Christmas Lasagna Recipe with Red Velvet and Peppermint Layers

Christmas Lasagna

Christmas Lasagna is a layered holiday dessert that looks like Christmas decided to show off. The bottom layer is a buttery red velvet shortbread crust, pressed into the pan and baked until it just sets.

Next comes a peppermint cheesecake layer, cool and creamy with a soft minty finish. Then a white chocolate pudding layer, followed by a blanket of whipped cream. Mini marshmallows scatter across the top like the first snow of the season.

It is festive, it is make ahead friendly, and it earns its spot on the Christmas table. Serve it cold in squares and watch everyone reach for a second piece.

Easy Homemade Christmas Lasagna Recipe

If you have followed along here for a while, you already know about my dessert lasagna habit. Chocolate lasagna came first. Then pumpkin, key lime pie, and white chocolate blueberry joined the lineup. Every time I think the list is complete, a new flavor shows up and demands a pan. Christmas Lasagna is the newest member of the family.

There are more dessert lasagna ideas coming, because clearly I am not done yet. If you want to browse the whole set, there is a full collection of dessert lasagna recipes waiting for you. Layers, pudding, whipped topping, and a crust sturdy enough to hold it all together. Once you make one, you start seeing possibilities everywhere.

That is the beauty of this format. A dessert lasagna suits Christmas, of course. It also suits Easter, a summer cookout, or a plain Tuesday when the family wants something sweet after dinner. You build everything in one pan, chill it, and cut it into squares. No piping bags, no fussy decorating, no last minute panic before guests arrive.

For a holiday potluck, this is exactly the kind of dessert that travels well and disappears fast. Bring it in the pan, keep it cold on the drive over, and watch those squares vanish before the dinner plates are cleared.

A Sweet and Simple Christmas Dessert

My goal with this one was simple. Make a Christmas dessert that is as easy as possible to pull together, tastes wonderful, and looks cheerful sitting on the table. Nothing complicated, nothing that requires a pastry chef certificate to attempt.

Color came first. Red, white, and green are the colors everyone associates with Christmas, and I wanted all three in one pan. Red for the crust, white for the creamy layers, green for the pudding and the sprinkles. When you cut into it, the colors do all the decorating for you.

Then came the format. A layered dessert won. Layers give you that color blocking without any special tools. You spread, you chill, you repeat. The finished pan looks like you spent hours on it, even though most of the work is simply waiting for the refrigerator to do its job.

How to Make Christmas Lasagna:

Each layer has a job, and each one was chosen with a specific flavor in mind.

The red layer is a red velvet shortbread crust. It comes from my Strawberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies recipe, with the extra add ins left out and red food coloring mixed in instead. You get the same buttery, crisp shortbread texture, just dressed in holiday red.

The white layer is a no bake cheesecake. Instead of the usual vanilla, I use peppermint extract. That one small switch is what makes the whole dessert taste like Christmas instead of only looking like it.

The green layer is white chocolate instant pudding tinted with a few drops of green food coloring. I considered pistachio pudding for the green and then decided against it. Pistachio flavor simply does not pair as well with a mint cheesecake as white chocolate does.

White chocolate keeps everything sweet and mellow and lets the peppermint stay the star of the show.

The garnish is where the snow comes in. Mini marshmallows go across the top for a snowy look, joined by a few red and green M&M candies, small green Christmas tree sprinkles, and red sprinkles. A handful of each is plenty. You want a light dusting, not a blizzard.

One tip straight from my own kitchen: keep the layers cold between steps. The crust has to cool completely before the cheesecake layer goes on, and the pudding needs a short freeze so it does not slide when you spread the topping. Patience here pays off with clean squares later.

Because everything is built in one 9 x 13 inch dish, there is no assembly at the party. You cut squares straight from the pan and serve them on a platter or right out of the baking dish. If you are feeding a crowd this holiday season, this is about as low stress as dessert gets.

Craving More Christmas Desserts?! Then You Will Like These:

If this one leaves you wanting more, there are two more holiday favorites worth your oven time.

Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake is moist, full of flavor, and genuinely easy to make. It is the sort of cake that works for a holiday brunch, a cookie swap, or a little gift for a neighbor.

Hot Chocolate Lasagna is a no bake dessert that feeds a crowd at parties. Same layered idea, cozy cocoa flavor, and no oven required at all.

Ingredients

Here is everything you need, grouped by layer so you can shop and set up without guessing which ingredient belongs where.

Shortbread Cookie Layer

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Red food coloring

Peppermint Cheesecake Layer

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Pudding Layer

• 2 boxes white chocolate instant pudding, 3.9 oz each
• 3 cups milk
• Green food coloring

For Topping

• 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• Red and green sprinkles
• M&M candies

A quick note on a couple of items. The red food coloring is what gives the crust its deep holiday color, and you control how intense that gets. The peppermint extract is strong, so measure it carefully. And the Cool Whip needs to be thawed, not frozen, or it will not blend smoothly into the cream cheese.

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set it aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.
3. Make the crust dough. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the red food coloring and mix well. I used 1 tablespoon of coloring to get that intense red. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
4. Bake the crust. Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
5. Make the cream cheese layer. Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip and the peppermint extract and mix to combine. Spread over the cooled shortbread layer. Place the pan in the freezer to firm up while you prepare the pudding.
6. Make the green pudding layer. Whisk together the two boxes of white chocolate instant pudding mix with 3 cups milk. Add green food coloring, a few drops at a time, until you reach the color you want, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Set in the freezer for 5 minutes.
7. Top and chill. Spread 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip over the pudding layer and top with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. Place in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours until set.

Cold layers cut clean. If your squares feel soft when you press the knife in, give the pan more time in the fridge before slicing.

When you are ready to serve, run a thin knife under warm water, wipe it dry, and slice straight down. That little trick keeps the marshmallows and sprinkles where you put them instead of dragging them through the layers. Any leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator, so you can enjoy a square the next day too.

Recipe details

A quick look at the numbers before you start, so you can plan your chilling time around your schedule.

Most of that total time is hands off chilling, which makes this a smart dessert to build in the morning or the night before a gathering. Cut it into 24 squares for a party, or into larger pieces if you are serving a smaller group at home.

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Christmas Lasagna

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Christmas Lasagna Christmas Lasagna is a layered holiday dessert that looks like Christmas decided to show off. The bottom layer is a buttery red velvet shortbread crust, pressed into the pan and baked until it just sets.

• Total Time: 230 min
• Yield: 24 squares 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Shortbread Cookie Layer
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Red food coloring

Peppermint Cheesecake Layer
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup Cool Whip, thawed
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Pudding Layer
2 box white chocolate instant pudding, 3.9 oz each
3 cups milk
Green food coloring

For Topping
1 1/2 cups cool whip
2 cups mini marshmallows
Red and green sprinkles
M & M candies

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Instructions

1-Preheat the oven to 350 F: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter 9 x 13 inch baking dish, set aside.
2-In a small bowl stir together flour,: In a small bowl stir together flour, salt and cocoa powder.
3-In large bowl beat butter and sugar: In large bowl beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add red food coloring and mix well ( I used 1 tablespoon food coloring to get intense red color). Turn you mixer on low speed and gradually add flour mixture. Mix until combine.
4-Press the mixture into bottom of baking: Press the mixture into bottom of baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
5-To make cream cheese layer beat softened: To make cream cheese layer beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add 1 ½ cup Cool Whip and peppermint extract and mix to combine. Spread over cooled shortbread layer. Place in the freezer to firm while preparing pudding.
6-To make the green pudding layer whisk: To make the green pudding layer whisk together 2 x 3.9 oz. boxes white chocolate instant pudding mix with 3 cups milk. Add green food coloring (add a few drops at a time, to desired color) and whisk until smooth. Spread over cream cheese layer. Set in the freezer for 5 minutes.
7-Spread 1 ½ cup Cool whip over: Spread 1 ½ cup Cool whip over pudding layer and top with mini marshmallows and sprinkles. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours until set.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: mixed