pumpkin delight featured image
Pumpkin Delight Dessert with a buttery pecan and graham cracker crust, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree and fluffy and light vanilla pudding. It is sure to become a favorite fall dessert.
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This Pumpkin Delight Dessert is sure to curb any pumpkin lovers’ craving! 4 layers starting with a pecan and graham cracker crust topped with pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, and a fluffy and light cream cheese mixture and sprinkled with pecans.

Skip the pumpkin pie – It is sure to become a favorite fall dessert.

pumpkin delight hero image


Layered Pumpkin Dessert Recipe

Pumpkin spice is here and so is our new favorite fall dessert! Pumpkin Delight is not only easy to make, but it is also beyond delightful to eat too! 

Pumpkin is such a versatile flavor! It’s just sweet enough and just savory enough that it can be added to so many recipes! There are so many ways of preparing it. I love using it in desserts because it doesn’t overpower everything.

Fall recipes are filled with warm cinnamon flavors and a little bit of pumpkin spice. They warm you from the inside out. You may have tried some of our others like our Pumpkin Roll Cake or our Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake.

Why We Love This Pumpkin Delight

  • No-bake dessert.
  • This layered dessert recipe is super easy to make by just combing a few simple ingredients.
  • Looks like it took hours to make, but can be prepared in under 30 minutes.
  • Great make-ahead recipe – you can make it the night before and pull it out when ready to serve.

More Easy Pumpkin Desserts

pumpkin delight on a plate

What is Pumpkin Delight

If you’re not sure if you’re a pumpkin lover, I would definitely recommend giving this Pumpkin Delight Dessert a try. With all of the other flavors at play, it’s the perfect pumpkin recipe to dip your toe in the pumpkin-flavored waters!

Pumpkin delight checks all of the important boxes. It’s delicious and beautiful. It’s easy to put together. It’s a crowd favorite and can feed a large group of people!

pumpkin delight in baking dish

Pumpkin Lasagna Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients for your Pumpkin Delight.

Many of these ingredients are your typical baking essentials. I tend to have quite a few of them on hand at all times, which makes for a quick trip to the grocery store when I’m preparing to make this dessert!

  • Graham cracker crumbs
  • Chopped pecans
  • Sugar
  • Melted butter
  • Whipping cream
  • Cream cheese
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Brown sugar
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Cool Whip

Make-Ahead Recipe:

Putting together your Pumpkin Delight may be simple, but it will take some time to do. This is why I love being able to prepare it in advance and keep it frozen or chilled until I’m ready to serve.

However, I have to say that I wouldn’t recommend making it any more than 24 hours in advance, to make sure it’s super fresh!

Layered desserts, such as this one, are great for family gatherings and get-togethers. They are crowd-pleasers and feed a large group of people.

The best part, is that the delicious layers give this dessert a fabulous look, so no one will know how easy it was to put together and store!

Four Delicious Pumpkin Lasagna Layers:

The Pumpkin Delight Dessert is made up of four delicious layers.

I am going to breakdown each of those four layers for you here! It will make putting it all together that much easier.

Layer 1: The bottom layer is going to be your delicious crispy graham cracker and pecan crust.
Layer 2: This will be your first layer of cream cheese and heavy whipping cream mixture.
Layer 3: The third and most important layer (in my opinion) is your pumpkin layer made up of pumpkin puree, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
Layer 4: The final layer is a cool whip and chopped pecans to finish it off!

a square piece of pumpkin delight
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How to Make Pumpkin Delight Dessert:

  1. In a medium bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, crushed pecans, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and melted butter.
  2. Press the mixture into an 8×8 dish. Flatten the mixture using the bottom of a flat glass. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  3. In a large mixing bowl using either a hand mixer or a stand-up mixer, mix the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
  4. In a chilled medium mixing bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
  5. Gently add the heavy whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold it together with a rubber spatula.
  6. Once combined spoon half of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture on top of the graham cracker crust.
  7. Set the other half of the mixture aside. Place the 8×8 dish in the refrigerator while preparing the next step.
  8. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold together until combined and solid in color.
  9. Spoon the mixture on top of the cream cheese layer.
  10. Spread the Cool Whip on top of the pumpkin mixture and garnish with chopped pecans and a dusting of cinnamon if desired.
  11. Chill at least one hour before serving.

How To Store Pumpkin Mousse Recipe

Storing this dessert is so simple! I always try to make it in a glass baking dish that has a lid to go on top.

Pumpkin delight will melt pretty quickly if left out. Be sure to take it out right before you are ready to serve it and place it in the refrigerator between servings.

