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This easy pumpkin mousse recipe is fluffy, creamy and perfect for Fall. Mix together pumpkin with simple dairy ingredients and serve it in glasses for a fun individual dessert. This is a delicious egg free and gelatin free mousse that you can make for any party or even Thanksgiving!
When fall finally hits, out come all the yummy pumpkin desserts. I love baking up a batch of these pumpkin cupcakes, making this chocolate pumpkin cake or these pumpkin bars. As a professionally trained pastry chef I love to bake with pumpkin, 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 the homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
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!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This mousse recipe is made without eggs or gelatin!
- It’s super easy and quick to get all the ingredients together.
- The pumpkin flavor shines through in this recipe.
- It’s a delicious fall treat to make for the family!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For Pumpkin Mousse:
- Canned Pumpkin – This is what gives the mousse a pumpkin flavor and orange color. Make sure to get canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- 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 a warm fall flavor.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – This is what’s whipped up to make a whipped cream that goes INSIDE the mousse and is also 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.
How To Make Pumpkin Mousse
Combine the first ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine the 8 oz pumpkin, 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, only ¾ cup of the confectioners sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Mix until smooth. A hand mixer helps if you have one.
Make the 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.
Combine: Fold in half of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mousse until no white streaks remain. Use a spatula here to fold easily. Do not over mix or you will deflate the mousse.
Chill the mousse: Evenly divide the mousse between 6 glasses or ramekins.
Garnish and chill: Top with the remaining whipped cream and chocolate shavings and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
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.
- Freezing: This delicate mousse will lose it’s texture if it’s frozen so freezing is not recommended.
Recipe FAQ
Can I double this recipe? Yes! You sure can.
Can I use this is a graham cracker crust? Yes! Just be sure to bake and cool the crust first before adding the mousse inside.
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
Creamy & Easy Pumpkin Mousse- No Eggs!
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
- In a large mixing bowl combine the 8 oz pumpkin, 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, only ¾ cup of the confectioners sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
- Mix until smooth with no lumps. A hand mixer helps here!
- 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.
- Fold in half of the whipped cream (about 3 cups) into the pumpkin mousse until no white streaks remain.
- Distribute evenly into 6 cups and top with remaining whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Chill for 2 hours before serving
I have such mad respect that you published a pumpkin recipe in march! Pumpkin in the spring just hits different 🙂
haha thanks Grace!! Trying to get ahead of the trend lol!