Name: Pistachio Lush Dessert
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs; 1/2 cup butter, melted; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 16 oz. whipped topping, divided; 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 small boxes pistachio flavored pudding mix; 3 cups milk; 1/4 cup chopped nuts

This creamy Pistachio Lush Dessert is one of our family’s favorites! Layers of cheesecake, whipped cream, and pistachio pudding are combined with a delicious graham cracker crust and topped with chopped nuts.

This easy pistachio pudding dessert can be made ahead and is perfect for feeding a crowd!

You’ll especially love it for holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, or even Christmas, but this pistachio dessert is a great dessert recipe for any occasion. If you love cheesecake, this easy lush dessert takes it to the next level. Sure to become a family favorite!

I’ll never forget the first time I tried lush dessert. It was at a summer picnic, with family and friends, and the minute I took my first bite I was in heaven. The flavor was banana, which I’m always a sucker for, and it tasted like banana cream pie but 10 times more amazing.

And ever since then? I’ve been obsessed with trying different flavors. But this Pistachio Lush? Well, I kind of fell into this one inadvertently. By offering to make a birthday dessert for Greta’s teacher, who told me that Pistachio Lush is his all-time FAVORITE!

WHAT IS LUSH DESSERT?

Lush dessert is essentially a layered dessert that consists of a graham cracker or cookie crust, a layer of no-bake cheesecake, some type of pudding, and whipped cream. Other names for it include dessert lasagna, icebox dessert, and layered pudding dessert.

It gets its name from the word LUSH, which means “very rich and providing great sensory pleasure”. Once you try lush dessert, you’ll agree this is the perfect description!

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE?

Graham cracker crumbs
Butter
Granulated sugar
Whipped topping
Pistachio pudding mix
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Milk
Chopped nuts

HOW DO YOU MAKE PISTACHIO LUSH?

Start with a graham cracker or cookie crust. There are many different variations, but for this recipe you’re going to combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and press them firmly into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Bake it for 10 minutes, then be sure it’s cooled completely before adding more layers.
Make your cheesecake layer by combining room temperature cream cheese and thawed whipped topping in a medium mixing bowl. Mix them together until smooth, then spread them evenly over your crust.
Prepare the pudding layer by combining your pudding mix and milk in a separate bowl. Be sure to let it thicken before spreading it on top of the cheesecake layer.
Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 2 hours or longer to let the layers firm up.
Before serving, top with remaining whipped topping and chopped nuts. Then…enjoy!

WHAT ARE SOME DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF LUSH DESSERT?

There are so many different ways you can mix things up when it comes to making this dessert. For example, you can use Oreos, nuts, or even peanut butter in the crust. You can use any flavor of pudding, and you can even add fresh fruit, pie filling, chocolate chips, or anything else your heart desires. The sky is the limit!

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