A rich and creamy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake mousse, made with canned pumpkin, Greek yogurt, and sweetened with maple syrup. Top with whipped cream for a special dessert. This post includes fun ideas for toppings and for different ways to serve this pumpkin mousse!
There was a nip in the air on my early morning walk today that told me it's time for all things fall! This Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse is not a typical dessert in my home, but sometimes a special dessert is warranted. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of fall than with pumpkin!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- While this pumpkin cheesecake mousse is not low in calories, it's low in effort!
- It's an easy no-bake, whip-it-up dessert that can be made ahead of time if you're having friends over.
- It's creamy, fluffy and just lightly flavoured with pumpkin.
- If you're not a fan of pumpkin pie, this pumpkin mousse is a perfect alternative for you.
- And being gluten-free makes it even more appealing!
🛒 Ingredients
- cream cheese: I used reduced fat, but full-fat will work well, too.
- maple syrup: pure
- spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves
- canned pumpkin: not pumpkin pie filling
- Greek yogurt
- whipping cream: also called heavy cream
- powdered sugar: also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
- caramel sauce: optional
🥄 Instructions
This is a quick recipe that takes only 10 to 15 minutes to prepare.
- Cut the cream cheese into cubes, then add to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth. Add the maple syrup, spices, canned pumpkin and Greek yogurt and continue beating until well blended and no lumps remain.
- In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- 1 ½ cups of whipping cream will yield up to 3 cups of whipped cream. Set aside 1 cup for garnishing the finished desserts. Fold the remaining 2 cups into the pumpkin mixture.
- Divide the mousse among 8 dessert dishes. Chill until set. Just before serving, add a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, if desired.
👍🏼Top Tip
Make sure to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator ahead of time and let it come to room temperature. If you try to whip cold cream cheese, the mousse will be lumpy.
Add whipped cream or other toppings just before serving so they stay fresh and crisp. For example, if you want to top this with crumbled ginger snaps or graham cracker crumbs, prevent them from becoming soggy by sprinkling them on just before serving.
💡 Topping Ideas
Don't feel you're limited to whipping cream to top this pumpkin mousse! Try any of the following topping ideas. Make it a party! Set out a variety of toppings and let your friends choose what they like.
- chocolate curls
- finely chopped pecans
- a sprinkle of cinnamon
- sugared cranberries: a fun topping idea!
- chocolate chips: try white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips
- crumbled gluten-free gingersnaps or graham wafers
🍽 Serving suggestions
Get creative! Don't feel limited to serving this pumpkin mousse in a dessert glass.
For a casual dessert, serve it in small Mason jars.
For a more elegant touch, use martini glasses.
Make it a parfait by layering it with whipped cream, or with granola.
For a tiny taste, use shot glasses. Shot glass desserts are ideal when you've had a big meal.
Want your dessert to look professional? Transfer the mousse to a piping bag and pipe it into whatever glass you choose.
🗓 Storing no-bake pumpkin cheesecake mousse
Mousse is best on the day you've made it. However, you can make this mousse several hours or even a day in advance. Cover the glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate them promptly.
Leftover mousse will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but the texture won't be quite as perfect.
This no-bake pumpkin cheesecake mousse does not freeze particularly well, as cream cheese tends to separate once it's frozen. The mousse will still be safe to eat, but it will not be smooth and creamy.
🚫 Be safe!
All no-bake desserts need to be refrigerated to prevent the growth of bacteria. Mousse should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
❓What to do with leftover canned pumpkin
This recipe needs ¾ cup of canned pumpkin. If you have some left over, make someone happy with a pumpkin treat! The first two listed here are no-bake recipes.
- Grain-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Pumpkin Energy Balls
- Creamy Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
- Warm Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Spice Bread (Gluten-free) with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats (don't forget your pooch!)
While it's a little sad to see the days getting shorter, petunia baskets fading, and the leaves changing colours, pumpkin is on my mind now!
I'm planning to make this Gluten-free Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner. I have slices of Pumpkin Spice Bread tucked in the freezer for later. I'm alternating between Warm Cranberry-Apple Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal and Creamy Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats for breakfast.
Cheers! Here's to Fall!
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to be the first to get new recipes.
This post has been updated with additional information to make it even better!
🗒 More Gluten-free Dessert Recipes
📖 Recipe
Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
Ingredients
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
- ¼ tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream (heavy cream)
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar (to sweeten whipping cream)
- ¼ cup caramel sauce, optional
Instructions
- Cut cream cheese into cubes, then add to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth. Add maple syrup, spices, pumpkin and Greek yogurt and continue beating until well blended and no lumps remain.
- In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. 1 ½ cups of whipping cream will yield up to 3 cups of whipped cream. Set aside 1 cup for garnishing finished desserts. Fold the remaining 2 cups into the pumpkin mixture.
- Divide among 8 dessert dishes. Chill until set. Just before serving, add a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, if desired.
Joann
Hi, I gave this 4 stars, just because I have not tried this yet. It does look good and cannot wait to try it. But I do have a question; Could you use Cool Whip (like the frozen kind, Thawed) if you were in a hurry or just lazy and don't want to make the whipped cream :)? If so, how much would you use? Thanks for any help you can give me. Have a wonderful and blessed day. Happy Memorial Day.
Elaine
Hi Joann, I'd suggest replacing the whipped cream with 2 cups of Cool Whip, plus additional for garnishing on top! Have a lovely weekend!
Mila
I just made this to try it out. So good! I'm planning to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks!
Elaine
It's a favourite of mine, too! A great alternative to pumpkin pie.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
What a tasty looking dessert. I never know what to do with pumpkin so this is genius
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I am a pumpkin fanatic....and love greek yogurt. This is a quick and totally delicious that can be enjoyed LOTS during this fall season.
Flavour & Savour
Yes--especially since it's so easy to whip up and can be made ahead of time!
Regina
What a cute way to enjoy a pumpkin dessert without making a whole pie
Derek
Woah, these look super light and tasty! I gotta make this for breakfast one day!
Jennifer
This is perfect for entertaining, much more elegant than a pie, I can not wait to try this!
Flavour & Savour
And so much easier, too!