This pumpkin cream cheese dessert is going to be your new fall favorite. A sweet graham cracker crust is topped with a rich, creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling and finished with dollops of homemade whipped cream. Bonus: It’s easy!
Our sweet tooth knows no bounds. We love anything sweet, and we mean anything. And, while we enjoy all the sweet flavors of the year, fall dessert recipes are what really get us.
You might find it strange that these Cali girls who relocated to Texas – two places not exactly known for their brisk weather – would be such fall fanatics, but we really are.
We love the colors of the leaves, the earthy colors, and of course, pumpkin treats like pumpkin bars with cinnamon cream cheese frosting or mini pumpkin cheesecakes for dessert (and maybe breakfast, too).
Now, we’re adding something a little different to our fall rotation. Instead of a warm, baked dessert, we’re opting for an almost no-bake option. This rich, creamy pumpkin cream cheese dessert is loaded with the flavors of pumpkin and the sweet, tangy profile of cream cheese.
It’s a simple dish that requires only a few minutes of baking the crust, followed by a quick mix, pour, and chill process. It’s easy and delicious!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need to make this recipe is a kitchen staple. You might just have it all in your kitchen right now.
- Simple Process: This is an incredibly easy recipe that requires very little effort and only 10 minutes of baking for the crust. The rest is just mixing and chilling!
- Classic Fall Flavor: The combination of the crust, pumpkin cream cheese filling, and whipped cream topping creates a dish that’s overflowing with all the delicious flavors of fall.
- Versatile: This dessert is quick and easy enough for a weeknight dessert and pretty enough for special occasions.
Ingredients
You can find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Variations
- Totally No-Bake: Use a pre-packaged graham cracker crust to make this recipe. Use the leftover pumpkin filling as a dessert dip!
- Sweet Potato: Use sweet potato puree for a different, but equally classic flavor.
- Whipped Cream: You can use whipped topping in place of whipped cream if you prefer.
- Crust: Pumpkin pairs well with cinnamon and chocolate, so feel free to use your favorite graham crackers to make the crust.
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert
Mix the crust ingredients. Then, press the mixture firmly into a prepared 7×11 or 9×13 baking dish, reserving ¼ cup of the mixture.
Bake at 350°F until golden. Then, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a medium bowl. Then, beat in the remaining ingredients except the powdered sugar and Cool Whip.
Beat the powdered sugar into the mixture until smooth. Then, add the Cool Whip and a drop of food coloring and mix until combined.
Spoon the filling over the cooled crust.
Beat the whipped cream ingredients until stiff peaks form. Then, pipe or spread it on top of the pumpkin filling. Sprinkle with the reserved crust mixture, chill, and enjoy.
Tips
- A food processor makes it so easy to crush up the graham crackers.
- Press the crust mixture firmly into the baking dish. This pressure ensures the mixture fuses as it bakes, creating a cohesive crust.
- A hand mixer is the easiest way to create a rich, creamy pumpkin filling. Mixing with a whisk won’t yield as luxurious a texture.
- You can pipe the whipped cream on top of your dessert with a star tip or simply snip the corner off of a large Ziploc bag.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert FAQ
Pumpkin cream cheese dessert is an almost no-bake pumpkin cheesecake. A graham cracker crust is baked and cooled. Then, it’s topped with no-bake pumpkin cheesecake and whipped cream, chilled, and served.
This is a sweet, tangy recipe. However, it will be far too sweet if you accidentally use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree. They are usually sold next to one another, so be careful to choose the correct one!
You can technically freeze this dessert for up to a month. However, we prefer not to, as homemade whipped cream is never quite the same after it defrosts.
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dessert
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Layer
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounce container cool whip
- 1 drop pumpkin orange gel food coloring, if desired.
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 7 x 11 or 9 x 13 baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar together until combined.
- Reserve ¼ cup of graham cracker mixture to sprinkle on the topping. Set aside.
- Press mixture evenly into a 7×11 or 9×13 baking dish.and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Layer
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
- Add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat until combined.
- Next, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Lastly, beat the cool whip and one drop of food coloring until incorporated..
- Once the pretzel crust has cooled completely, spoon pumpkin filling over the pretzel crust and spread in an even layer.
Homemade Whipped Cream
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Using a piping bag or gallon size ziplock baggie, pipe whipped cream on top of the pumpkin filling.
- Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker mixture on top of the whipped cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple hours, and enjoy.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days, tightly covered with foil.
- A food processor makes it so easy to crush up the graham crackers.
- Press the crust mixture firmly into the baking dish. This pressure ensures the mixture fuses as it bakes, creating a cohesive crust.
- A hand mixer is the easiest way to create a rich, creamy pumpkin filling. Mixing with a whisk won’t yield as luxurious a texture.
- You can pipe the whipped cream on top of your dessert with a star tip or simply snip the corner off of a large Ziploc bag.
