This no-bake Pumpkin Silk Pie is light and airy! Make this pumpkin cream pie recipe with pumpkin, cream cheese, cool whip, and gingersnaps.
This Pumpkin Silk Pie is a delicious holiday dessert recipe that is easy to make. Pumpkin dessert recipes are perfect for holiday parties, and this pie is a fun alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie.
What You’ll Find In This Post
How To Make Pumpkin Silk Pie
Start by making the cookie crust. Finely crush 32 ginger snaps in a food processor. You want to choose crispy gingersnaps for this crust. I used Nabisco brand gingersnap cookies.
Next, mix in melted butter and sugar and press the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Place the pan in the freeze so the crust can harden and set.
In the meantime, make the pumpkin silk pie filling. Beat softened cream cheese, using a stand mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice; beat until smooth.
Fold in one large container of Cool Whip and spread the mixture into the springform pan.
Place the cream cheese pumpkin pie in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to allow it to set up. Remove the springform pan sides and top with cool whip or whipped cream. I put it in a pastry bag and piped it onto the cake. Sprinkle it with pumpkin pie spice.
Tonia’s Notes
My love of smooth, rich, cream pies like French silk pie and Oreo peanut butter pie inspired me to make this no-bake cream cheese pumpkin pie! While a classic pumpkin pie is always a part of our Thanksgiving dinner, now we also include a pumpkin silk pie as well!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a light, airy pumpkin cream pie with a flavorful gingersnap crust. It is easy to prepare and is a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.
No, you do not have to use gingersnaps. Try graham crackers or Nilla Wafers or Biscoff cookies. Another option would be to use a classic pie crust and make it in a deep-dish pie pan.
Yes, you can substitute the Cool Whip with an equal amount of homemade whipped cream.
More Pumpkin Desserts
- A Pumpkin Mug Cake is ready in less than 60 seconds!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have layers of goodness.
- Homemade Pumpkin Muffins are the perfect treat!
- These Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Cookies are irresistible.
Pumpkin Silk Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 32 gingersnaps
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 16 oz container Cool Whip thawed
Garnish
- 2 cups Cool Whip or use whipped cream
- â…› teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Finely crush 32 ginger snaps. Mix in the melted butter and granulated sugar. Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place in the freezer to set.
- Beat softened cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat until smooth.
- Fold in a thawed 16-ounce container of cool whip.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and spread the filling out over the crust.
- Place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to allow it to set up.
- Remove the springform pan sides and top with cool whip or whipped cream and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.
Ashley says
I just made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I used a store bought graham cracker crust but made my own whipped cream instead of cool whip. I also added just a little more pie spice. I tried the filling and it’s delish. Fingers crossed that my in-laws like it.
Debbie says
I love this pie! We’ve had it for several years on Thanksgiving. Even people who aren’t crazy about a strong pumpkin taste love it. I was wondering if it would travel okay in the car for about 45 minutes if I took off the sides of the springform pan. Would it just collapse? Thank you for a great recipe!
Tonia Larson says
Hi Debbie,
Thank you so much! I’m delighted to hear that! The filling is pretty sturdy. I’ve used it as a filling for a three layer cake and it transported well. But just to be safe you could put the pie in the freezer for an hour or so before you leave to make sure it is very chilled. Or just wait to remove the sides until you arrive.
Happy Thanksgiving,
~Tonia
Barry says
Just made this pie. Love the idea of a pumpkin silk pie. I will tweak some things for my own taste. Curious as to what the purpose of the cream cheese is? Is it just for flavor?
Tonia says
Hi Barry,
The cream cheese stabilizes the pie so that it will hold its shape. But it also adds to the creaminess and adds flavor as you mentioned.
I hope you enjoy it!
~Tonia
Barry says
Tonia,
Just wondering if I could substitute a butter & sugar combination in place of the cream cheese?
Tonia says
I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Barry says
Okay, Thank you.
Just not a fan of cream cheese, and since butter & sugar are used in a French Silk pie, I just thought I’de throw it out there. It took a long time to get a French Silk pie to turn out the way I wanted it. This will probably be the same. Trial, and error you know.
Allie Spurlock says
Hey:), I love this recipe and have made it for our family thanksgiving for several years. This year I have two small children and I was wondering if I could make it the night before and leave it in the Refrigerate overnight?
Tonia says
Hi Allie,
Yes, that would definitely work!
Enjoy!
~Tonia
Kaitlyn says
Has anyone ever made this sugar free
Sarah Phillips says
Do you think I could substitute eggnog in this recipe for the pumpkin and it still work? I LOVE this pie and I want to kind of “Christmas” it up a bit, but I don’t know if the consistency would stay the same if I use 1 Cup of eggnog in place of the 1 Cup of pumpkin…
I also was thinking of using a cinnamon graham cracker crust instead of the gingersnap crust and in place of the pumpkin spice, using some cinnamon and nutmeg.
Please let me know what you think, or if you have any other suggestions to make this recipe more “Christmas”–y! 🙂
Tonia says
I think my No Bake Eggnog Cheesecake would be more in line with what you are looking for: http://www.thegunnysack.com/no-bake-eggnog-cheesecake/ Best of luck! ~Tonia
Jessica Zittere says
The leadup text says to use a large tub of Cool Whip (which is 12 oz / 4.5 cups) but the final recipe specifies 16oz Cool Whip. Would you please specify the container & volume?
Thanks
Tonia says
Hi Jessica,
Our grocery stores only have two Cool Whip container sizes. One is 8 oz and one is 16 oz. I used the large container which is 16 oz. Best of luck!
~Tonia
Wendy k says
I made this yesterday, as directed. It’s definitely better the second day. I think it’s good enough to take to thanksgiving dinner because it’s not a boring, heavy plain pumpkin pie BUT I think there’s a wee bit too much whip in the filling and it waters down the taste of the pumpkin. So if people are expecting a WOW pumpkin flavor, it’s not there unless you cut out some of the whip- which I will the next time.
Malia says
Hi. This silk pie looks amazing and I would love to make it for our tropical Turkey Day. What can I use as a substitute for Cool Whip, since I can’t get that outside the U.S.? Thanks.
Tonia says
Hello Malia,
You can substitute equal amounts of whipped cream. Happy Tropical Turkey Day!
~Tonia
Kelly Murray says
What size springform pan did you use? Thanks!
Tonia says
Hi Kelly,
I used a 9-inch springform pan. Enjoy!
~Tonia
Tonia says
To make two cups of whipped cream, use one cup of heavy cream, two tablespoons of sugar, and one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Tonia says
Hi Michael! I’m sorry that the recipe isn’t visible to you. Here is a link directly to the recipe: http://www.thegunnysack.com/easyrecipe-print/5372-0/