Silky, light, fluffy, and deliciously festive, this easy Pumpkin Mousse Pie is a holiday must!
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This recipe is…
If you combined the flavors of a perfectly seasoned pumpkin pie and a not-too-sweet cheesecake but served it up as an impossibly silky, light, fluffy mousse on top of a buttery graham cracker crust, you’d have a pretty good picture of this pumpkin mousse pie. It’s a stunner of a dessert. Your dinner guests will shower you with compliments, beg for the recipe, and the funniest part of all, it is unbelievably easy to make.
Recipe Ingredients
- Graham cracker crust, store-bought or homemade
- 1 (15-ounce) can of pumpkin pie puree
- 1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 2 ¼ cups of whipped cream, store-bought or homemade
Pumpkin Pie Crust Options
You have several options for this pumpkin pie crust! While my go-to is a simple graham cracker + butter crust (no-bake-style), you could also…
- Use a traditional flaky pie crust (especially if you already have one around).
- Use a store bought graham cracker crust (the easier the better).
- Bake your graham cracker crust for just 15 minutes at 350F for a slightly crispier (vs. crumbly) crust option.
- Get creative and use ginger snap cookies in lieu of the graham crackers in the crust for a gingersnap crust base (it’d be a 1:1 swap for the graham crackers).
- Spoon it into individual serving jars for a simple mousse presentation, no crust needed.
How to Make
- Add the pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl, followed by the brown sugar, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, mix until smooth and well combined.
- Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until well incorporated but still fluffy.
- Spoon the filling into a graham cracker crust, then refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
- Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, grated whole nutmeg, or more whipped cream, then serve and enjoy!
Pumpkin Mousse Pie Recipe Tips
My biggest piece of advice for you is to JUST MAKE THE PIE. If you’re new to pie making, the idea of softening cream cheese has you feeling a bit nervous and you have no idea what “folding” whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture means, know that you can still do this. YOU CAN DO THIS. This pie is easy-peasy, or, I guess, “easy as pie.” Which is a saying that usually has me scratching my head, because many pies are actually not that easy, BUT THIS PIE…it’s easy.
For other tactical pie making tips, I highly recommend the following:
- Soften your cream cheese well in advance. What this means is that you’ll pull your cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before you plan to make your pie. If the cream cheese is brought to room temperature, it’ll be softer and therefore, easier to blend in with the rest of your pie ingredients…thereby, making you a smoother, silkier pie. You’ll know your cream cheese is ready if it’s no longer cool to the touch and gives easily if you press on it.
- While we’re at it, if you plan to make your own graham cracker pie crust, go ahead and soften your butter at the same time you soften the cream cheese.
- I want you to make this pie your own! There are few greater feelings of triumph in the kitchen than when you whip something up without paying too close attention to the ingredient amounts or the exact directions. This pie is so forgiving and is a great place for you to play and practice the art of cooking by feel: add more or less seasoning based on what tastes good to you. Nothing here needs to be cooked, so it’s all safe to taste and adjust as you go.
- JUST KEEP MIXING! If your pumpkin mousse is looking lumpy and like the cream cheese isn’t blending as smoothly as you like, you have two options. First, just keep mixing. It will eventually come together into silky perfection. Option 2 is to let the bowl sit out on your counter for about 30 minutes before you mix more. It could be that your cream cheese is still too cold. Cold cream cheese will be lumpy, but once it comes to room temperature, it’ll smoothe right out.
How to Store
Once you finish it, your pumpkin mousse pie doesn’t need much to be happy. Just a light covering (if you’ve made it a few days in advance) and a little space in the refrigerator. You can pop her back in there if there’s any left after dinner, too.
Does a mousse pie need to be refrigerated?
Yes! I recommend refrigerating your pumpkin mousse pie before and after serving. The cream cheese mousse will set and be more firm (make for prettier slices) if you make sure it’s totally chilled before serving. This will take between 2-4 hours.
Can I freeze this recipe for Pumpkin Mousse Pie?
What a great question! I haven’t ever tried to freeze my mousse pies (they don’t last long in our house), but I’m really curious now. If you do freeze your mousse pie, or even as a mousse cup, please comment below to let us know what you find!
