Pumpkin pie has never been my favorite Thanksgiving dessert. I think it’s because it can often be pretty bland and boring. Especially in comparison to any show-stopping pies on the dessert table like a double crust apple pie or crunchy pecan pie.
So this year I decided I want to put my own spin on pumpkin pie. I had already done a Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe which was definitely a crowd pleaser, but it requires at least an hour in the oven.
I don’t know about you, but the oven is valuable real estate in my kitchen this time of year. The last thing you want is to do any more mental time and temperature calculations trying to figure out just how you’ll cook everything, in what order, and at what time.
(Oh how I wish I had a double oven!)
So I decided to create a no-bake pumpkin pie that would be perfect for Thanksgiving. I’m SO pleased with how this recipe turned out. Everyone who has tasted it has loved it. I could eat a slice just about every night!
It’s light and delicate, not dense like your traditional pumpkin pie. I’m obsessed!
No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie Recipe Tips
How to Make Biscoff Cookie Crust
One of my favorite parts about this recipe is the Biscoff cookie crust! You know those cookies you often get on the plane? They’re kind of a cross between gingersnaps and graham crackers and are loaded with warm comforting spices and a kind of caramelized sweetness. I find them at most grocery stores now in the cookie & cracker aisle. They’re called Speculoos cookies at Trader Joe’s.
Since there’s no baking involved in this recipe, it’s important to use a generous amount of butter in the crust so it won’t crumble too much. Be sure to really pack the crust into the pie pan. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to make easy work of this.
Biscoff Cookies Substitutions
You can use gingersnap cookies, graham crackers, or digestive biscuits instead. You’ll need a scant two cups of cookie crumbs, whichever you decide to use. That’s about 15 graham crackers. It’s much easier to swap out the cookie option if you have a scale and can use the weight measurement provided in the recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Mousse Pie Filling
The filling is composed of a mixture of whipped cream, cream cheese, and pure canned pumpkin puree. You will need an electric mixer for multiple components of this recipe for best results! Be sure to use fresh spices for best flavor. If you open your spice jar and the aroma isn’t strong, it’s time to replace it.
The filling will need to set for at least 6 hours. I usually just make the pie the night before I plan to serve it. At this point the pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
TIP: Don’t use homemade pumpkin puree! It’s far too watery for this recipe. Learn more about homemade vs. canned pumpkin puree here.
How to Make Whipped Cream for Pie
Nothing is better than homemade whipped cream, and in this recipe the stuff just really completes the pie! Be sure to top the pie with the whipped cream no more than a few hours before serving so it looks its best. The whipped cream will begin to deflate and “weep” if topped too far in advance. However, if you’re not too picky you can add the whipped cream up to 1 day before.
You can also use stabilized whipped cream if you need to make this pie completely in advance or if you’re traveling with it.
I love to garnish the pie with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon, or even ground Biscoff cookies, so it makes for a beautiful presentation.
More Pie Recipes:
For the crust:
-
1
(8.8 ounce or 250 gram) package Biscoff / Speculoos cookies
-
7
tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted
For the pumpkin mousse:
-
1
cup
heavy whipping cream, cold
-
4
ounces
(113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
-
1/4
cup
(50 grams) light brown sugar
-
1/2
cup
(122 grams) canned pure pumpkin puree
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1/2
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1/8
teaspoon
ground cloves
-
1/8
teaspoon
ground nutmeg
-
1/8
teaspoon
ground ginger
For the whipped cream:
-
1
cup
heavy cream, cold
-
3
tablespoons
powdered sugar
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
1
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
Make the crust:
-
Spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
-
In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and until moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish.
Make the pumpkin mousse:
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Set aside.
-
In a clean large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add in the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger and continue to beat until very well combined with no pockets of cream cheese remaining.
-
Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until combined. Spread gently and evenly into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make the whipped cream:
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and continue to whip until medium-stiff peaks form.
-
Just before serving, spread the whipped cream over the pie. Sprinkle with more cinnamon to garnish, if desired. Serve.
This pie can be frozen before adding the whipped cream and any toppings are added, but doing so may slightly alter the texture after thawing. Freeze in an airtight container for up to one month, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding whipped cream and toppings.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
November Baking Challenge
This recipe was the selection for the November 2019 baking challenge! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. See the entries below:
Great take on the pumpkin pie, I’m not a huge pumpkin person but I ended up throughly enjoying it with the cinnamon undertones and homemade whip.
PSA: If you use graham crackers for the crust instead, I would up the butter by a couple of tablespoons. I used more as it was too dry, I assume because of the lack of molasses compared to the cookies called for.
This pie was a hit with all my tasters! The crust is now my favorite and the pumpkin mousse was so easy to prepare. Will surely make again.
