Easy Pumpkin Mousse
This Easy Pumpkin Mousse is a simple airy whipped dessert with all the spice and flavor of a pumpkin pie, but with a light and fluffy texture. Perfect for crisp autumn days watching the leaves fall from your front porch!
Maybe it’s too early for some people, but as for me, I cannot wait to dive into the fall recipes. Autumn screams pumpkins, apples, all kinds of spices, ooey gooey desserts, and all the soup you could ever ask for. Try my Mulligatawny for a delicious Indian curry soup recipe!
So I headed to the grocery store and bought three huge cans of pumpkin, all in preparation for my upcoming autumn feasts. Make sure to check back for more fall recipes and atmosphere, and try my Pumpkin Mousse and my Coffee Caramel Cookies to get in a cold weather, scarf-wearing kind of mood.
What do I need to make Pumpkin Mousse?
- Pumpkin puree. I like to have big cans of this in the house at all times, for pumpkin emergencies.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. This is cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. You can buy it already packaged together, or just mix the spices if you already have them in your cupboard. As for me, I keep all fall spices in my cupboard all year round.
- Heavy cream. This is what will thicken our mousse, so we don’t need to fuss around with pudding mixes or corn starch.
- Granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract.
- Crumbled ginger snaps or graham crackers, for topping. I prefer the spice of ginger snaps.
- You can also reserve some heavy cream to make a homemade whipped topping, or you can add on some Cool Whip!
How to make Pumpkin Mousse
This pumpkin mousse recipe is so easy and takes barely any time to set up!
Add the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and a bit of the heavy cream to a small saucepan. Heat that up on the stove over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture has simmered for at least 5 minutes and thickened.
Set the mixture aside to cool. The pumpkin mixture needs to be completely cool before proceeding with the next steps.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whip up the remaining heavy cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (it can be done by hand, but it’s a lot of work) until stiff peaks form. Be careful to only whip until you’ve achieve whipped cream consistency – over-whipped heavy cream will be grainy, and eventually turn into butter.
Fold the whipped cream mixture into the pumpkin mixture, about a 1/2 cup at a time, gently folding the entire time. If you mix this harshly, it will knock out all the air that you’ve created by whipping it.
Once all cream is mixed it, you want to let the mousse set for a little while. It technically can be eaten straight away, but if you want a thick mousse consistency, let it chill.
Once the mousse is chilled, move to serving dish with crumbled ginger snaps.
Storage and Make Ahead
This can be held in a covered dish in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can make this ahead of time and serve within three days.
What can I use Pumpkin Mousse for?
Pumpkin Mousse is lovely on it’s own, but you can try it:
- In a pie with gingersnap crust.
- Layer it with graham crackers for an icebox cake!
- Use it for a dip with a different array of cookies and fruits.
- Drizzle on some caramel sauce for extra flavor.
I hope everyone is as ready for fall as I am, because more autumn recipes are coming!
Pumpkin Mousse
Light and airy pumpkin mousse, layered with ginger snaps!
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
- 3 cups heavy cream (divided into 1 cup and 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 ginger snaps, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together pumpkin, spices, 1 cup of heavy cream, and sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat, whisking every few moments, for about 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened.
- Set pumpkin mixture aside in a large bowl until it is completely cool.
- Once pumpkin mixture is cooled, whip up remaining heavy cream with vanilla until medium peaks form. Fold into the pumpkin mixture in at least 3 stages, going very slowly and carefully.
- Let chill for 2 hours if you want it to be firm, otherwise it can be eaten right away.
- Layer and top with crumbled ginger snaps.
