Deliciously creamy pumpkin delight dessert layered with a cream cheese filling and pecan nut crust. Easy no bake recipe, perfect for the holidays!
Pumpkin spice is no stranger to popularity, and neither is a really good no bake dessert. Combine the two, and you’ve got a deliciously cold and creamy no bake pumpkin dessert that is to die for.
Made with a nutty pie crust, homemade pumpkin purée, and a creamy layer of cream cheese lush, it’s just as dreamy as my favorite no bake blueberry dessert.
While the pie crust does require bake time, the rest of this recipe is indeed no bake. And it’s actually really simple and easy to make, even though, like any icebox cake, it does require a bit of chill time before serving.
Like strawberry delight and strawberry lush, this layered pumpkin dessert is yet another twist on my mom’s famous cherry delight recipe.
Want another no bake that'll feed a crowd? Banana pudding is another one of our favorite no bake desserts.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my no bake tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
PUMPKIN DELIGHT RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
You’ll need just a few ingredients to make this fall dessert…
- An already baked pecan nut pie crust
- A box of Dream Whip – I’ll explain why below.
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Pumpkin purée
- Vanilla pudding mixes
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Chopped pecans
WHAT IS IN PUMPKIN PIE SPICE ANYWAY?
Pumpkin pie spice is used more traditionally in classic pumpkin pie. But it’s used in a lot of other recipes, as well, including pumpkin roll and pumpkin spice gooey butter cake.
So, what is in pumpkin pie spice? It’s a blend of spices, including ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; it may also include cloves and allspice.
It smells and tastes so good and adds that pumpkin spice kick to your favorite fall dessert recipes.
FIRST LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CRUST
The crust is really the foundation of this yum yum dessert. And it's the only part of this dessert that requires any bake time at all.
I usually make the crust the night before so it's already baked and cooled, and I can just throw the rest of the recipe together really quickly.
My favorite crust for this Dream Whip pumpkin dessert is a pecan nut crust, and it requires only 4 simple steps…
- Melting the butter.
- Mixing the butter with the flour and pecans.
- Pressing the dough into a 13″x9″ baking dish.
- Then just bake and cool.
You can even bake it, cool it, and throw it in the freezer (covered, of course). You'll find the recipe linked up in the recipe card below.
ALTERNATIVE PIE CRUST OPTIONS
Now you can get creative with the crust, as well. For instance, you can make a…
- Graham cracker crust
- Pecan Sandies crust – Make it like you would a graham cracker crust. One of my readers suggested this, and I thought it was brilliant.
- Ginger snap crust made with crushed ginger snaps
- Press-in pie crust without nuts
- Vanilla Wafer crust
- Press crushed pretzels into the pie crust instead of pecans
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN DELIGHT
Important tip: Before you ever start mixing, beat the cream cheese in a separate mixing bowl. This will help it soften up more, and it will blend in better with the Dream Whip, once you’re ready for that step.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whisk together the Dream Whip with the milk and vanilla, according to package directions.
- Whisk the whipped cream mixture until it begins to form soft peaks, about 4 minutes.
- Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar into the Dream Whip mixture.
- Whisk the cream cheese powdered sugar mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it’s velvety smooth and creamy.
LAYER YOUR NO BAKE PUMPKIN DESSERT
- Start with the cooled crust in a baking dish.
- Add the Dream Whip cream cheese layer right on top of the crust, saving a little over a cup of the mixture for the top of the dessert.
- For the pumpkin pudding, mix together the pumpkin purée, vanilla pudding mixes, milk, and pumpkin pie spice, until you’ve got a creamy pumpkin pie filling. Add the pumpkin layer on top of the Dream Whip layer.
- Top the entire pumpkin dessert with the leftover cup of whipped topping, and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
And that’s it! This recipe is so easy. If you’re not quite ready to serve it, just cover it and chill in the refrigerator; and it’ll be ready when you are.
Personally, I think the colder it is, the better it tastes.
CAN I USE HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM?
I’ve tried making the cream cheese filling with homemade whipped cream, and for some reason, it just doesn't work as well.
So I usually reserve my whipped topping for the top (if I even add it to the top) and use Dream Whip for the filling, which is what my mom uses when she makes her very similar cherry delight dessert.
Now some people do make this a Cool Whip pumpkin dessert, but I choose to use Dream Whip, mainly because I really love the taste and texture for my no bake desserts.
MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY:
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS LAYERED PUMPKIN DESSERT?
You can definitely make this recipe ahead of time, freeze it, and thaw it when you need it.
Just be sure, if you do freeze this dessert, to cover it well with freezer wrap or put it in a sealed container so it doesn’t get freezer burn.
SHOP KITCHEN TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE:
13″x9″ Baking Dish – You’ll need this size baking dish for this recipe. I find myself using this size for so many recipes, not just desserts.
Mixer – You’ll need an electric mixer, preferably with a whisk attachment, to mix together the ingredients for the creamy filling.
Spatula – Where would I be without my spatulas? I have a whole slew of them because we’re ALWAYS using them.
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Find my original recipe for this pumpkin no bake dessert over on Adventures of Mel!
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Creamy No Bake Pumpkin Delight
Equipment
- KitchenAid Wire Whip for Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
- KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
- Anchor Hocking 3-Quart Rectangular Baking Dish with Embrace Lids, Set of 3
Ingredients
DREAM WHIP FILLING:
- 3 cups Dream Whip 2 small packets
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese
PUMPKIN PUDDING LAYER:
- 15 ounces pumpkin purée
- 6.8 ounces vanilla pudding mix 2 small boxes
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
TOPPING:
- 1 cup Dream Whip filling
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mix the Dream Whip according to package directions, mixing the 2 small packets with the whole milk and vanilla extract.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese.*
- Mix together the Dream Whip whipped cream, powdered sugar, and softened cream cheese.
- Spread about 3 cups of the creamy filling on top of your cooled pie crust in a 13″x9″ pan.**
- For the pumpkin layer, mix together the pumpkin purée, vanilla pudding mixes, whole milk, and pumpkin pie spice, until you’ve got a creamy pumpkin pie filling.
- Spread the pumpkin layer on top of the Dream Whip layer.
- Top the entire dessert with the leftover cup of Dream Whip, and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
- And that’s it! This recipe is so easy. Cover it and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours.***