I’m not a pumpkin pie fan but made this for my husband who always requests a pumpkin pie for his Thanksgiving birthday! Served it at our dinner party last night and it was a clean plate winner! I loved the subtle pumpkin spice flavor but especially the Biscoff pie crust. Can’t wait to make it again!
If there wasn’t already a whoopie pie, this would be it — one bite and you are shouting Whoopie!!!! It tastes amazing! So easy to put together. It might just replace the standard pumpkin pie, or at least join it on the dessert table.
p.s. If you make double the whipped cream portion, you have that very tasty whipped cream for your other pies. It works great with any pie (apple, pecan, etc.) since it tastes just like Thanksgiving.
The pumpkin layer and crust were delicious, but the whipped cream topping was a little too similar in texture to the pumpkin layer without a distinct flavor. I might try less whipped cream or maybe more powdered sugar. Yummy and easy overall! Better than regular pumpkin pie.
Love! Great light version of a classic pie. The cinnamon in the whip cream is brilliant !
Oh my! This mousse pie is delicious. I ended up making my own Biscoff cookies because I couldn’t find them at my local store. That cookie crust is EVERYTHING. This is rich and filling, but not heavy. Not too sweet, either. Thanks for the great recipe, yet again 🙂
So light and smooth, it made it feel guilt free! Such a fun take on a classic
I love this recipe!
This recipe is amazing!
There’s no substance to this recipe. Followed it exactly, and ended up with a sloppy looking pie that was essentially pumpkin whipped cream topped with regular whipped cream, and really unappealing after the first two or three bites. The flavor is good, but far too mild as a main dessert. The only positive thing I will be taking from this is the Biscoff cookie crust, which is fabulous. This would be much better served in a a very small dessert glass with a spoon than as a pie, or combined with traditional pumpkin pie to form a double layer. Won’t be making again.
This is a very simple recipe to follow. The results are amazing. It’s the creamiest pie filling and very tasty.
This is very good! Love the ease of no-bake and the creamy texture of the filling!
Easy to make. Tastes great, nice and light
The no bake mousse pie is easy to make and very light and fluffy! Even though it’s cold, it tastes like Thanksgiving. And let’s not forget the biscoff crust! OMG, yum!
This recipe is so easy and great when the weather is warm and you don’t want to turn on the oven. We had guests last weekend and it was 80 degrees and we don’t have air conditioning and this dessert was a hit. Not one crumb was left
Great, easy recipe even for those who aren’t huge pumpkin spice fans! Huge hit!
Great recipe! Super easy and it was a huge hit even for people who are not big PS fans….
This was easy to make and it looks like you spent hours in the kitchen. Light and tasty it is the perfect dessert after a heavy Thanksgiving meal
This was so easy to make and it looks like you have spent hours in the kitchen. Light and tasty, quite perfect for a dessert after a heavy Thanksgiving meal
My family enjoyed this pie very much. I will be making it again and soon.
This recipe was sooo good! My family loved it. They usually don’t like this type of dessert, but it was not too sweet and it was creamy and delicious so it was a big hit.
It was so easy to make too!
This recipe is super easy to make! It does not require any baking, but yoou do need to cool it properly. 🙂 I love all things with pumpkin and cream cheese so this is a perfect match for me! 😀 The pie is very light and airy, and veeeeery tasty. I recommend you try it! 🙂
So good! Not too sweet and the crust is perfect!
The Biscoff crust – so amazing! Super easy and plan on bringing it to family Thanksgiving celebration.
Enjoyed making this pie! The recipe is easy to follow. The pumpkin flavor with the spices is mild and the pie is not as sweet as other pies. The pie is delicious. The whipped topping might be a bit to much. Next time I think I’ll try a dollop on each individual slice, like another commenter suggested!
This Pumpkin Mousse Pie is sooooo good! I started by making one pie but misread the instructions on the amount of butter in the crust. Rather than waste the Biscoff cookies, I corrected the mistake by making two pies! Needless to say, I had leftovers to share at work which got rave reviews. I forgot this recipe was part of the baking challenge and didn’t take a photo so when I had the opportunity to make dessert the next weekend, I made this recipe again. It’s that good! The pie is not overly sweet, the filling is very light and fluffy, the recipe is not difficult at all. I chose to make the whipped cream and top the pie right away rather than waiting until it was served and no one complained, including me. 🙂
Barely got a shot of the cake before it got eaten.
I love the ginger snap-like flavor of the crust. I only complaint is having to wait so long before eating it! Would def make again.
Love this! It’s going to replace pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving!
This pie was really good. I added a little extra sweetness by giving it a cinnamon sugar whipped cream topping and it got rave reviews. I am making another for Thanksgiving this year.
Such a deliciously light pie full of yummy pumpkin spice flavour.
We don’t have canned pumpkin where I live, so made my own puree, making sure it was super smooth and reduced the water content by warming it on the stove for a bit – worked a treat!
