When Easter rolls around each year, this gluten free chocolate lush dessert is what I crave!
My mother makes this amazing 4 layer chocolate dessert for family gatherings.
It’s one of my absolute favorite desserts!
The first layer is a crunchy crust, the second is a cream cheese filling, the third is chocolate pudding, and the last layer is whipped topping.
When I had to go gluten free I was determined to take my mom’s original recipe and make it gluten free!
I was diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease in 2020, and ironically, Celiac Disease runs in my husband’s family, so I’m very familiar with cooking gluten free. My husband has been eating gluten free for many years now as well.
There’s definitely a huge learning curve with learning to cook gluten free. The past few years, it’s become almost second nature for me to look at the traditional version of recipes and turn them into a gluten free version.
The only real change I had to make in this chocolate lush recipe is the crust. The first time I tried to make this, I just swapped out the flour for gluten free flour.
Ahem… don’t do that. It apparently never…ever….ever cooks. An eternity in the oven and it was still a gooey mess. LOL
What a waste of expensive gluten free flour! Oh well. That’s how you learn.
Next I tried a simple gluten free pie-like crust. It worked perfectly! The whole family enjoyed the combination and the kids didn’t even know this 4 layer dessert was gluten free! That’s how I measure gluten free cooking success. (When no one can tell it’s gluten free).
I call this dessert Chocolate Lush, but you might also hear people refer to it as chocolate lasagna, chocolate delight, or chocolate dessert.
This dessert is perfect for any special occasion, but we most often make it for Thanksgiving and Easter! It’s the perfect dessert to feed a crowd!
Ok! Let’s get started on this delicious gluten free chocolate lush dessert!
Chocolate Lush Recipe Ingredients:
One and a 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup of milk
1 large package of Instant pudding (5.9 oz) – or your favorite homemade pudding
3 cups of milk (to prepare pudding)
8 ounces whipped topping
Instructions:
First, mix the flour and regular sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces. Next, using a pastry cutter or a fork, mix the butter into the flour until crumbly. (Alternatively, you can use a KitchenAid stand mixer for this step).
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the lemon juice until slightly foamy. Add to the flour and add just enough cold water (2-3 Tbsp) until the pastry dough holds it’s shape.
Press the dough into a 9×13 glass pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Let it cool.
Mix the softened cream cheese with 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of milk, until smooth. I like to use my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this.
Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust layer and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Set in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or until set.
In a large bowl, prepare the pudding with 3 cups of milk. Add the chocolate pudding layer on top of the cream cheese layer. Cool in the refrigerator until set (about 20 minutes).
Before serving, add a layer of whipped topping. If you do this ahead of time, the chocolate layer will discolor the white layer, so waiting is best!
Done!
And there you have it! An amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Lush Dessert! You can modify this dessert by changing the flavor of pudding.
My mom often makes 2 pans of this: one with chocolate and one with lemon pudding! Both are delightful! We’ve also made a butterscotch delight as well. Yum!
In addition, you can also add chopped pecans to the top and into the bottom crust if you like! It does add great flavor and texture.
You can add decorative mini chocolate chips or shavings to the top of the dessert as well. As always, make sure that your ingredients are truly gluten free!
Print the Recipe
I am including a printable version below:
Gluten free Chocolate Lush Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 2-3 tbsp cold water
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 package Instant pudding (5.9 oz)
- 3 cups milk (to prepare pudding)
- 8 ounces whipped topping
Instructions
- First, mix the flour and regular sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces. Next, using a pastry cutter, mix the butter into the flour until crumbly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the lemon juice until slightly foamy. Add to the flour and add just enough cold water (2-3 Tbsp) until the pastry dough holds it's shape.
- Press the dough into a 9×13 glass pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through. Let it cool.
- Mix the softened cream cheese with 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of milk, until smooth. I like to use my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust layer and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until set.
- Prepare the pudding with 3 cups of milk. Add the pudding layer on top of the cream cheese layer. Cool in the refrigerator until set (about 1 hour).
- Before serving, add a layer of whipped topping. If you do this ahead of time, the chocolate layer will discolor the white layer, so waiting is best!
More Gluten Free Desserts You Might Enjoy:
Looking for more great recipes for a gluten-free diet with simple ingredients?
Be sure to check out this super Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Buttercream Icing Recipe – perfect for icing your cupcakes and cakes!
You can also find some adorable Pudding Dirt Cups here. Layers of chocolate pudding combine with Oreo Cookies to create this classic no bake dessert. Tastes like 80’s nostalgia to me!
This Gluten Free Lemon Lush Dessert is the fun lemon version of the chocolate lush. Creamy layers of cream cheese pair perfectly with a simple lemon pudding mix. Perfect for holiday gatherings.
Plus don’t miss this Gluten Free Ice Cream Cake. This delicious dessert is my go-to recipe for summer birthday parties! There’s never leftovers of this one – everyone wants seconds! It’s eaten entirely every single time.
