No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Name: No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 268 min
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter; 12 sheets (185g) graham crackers; 2 tablespoons (28g) sugar; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; Pinch cloves; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 ounces marshmallows (49 regular marshmallows, or about 5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows); 1/2 cup heavy cream; Whipped cream , for serving

My favorite part of Thanksgiving has always been pumpkin pie. Not just any pumpkin pie. It has to be my mom’s no-bake pumpkin pie in a graham cracker crust. She made the filling on the stovetop with canned pumpkin, marshmallows, and Cool Whip. It wasn’t until adulthood that I found out that most people had pies with a flaky crust and baked custard filling.

I’ve made my share of both and am here to tell you that I love my mom’s no-bake pie more than ever.

The silky pie is a saturated orange color with a bright, lightly spiced pumpkin flavor. The filling is firm, resulting in picture-perfect slices. I don’t have to worry about overcooking the custard or the top cracking. This no-bake pumpkin pie is super quick and easy to make ahead, leaving me with less to think about on Thanksgiving, as well as extra oven space.

The only changes I make from the pie of my childhood are that I make my graham cracker crust instead of store-bought and I swap out the Cool Whip for homemade whipped cream in both the filling and the topping.

Marshmallows Are Key

The marshmallows are the genius part of this no-bake pie. They provide all of the sweetness, a touch of vanilla flavor, and contain the gelatin to set the filling. That’s a lot to ask of one ingredient but marshmallows are up to the task. The goal is to gently melt the marshmallows and not cook them.

Overhead shot of no-bake pumpkin pie in a pie dish at a rustic setting with a cup of coffe, a grey-ish beige table linen, bowl of whipped cream, and a plate with a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Building the Perfect Graham Cracker Crust

The most important part of making a graham cracker crust is ensuring the graham crackers are ground fine and you have enough butter to hold everything together. If your crust is crumbling when you try to press it to the side of the pie pan, pulse the crust in the food processor five times. If it’s still crumbly then dribble in additional melted butter. You can follow the below step-by-step recipe for a graham cracker crust.

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Tips for Making No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

Marshmallows come in various sizes. Buy the 10-ounce bag and don’t let anyone touch it. If you can only find 12 or 16-ounce bags, then count out 49 regular-sized marshmallows, or even better, use a kitchen scale! The pie would still taste fine but the texture will be less pleasant with either too many or too few marshmallows.

After mixing the pumpkin and marshmallows on the stove, you want the mixture to cool down before incorporating into the whipped cream. I put it in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes so that it is around room temperature.

Slice of no-bake pumpkin pie on a plate with cut into using a fork, and in the background, another slice of pumpkin pie — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Make It Ahead

You can make the graham cracker crust a day in advance. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature. Refrigerate the wrapped, assembled pie up to two days before serving.

More No-Bake Desserts

No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Chill Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 28 mins

Servings 8 servings

Yield 1 (9-inch) pie

Use chocolate wafers or gingersnaps or use brown butter instead of unsalted butter in the crust. Or feel free to buy a premade 9-inch graham cracker crust and skip to step 3.

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Graham cracker crust:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 sheets (185g) graham crackers
2 tablespoons (28g) sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Pie filling:

1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 ounces marshmallows (49 regular marshmallows, or about 5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the graham cracker crust:

Place the butter into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until fully melted.

Simple Tip!

Cover the bowl with the paper from the stick of butter to prevent splattering.

Process the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground, about 15 seconds. Add the melted butter, sugar, and salt and process until combined, about 10 seconds. The mixture will be very finely ground and look like wet sand. Remove the blade of the food processor and pour the graham cracker mixture into a 9-inch pie pan.

Start with the sides and press the mixture evenly all around the pan. Continue gently pressing and compacting it until it doesn’t shift when pressed.

Bake the pie for 8 minutes until lightly browned. Then cool the pie crust on a cooling rack.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Make the pumpkin mixture:

Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and kosher salt into a large pot. Warm the ingredients on medium heat and stir to combine. Continue stirring until you can smell the spices, about 1 minute.

Turn the heat to low and fold in the marshmallows. Continue stirring to keep them from scorching. Once the marshmallows are fully melted and incorporated into the pumpkin, transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Refrigerate the pumpkin mixture to cool it down.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Whip the cream:

Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to whip the cream. Gradually increase the speed as the cream becomes thicker. Whip on high until the cream is fluffy, the beaters leave deep tracks in the whipped cream, and form firm peaks when you turn off the mixer and lift the beaters out.

How to Make Whipped Cream
READ MORE:

Simple Tip!

To help the cream whip faster, chill the bowl and the beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping.
Finish the filling:

When the pumpkin mixture is cooled to room temperature (after about 10 minutes in the fridge), pour it into the bowl of whipped cream and fold gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain and it's a creamy orange color. It will look like pudding.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Assemble the pie:

Scrape the pumpkin filling into the pie crust and spread it evenly. A small offset spatula or butter knife works well for this.

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
Chill:

Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 4 hours. You’ll know the pie is ready when you can press the center of the pie and the filling is firm.
Serve and store:

If the plastic wrap left a pattern on the top of the pie, you can smooth it out by running a butter knife along the top. Cut into slices and serve chilled with whipped cream, if using.

Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie for up to 4 days.

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Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
405	Calories
20g	Fat
57g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	405
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g	25%
Saturated Fat 11g	56%
Cholesterol 48mg	16%
Sodium 338mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 57g	21%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 35g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 1mg	7%
Calcium 44mg	3%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 124mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.