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This Pumpkin Mousse tastes just like a lighter pumpkin cheesecake. It is so creamy and full of all your favorite fall flavors!
Featured with this recipe
This beautiful Pumpkin Mousse has all the delicious autumn flavors of a piece of pumpkin cheesecake, but isn’t nearly as heavy. It’s whipped and fluffy and will satisfy your sweet tooth after dinner without leaving you feeling overloaded. Pumpkin mousse is so simple to make too.
It’s easy to whip up for dinner guests, Thanksgiving company, or just for a cozy night at home with your family.
Beautiful, tasty and easy, that’s MY kind of dessert!
Ingredients in Light and Fluffy Pumpkin Mousse
To make pumpkin mousse, you’ll need a few simple ingredients to get started. It’s easy to create a parfait in a beautiful glass for your family and friends this holiday season. Scroll below to find the printable recipe card for the full recipe.
- Cream cheese – Leave your cream cheese out on the counter to soften.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar – Always a fan favorite to add a little extra sweetness.
- Pumpkin pie spice – All the fall flavors in one pumpkin spice seasoning.
- Pumpkin puree – You will want to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Heavy whipping cream – Adds a heavier and thicker consistency.
- Vanilla – A dash of vanilla extract to add in flavor.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Mousse
This no-bake pumpkin mousse pie is light and fluffy! Layers of deliciousness!
- Start by mixing the cream cheese, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. If you have time, soften the cream cheese beforehand. This will make your mousse even smoother.
- Using an electric mixer, whip until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, add the pumpkin puree. Stir until is is fully combined. In another bowl, make the whipped cream by whipping together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Add about ¾ of the whipped cream to the pumpkin mixture. Save the last ¼ for topping the mousse cups. Spoon mousse into individual bowls and top with whipped cream. Then, add any desired garnishes. I like adding chocolate chips!
Perfect Pumpkin Mousse Toppings and Garnishes
Start with a heaping scoop of whipped topping on top of your pumpkin mousse, then add:
- Chocolate chips
- Combination of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg sprinkled on top with cloves on the side.
- A drizzle of chocolate or salted caramel
- Chopped candied cinnamon pecans
- Butterscotch chips
- Crumbled gingersnap cookies or graham crackers
- Make a pie with graham cracker crust instead of a parfait or a baked homemade pie crust.
Suggestions and Substitutions for this Pumpkin Mousse Recipe
- If you’re making pumpkin mousse along with a big meal, you can save time by making the base of the mixture ahead of time, and wait until just before serving to mix in the whipped topping.
- I love the fact that, unlike pumpkin pie or cheesecake, this dessert is gluten free! No crust makes it a very easy recipe to make for any of your GF guests.
- If you are looking to make it dairy free as well you can easily substitute the whipped topping for whipped coconut milk. All you need is a can of coconut milk that has been refrigerated so it is nice and cold. Then, whip the coconut milk with sugar and vanilla in the recipe until it becomes thick and stiff peaks form.
- For a lighter version, use light cream cheese instead of regular, and light whipped topping in place of heavy cream. If you are making it with coconut milk, you can also find light coconut milk.
“Made this finally this week and it was a hit! So delicious and satisfying!”
-Emily
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw eggs are key for real chocolate mousse, the classic way to make it the way it is served at fine dining restaurants. You will not achieve a result as good using a recipe that doesn’t use raw eggs, no matter what they promise.
Mousse, a savory or sweet dish with the consistency of a dense foam, composed of a pureed chief ingredient mixed with stiffly beaten egg whites, whipped cream, or both. Mousses are almost always cold dishes, and sweet mousses are sometimes served frozen.
Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkin is incredibly healthy. What’s more, its low calorie content makes it a weight-loss-friendly food. Its nutrients and antioxidants may boost your immune system, protect your eyesight, lower your risk of certain cancers, and promote heart and skin health.
Mousse is made up of just a few ingredients: the base, the aerator(s), the sweetener (which is usually added to the aerator), and the thickener (which is optional, depending on the recipe).
When applied to a dessert, mousse implies beaten egg whites. And when whipped cream is used in its place, creating a much richer dessert, technically it becomes a crème. In whipping egg whites or cream, you are creating little air balloons.
Read More: The BEST Pumpkin Dessert Recipes for Fall
More Pumpkin Desserts
This time of year, I am just craving pumpkin everything. Try this
How to Make Pumpkin Mousse
Pumpkin Mousse
Video
Equipment
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 15 ounces pure 100% pumpkin puree
WHIPPED TOPPING:
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
OTHER TOPPINGS:
- chocolate chips
- cinnamon
- candied pecans
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, whip together the cream cheese, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until light and fluffy and completely blended.
- Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip together the whipped topping ingredients until it becomes thick and stiff peaks form.
- Fold together about ¾ of the whipped topping with the pumpkin cheesecake mixture until completely mixed in.
- Spoon the mousse into individual cups. Use the remaining ¼ of the whipped topping to top the mousse. Then sprinkle on chocolate chips, cinnamon, or candied pecans.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Save time by making the base of the mixture ahead of time, and wait until just before serving to mix in the whipped topping.
- This dessert is gluten free! No crust makes it a very easy recipe to make for any of your GF guests.
- To make it dairy free, you can easily substitute the whipped topping for whipped coconut milk. All you need is a can of coconut milk that has been refrigerated so it is nice and cold. Then, whip the coconut milk with sugar and vanilla in the recipe until it becomes thick and stiff peaks form.
- For a lighter version, use light cream cheese instead of regular, and light whipped topping in place of heavy cream. If you are making it with coconut milk, you can also find light coconut milk.
I’m wondering about how many cups does this make? It says it makes 4 servings but the glasses in the picture serves them in look pretty big, so I’m hoping maybe I could get more than 4 servings if I used smaller bowls.
This recipe makes about 4 cups of mousse, not including the whipped topping. If you do half cup size servings, you could get about 8 servings out of it!
This was really good. I have made it twice recently to rave reviews. It’s so much easier and lighter than pumpkin pie. It was even referred to as the pumpkin cloud. I followed the recipe to the letter and it will continue to be a holiday staple. Thank you!