This is the fluffiest, smoothest pie! I would definitely make this again!
Another 5 star recipie. Tessa, if were a baseball player you’d win the World Series by yourself with all these Home Run recipies you hit us with!!
This pie is out of this world!! First time making it and it won’t be my last!
Excellent recipe easy to follow
Awesome recipe easy to follow
It was super easy to make and the pro was that it’s NO BAKE! Definitely enjoyed making the pumpkin mouse pie.
I very much like this recipe and it turned out great. I found the nutmeg to be a bit much for my families taste so I would half it or none at all.
This looks great! I wonder, could I put the pumpkin mousse and whipped cream on a brownie pie base? I love chocolate and was wondering if I could incorporate that somehow.
Wonderful Pumpkin Mousse Pie! Thanks Tessa! I can’t wait to make it again for Thanksgiving. Great flavors and the crust is the best!
Wow! Another great Tessa Recipe! ThePumpkin Mousse Pie is phenomenal! It is cool, light and the pumpkin/cinnamon flavor is wonderful. A new Thanksgiving tradition in our house!! ❤️❤️❤️
So delicious and light and airy and then you get the crunch from the crust!
I made mine dairy free by subbing coconut milk for the whipped cream and using a coconut cream cheese and vegan butter. Still light and fluffy and soo delicious! I added about 2 tablespoons more pumpkin because I wanted a thicker pumpkin flavor and it turned out great! Thanks, Tessa!
Love the pumpkin and cream cheese combo and the silky smooth whip cream is amazing! Loved how easy this recipe was to follow!
Suggest to make sure I understand, this crust is not baked. Am I correct?
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was delicious. My whole family loved it.
Does this absolutely require a stand mixer? I have a hand mixer, which seems like it would do the job, but I’d hate to try it and be disappointed!
Hi you can use a hand mixer just make sure you mix the cream til you get the peaks..
This sounds delicious. I plan on making this, however I am not familiar with the cookies in the recipe. Is there a substitute or a specific example of such a cookie? Many thanks!
Alison de Channes, These cookies are sold in many stores such as Costco, Walmart, etc.
Lotus Bakeries is the name of the bakery that produces Lotus Biscoff Cookies. Speculoos is the generic name of the traditional crispy, spice cookies from Belgium. If you Google “Biscoff” it will show images of what you need to purchase. Hope that helps.
Can you use a stabalized whipped cream recipe
Thank you for the recipe! I don’t like pumpkin lie because it’s such a weird watery, chunky, slimy yet firm texture. But I like the flavor! My daughter made this for thanksgiving this year and it’s deeeeeeeeelicious! She’s a nine year old award winning pie baker! She won the state contest (by first winning city and then county pie contests) with a triple layer key lime pie and it was in the general category, not kids. She’s amazing. Anyway, thanks for the recipe!
Kristi
PS your instructions say to mix the Graham cracker crumbs, not speculoos cookie crumbs.
Plan on making this for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of whipped cream I plan on topping it with a brandy hard sauce recipe I use every year on my pumpkin pie. One year I didn’t make the sauce and there was an uproar so I had to whip it up last minute.
I plan on using stabilized whipped cream to fold in in the hopes that weeping will be kept to a minimum and the mousse can stay as fluffy as it can.
Sorry for the novel. I always read the comments to see if the star rating is based on actual making of the recipe and not just people liking the way the recipe sounds.
I read your and now if possible, would love to get your daughter’s triple layer key lime pie recipe. I love, love, love key lime pie! Hoping I can get a copy.
Thank you in advance!
Elizabeth
I just devoured 2 pieces of this pie after Thanksgiving dinner, and I’m thinking about going back for a third! I might be the worst baker in the world, but this recipe was easy enough for me to make, and it was truly delicious. Thanks for introducing me to this recipe, which will become a holiday tradition!
Just readIng the recipe and wondering if the pumpkin flavor is mild or greater. Has anyone tried adding more pumpkin, maybe 2/3 or 3/4 c? I know it would loosen the whole mixture, maybe too much.
To Adriana’s Q: It is my opinion that as long as you save the top whipped cream for the day you serve, you should be fine. As long as you keep your pies wrapped.
Would this hold up ok if I made it 2 days in advance?? Planning on making individual mini pies
Hi Tessa, would this pie freeze well?
This is what I need for Fall days, thank you so much! What a perfect recipe to use all the pumpkin I have after Halloween 😉
1 cup of heavy cream to make the filling, one cup to put on top.
Looks so good! Hosting Thanksgiving and thinking this is a must! On the mousse, the ingredients list 1c. of heavy cream twice. Is it 2 c. total then or am I reading it wrong? Thanks for your help!
Sounds delicious and appeals to me more than the old standard. I think the only thing I would do differently would be to not cover the pie entirely with whipped cream. Instead I would add a generous dollop of cream to individual servings. We never finish a whole pie!