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I mean, really. No-Bake layered lush desserts are probably one of the best things ever. They’re amazing in summer when it’s too hot to cook – but they’re a great party dish all year round, which is why I’ve been itching to make one with pumpkin!

Make a no-bake pumpkin dessert to have your fall flavors while it’s still hot outside!

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a slice pumpkin dessert sitting on a white plate with white frosting and pumpkin topping


No Bake Easy Pumpkin Dessert

As you can probably imagine, I do a lot of grocery shopping. I do a big shopping once every week and I still often have to stop once or twice for things I forgot (or just realized I needed because I wasn’t planning to make two banana bundt cakes to make them perfect or I needed butterscotch pudding cookies right this second and have no pudding mix).

{I often relate myself to Doug the Dog from Up. I have lots of Squirrel! moments when it comes to what I want to make.}

Sometimes I wonder what the cashier thinks of me when I unload an entire cart full of groceries onto the conveyer belt. Often I’m buying several sacks of sugar and flour and four different kinds of M&M’s alongside a weeks’ worth of produce. Or I have Jordan with me and they wonder where my other 5 kids are because I’m spending $200 on groceries.

Or they wonder why I need 5 cans of pumpkin in July.

full clear pan of pumpkin dessert with white frosting and a slice taken out of the pan

What is a Lush Dessert?

This No-Bake Pumpkin Dessert is in the style of a lush or a lasagna dessert. I never quite know what to call them, so I just stick with “dessert” like I did for my lemon and mocha mud pie versions.

A lush or no-bake dessert is created by layering a crust with two or three different flavors that are a pudding consistency. I make mine in a 9×9″ baking dish and I always make in when I know I have people coming over.

Because if left to my own devices, I’d eat the entire thing. #truestory

ingredients of the pumpkin dessert on a marble counter with words saying the name of the ingredients

What’s in this easy pumpkin dessert?

This pumpkin dessert has four layers of fabulousness: crust, pumpkin, cheesecake, and whipped topping with chocolate shavings.

You’d eat the entire thing too, wouldn’t you?

  • Pretzel Crust – made with crushed pretzels and melted butter.
  • The pumpkin layer is made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla pudding mix. It layers nicely on top of the pretzel crust. I had a feeling pumpkin + pretzel would be amazing together, and I was right.
  • The cheesecake layer is made with Cream Cheese that’s mixed with sugar, vanilla, and some whipped topping. Then the whole thing is topped with more whipped topping and garnished with some grated chocolate. (Did you know that pumpkin and chocolate go really well together?)

How do you make a fabulous no-bake pumpkin dessert?

  • Mix pudding mix with milk, pumpkin and spices.
  • Layer pumpkin mixture over crust.
  • Mix cream cheese with sugar and vanilla.
  • Once it’s mixed, add whipped topping.
  • Mix until smooth and fluffy.
  • Top pumpkin with cheesecake then top with more whipped topping.
a slice pumpkin dessert sitting on a white plate with white frosting and pumpkin topping

This no bake pumpkin dessert was seriously my favorite lush to date. The pumpkin and cheesecake layers go well, obviously, because those two flavors are total BFFs. The pretzel adds a texture and a flavor to the pumpkin you didn’t realize would go so well, and the chocolate is the perfect garnish.

It’s an especially great pumpkin dessert for Sacramento in August, because it’s still over 90 degrees. It’s going to be that way until October, so this way I can enjoy my pumpkin without the added A/C bill. But you can believe I’ll be serving this at Thanksgiving too. No Bake Pumpkin Lush Dessert: the new pumpkin pie!

a slice pumpkin dessert sitting on a white plate with white frosting and pumpkin topping

Just make it. Believe me – you’re gonna love it!

Other Easy Pumpkin Recipes

a slice pumpkin dessert sitting on a white plate with white frosting and pumpkin topping

No Bake Pumpkin Dessert

4.96 from 50 votes
Easy to make, this no-bake pumpkin dessert has 4 layers of fabulous flavor!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 slice

Ingredients
 

  • 1 recipe Pretzel Pie Crust
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 ½ cups (354ml) nonfat milk
  • 1 cup (243g) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 8 ounces (226g) Cream Cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 8 ounces Whipped Topping Whipped Topping
  • Chocolate Bar (candy bar or semi-sweet baking bar) grated (for garnish)
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Instructions

  • Make pretzel crust and press into a 9×9-inch pan. Chill pretzel crust until ready to use.
  • Wipe out the crust bowl, then add the pudding mix to the bowl. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and mix until smooth. Carefully pour and spread over the crust. The crust isn’t solid, so you need to be careful it doesn’t get mixed into the pumpkin layer.
  • Place the cream cheese in the bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over pumpkin layer.
  • Spread the remaining whipped topping over the top of the cream cheese layer and top with grated chocolate. (To make the chocolate shavings start with a cold chocolate bar and grate it with a box grater over the top of the whipped topping.)

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Pretzel Crust: 

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 4260IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Mocha Mud Pie Dessert

Lemon Dessert

Frozen Pumpkin Meringue Pie

Sweets from friends:
Chocolate Lasagna by CenterCutCook
Double Berry Cheesecake Lush Dessert by Tidy Mom
Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip by Something Swanky

a slice pumpkin dessert sitting on a white plate with white frosting and pumpkin topping and words on the photo

No Bake Pumpkin Dessert is an easy pumpkin delight lush recipe with a pretzel crust, pumpkin pudding, cheesecake and whipped cream.

Last Updated on July 31, 2022



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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53 Comments

  1. What other crust could be used. Or does it strictly have to be pretzel crust. Thank you for your time when you answer.

  2. This is the first time I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe that I’ve tried.

    This recipe looked sooo delicious, but I just wasn’t sure how the combo of flavors would turn out. I was looking though the comments but I didn’t see many who said they actually made it… so, I just made this and let me tell you. It does NOT disappoint. Lush is a perfect word. Absolutely delicious.

    Although my pretzel crust came out a bit dry, I think I didn’t add enough butter, I had to actually measure out the butter with a tablespoon and so maybe I didn’t measure out enough. All in all tho the finished product was very yummy, even with my dry powdery crust.

  3. Hello! This recipe looks amazing. I do have a question, can I make this the day before my get together with the girls? Wasn’t sure about leaving it in the fridge overnight if the crust would get a bit soggy or just make this the day of? HMMM.

    1. I haven’t ever tried that pudding so I’m not sure – I’d taste it after mixing and add more if needed.