No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna: A Perfect Patriotic No Oven Dessert

No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna

To tell the truth, I plan my summer desserts around one rule: if it needs the oven, it waits until October.

That is exactly why this No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna has become my go to dessert for every cookout, potluck, and family dinner between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

It is cool, creamy, and layered, and it looks like you spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen when you really spent about half an hour.

Dessert lasagnas are my favorite kind of no bake sweet treat. This one grew out of an earlier No Bake Strawberry Jello Lasagna that my family wiped out in one sitting, and I wanted something even more festive for the hot months. The answer was a layered dessert in red, white, and blue that holds up beautifully in warm weather.

this …

Here is what is actually in those layers:

• The red velvet layer. A graham cracker crust flavored with strawberry jam and colored red with gel food coloring. It sits at the bottom of the dish and gives every slice its first stripe of color.
• The white cheesecake layer. Softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla, lightened with whipped cream and finished with diced fresh strawberries folded in.
• The blue layer. A blueberry jello salad made from berry blue gelatin, crushed pineapple, and blueberry pie filling. It is dense, a little retro, and completely delicious.
• The top. A generous blanket of whipped cream, fresh strawberries and blueberries arranged over the surface, and a drizzle of melted white chocolate.

Because those colors stack up in red, white, and blue order, this dessert was basically made for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. I have taken it to backyard barbecues, lake weekends, and one very crowded neighborhood block party, and it never comes home.

If you are feeding a crowd, it is one of the easiest impressive desserts you can put together, and it saves you from heating up the kitchen on a ninety degree day.

Now for the honest part. The active prep is short and simple, but this dessert needs 5 to 6 hours to set, so the smart move is to make it a day before you plan to serve it.

That way the crust firms up, the cheesecake layer chills, and the blueberry jello layer sets completely before anyone lifts a spoon.

Do not rush the whipped cream. The cheesecake filling has to be thick, because a soft filling will not hold the dense blueberry jello salad layer on top of it.

If you are a busy parent juggling a hundred things, this is the kind of recipe that works with you. You build it in stages, park it in the fridge, and forget about it until dessert time. Speaking about easy summer sweets, let me point you toward two more no bake lasagnas that use the very same idea.

You will want a 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish for this one, since the layers need room to spread without spilling over the sides. It makes about 12 generous servings, which is exactly right when dessert is competing with watermelon and ice cream on the same table.

One more thing I love about it: the leftovers. A cold slice straight from the fridge the next morning, with coffee, is a small summer luxury I fully endorse.

If you like this No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna, try also:

If this berry lasagna earns a spot in your summer rotation, there are two more no bake desserts worth trying. The Very Berry Dessert Lasagna leans on fresh strawberries and blueberries and keeps the same creamy, layered style.

The White Chocolate Blueberry Lasagna is light, easy, and completely oven free, which makes it another great pick for hot weather entertaining. Both follow the same make ahead rhythm that makes this one so convenient.

Ingredients

This recipe has four parts, so it helps to gather everything on the counter before you start. Here is the full list.

For the whipped cream

• 1 and 2/3 cups heavy cream, chilled
• About 1/3 cup powdered sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the red velvet crust

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Red gel food coloring

For the cheesecake layer

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup diced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup whipped cream, from the batch above

For the blueberry jello salad layer

• 2 packages (3 oz. each) berry blue Jello, or another flavor you like
• 1 and 1/4 cups boiling water
• 2 cups blueberry pie filling
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained from the juice

For the topping

• 2 1/2 cups whipped cream, the remainder from the batch above
• Fresh strawberries, halved
• Fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted for the drizzle

A quick note on the pineapple: if all you have is chunks, pulse them in a food processor until they break down into fine crushed pieces. And if berry blue gelatin is not on your store shelf, any flavor you enjoy will still work beautifully here.

Instructions

You will build this dessert in stages, and each stage gives the next one something firm to sit on. Grab your 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish and let us start with the crust.

To make the crust

1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, strawberry jam, melted butter, and red food coloring in a bowl. Drop the coloring directly into the melted butter or the jam, because it dissolves far better there than it does in dry crumbs.
2. Mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened, then press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish. Place the crust in the freezer to firm up while you work on the filling.