Know that I’m 100% positive that you CAN freeze your pumpkin puree and your graham cracker crusts. So there’s that!
Frequently Asked Questions
My instructions are to give the pie 4 hours to set in the fridge before slicing. Now, it’s totally possible that your pie will set sooner than that, but I wouldn’t try cutting into it before 2 hours.
That said, if you decide to make your pumpkin mousse as a cup vs. on a pie crust, you can refrigerate for about 1 hour and serve it up! It’ll be softer and still perfectly delicious.
I have great news for you: you cook it in zero minutes. None. Nada. Not a single minute does it cook. It’s one of the quintessential no-bake desserts, and that’s one of the reasons I love it so much.
…that, and the fact that it’s at the 3-way crossroad of my favorite desserts (pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and mousse).
I’m going to break this out for you into different categories! You can make several components of the pumpkin mousse pie in advance, which will make your day-of (or day before) hosting life even easier.
If you freeze it, the graham cracker crust can be made up to 5 months in advance.
The whipped cream can be made up to 3 days in advance.
The pumpkin mousse filling can be made up to 3 days in advance.
The whole pie, assembled and perfect, can be made up to 3 days in advance.
I’d give the mousse pie a grand total of 5 days in the fridge for optimal results! This means, if you made it 3 days in advance, I’d enjoy it within 2 days of your serving party (for 5 days total).
Video
More Favorite Festive Dessert Recipes
Pumpkin Mousse Pie
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust homemade or store-bought
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2¼ cups whipped cream homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Add the pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl, followed by the brown sugar, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, mix until smooth and well combined.
- Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until well incorporated but still fluffy.
- Spoon the filling into a graham cracker crust, then refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
- Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice, grated whole nutmeg, or more whipped cream, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Soften your cream cheese well in advance. What this means is that you’ll pull your cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before you plan to make your pie. If the cream cheese is brought to room temperature, it’ll be softer and therefore, easier to blend in with the rest of your pie ingredients…thereby, making you a smoother, silkier pie. You’ll know your cream cheese is ready if it’s no longer cool to the touch and gives easily if you press on it.
- While we’re at it, if you plan to make your own graham cracker pie crust, go ahead and soften your butter at the same time you soften the cream cheese.
- I want you to make this pie your own! There are few greater feelings of triumph in the kitchen than when you whip something up without paying too close attention to the ingredient amounts or the exact directions. This pie is so forgiving and is a great place for you to play and practice the art of cooking by feel: add more or less seasoning based on what tastes good to you. Nothing here needs to be cooked, so it’s all safe to taste and adjust as you go.
- JUST KEEP MIXING! If your pumpkin mousse is looking lumpy and like the cream cheese isn’t blending as smoothly as you like, you have two options. First, just keep mixing. It will eventually come together into silky perfection. Option 2 is to let the bowl sit out on your counter for about 30 minutes before you mix more. It could be that your cream cheese is still too cold. Cold cream cheese will be lumpy, but once it comes to room temperature, it’ll smoothe right out.
Nutrition
Recipe does not say what size pie dish to use?
Absolutely divine! I used Simple Mills toasted pecan cookies instead of graham crackers for the crust. A very yummy swap.
What a clever and delicious swap! We are so glad you enjoyed, Karen! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
Recipe does not say what size pie dish to use?
I made this with my son today! He had the best time using the mixer. I put it in the freezer for a couple of hours to set up because we were short on time. It was delicious! I might add a bit more sugar next time I make it
That is so sweet, Lindsay! We love that this was a recipe y’all could make together! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
Question- do you think I could make this the day before? Or is it best the day of?
Yes! You can make this the day before. Just loosely cover and store it in your fridge. If using the whipped cream topping, I would store them separately and cover it the day of. -Team FF
Questions about the whipped cream:
1) Is the whipped cream sweetened?
2) Do you use 1 cup cream to make 2 cups whipped?
I’m looking forward to making this!
Hi Cecilia! The whipped cream is sweetened with honey. Yes, about 1 cup of heavy cream makes approximately 2 cups whipped. Enjoy! -Team FF