These parfaits are made with sweetened pumpkin mousse, soft whipped cream, and crunchy gingersnaps. Perfect for a crowd, and you can make them a day ahead.
I love easy desserts, especially for entertaining, and this pumpkin mousse parfait is precisely what I’m looking for. It combines the best of pumpkin pie and cheesecake into a creamy, no-bake dessert.
They look beautiful on the table, but couldn’t be easier to make. A perfect choice for Thanksgiving.
Key Ingredients
- Whipped Cream: This adds lightness to the pumpkin mousse. We whip fresh cream for this recipe. See our whipped cream recipe for tips.
- Pumpkin Puree: Store-bought canned puree or homemade pumpkin puree is great in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese: Use room-temperature block cream cheese. I prefer full-fat for the best flavor.
- Brown Sugar: This is mixed into the pumpkin puree and cream cheese to make a sweetened cheesecake-like mixture.
- Pumpkin Spice: Use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own. Here’s our pumpkin pie spice recipe.
- Cookies: I love gingery gingersnaps, but graham crackers or vanilla wafers work nicely, too.
- Chocolate: I usually top these parfaits with white chocolate, though dark chocolate is also lovely.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits
Tip 1: Start with cold cream. Whipped cream is what makes our mousse light and airy. Be sure your cream is very cold before whipping. Otherwise, it won’t whip up as fluffy.
Tip 2: Use room-temperature cream cheese. Unlike the cream, the cream cheese needs to be soft and at room temperature. If it’s too cold, it will be stiff and difficult to blend smoothly with the pumpkin.
Tip 3: Fold gently. After whipping the cream and making the pumpkin–cream cheese mixture, combine the two mixtures using a silicone spatula with gentle folding motions. Doing this gently keeps all the air in the whipped cream so your mousse stays fluffy.
Tip 4: Make them ahead. These parfaits are perfect for preparing ahead of time! Assemble them up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate until serving. Any longer and the cookies will loose all their crunch.
More Pumpkin Desserts
- Easy Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Butter – amazing with vanilla ice cream!
Pumpkin Mousse Parfait
- PREP
- TOTAL
Think of a pumpkin cheesecake. Now take away the baking and cooling time, and you’ve got this pumpkin mousse parfait recipe. It makes 6 generous servings (about 8 ounces each) or 8 smaller ones, perfect for sharing.
You Will Need
2 cups cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (480ml)
4 tablespoons powdered sugar (30g)
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces block cream cheese, at room temperature (227g)
1 cup pumpkin puree (227g)
⅓ cup brown sugar (70g)
1 ½ cups crushed gingersnaps, for layering (128g)
4-ounce white chocolate bar, for garnish (113g)
Directions
1Chill the cream: Cream whips best when it’s very cold. If your cream isn’t cold, chill it in the refrigerator before starting.
2Whip the cream: In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), beat the cream on low speed until it foams and bubbles. Gradually increase to medium-high. Once slightly thickened, add the powdered sugar, and vanilla. Continue beating on high until medium peaks form (the cream should be thick but still softly fall back onto itself). Refrigerate until needed.
3Make the pumpkin mousse: In another bowl, beat the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cream cheese, and the brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
4Fold in cream: Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture until combined.
5Assemble the parfaits: Set out 6 cups or jars. Start with a layer of crushed gingersnaps, followed by pumpkin filling, then a layer of whipped cream. Repeat, finishing with whipped cream on top. Garnish with extra gingersnaps or a piece of white chocolate.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make ahead: Make these parfaits up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- The nutritional information provided are estimates.
Hello,I question I have is what kind of cream is used.Evaporated milk some call cream,but theres light,an heavy whipping cream.I really want to make this an certainly don’t want to guess.Thanks alot
Whipping cream is best.
We live in Australia and they do not sell pumpkin pie mix. How could I make that up with fresh pumpkin?
Hi Sheryl, The canned pumpkin pie mix in America is pumpkin puree mixed with spices. To do this yourself, roast and puree pumpkin then stir in some pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger are our favorites).
Do you remember what size glasses you used for this recipe? Can’t wait to try it out. It looks delicious.
Hi there — they were plastic cups (from a party store). I think they were around 10 ounces.
can I use almond breeze vanilla milk or half and half for the cream?
I would think that you could replace the cream with a fat free or sugar free cool whip. If you did this i’d Also omit the vanilla as the cool whip is already flavored.
If almond breeze whips up like cream then yes, otherwise the mousse will not be thick enough.
Where does powder sugar come in?
You add the sugar after mixing the pumpkin and cream cheese. Take a look at the recipe, that should help you out. Thanks!
Love this idea to get that cheesecake taste without all the time and effort!!