To make the filling

1. Start with the whipped cream. In a bowl, beat the chilled heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, then keep mixing until really stiff peaks form. Measure out 1 cup for the cheesecake layer, cover the rest, and reserve it for the topping.
2. For the cheesecake layer, cream together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and softened butter until smooth. Mix in that 1 cup of whipped cream. Do not use soft whipped cream here, because the filling has to be thick enough to hold the dense blueberry jello salad layer above it.
3. Gently fold in the diced strawberries, then spread the mixture over the chilled crust. Place the dish in the fridge to set.
4. For the blueberry jello salad layer, put the berry blue gelatin in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir for a few minutes until the gelatin dissolves completely. Set it aside to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then stir in the crushed pineapple and the blueberry pie filling.
5. Wait until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and reached a soft set. If you are in a hurry, place it in the fridge to speed things up, but stir it from time to time so it sets evenly.
6. Spread the blueberry jello layer over the chilled cheesecake layer. Never pour warm jello over the cheesecake layer, because it will melt the filling underneath.
7. Return the dish to the fridge and chill until the jello layer is completely set.
8. Top with the remaining whipped cream. Just before serving, arrange the fresh berries over the top. Melt the white chocolate chips, transfer the melted chocolate to a ziplock bag, cut off a corner, and drizzle it over the lasagna.
9. Store the finished dessert in the fridge.

If you want to break the work up, make the crust and the cheesecake layer in the morning and the jello layer in the afternoon. By evening everything is chilled and waiting for the whipped cream and berries right before you serve.

That is the whole process. The only real skill involved is patience, and the fridge does most of that work for you.

Recipe details

The recipe card lists a prep time of 180 minutes and a total time of 3 hours, and the dish yields about 12 servings. For the cleanest slices, give it 5 to 6 hours in the fridge so every layer sets firmly, which is why I always make it the day before.

FAQs

No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna To tell the truth, I plan my summer desserts around one rule: if it needs the oven, it waits until October. That is exactly why this No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna has become my go to dessert for every cookout, potluck, and family dinner between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

• Total Time: 180 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For Whipped Cream
1 and 2/3 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Red Velvet Crust
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Red gel food coloring

For Cheesecake Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup whipped cream

For Blueberry Jello Salad Layer
2 (3 oz. each) package berry blue Jello
1 and 1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups blueberry pie filling
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained from juice

Topping
2 ½ cups whipped cream
Fresh strawberries, halved
Fresh blueberries
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

To make the crust
1-Combine graham cracker crumbs, strawberry jam, melted: Combine graham cracker crumbs, strawberry jam, melted butter and red food coloring (drop the color directly in melted butter or jam, it will dissolve better).
2-Mix until evenly moistened: Mix until evenly moistened. Press the mixture in the bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish. Place the crust in the freezer to firm.

Filling
3-First, make the whipped cream: First, make the whipped cream. In a bowl beat chilled heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing until really STIFF peaks form. Measure out 1 cup of beaten whipped cream for cheesecake layer. Cover remaining whipped cream and reserve for topping.
4-To make cheesecake layer cream together softened: To make cheesecake layer cream together softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and softened butter. Mix in 1 cup of whipped cream (do not use soft whipped cream, cheesecake filling have to be thick or it won’t hold dense blueberry jello salad layer on top).
5-Gently fold in diced strawberries and spread: Gently fold in diced strawberries and spread over the crust. Place in the fridge to set.
6-To make the blueberry jello salad layer: To make the blueberry jello salad layer in a large bowl place 6 oz. berry blue Jello gelatin mixture. Pour 1 ¼ cup boiling water and stir for a few minutes until the gelatin dissolved completely. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes, then stir in crushed pineapple and blueberry pie filling. Wait until it’s cooled to room temperature and soft set, or place in the fridge to speed the process but stir from time to time.
7-Spread blueberry jello layer over chilled cheesecake: Spread blueberry jello layer over chilled cheesecake layer. Do not pour warm blueberry jello over cheesecake layer, it will melt it.
8-Place in the fridge to chill until: Place in the fridge to chill until jello layer is set completely.
9-Top with remaining whipped cream: Top with remaining whipped cream. Before serving arrange fresh berries on top. Melt white chocolate chips, transfer melted chocolate to a ziplock bag, cut off the corner and drizzle over the top of lasagna.
10-Store in the fridge: Store in the fridge.

Last Step:

Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.

• Prep Time: 180 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Method: no_cook