October is one of my favorite months. The days are still warm, leaves crunch under foot, and I can still harvest a few things from the garden. Crisp nights and mornings are perfect for sipping on a hot beverage. Fires crackle at night in the fireplace, but I don't have to keep the stove stoked all day long. And pumpkin, glorious pumpkin, is everywhere!
I have a thing for winter squash, from acorn, to savory baked garlic butternut, and of course, the darling of fall, pumpkin. My kids love roasted pumpkin seeds and people have been known to stand in line for our grandmother's pumpkin roll.
But as much as I love pumpkin, I have a confession to make. I don't really like regular pumpkin pie all that much. I adore pumpkin bars, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies, and I even made pumpkin sourdough pancakes this morning that were awesome, but pumpkin pie is take it or leave it for me, and usually it's a leave it.
Until today's pumpkin pie. Plus, there's no baking required, even better when I'm in a hurry.
I purchased a medium pumpkin for $3.29 last week and baked it in the oven. It made ten cups of pumpkin puree and a pan full of roasted seeds. Very frugal. Be sure to let the baked pumpkin cool and then squeeze the excess water out before blending it into puree. I use this immersion blender from our affiliate Amazon Cuisinart CSB-75BC Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome to puree mine quickly.
I store some in the fridge for immediate use and then freeze the rest in two cup portions. You can't safely can pumpkin puree at home, even with a pressure canner. Commercial canners reach higher temperatures, but this is one food in order to preserve you have to freeze or dry.
No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie (Makes enough filling for 2 pies)
2 8oz. packages of cream cheese
1 and 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons organic maple syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Homemade Cool Whip
1/4 cup cream
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Graham Cracker Crust
1 package crushed graham crackers or 1 1/2 cup cups crumbs
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter
Break up graham crackers and place in a bag. Take a rolling pin and roll over crackers until they're crushed into fine crumbs. Mix sugar and crumbs with melted butter until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish. Chill in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for a half hour.
Using a blender on high setting, whip the cream for about a minute or until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and blend until combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and sugars together. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and spices. Blend on high until combined. Add homemade cool whip. Taste test for sweetness and spices. Add more sugar or spices if you desire. This was the perfect amount for us.
Pour into prepared pie shell and chill for at least an hour.
This makes enough filling for two pies. I froze the other half to use during the upcoming holidays when I needed a quick dessert. From now until Christmas, anytime I bake, I usually double the recipe and freeze the dough (or filling) so I have some homemade goodness on hand to prepare at a moments notice. This is so good, you might want to quadruple it. 🙂
What's your favorite pumpkin recipe?
Featured on The Homestead Barn Hop.
Other delicious Pumpkin Recipes:
- 8 Ways to Preserve Pumpkin
- How to Make a Pumpkin Roll From Scratch
- Pumpkin Applesauce Cake
- Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins Recipe with Maple Glaze
- Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe
No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie
Ingredients
No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie
- 2 8oz packages of cream cheese
- 1 & 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Homemade Cool Whip
- 1/4 cup cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 package crushed graham crackers (1 & 1/2 cup cups crumbs)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 6 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Break up graham crackers and place in a bag. Take a rolling pin and roll over crackers until they're crushed into fine crumbs. Mix sugar and crumbs with melted butter until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish. Chill in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for a half hour.
- Using a blender on high setting, whip the cream for about a minute or until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and blend until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and sugars together. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and spices. Blend on high until combined. Add homemade cool whip. Taste test for sweetness and spices. Add more sugar or spices if you desire. This was the perfect amount for us.
- Pour into prepared pie shell and chill for at least an hour.
- This makes enough filling for two pies. I froze the other half to use during the upcoming holidays when I needed a quick dessert. From now until Christmas, anytime I bake, I usually double the recipe and freeze the dough (or filling) so I have some homemade goodness on hand to prepare at a moments notice. This is so good, you might want to quadruple it.
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I have to say this sounds divine. I’m not much for regular pumpkin pie either. My mom has made no-bake cheesecake similar to the above for years and then tops it with cherry or strawberry pie filling. I really want to try this recipe. I bet it would be good sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with maple syrup on top too. (Do you think I like things sweet?!? LOL)
I think cinnamon sugar and maple syrup on top would be awesome! I have a sweet tooth as well. 🙂
Unlike you I love pumpkin pie, and love how easy this recipe is, pinning to my dessert board. Would love for you to share this over at Real Food Fridays, runs through Monday night.
http://yourlife7.blogspot.com/2013/10/real-food-fridays-9-link-up.html
Joyce, I’ve always felt bad about not liking regular pumpkin pie, but beings it helped me create this one, now I don’t feel quite so guilty. lol I shared at Real Food Fridays, what an awesome blog hop!
Are you using regular pumpkins or “sugar” or “pie” pumpkins. It makes a difference. 😉
I used regular pumpkin for this recipe.The store didn’t have any pie or sugar pumpkins in yet and I didn’t grow any this year. Feel free to use sugar or pie pumpkin and you could probably cut back some of the sugar.
Melissa- what a great website! I really like this no bake pumpkin cream pie- and think the “home made cool whip” that we older folks just call whipped cream (lol) is really great! I am just popping in from the real food friday linkey party that I co-hosted. I liked, tweeted, G+-ed and followed. I would love it if you would drop by my blog site for a visit at http://www.kneadedcreations.com I will look forward to reading your comments. Have a great week! Deb@ Kneaded Creations
Thanks, Deb. I found you on pinterest and I”m huge fan of kneaded anything. I just made homemade tortillas for dinner tonight. 🙂
This sounds so good! I think I may try it for Thanksgiving this year (I’m not a fan of pumpkinnpie either). I noticed in the comments that a lot of people were questioning the amount of sugar needed if using pie pumpkins and you said that less sugar would be needed. If using store bought pumpkin puree should I adjust the sugar content? I have no way of knowing what type of pumpkin is used in that…
Store-bought puree is usually a pie or sugar pumpkin (or butternut squash).
[…] from Melissa K Norris, I chose this No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie. I love pumpkin all year round and this looks like a really great way to have my pie in the summer […]
[…] No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie from Melissa K Norris, this recipe looks so good, and easy perfect for the holiday seasonings coming up. […]
i was thrilled to see the this since i have a nice pumpkin harvest again – but do i need THAT MUCH sugar??? I think i will try it leaving the powdered sugar out; i like sweet but not USA sweet 🙂 i tend to cut at least half the sugar in “regular recipes” and it is still sweet enough for me….. if i don’t forget i will leave an update 🙂
Gudrun,
If you use a pie pumpkin, I’m sure you could do less sugar. For two pies, I didn’t think it was more sugar than most fruit pies, but if you can get by with less sugar I always think that’s a plus. Let me know how it turns out for you with less sugar so I can make a note in the recipe. Thanks!
When you freeze half do you freeze it in the pie shell? I put up my own pumpkin this year and am anxious to try it. Thanks for your great site!
Laura, I froze it in a container separately. So glad you’re enjoying it!
[…] No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie […]
My favorite pumpkin recipe is my family’s secret pumpkin pie recipe. Having never used another pumpkin pie recipe I can only say I’ve noticed it tastes less spicy and more mellow than other pumpkin pies I’ve tasted. Not sure whether that’s because of different spices, less of them, or the cream in the recipe.
When I clicked on the homemade broth it takes me to a cream pie. Where would I find the broth recipe although I probably know how to do it.
Oops, I just found the chicken broth recipe at the bottom of the page, sorry!