Our Hot Chocolate Lasagna recipe is an easy, no-bake dessert is filled with layers of creamy hot chocolate cheesecake, silky chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and topped with mini marshmallows, all layered over an Oreo cookie crust. Made with simple ingredients, this delicious delight may taste like a cold-weather hot chocolate, but it’s made for warm-weather bites.
No-Bake Hot Chocolate Lasagna Bliss
A lasagna is one of those classic layered pasta recipes that has been around forever. While this hot chocolate lasagna has some resemblance to the savory noodle casserole, (both have several layers), there are not many other lasagna-like qualities that these two share.
In fact, there is nothing traditional about this no-bake “lasagna”–mine is a happy marriage of ingredients that brings together and satisfies my favorite chocolate cravings: comforting hot chocolate, pudding, and cookies!
This recipe is the ultimate chocolate indulgence. I like to think of it as a chocolate crust mug filled to the brim with the rich and creamy flavors of an iconic hot drink, but in a much cooler way.
If you thought your 9×13 was just for dinner, think again! Even Olive Garden had a version of chocolate lasagna. While their layers had a cake-like consistency, this hot chocolate lasagna is simply light and fluffy layers of pudding, decadent cheesecake, and soft whipped topping that all sits on top of a crumbly cookie crust.
My favorite thing about this recipe is the balance of flavors and textures between the layers, and I especially love how each complements the next. It’s a sweet but not too heavy dessert that is perfect for warm-weather days and tastes like hot chocolate with a chill.
Why We Love This Hot Chocolate Lasagna Recipe
- Easy to prepare and assemble
- No-bake dessert
- Delicious hot chocolate flavor in every bite
- Perfect take-along for potlucks, parties, and holidays
- Great make-ahead recipe
- Light layers of chocolate
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Oreos: Feel free to use a generic brand of chocolate sandwich cookies.
- Salted sweet cream butter: I like this because it is made from fresh cream.
- Cream cheese: For the hot chocolate cheesecake layer that makes this dessert so good!
- Powdered sugar: Adds necessary sweetness to the cream cheese.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a subtle vanilla essence.
- Heavy cream: Provides a creamy texture to the cheesecake layer.
- Hot chocolate mix: Gives this recipe the ultimate hot chocolate flavor!
- Instant chocolate pudding mix: I use instant pudding mix from a box to save time but you can certainly make your own pudding!
- Whole milk
- Mini marshmallows: Because who doesn’t love marshmallows with hot chocolate?
- Whipped topping: A light top layer for this delicious dessert.
- Chocolate syrup: In my opinion, the more chocolate the better! I add an extra drizzle to top it all off!
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How To Make Hot Chocolate Lasagna
It’s really quite simple to make this dessert, but you’ll need a little bit of patience before you can assemble these luscious layers.
Start by making the crust. Combine the crushed cookie crumbs (do not remove the white filling before crushing) and the melted butter in a medium size bowl. Press the buttered cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and place it in the refrigerator while preparing the hot chocolate cheesecake layer.
Pro Tip: The easiest way to crush the cookies is with a food processor. However, if you don’t have one, you can crush Oreos in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin or the flat side of a mallet.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a medium to large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, for 1 minute. Lower the mixer speed to low, add in the vanilla and powdered sugar, and increase the speed to medium-high for another 1 minute.
Beat together the heavy cream and hot chocolate mix in a separate medium size mixing bowl with a handheld mixer on medium-high, until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the hot chocolate mixture into the cheesecake mixture. Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the cheesecake layer over the top of the crust and return it to the refrigerator while you make the chocolate pudding layer.
Combine the pudding mixes and milk in a medium size mixing bowl with a handheld mixer on medium-high. Mix until the pudding becomes thickened. Fold in the mini marshmallows.
Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the pudding layer over the top of the cheesecake layer. Cover the baking dish and return it to the refrigerator to chill for 6 hours.
Just before serving, evenly spread the whipped topping over the pudding layer.
Evenly sprinkle mini marshmallows over the whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving.
Cut 12 – 3 ½ inch x 3 inch squares, serve, and enjoy!
Pro-Tip: To cut clean pieces, run your knife under warm water when slicing, continually wiping the knife clean.
