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Frosting & Fettuccine

Home » Recipe Search » Fruit Desserts

Mar 15, 2021(last updated October 31, 2021)

Super Easy Pumpkin Mousse

BySam Adler
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This easy pumpkin mousse recipe is fluffy, creamy and is perfect for Fall. Mix together pumpkin with simple dairy ingredients and serve it in glasses for a party or enjoy at home on a weeknight when you need a comforting creamy no-bake dessert you can whip up in minutes!

When fall comes through, out comes all the yummy pumpkin desserts. I love baking up a batch of pumpkin bars or even a comforting loaf of moist pumpkin bread. But when I’m looking for an easy no-bake dessert this time of year, I always whip up a batch of this easy pumpkin mousse. 

This recipe is great because it uses minimal dishes and kitchen equipment and did I mention there is NO BAKING involved? All you’ll need to do is whip up all the ingredients using a hand mixer, distribute it into cute clear glass jars or shot glasses and top with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Overhead shot of a cup of pumpkin mousse with a spoon inside.

It’s the perfect dessert to make for a party because you can make it ahead of time, and it’s light enough so that your guests can enjoy themselves!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For Pumpkin Mousse:

  • Canned Pumpkin – This is what gives the mousse a pumpkin flavor and orange color.
  • Cream Cheese – Adds a tangy and dense texture.
  • Sour Cream – Helps thin out the mousse while keeping it nice and creamy. 
  • Vanilla Extract – A great flavor that pairs well with any pumpkin dessert. 
  • Confectioners Sugar – Sweetens up the mousse. 
  • Cinnamon – Gives a hint of warming fall flavor. 

For The Whipped Cream:

  • Heavy Whipping Cream – This is what’s whipped up to make a whipped cream that goes INSIDE the mousse and is used for garnish on the outside. 
  • Confectioners Sugar – Sweetens the whipped cream. 
  • Chocolate Shavings – Makes a wonderful garnish on the mousse with a cocoa flavor and great color contrast. 
Ingredients for pumpkin mousse

How To Make Creamy Pumpkin Mousse

Pumpkin Mousse:

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the 8 oz pumpkin, 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and ¾ cup confectioners sugar. 
  2. Mix until smooth with no lumps. A hand mixer helps here!
  3. Fold in ½ of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mousse until no white streaks remain.
  4. Distribute into 6 cups evenly and chill in the fridge.
  5. Top with remaining whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

Whipped Cream:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment add the 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream. 
  2. Whip on medium speed, slowly adding in the remaining ¼ cup confectioners sugar.
  3. Move the speed up to high and whip until stiff peaks form. About 1 minute. Be careful not to over whip.
  • A pumpkin and cream cheese mixture in a glass bowl on a gray surface
    Pumpkin, Cream Cheese, & Sour Cream
  • A mini spatula holding up whipped cream
    Whipped Cream

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure the sour cream and cream cheese are both room temperature before whipping together. This will make sure everything is smooth and the flavor stays consistent.
  • DO NOT purchase pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. Only use pumpkin puree. 
  • Make sure the mousse has time to chill in the fridge. This will help the flavors marry together and will help the mousse set up to have the perfect texture. 
  • If your confectioners sugar has lumps, make sure you sift it first.
  • Whipped cream should be folded into the mousse and not over mixed. Over mixing will cause the mousse to deflate and will have less of a light fluffy texture.

Storing & Freezing

  • Storing: You can make this mousse 24 hours ahead of time. If serving within 4 hours, distribute into glasses. Garnish with whipped cream right before serving.
  • Freezing: This delicate mousse will lose it’s texture if it’s frozen so freezing is not recommended.
3 pumpkin mousse cups sitting in a green tray on top of a pink cloth

Variations

  • Top with pomegranate seeds instead of chocolate for a tart flavor, texture and great color. 
  • Use pumpkin spice instead of just cinnamon to get a full array of warming flavors. 
  • Sift in a few tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder to make this a chocolate pumpkin mousse. 
  • Drizzle with Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
  • Serve as a dip with graham crackers or gingersnap cookies. 
  • Add it between these Chewy Pumpkin Maple Cookies for a decadent fall cookie sandwich. 

More Fall Inspired Desserts You’ll Love

  • Gingerbread Biscotti
  • Apple Pie Bars
  • Cranberry Pie
  • Apple Cider Layer Cake
Overhead shot of a cup of pumpkin mousse with a spoon inside.

Easy Pumpkin Mousse

This fluffy and creamy pumpkin mousse is the perfect no bake fall dessert.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy pumpkin dessert recipe, mousse recipe, no bake dessert
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 522kcal
Author: Sam Adler

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Canned Pumpkin Puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
  • ½ cup Sour Cream room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Confectioners Sugar divided
  • ½ tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups Heavy Whipping Cream cold
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1/4 cup Chocolate Shavings optional for garnishing

Instructions

For Pumpkin Mousse

  • In a large mixing bowl combine the 8 oz pumpkin, 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and ¾ cup confectioners sugar.
  • Mix until smooth with no lumps. A hand mixer helps here!
  • Fold in ½ of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mousse until no white streaks remain.
  • Distribute into 6 cups evenly and chill in the fridge.
  • Top with remaining whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

For Whipped Cream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment add the 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream.
  • Whip on medium speed, slowly adding in the remaining ¼ cup confectioners sugar.
  • Move the speed up to high and whip until stiff peaks form. About 1 minute. Be careful not to over whip.

Notes

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure the sour cream and cream cheese are both room temperature before whipping together. This will make sure everything is smooth and the flavor stays consistent.
  • DO NOT purchase pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. Only use pumpkin puree. 
  • Make sure the mousse has time to chill in the fridge. This will help the flavors marry together and will help the mousse set up to have the perfect texture. 
  • If your confectioners sugar has lumps, make sure you sift it first.
  • Whipped cream should be folded into the mousse and not overmix. Overmixing will cause the mousse to deflate and will have less of a light fluffy texture.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Easy Pumpkin Mousse
Amount Per Serving (6 g)
Calories 522 Calories from Fat 387
% Daily Value*
Fat 43g66%
Saturated Fat 25g156%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 134mg45%
Sodium 356mg15%
Potassium 260mg7%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 7390IU148%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 115mg12%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I love when you share my recipes!!

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Filed Under: Fruit Desserts Tagged With: Pumpkin

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Grace Larsen says

    March 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    I have such mad respect that you published a pumpkin recipe in march! Pumpkin in the spring just hits different 🙂

    Reply
    • Sam says

      April 16, 2021 at 6:17 pm

      haha thanks Grace!! Trying to get ahead of the trend lol!

      Reply

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