushed into fine crumbs
- 5 tablespoons salted butter melted
For the Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping Cool Whip or TruWhip, thawed
For the Pudding Layer
- 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
For the Topping
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping Cool Whip or TruWhip, thawed
- 8 whole Oreo cookies coarsely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray (1) 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo crumbs and butter until combined. Evenly press the crumbs into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely before proceeding with the following layers.30 whole Oreo cookies, 5 tablespoons salted butter
- Once the crust layer has cooled completely, prepare the cream cheese layer by beating the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Use a rubber spatula to fold in (1) 8-ounce container of whipped topping. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, 8 ounces frozen whipped topping
- Next, whisk together the pudding mixes and milk and allow the mixture to thicken for about 5 minutes before spreading on top of the cream cheese layer.2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix, 2 ½ cups whole milk
- Finally, top with remaining (1) 8-ounce container of whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. If desired, sprinkle with additional Oreo cookie crumbs before serving.8 ounces frozen whipped topping , 8 whole Oreo cookies
Notes
Ingredients
- Feel free to use gluten-free Oreos if needed or desired. Be sure to check that the remaining ingredients are also certified gluten-free.
- 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk, but I find that the pudding layer does not set up quite as well as it does when using whole milk.
Storage
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- I do not recommend freezing, as this can cause the cream cheese layer to split.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe variations
The layered chocolate pudding dessert is incredible as is, but you can also tweak it for slightly different takes on the original.
Swap the chocolate crust for a vanilla crust by using vanilla sandwich cookies or the crust from my nana’s easy cheesecake recipe.
For a completely no-bake version, use the graham cracker crust from my no-bake banana split cake recipe.
If you can find it, Oreo instant pudding would make a great flavor for the pudding layer, or you can use vanilla pudding mix. You could also keep the chocolate crust but use cheesecake pudding and add a layer of cherry pie filling for a mash-up of this recipe and my layered cherry cheesecake dessert recipe.
