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This Pumpkin Delight is one of the best no bake pumpkin desserts EVER! No-Bake layered lush desserts are super easy to make, totally no bake, and delicious. This is like making no bake pumpkin pie layered with pumpkin pudding. It’s amazing!
I often relate myself to Doug the Dog from Up. I have lots of Squirrel! moments when it comes to what I want to make. For example, one minute I’m making Halloween cookies and the next I’m making pumpkin desserts. My baking mood is like the weather – it can never decide what season it is, which is why a no bake pumpkin dessert like this Pumpkin Delight is the perfect twist on dessert for fall.
What is Pumpkin Delight?
It’s one of the BEST no bake pumpkin desserts ever! This recipe is in the style of a lush or a lasagna dessert. I never quite know what to call them (is it a lemon lush? Or Blueberry Delight?)
A lush or no-bake dessert is created by layering a crust with two or three different flavors that are a pudding consistency. I make mine in a 9×9″ baking dish and I always make in when I know I have people coming over. Because if left to my own devices, I’d eat the entire thing. #truestory This is like a classic pumpkin pie met a no-bake pumpkin cheesecake – all in one!
What’s in this easy pumpkin dessert?
- Pretzel Crust – made with crushed pretzels and melted butter.
- The pumpkin layer is made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla pudding mix. It layers nicely on top of the pretzel crust. I had a feeling pumpkin + pretzel would be amazing together, and I was right.
- The cheesecake layer is made with Cream Cheese that’s mixed with sugar, vanilla, and some whipped topping (Cool Whip). Then the whole thing is topped with more whipped topping and garnished with some grated chocolate.
Variations
- Add some chopped nuts (chopped pecans or walnuts) in the middle of the layers or on top, in place of the chocolate.
- Make your own pumpkin pie spice or mix pumpkin spices and cinnamon you have on hand.
- You could add some pumpkin caramel sauce on top!
- Crush some pretzels or other cookies on top for crunch.
- You could use a graham-cracker crust instead of the pretzel crust (crush about 9-10 graham cracker sheets and mix with 6 tablespoons melted butter)
How do you make Pumpkin Delight
- Mix pudding mix with milk, pumpkin and spices in a large bowl.
- Layer pumpkin mixture over crust.
- Mix cream cheese with sugar and vanilla.
- Once it’s mixed, add whipped topping.
- Mix until smooth and fluffy.
- Top pumpkin with cheesecake then top with more whipped topping and sprinkle on your garnish.
Storing & Make Ahead
What’s great about Pumpkin Delight is that you can make it up to a day ahead. It tastes better as it sits. Store leftovers loosely covered in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing it – while it’ll freeze fine the crust will become soggy.
Just make it. Believe me – you’re gonna love it – it’s one of the best Thanksgiving dessert recipes (and one of the best pumpkin recipes) you’ll ever try!
Other Easy Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pull Apart Loaf
- My Pumpkin Bread recipe is perfection.
- Seriously Easy Pumpkin Pie is so easy you can do it in your sleep.
- Pumpkin Cookies – you can make them with chocolate chips or frosted with cream cheese frosting.
- My MIL’s Pumpkin Roll is always a huge hit.
- Pumpkin Cupcakes are delicious too!
- Pumpkin Bars are like pumpkin cake but easier to cut and eat.
No Bake Pumpkin Dessert
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Pretzel Pie Crust
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups (354ml) nonfat milk
- 1 cup (243g) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 8 ounces (226g) Cream Cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 8 ounces Whipped Topping Whipped Topping
- Chocolate Bar (candy bar or semi-sweet baking bar) grated (for garnish)
Instructions
- Make pretzel crust and press into a 9×9-inch pan. Chill pretzel crust until ready to use.
- Wipe out the crust bowl, then add the pudding mix to the bowl. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix until smooth. Carefully pour and spread over the crust. The crust isn’t solid, so you need to be careful it doesn’t get mixed into the pumpkin layer.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over pumpkin layer.
- Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top of the cream cheese layer and top with grated chocolate. (To make the chocolate shavings start with a cold chocolate bar and grate it with a box grater over the top of the whipped topping.)
Pretzel, pumpkin, and cheesecake…this is the dessert of my dreams! Haha! I was totally laughing at the squirrel comments and the grocery store trips…girl, we are so the same. I try not to make eye contact with my grocery store cashiers for fear of seeing judgement at all the sweets stuff I buy versus the real food. 🙂
Can you use canned pumpkin pie filling for this recipe or does it have to be pumpkin puree?
Dee
Wow. This looks… interesting? Coming from NZ, I can’t quite work out America’s thing about pumpkin. I think your pumpkin must be different to ours, because this would taste terrible if I made it! What does your canned pumpkin have in it? Spices? Flavourings? I would love to give it a go, but I have never seen canned pumpkin in our supermarkets.
Canned pumpkin is just pumpkin – no spices, flavorings, or sugar. It’s what you’d get if you peeled, cut, and cooked an actual pumpkin for pie. That’s why I always add sugar and seasoning to it – to make it not just plain pumpkin. You can substitute equal parts of actual cooked pumpkin from scratch if that’s all you have, but the texture might be different. In this recipe it shouldn’t be an issue, but in baked goods it can cause a little liquid difference since canned pumpkin is a uniform product and cooking your own isn’t. 🙂
I’m loving all these beautiful creamy layers of yumminess! The pretzel crust sounds fantastic and I can’t believe it’s no bake too! Pinning – love this!
Yay for pumpkin!!! I am so ready for fall!
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