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My no bake pumpkin pie is the coolest, creamiest pumpkin pie I make, and the oven never turns on. Cool, spiced, and sweet from the cream cheese layer, so you taste cheesecake and pumpkin pie in the same bite. Make it the night before and it is even better.
This is one of the most made recipes on my whole site. It has been here for years, the comments fill up every November, and people come back to it fall after fall to tell me how it went.
Best pumpkin pie ever, and doesn’t take oven space when I need it the most on Thanksgiving Day! So very delicious!!
I build this pie in two layers instead of one. The sweetened cream cheese goes into the crust first and the spiced pumpkin goes over the top of it, so neither one has to do the other’s job. Stir it all together the way a lot of no bake versions do and the pumpkin turns muddy.
If you want these same flavors without the crust, my pumpkin pie dip is this filling in a bowl with a spoon. My apple cider donut cake is the other fall dessert I make on repeat.
Reader Favorite
The Pumpkin Pie That Wins Over People Who Skip Pumpkin Pie
This recipe has been on my site for years and it is one of the most made and most commented on things I have ever published. Every fall the comments start again.
What I did not expect is how many of those comments come from people who told me they do not even like pumpkin pie. This one is cool and light instead of firm and dense, closer to a cheesecake than a custard, and that turns out to be the version they will actually eat.
The Ingredients That Decide Whether This Sets
Cream cheese: Use full fat, and take it out of the refrigerator well before you start. Cold cream cheese does not blend smoothly and you end up with little lumps in the bottom layer that you cannot get out later.
Instant vanilla pudding mix: Instant, never cook and serve. Cook and serve needs heat to activate, and nothing in this pie gets cooked, so it will not set. If you want a different direction, cheesecake or pumpkin instant pudding both work in place of vanilla.
Canned pumpkin puree: Pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already has sugar and spices in it, so using it doubles everything and you lose control of the flavor.
Cool Whip: You need a full 8-ounce tub and it gets divided, half into the cream cheese layer and half over the top. Homemade whipped cream works if you would rather, and a stabilized version holds up better on top.
Whole milk: Whole milk gives the pudding layer the most body. Other milks and non-dairy milks will work, but they change the finished layer.
Graham cracker crust: A 9-inch store-bought crust is what I use. An Oreo pie crust or a gingersnap crust both go well with pumpkin if you want to change it up.
Pumpkin Pie Pro Tip!
For this recipe, you will want to use canned pumpkin or pureed pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. If you use pumpkin pie mix you are essentially doubling the spices because the pumpkin pie mix already has the spices included.
How to make No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Step 1: Beat the cream cheese layer Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar and half the Cool Whip together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is completely smooth. Do not stir this by hand. The mixer is what gets the lumps out.
Step 2: Spread it into the crust Fill the graham cracker crust evenly with the cream cheese mixture, right out to the edges.
Step 3: Mix the pumpkin layer and spread it over the top Whisk the pudding mix and milk together until it is visibly thick before anything else goes in, because that thickness is your sign it is going to set. Stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, then spread it over the cream cheese layer.
Step 4: Top it and chill it overnight Spread the rest of the Cool Whip over the pumpkin and sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice on top. Cover it and refrigerate overnight before you cut it.
How to Store It
In the refrigerator: Cover it and keep it for up to two days.
In the freezer: Wrap it tightly and freeze for one to two months. Leave the top layer of Cool Whip off, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and add the topping before you serve. Freezing can change the texture of the whipped topping, so it is better added fresh.
No Bake Pumpkin Pie fits both ways I like to make dessert, which is why it lives in my Cool Whip desserts and my easy no bake desserts.
More Easy Fall Desserts
This pie sits in two collections I go to all the time, my Cool Whip desserts and my easy no bake desserts. If you want a layered version of this same idea instead of a pie, my pumpkin delight dessert is the one to make, and there is a whole collection of easy pumpkin desserts alongside it.
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Milk Bar Pumpkin Pie
No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces Cool Whip or other whipped cream divided
- 1 9-inch pre-made pie crust (we like graham cracker crust)
- ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice plus more for sprinkling on top
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
Bottom Layer:
- Add cream cheese, sugar and half of the Cool Whip in a separate bowl and blend well with hand mixer.4 ounces cream cheese , ¼ cup granulated sugar, 4 ounces Cool Whip or other whipped cream
- Fill your pre-made crust with the bottom layer mix.1 9-inch pre-made pie crust
Middle Layer:
- Mix pudding and milk and stir until thick.¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix, ½ cup milk
- Add 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree.1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- Add pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir until blended.1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- Put this on top of the cream cheese layer.
Top layer:
- Use the remainder of the container of whipped cream to top the pie.4 ounces Cool Whip or other whipped cream
- Sprinkle with the spices.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight before slicing. For neat slices, put the pie in the freezer for an hour before you cut.
Jenn’s Notes
- Take the cream cheese out well ahead so it is fully at room temperature. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the bottom layer.
- Use instant pudding, never cook and serve. Cook and serve needs heat and nothing here gets cooked, so it will not set.
- Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already has the sugar and spices in it.
- Chill it overnight. An hour is not enough and neither is two. For neat slices, an hour in the freezer before cutting is what does it.
- Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- To freeze, leave the top layer of whipped topping off, wrap it tightly and freeze for one to two months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add the topping before you serve.
Nutrition Info
So if you are looking for the easiest pumpkin pie recipe with a light and creamy texture, this one is for you! It will make the perfect end to your Thanksgiving meal… dessert that is!
This is easy to make and tastes amazing!
My son doesn’t like pie crust. I’ll be making this for Thanksgiving and he’ll love it. Love your recipes!
Love this pie it’s quick and easy💕