CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY DESSERT LASAGNA

No bake Chocolate Lasagna with Strawberries is a layered pudding dessert filled with chocolate, sweet cream and fresh strawberries! Dessert Lasagna topped with chocolate covered strawberries is perfect for any occasion!

It’s smooth texture and chocolatey strawberry flavors that everyone enjoys. This dessert is filled with chocolate graham crackers, strawberries, cream cheese, cool whip, pudding and ganache. The perfect balance of sweetness will have your family begging you to make it over and over again!

What is Chocolate Lasagna?

It’s not the Italian food you’re thinking of, instead, it’s a name given to this layered dessert. With a crust layer, cream cheese layer, a layer of fresh strawberries and a layer for chocolate pudding ganache, topped with whipped cream and then garnished with chocolate dipped strawberries you have a rich and decadent dessert that’s delicious and incredible to look at.

Chocolate Strawberry Dessert Lasagna Ingredients

–Chocolate graham crackers: While you could use oreos, the chocolate graham crackers are a great way to create a simple pressed crust in the bottom of the baking dish.

–Butter: Unsalted and melted butter when mixed with the chocolate graham crackers create an easy no-bake pie crust that tastes great.

–Strawberries: We’re going to need a lot of strawberries of mixed sizes. Some will be for the fresh diced strawberry layer, some pureed, and others will be dipped in chocolate and used for garnish. Make sure your strawberries are washed and dried before you dice them. If you place on top of cream cheese while wet, they can bleed and make the dessert watery.

–Cream Cheese: Make sure to let the cream cheese soften before using so that it can be blended up and spread more easily. For room temperature cream cheese – cut up the brick into pieces and let it set out, it will warm up faster.

–Powdered Sugar: Used to sweeten the cream cheese layer just enough that it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly savory and instead tastes more like a delicious cream cheese frosting.

–Strawberry Extract: Making the cream cheese a little pink and a lot of delicious. This is going to flavor the cream cheese layer so there’s no escaping that wonderful strawberry flavor! This can be omitted if you have trouble finding it!

–Chocolate instant pudding: We need 2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding to make a cold and creamy layer of melt in your mouth goodness.

–Cold  Milk: Just enough to thicken up that instant pudding and make it great!

–Milk Chocolate chips: We need chocolate chips to make the ganache layer, adding a rich chocolate flavor that’ll have you licking the plate clean. Make sure you let the ganache set up before you put on the cool whip. It will thicken as it cools.

–Heavy whipping cream: Used to make the ganache layer that much more rich and creamy. Yum!

–Chocolate Melting Wafers: Yet another source for chocolate flavored greatness. These baking chips are for making the chocolate covered strawberries!

–Cool whip: Added as the top layer, make sure that it’s thawed and stirred before using so that it’s easily spreadable. But also watch out and be careful not to over stir as it can become watery.

How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Lasagna:

Crust Layer

Crush your graham crackers in a food processor until they look fine like sand and there is no chunks.

Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is wet.

Transfer the wet crumbs to a 9×13 baking dish and then press them down evenly to make the crust and place it in the fridge.

Cream Cheese Layer

In a bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth and creamy.

Add in the powdered sugar and the strawberry extract and mix until well combined and it’s light and fluffy.

In a blender or food processor, blend 7 strawberries until they’re pureed (about 1/4 cup.) Pour strawberry mixture into cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with packet of unflavored gelatin. Mix well.

Carefully spread the cream cheese over the crust and place it back into the fridge.

Diced Strawberry Layer

Dice up two cups of fresh strawberries and then sprinkle them over the top of the cream cheese layer and place it back into the refrigerator.

Pudding Layer

In a bowl, whisk together the two boxes of chocolate pudding and 2 1/2 cups of milk, whisking together until dissolved and thickened.

Pour the chocolate pudding over the strawberries and spread it out evenly into the pan. Place back in the fridge.

Ganache Layer

Pour 1 cup of milk chocolate chips into a small bowl and then set them aside.

Heat your heavy cream in the microwave for 1 minute, using 30 second intervals until it’s hot enough to melt the chocolate chips.

Immediately pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let them sit for 5 minutes untouched.

Stir until thickened and combined, it will set up as it cools.

Pour the ganache over the pudding layer and let it set in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Cool Whip Layer

Gently stir the cool whip in the container to make it more spreadable and then pour and spread it over the top of the set ganache layer.

Let the dessert set in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours. Top with chocolate dipped strawberries right before serving.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Place your baking chips in a microwave safe bowl and set your microwave to half power.

Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Dip your washed and dried small strawberries into the chocolate and place them on the cookie sheet.

Place the strawberries in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened and set.

Garnish right before serving.

Can I use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate?

Yes, you can use any type of chocolate, I just like the milk chocolate since it is a little sweeter and paired with the graham crackers, which are not so sweet it makes a good combination.

How long can I store this in the refrigerator?

It’s best to eat within 3 days. Just make sure you cover it. If you store the dessert in the fridge, make sure you remove the chocolate covered strawberries as they are heavy and may crack the cool whip.
The Chocolate covered strawberries are really only good for about 2 days, after that they become watery and start to leak (if that makes sense)

Can I use regular chocolate chips for the chocolate covered strawberries instead of the baking chips?

Yes you can use regular chocolate chips for the chocolate covered strawberries. I like the baking chips better as they seem to melt better. If you choose to use regular chocolate chips you may want to add 3/4 teaspoons of coconut oil to them to help thin the chocolate out.

Why do I keep having to place this dessert in the fridge?

You will want to place the baking dish in the refrigerator between each step to keep the dessert firm. If you let it stay out too long (especially in a warm house) then this dish can become watery or ruined and we definitely don’t want that!

CAN YOU REPLACE THE COOL WHIP?

Cool Whip is the best “whipped topping” to use in this recipe. However, if you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!

See Homemade Whipped Cream recipes here.

HOW DO YOU MAKE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM?

To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.
2. Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until mixture is smooth.
3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days.

A little tip for making whipped cream faster: use a metal bowl and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!

Looking for more berry recipes? Check out these sweet recipes!

• Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Glazed Strawberry Bundt Cake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Oreo Balls
• Glazed Strawberry Fruit Pizza
• Strawberry Shortcake Bars
• Glazed Strawberry Bread
• White Chocolate Cranberry Rice Krispie Treats
• Strawberry Ice Cream
• Easy Strawberry Trifle Recipe
• Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Strawberry Crisp
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Easy Blueberry Jam
• Strawberries and Cream Bites

You’re going to love this no bake chocolate covered strawberry dessert lasagna. It’s a layered dessert with whipped cream, chocolate, cookie crust, and fresh strawberries and cream cheese.

No bake Chocolate Lasagna with Strawberries is a layered pudding dessert filled with chocolate, sweet cream and fresh strawberries! Dessert Lasagna topped with chocolate covered strawberries is perfect for any occasion!