Description
A festive and no-bake Grinch Cheesecake Lush dessert featuring layers of crushed vanilla Oreo crust, creamy green-tinted cream cheese, peppermint-flavored vanilla pudding, and whipped topping, decorated with colorful sprinkles. Perfect for holiday gatherings and easy to prepare ahead.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 36 vanilla Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 16 ounces whipped topping (divided into 2 containers)
- Green food coloring
Pudding Layer
- 2 boxes (3.4 ounces each) vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 ½ cups cold milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Red food coloring
Topping & Decoration
- Green food coloring (additional, for whipped topping)
- Green and heart sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the dish: Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper to facilitate easier slicing, though this step is optional.
- Crush the cookies: Using a food processor, pulse all the vanilla Oreo cookies until fine crumbs form.
- Mix crust: Transfer the cookie crumbs into a large bowl and combine with the melted butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.
- Press crust: Evenly press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the prepared 9×13 glass baking dish to form the crust.
- Make cream cheese layer: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Add whipped topping and color: Fold one container (8 ounces) of whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add green food coloring gradually until the desired shade of green is achieved.
- Spread cream cheese layer: Gently spread the green cream cheese mixture evenly over the cookie crust layer.
- Prepare pudding layer: In a medium bowl, whisk together the two boxes of dry vanilla instant pudding mixes with 2 ½ cups cold milk until fully combined and thickened slightly.
- Add peppermint and color: Stir in 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Then add red food coloring until the pudding has your preferred shade of red.
- Spread pudding layer: Carefully spread the red-colored pudding mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer.
- Color remaining whipped topping: Mix the remaining container of whipped topping with green food coloring until it matches the green shade of the bottom cream cheese layer.
- Top with whipped topping: Spread the green whipped topping gently over the pudding layer to cover completely.
- Decorate: Sprinkle the top generously with green and heart-shaped sprinkles for a festive touch.
- Chill: Refrigerate the assembled dish for at least 4 hours or freeze to set the layers firmly.
- Serve: Slice the cheesecake lush into portions and serve chilled for a delightful holiday dessert experience.
Notes
- For easier slicing, lining the dish with parchment paper is recommended but optional.
- Ensure the cream cheese is fully softened for a smooth cream cheese layer without lumps.
- Adjust food coloring quantities to achieve your desired color intensities for both green and red layers.
- This dessert can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator to let flavors meld beautifully.
- Freezing speeds up firming but let it thaw slightly before slicing for clean cuts.