Variations / Options / Add-In’s
- Mint Hot Chocolate Lasagna: You can replace the regular Oreos with Mint Oreos and finish off the top layer with chopped candy canes or chocolate mints. This is a great dessert to serve at Christmas time.
- Lemon Lasagna: For the lemon lovers, swap out the regular Oreos with Golden Oreos and use instant lemon pudding, instead of the chocolate.
- Reduce the Sugar: Sugar free instant pudding and whipped topping can be used.
- Toppings: Other fun topping ideas can include mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, chocolate shavings, chocolate sprinkles, or a dusting of hot chocolate.
- Make dessert parfaits: For single-serve treats, you can divide all the ingredients into stemless cocktail glasses or mini trifle dishes.
- Hot Chocolate: Dark chocolate hot chocolate mix can be substituted for the milk chocolate hot chocolate mix.
Tips
- This is definitely a dessert that you can allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. This will allow it plenty of time to firm up.
- I prefer the Oreos to be crushed into fine crumbs because they mix easier. Using a food processor is the easiest way to crush the cookies. However, if you don’t have one, you can crush Oreos in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin.
- Mix the pudding until it is super thick or it won’t set well.
- Each step requires chilling which means you must be patient! The chill time is critical so that each slice isn’t mushy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cover any leftovers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze the hot chocolate lasagna for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
While I LOVE all things Oreos, you can experiment with a different cookie crust. Chocolate graham crackers or chocolate chip cookies will taste delicious too!
Yes, but make sure it is thawed well so that it spreads easily.
If you plan to leave it in the refrigerator, make it no more than 24 hours ahead of time or the crust is likely to become soggy.
Other Easy No-Bake Dessert
No Bake Ice Cream Sandwich Cake | The Easiest Eclair Cake | No-Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake | Cheesecake Bites | Copycat Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding | Raspberry Lasagna | Cookie Lasagna
Hot Chocolate Lasagna
Video
Ingredients
Crust:
- 15.5 ounces oreos (36pcs) (or generic chocolate sandwich cookies), crushed to crumbs
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted sweet cream butter melted
Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Layer:
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted sweet cream butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 6 envelopes hot chocolate mix
Chocolate Pudding Layer:
- 7.8 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2¾ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups mini marshmallows
Topping:
- 8 ounces whipped topping thawed
- 2½ cups mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup chocolate syrup for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
Crust:
- Using a medium size mixing bowl, combine the crushed cookie crumbs (do not remove the white filling before crushing) and the melted butter.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Press the buttered cookie crumbs into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish in the refrigerator while preparing the hot chocolate cheesecake layer.
Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Layer:
- Using a medium to large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together cream cheese and butter for 1 minute.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, add in the vanilla and powdered sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing for another 1 minute.
- Using a separate medium size mixing bowl and handheld mixer on medium-high, beat together the heavy cream and hot chocolate mix until stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the hot chocolate mixture into the cheesecake mixture.
- Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the cheesecake layer over the top of the crust and return to the refrigerator while you make the chocolate pudding layer.
Chocolate Pudding Layer:
- Using a medium size mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high, combine the pudding mixes and milk. Continue mixing until the pudding becomes thickened.
- Fold in the mini marshmallows.
- Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the pudding layer over the top of the cheesecake layer.
- Cover the baking dish and return to the refrigerator for 6 hours.
- Just before serving, evenly spread the whipped topping over the pudding layer.
- Evenly sprinkle with the mini marshmallow.
- Cut 12 – 3 ½ inch x 3 inch squares. Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- This is definitely a dessert that you can allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving. This will allow it plenty of time to firm up.
- I prefer the Oreos to be crushed into fine crumbs because they mix easier. Using a food processor is the easiest way to crush the cookies. However, if you don’t have one, you can crush Oreos in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin.
- Mix the pudding until it is super thick or it won’t set well.
- Each step requires chilling which means you must be patient! The chill time is critical so that each slice isn’t mushy.
- To cut clean pieces, run your knife under warm water when slicing, continually wiping the knife clean.
will be making this and the peppermint lasagna.
I am going to try some of your recipes. I love chocolate so that is the first one.