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This is the perfect no-bake recipe: a Berry Dessert Lush, which is a layered no bake cheesecake with fresh berries and a vanilla wafer cookie crust. It’s easy to make and assemble and SO good to eat!
Table of Contents
- One of the BEST Berry Desserts
- Crunchy Vanilla Wafer Crust
- No Bake Cheesecake Filling
- Best Berries for Berry Desserts
- How to assemble a lush dessert
- No Bake Berry Dessert Lush Recipe Recipe
One of the BEST Berry Desserts
There are so many names for desserts like this: No Bake Dessert, Delight, Lasagna, Dream Dessert. But whatever you call it, call it delicious.
This Berry Dessert Lush is a one pan layered dessert that’s perfect for summer. It’s layered with no-bake cheesecake and a vanilla wafer crust. This dessert is the perfect amount of sweet, creamy and crunch with lots of pops of fresh strawberries and blueberries.
This is one of the best berry desserts I’ve ever had – it’s easy, fluffy, and the perfect summer recipe for fresh fruit.
Crunchy Vanilla Wafer Crust
I love using vanilla wafer cookies for crust recipes because they are easy to crush without a food processor. They also have a bit more flavor than plain graham crackers, and are a nice surprise in this dessert.
- Vanilla wafer cookies
- Challenge Unsalted Butter
- Sealable plastic bag and rolling pin
Simply add your cookies to the bag and crust with a rolling pin. I love that you don’t need a food processor for this – and it’s fun to get the kids in the kitchen to help you crush the cookies.
Just like making any no-bake crust, you need butter to bind the cookies together. I always use Challenge Butter, because it’s the best. As you all know, it’s the only butter I grew up eating (ask my dad about butter and he’ll tell you all about it!) Challenge Butter is made the old fashioned way from cows at more than 400 family owned dairies in the Challenge cooperative.
Challenge Unsalted Butter was also selected as Cook’s Illustrated’s favorite among top-selling brands, so when you use it you’re know you’re getting the best.
No Bake Cheesecake Filling
The cheesecake filling couldn’t be more easy. You just need a bowl and a hand mixer to whip it up quick!
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Whipped Topping
Just mix softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla, then mix in thawed whipped topping. The cheesecake mixture is a perfect mix: creamy and not too sweet!
Best Berries for Berry Desserts
I decided to use strawberries and blueberries in my dessert, but you can pick what you think looks the best at the store. Pick ANY combinations of fresh berries for this recipe. Just don’t use frozen fruit; once it thaws it’s pretty wet and will make your dessert soggy.
You’ll need about a pound of strawberries and half pound of blueberries. The amount kind of depends on the size of the fruit but figure between 1-2 pounds of your choice of: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or even peaches.
How to assemble a lush dessert
- Start with an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan.
- Press the crust in the bottom of the pan. Chill while you make the filling.
- Top the crust with half the no bake cheesecake filling. Layer with half the berries.
- Repeat the layers until you’re all out of fruit and filling. Then top with whipped topping and crushed vanilla wafers.
- You can eat this dessert right away, but it tastes better after it sits in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
FAQs
How do you store berry desserts?
You’ll want to store this in the refrigerator. Keep it covered with plastic wrap. This is best within 1-2 days. After that the fruit will start to get weepy and make the cheesecake and crust soggy. Good luck making it even last that long!
Why did my berry dessert get soggy?
Over time the berries will weep and the cheesecake will get wet and soggy, so be sure to eat this within 1-2 days.
No Bake Berry Dessert Lush Recipe
4.97 from 26 votes
This easy no bake cheesecake dessert is full of fresh berries with a vanilla wafer crust. It's the perfect summer dessert recipe!
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
- 35 vanilla wafer cookies (1 1/2 cups), plus more for the top
- 5 tablespoons (70g) Challenge Unsalted Butter melted
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 8 ounce containers whipped topping thawed
- 1-2 pounds fresh berries (strawberries & blueberries or your favorite)
Instructions
Place cookies in a large resealable gallon size bag. Seal all but 1" of the bag (so air can escape) and crush with a rolling pin.
Stir cookie crumbs and melted butter with a fork. Press into an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan.
Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth, then mix in one container (8-ounces) of whipped topping. Reserve other container for topping.
Slice berries as desired.
Assemble the dessert: spread half the cheesecake mixture on top the crust. Spread half the berries on top. Cover with the remaining cheesecake mixture and top with remaining berries.
Top the dessert with about half the remaining whipped topping. Crush more cookies and sprinkle on top, if desired. Chill for about an hour before serving.
Store in refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Recipe Notes
- Store in refrigerator.
- Use within 1-2 days or the berries will get weepy.
- For the crust you can use graham crackers or shortbread cookies.
- Use any kind of fresh berry you like, but don’t use frozen fruit.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern
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A No Bake Berry Dessert Lush is an easy summer dessert recipe with a no bake cheesecake and lots of fresh berries. It’s like a dessert lasagna or no bake delight with a Nilla Wafer crust.
This post was sponsored by Challenge Butter in 2020. All opinions are my own.
Last Updated on March 17, 2023