When I’m finished serving, I just throw the lid on the top and toss it in the fridge or freezer. If we won’t be going back in for seconds for a while, it’s better to be stored in the freezer! But, if I know people may want more fairly soon, the fridge is fine!

  • Fridge Storage: To store, tightly cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
  • Freezer Storage: Cover in an airtight container and place in the freezer. You can cut a slice at a time and enjoy or let the entire dish thaw in the fridge until ready to serve. You can freeze this dessert for up to 1 month.
showing the inside of pumpkin delight

More Layered Desserts

4.63 from 100 votes
pumpkin delight featured image

Pumpkin Delight Dessert

Serves — 9
Pumpkin Delight Dessert with a buttery pecan and graham cracker crust, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree and fluffy and light vanilla pudding. It is sure to become a favorite fall dessert.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the crust:

  • cups graham cracker crumbs and some extra crumbs for garnish if desired
  • ¼ cup pecans chopped super fine or crushed in food processor
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 6 tbsp butter melted

For the filling:

  • 1 cup whipping cream chilled
  • 16 ounces (2 blocks) of cream cheese softened
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 15 ounces (1 can) pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip
  • ¼ cup pecans chopped
  • Cinnamon garnish, optional

Instructions
 

Layer One

  • In a medium bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, crushed pecans, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and melted butter.
  • Press the mixture into an 8×8 dish. Flatten the mixture using the bottom of a flat glass. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Layer Two

  • In a large mixing bowl place, the softened cream cheese, powered sugar, vanilla extract and using a hand mixer combine until light and fluffy and no lumps. Set aside.
  • In a chilled medium mixing bowl place, the heavy whipping cream. Using a hand mixer on high beat the cream until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
  • Gently add the heavy whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula. Once combined spoon half of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture on top of graham cracker crust.
  • Set the other half of the mixture aside.
  • Place the 8×8 dish in the refrigerator while preparing the next step.

Layer Three

  • In the bowl with the remaining cream cheese/whipping cream mixture add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Gently fold together until combined and solid in color.
  • Spoon the mixture on top of layer three in the 8×8 dish.

Layer Four

  • Spread the Cool Whip on top of the 8×8 dish as the last layer.
  • Garnish with remaining ¼ cup chopped pecans and dusting of cinnamon if desired
  • Chill at least one hour before serving.

Jenn’s Notes

Storage Tips:
  • Fridge Storage: To store, tightly cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
  • Freezer Storage: Cover in an airtight container and place in the freezer. You can cut a slice at a time and enjoy or let the entire dish thaw in the fridge until ready to serve. You can freeze this dessert for up to 1 month.

Video

Nutrition Info

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 272mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 8700IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg

I can’t stress to you enough how simple and delicious this Pumpkin Delight Dessert is! The layered dessert not only tastes amazing, but it has a beautiful presentation as well. It is the perfect fall dessert for your next family gathering!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you for the information
    This recipe is really delicious
    because the combination is so perfect that it makes this cake even more delicious

  2. The recipe calls for an 8×8 pan but the pictures look like a rectangular 9×13 pan. Which is correct? 8×8 or 9×13?

    1. Hi Vicki – always go what is in the recipe card. Sometimes we make some tweaks based on readers feedback. This is an 8×8 pan.

  3. Needs a larger pan. 8×8 too small. I added the seasoning plus some cinnamon to the pumpkin purée. I decided to eliminate nuts for the top but awesome
    Light dessert after a heavy meal. Thank you so much.

  4. I really want to try this recipe!
    We don’t have Cool Whip in Europe, what should I substitute with or should I just omit it?

    1. I have a similar recipe that calls for Dream Whip (box mix for making whipped cream) – if you don’t have this either – you can make homemade whipped cream.

  5. 4 stars
    The recipe is delicious however, this is not an 8” pan dessert. I highly recommended a 9×13.

  6. 4 stars
    My family absolutely loved this dessert at thanksgiving. I did not have an issue with texture but used whipped cream cheese instead of block.

  7. 2 stars
    It was a pumpkin cream cheese dessert. But the recipe was a little off. I had to do a few different things to get the texture they were talking about. Also, this used a ridiculous about of cream cheese, sugar, and such for such a small dish. Very sweet, a bit of work, and only tasted okay

    1. Thank you for a true review. I think I’ll
      Choose something else. I like ide I’d having a dessert ready in freezer but all the cheese and cream. I think theee are other better choices. Ty

    2. I was wondering why at the top it states that it has a vanilla pudding layer? I’m wondering if the cream cheese is an error now.