This Thanksgiving, wow your guests with this creamy No-Bake Pumpkin Pie recipe, featuring a ginger snap crust. This "Ice-Box Pumpkin Pie" tastes like the real deal, or dare I say even better? It has a silky-smooth texture with the perfect amount of spice. Serve it for the holidays, or anytime you crave a slice of Homemade Pumpkin Pie. It's the perfect match for a freshly brewed cup of coffee!
Earlier in the year, I found an old cookbook at a local thrift store that featured 2000 dessert recipes, submitted by Military Officers' wives. How random is that? While flipping through the worn and discolored pages, I came upon an Icebox Pumpkin Pie recipe that sounded wonderful. This No-Bake Pumpkin Pie was inspired by that recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
What I like the most about this recipe is that it does not require baking. After not having a working oven for many months, I sympathize with anyone whose oven dies suddenly, especially during the holidays! As it turns out, you don't need an oven to make an AMAZING pumpkin pie!
The filling is cooked on the stovetop, in around 10 minutes. Once the filling is cool, you can take a shortcut and pour the filling into a graham cracker shell. You know, the kind the little Keebler Elves make? However, I urge you to take an additional 10 minutes and make my no-bake ginger snap crust. It will leave those little elves envious, I assure you!
The flavors in the ginger snap crust work beautifully with the spices used in the pie filling. Together, they make every bite memorable!
What Goes Into This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients/Substitutions
- Pie Crust — As mentioned above, you can use a graham cracker pie crust, which comes in various flavors including chocolate, Oreo, shortbread, and pecan. However, I highly encourage you to try my easy gingerbread-flavored pie crust that takes this No-Bake Pumpkin Pie to a whole new level!
- Spices — For the sake of convenience, you can use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (paid link) in the filling. However, I recommend using the specified spices listed in the recipe.
- Canned Pumpkin — When buying canned pumpkin, make sure to get the pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, which comes pre-flavored.
- Whipped Cream — Serve the sliced pie with your favorite whipped topping including Cool Whip and Reddi Wip. If you're ambitious, you can make homemade whipped cream instead.
How to Make A No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
Step 1 | Gingersnap Crust
Break ginger snap cookies into smaller pieces and add to a food processor (paid link). Pulse until crumbly. Add butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse a few times more until the ingredients are incorporated.
Add crushed cookies to a food processor Pulse until the cookies are crumbled Add butter, sugar, and spices Pulse until ingredients are combined
Pour the ginger snap crust crumbs into a 9" pie plate and press the mixture into place using the bottom of a glass or your palm to compact the bottom and the sides of the crust. Refrigerate the crust for at least one hour so it can set.
Pour crust crumbs into a pie tin Form the crust with the bottom of a glass Or use your hand instead Chill crust for one hour
Step 2 | Pie Filling
Meanwhile, combine pure pumpkin, condensed milk, beaten eggs, vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, sea salt, and gelatin. Whisk until smooth.
Add pumpkin pie filling ingredients into a large bowl Whisk to combine ingredients
Cook, over low heat, while continually whisking the pumpkin pie filling for approximately 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.
Cook for 10 minutes while whisking Remove from heat when thickened
Cool pumpkin pie filling, then pour into the chilled pie crust. Smooth out the top using a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for 2½ to 3 hours to allow the pie to set. Decorate with candied pecans (optional) just before serving.
Add cooled pie filling to chilled crust Smooth pie filling To decorate, add four pecans Fill in with the remaining pecans
See tip at the bottom of the page regarding why not to add the candied pecans until you are ready to serve the pie.
Pumpkin Pie is always better with whipped cream!
Top each piece of pie with whipped cream before serving.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Since pumpkin pie filling has eggs in it, it needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. Baking the pie is usually required before you can eat the pie unless you make a no-bake pumpkin pie. The filling for a no-bake pumpkin pie is cooked on the stovetop then chilled in the crust.
Canned pumpkin contains pure pumpkin that has been processed until smooth. Pumpkin pie filling also has processed pumpkin, however, the pumpkin is pre-flavored.
You can freeze pumpkin pie, even if it has a graham cracker crust. First, make sure the pie is completely cool, then wrap it in foil. Finally, place the pie in a freezer bag and press the air out before sealing the bag. Store the pie in the freezer for up to one month.
- To eat previously frozen pumpkin pie, defrost the pie in the refrigerator overnight.
- The molasses makes the color of the pie a little darker. If you prefer a lighter-colored pumpkin pie, you can leave out the molasses.
- If you can't find ginger snap cookies, do what I did, and use this crispy Ginger Snaps recipe to make some. It took approximately 10 large cookies to make a 1-⅓ cup of cookie crumbs.
- If you decide to add the candied pecans, wait until you are ready to serve the pie. The sugar glaze will run and pool around the pecan. To avoid this, you can use plain pecans instead.
Related Recipes
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Easy No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Recipe (Ginger Snap Crust)
Equipment
- food processor
- Whisk
- Sauce Pan
- Pie Tin
Ingredients
Ginger Snap Crust
- 1⅓ cups ginger snap crumbs
- ¼ cup butter (softened)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 15 oz canned pure pumpkin
- 1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon clove powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ oz gelatin (1 packet, or 1 tbsp)
- 12 candied pecans (optional)
- whipped cream (for topping)
Instructions
No-Bake Crust
- Break ginger snap cookies into smaller pieces and add to a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse a few times more until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the ginger snap crust crumbs into a 9" pie plate and press the mixture into place using the bottom of a glass or your palm to compact the bottom and the sides of the crust. Refrigerate the crust for at least one hour so it can set.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Meanwhile, combine pure pumpkin, condensed milk, beaten eggs, vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, sea salt, and gelatin. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook, over low heat, while continually whisking the pumpkin pie filling for approximately 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.
- Cool pumpkin pie filling, then pour into the chilled pie crust. Smooth out the top using a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for 2½ to 3 hours to allow the pie to set. Decorate with candied pecans (optional) just before serving.
- Top each piece of pie with whipped cream and serve.
- * See tip in the notes below regarding why not to add the candied pecans until you are ready to serve the pie.
Notes
- To eat previously frozen pumpkin pie, defrost the pie in the refrigerator overnight.
- The molasses makes the color of the pie a little darker. If you prefer a lighter-colored pumpkin pie, you can leave out the molasses.
- If you can't find ginger snap cookies, do what I did, and use this crispy Ginger Snaps recipe to make some. It took approximately 10 large cookies to make a 1-⅓ cup of cookie crumbs.
- If you decide to add the candied pecans, wait until you are ready to serve the pie. The sugar glaze will run and pool around the pecan. To avoid this, you can use plain pecans instead.
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