No Bake Pumpkin Pie, also known as refrigerator pumpkin pie, is an autumnal delight! With all the warm, cozy flavors of pumpkin pie, but none of the stress of actually baking a pie, it might be the perfect dessert.
This No Bake Pumpkin Pie recipe tastes like pumpkin pie, but it’s lighter and sweeter, with a buttery graham cracker crust, smooth, fluffy filling, and plenty of whipped cream!
Make this luscious, creamy pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust for Thanksgiving, or make it on a lazy fall weekend to share with your family. Anyone who loves pumpkin desserts will be glad to have a big slice!
If you love silky smooth no bake pumpkin desserts, you should also try my Pumpkin Lush recipe. It’s topped with caramel and pecans and easy to make.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious Pumpkin Dessert – Pumpkin spice is a must when the weather starts to turn colder. This recipe makes it easy to enjoy the flavors of pumpkin pie with very little work.
- Your Oven Will be Free – If it’s thanksgiving, your oven probably has bigger priorities than pumpkin pie. Let the Roast Turkey and stuffing have their space, and make your dessert without any heat.
- Simple Ingredients – There are 7 ingredients in this recipe, but two of them are spices! Everything is mixed together, poured into a pre-made graham cracker crust, and chilled. That’s it!
Ingredients In No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Here’s what you need to make this delicious pumpkin treat:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin Puree: A whole can goes into this recipe. Fresh, homemade pumpkin puree can also be used.
- Instant Pudding: Jell-O instant pudding mix is a must for making many no-bake desserts. Be sure to use the instant variety, and not the cook and serve type.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice and Extra Cinnamon: These warm spices are what makes pumpkin pie taste like pumpkin pie. I like a little extra cinnamon too.
- Whole Milk: This helps dissolve the Instant pudding powder. Note that we aren’t using the whole amount of milk called for on the box of pudding – you only need ⅓ cup.
- Whipped Topping: Cool Whip or other similar whipped topping is perfect here. It’s light and sweet and makes the pumpkin filling light and sweet too. If you prefer, use sweetened cream that you’ve whipped up yourself.
- Graham Cracker Crust: You have two options here. The easiest thing to do is to buy a pre-made crust from the store. They’re good, simple, and mess-free. The most delicious thing to do is to make a fresh graham cracker crust using my recipe. The trade-off is that you’ll have more dishes to do.
How To Make No Bake Pumpkin Pie
- Mix the Pumpkin Pudding: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with vanilla pudding, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and milk.
- Blend: Use a handheld mixer to blend until well combined.
- Fold: Fold in the whipped topping, being careful not to stir too much or the cream will delate.
- Fill the Crust: Add the filling mixture to the prepared graham cracker crust and spread evenly with a spatula. Chill for at least four hours, or overnight.
Tip!
The best way to decorate a pumpkin pudding pie is with lots of whipped cream! You can use cool whip or real whipped cream. I made pretty rosettes by using a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Pumpkin No Bake Pie Recipe Tips
- Make Ahead: Wait to add the whipped cream topping until right before serving, but the pie can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Get Clean Slices: Clean your knife between each and every cut. It takes longer, but it’s worth it.
- Try some other toppings: A drizzle of caramel sauce, some chopped nuts, or extra graham cracker crumbs all sound amazing.
- Make Two! It’s just as easy to make one no-bake pumpkin pie as it is to make two of them. Make sure everyone gets a slice!
Storing Tips
Cover the no-bake pumpkin pie and store it in the fridge. It will stay fresh for 3-5 days.
What To Serve With No Bake Pumpkin Pie
You don’t need to serve anything with this pie. I won’t even tell anyone if you eat refrigerator pumpkin pie for dinner tonight!
I’m kidding, mostly, but on a more serious note, this is the perfect dessert to serve on Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you’re eating at someone else’s house, they’d love it if you brought this to share.
If you’re planning your holiday dinner menu, be sure to check out recipes for my favorite side dishes:
More Easy No Bake Pie Recipes
All no bake →
FAQs
Yes, pumpkin pie made with pudding can be frozen. Wrap the whole pie tightly with multiple layers of plastic wrap so that no air can get to it. Store it in the freezer for up to a month. Allow it to thaw before serving, or enjoy it partially frozen as a pumpkin pie ice cream-like treat.
I don’t recommend it. Whole milk has the right amount of fat in it to keep the pie filling thick and sturdy. If you tried to use low-fat milk the pie would end up runny.
Instant Pudding will not set properly using non-dairy milk such as almond or coconut milk. In order to make a dairy-free no bake pumpkin pie, you would need to follow a recipe that makes the pumpkin filling from scratch with non-dairy ingredients.
This is the easiest version of no-bake pumpkin pie you’ll find! Everyone will love this when you serve this for dessert – they won’t even mind that you took a shortcut this year.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
No Bake Pupkin Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 8 ounces (3 cups) whipped topping, thawed or freshly whipped cream
- 1 graham cracker crust store bought or homemade
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree with vanilla pudding, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and milk.
- Fold in the whipped topping, then add the mixture to the graham cracker crust and smooth it out with a spatula.
- Chill for 4 hours, and preferably overnight. Serve with whipped cream, I piped large whipped cream roses with a star tip. You can also do a sprinkle of ground cinnamon if you like.
Notes:
- Whipped topping can be replaced with three cups of fresh whipped cream (from 1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream). Make the whipped cream with ¼ cup of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to match the flavor and sweetness of cool whip.
- Topping: You can use either fresh whipped cream or cool whip for the topping.
- To Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the pie for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Jessica says
Oh yum! Pumpkin is one of my favorite fall flavors, so I knew I needed to make this asap. I’m so glad that I did because it was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
cathy says
Made it over the weekend and it was a big hit at my party. Thanks for the recipe.
Diana says
Thank you for the wonderful review, Cathy!
Julia says
I made this for the family and it was awesome! Very excited to make it again for Thanksgiving! Thanks for sharing!
Diana says
Glad you enjoyed it, Julia!