Indulge in the creamy, airy texture of Pumpkin Pie Mousse, a delightful twist on the traditional pumpkin pie. This easy-to-make dessert is perfect for the holiday season, offering a rich and fluffy treat that will impress family members at your Thanksgiving dinner.
The mousse itself just takes 5 ingredients, and with the help of a refrigerated pie crust, you can add an elegant leaf element to the dessert. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this pumpkin mousse recipe is sure to become a favorite for years to come.
This is one of our easy Fall dessert recipes that would look great on your Thanksgiving table.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy and Airy: The perfect combination of heavy whipping cream and pumpkin puree creates a fluffy mousse with a delicious pumpkin flavor.
- Simple Ingredients: Using basic pantry staples like pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and sugar, this dessert is easy to whip up.
- Festive and Fun: The leaf-shaped pie crust dippers add a fun, festive touch to your Thanksgiving dessert spread.
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a standalone dessert or pair it with gingersnap cookies, graham crackers, or a buttery graham cracker crust for added texture and flavor.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: This mousse can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container, making it perfect for busy holiday schedules.
Ingredients for easy pumpkin mousse
- Pumpkin puree
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Vanilla extract
- Refrigerated pie crust
- Leaf-shaped small cookie cutters—you can use other small cutters too
- Cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)
Equipment Needed
- Electric hand mixer
- large bowl
How to make this easy pumpkin dessert
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the refrigerated pie crust, and proceed to cut out leaf shapes using the small cookie cutters.
Place the pie crust leaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
While the pie crust leaves are baking, place 1 cup of pumpkin puree, ½ cup of the heavy whipping cream, the pumpkin pie spice, and the sugar in a saucepan, and heat for 4 minutes over medium-high heat.
Remove the mixture from the heat, and let it cool completely.
Place the remaining cup of heavy whipping cream, and the vanilla extract into a mixing bowl and beat on high until it forms stiff peaks.
Once the pumpkin mixture has cooled, fold it into the whipped cream mixture, and stir to combine completely.
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Fill four containers with an equal amount of the pumpkin spice mousse, and top with pie crust leaves to serve.
Top with cinnamon, if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Tips for the Best Results
- Use Cold Ingredients: Ensure your heavy whipping cream is cold before whipping to achieve stiff peaks.
- Fold Gently: When combining the pumpkin mixture with the whipped cream, fold gently to maintain the airy texture of the mousse.
- Chill Before Serving: Allow the mousse to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors meld and the texture set.
- Homemade Whipped Cream: For an extra touch of luxury, top the mousse with some fresh whipped cream or store-bought whipped topping before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cream Cheese: Add a touch of cream cheese to the pumpkin mixture for a tangy twist and a thicker texture.
- Maple Syrup: Substitute some of the sugar with maple syrup for a richer, deeper sweetness.
- Pumpkin Pie Filling: If you don't have pumpkin puree, you can use pumpkin pie filling, but adjust the sugar and spices accordingly.
- Gingersnap Cookies: Instead of pie crust leaves, top the mousse with crushed gingersnap cookies for a spicy crunch.
- Cool Whip: For a quicker version, you can use Cool Whip instead of homemade whipped cream.
- You can skip the cookie leaves and this will be an easy no bake dessert.
FAQs About This Recipe
Absolutely! Pumpkin Pie Mousse can be made up to two days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Yes, homemade pumpkin puree works perfectly in this recipe. Just make sure it’s well-drained and at room temperature before using.
You can use gingersnap cookies, graham crackers, or even a buttery graham cracker crust as an alternative topping.
Use cold, heavy whipping cream and beat it with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. This usually takes about 3–4 minutes.
Yes, you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or a dash of pumpkin pie spice to the whipped cream for extra flavor.
More great pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin spice Rice Krispie Treats
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Refrigerated pie crust
- Leaf-shaped small cookie cutters can use other small cutters too
- Cinnamon for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out the refrigerated pie crust, and proceed to cut out leaf shapes using the small cookie cutters.
- Place the pie crust leaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the pie crust leaves are baking, place 1 cup of pumpkin puree, ½ cup of the heavy whipping cream, the pumpkin pie spice and the sugar in a saucepan, and heat for 4 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, and let it cool completely.6. Place the remaining cup of heavy whipping cream, and the vanilla extract into a mixing bowl and beat on high until it forms stiff peaks.7. Once the pumpkin mixture has cooled, fold it into the whipped cream mixture, and stir to combine completely.8. Fill four containers with an equal amount of the pumpkin spice mousse, and top with pie crust leaves to serve.
- Top with cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
We hope you loved this fun and simple fall recipe idea.
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Tamara
All of my favorite things! Heavy whipping cream and pumpkin puree and ADORABLE little leaves! OMG, they're magnificent.
Raquel
Thank you!
Ann
This dessert is a real art ... Firstly, I can’t get past pumpkin desserts, this is my weak point. And I’m lucky, because few of my friends love pumpkin, I always get more :))) I especially like the decoration and that this dessert does not require a lot of ingredients. It looks super appetizing and brings a Christmas mood! I will definitely keep this recipe and prepare this dessert in the nearest future. Thank you for sharing such goodies!
Raquel
Thank you so much for visiting Ann!