Pumpkin Delight features light, creamy layers of whipped cream, spiced pumpkin, and sweet cheesecake pudding, all on top of a crisp pecan crust! Served chilled, this is an easy, no-bake pumpkin dessert you’ll crave.
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Instructions
Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with non- stick spray. Set aside.
Pecan Crust: Place pecans and graham crackers into a food processor and pulse until you produce a fine crumb. Add in the brown sugar and pumpkin spice. Pulse a couple of times to combine.
Pour melted butter into food processor and pulse until combined. 4.Add pecan graham cracker mix to prepared casserole dish and press down using the bottom of a glass cup to compress tightly and in to the corners.
Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Stabilized Whipped Cream: Add water to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin overtop. Give it a quick stir to make sure all the gelatin is mixed in.
Place bowl in the microwave and heat for 15 seconds. Give it a quick stir and make sure no granules are visible, if there are a few granules left not melted, heat for 5 more seconds. Stir again and set aside.
Pour heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, whip the cream on high until soft peaks form.
Slowly drizzle in the liquid gelatin mixture while beating on low, until all the gelatin has all been added. Bring the mixer speed back up to high and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Set aside in the fridge.
Cheesecake Layer: Place cream cheese into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beginning on low, and increasing gradually to high, use an electric mixer to whip ingredients into a smooth creamy consistency.
Fold in 1 1/2 cups of stabilized whip cream, until just combined. (Do not over stir.)
Pour cheesecake mixture on top of the completely cooled pecan crust and smooth out into an even layer with a rubber or offset spatula. Place dish in freezer while you work on next step.
Pumpkin Layer: Empty packet of instant pudding into a medium mixing bowl. Add milk and beat on high with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. The mixture will be fairly thick.
Mix in pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice until well combined. Fold in 1 cup stabilized whip cream, until just combined. (Do not over stir.)
Pour Pumpkin mixture gently over top of the cheesecake layer. Gently spread the pumpkin layer evenly with a rubber or offset spatula, being careful to not disturb the bottom layer more than necessary.
Return dish to freezer for 15 minutes.
Whip Cream Layer: Remove dish from freezer. Gently scoop the leftover stabilized whip cream on top of the chilled pumpkin filling layer. Using a rubber or offset spatula gently spread the layer evenly.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Once set, sprinkle top with optional chopped pecans and cut into squares and serve.
Notes
To Store: Cover the pumpkin delight tightly with plastic wrap, or carefully transfer to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for food safety. It will keep for up to 5 days.To Freeze: You can freeze pumpkin delight whole, or in individual squares. It will keep for up to three months. Just be aware that the texture might slightly change after freezing and thawing.Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, you can mix your own by combining 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon cloves.Crust Tip: The firmer you press down on the pecan graham cracker crumbs before baking, the less likely your crust will crumble apart during serving.Working with Gelatin: Once you melt your gelatin it is important to work swiftly as you don’t want the gelatin to begin to congeal before you add it to the heavy cream.Assembly: The more careful you are in spreading each layer and not disturbing the layer below, the better your final serving will look.Serving: You will get the cleanest cuts by washing and drying your knife between cuts.Make Ahead: The longer this dessert stays in the fridge, the better it sets up. Making it a day ahead of time is perfect. If you need to serve it the same day, I would suggest placing it in the freezer for two hours and then in the fridge for about an hour.Cool Whip: Feel free to replace the stabilized whip cream with Cool Whip.