My Favorite No-Bake Pumpkin Dessert!
If you’ve ever seen lemon possets served in a little lemon shell all over your feed, this is its cozy fall cousin.
Cream, sugar pumpkin, pumpkin, and warm spices simmer tgoether, a splash of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar sets it, and the fridge does the rest. No eggs, no gelatin, and no oven!
I’ll be honest: my first batch didn’t set. Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture, and I didn’t bump up the acid to match. So I had soupy mini pumpkins in my fridge for a few days hoping they’d firm up (spoiler: they didn’t).
So I went back, adjust the acid, and now it sets up thick, smooth, and spoonable every time.
My favorite part is they’re ideal to make in advance, which makes them a great Thanksgiving dessert. One less thing to juggle the day of, and they look way fancier than the effor
Love possets? Try my chai apple posset and peach posset next.
What Is A Pumpkin Posset?
A posset is an old-school British dessert made from just cream, sugar, and acid. The acid thickens the cream as it cools, so it sets into a silky, pudding-like dessert without eggs or gelatin.
My pumpkin posset follows the same method, but I whisk in pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla.
The result tastes like somewhere between pumpkin pie filling, pumpkin cheesecake, and custard.
Ingredients You’ll Ned
Most of it you probably have in your pantry this time of year!
- Mini pumpkins (optional): These are your serving cups if you want to make a statement! Hollow them out and fill them raw.
- Heavy cream: Use full-fat heavy cream. The fast is what helps the posset set, so can’t be substituted.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the possets and dissolves into the cream.
- Pumpkin puree: Plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar: This is the acid that sets the posset. I use both because vinegar on its own isn’t reliable enough to set, and lemon on its own pushes the flavor to far.
- Vanilla bean paste: Adds those pretty vanilla flecks and rich vanilla flavor.
- Pumpkin pie spice: All the warm, cozy fall flavor in one jar.
How to Make Pumpkin Possets
Step 1. Prep the pumpkins: Cut a wide opening around the stem and lift the top off. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon.
Step 2. Make the posset cream: Heat the cream and sugar until it comes to a gentle boil. Lower the temp and simmer for 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Stay at the stove! The cream and froth and bubble aggressively, so keep stirring and turn the heat down if needed. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
Step 4. Cool and strain: Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup with a spout. This catchy any pumpkmin fibers, clumps, or spice bits so the posset sets silky smooth.
Step 5. Fill and chill: Set the pumpkins upright in a rimmed baking dish so they sit level. Pour the posset in, doing your best to go all the way to the rim of the pumpkin. If you aren’t using mini pumpkins, divide the cream between small ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best.
Step 6. Serve: Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and serve cold.
Tips for Getting Pumpkin Posset to Set
A runny posset is the biggest worry with this dessert, and adding pumpkin makes it a little tricker than a classic lemon posset. Here’s what I found after my first batch didn’t set (so yours will!).
- Don’t skimp on the acid: This is where my first batch went wrong. Pumpkin puree adds a lot of moisture, so the acid needs to match. Just follow the amounts written and you’ll be good.
- Use lemon juice and vinegar: I started with vinegar alone because I wasn’t sure if the lemon flavor would overpower the pumpkin, and unfortunately, they didn’t set. And using lemon juice alone did push the flavor to sour. A combination of both balances the flavor and makes sure they set.
- Simmer for the full 7 minutes: Set a timer once it hits a gentle simmer. Simmering evaporates excess water to concentrate the cream’s butterfat while dissolving the sugar, which allows the milk proteins to coagulate into a smooth, firm custard once the acid is added.
- Use full-fat heavy cream: Lower-fat dairy wont’ set the same way.
Serving in Mini Pumpkins (and Without Them)
The mini pumpkins make this dessert so fun! They turn a simple posset into a centerpiece-worth dessert for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any fall dinner party. Remember: they’re just the serving cups (don’t eat raw!)
Cutting the tops: Mini pumpkins have tough skins, so use a small paring knife. I found it easiest to score around the pumpkin top where I want to cut for the most accurate lines.
Setting them level: Pumpkin shapes are unpredictable and won’t all be exactly level. Nestle the pumpkins in a rimmed baking dish so they sit upright.
Extra filling: The filling may vary depending on the size of your pumpkins. If you have extra, divide it into ramekins and freeze without the pumpkins.
No mini pumpkins? Divide the possets between ramekins, small jars, or glasses.
Make-Ahead Tips
This is the ultimate make-ahead dessert, because it needs to chill anyway.
Make it up to 4 days ahead: Fill the pumpkins and chill them overnight. Serve them right away or cover the entire pan of possets with plastic wrap and chill for 3 days.
Top right before serving: Add the whipped cream and cinnamon sugar just before they hit the table.
Prep the pumpkins early: You can hollow out the pumpkins up to 3 days prior to filling. They didn’t brown or affect the texture when I did this.
More Pumpkin Desserts To Try
- Soft pumpkin cookies
- Pumpkin bars with gingersnap crust
- Pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler
- Pumpkin pie cookies
- Or try 27 Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie!
Pumpkin Posset
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 12 mini pumpkins
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- For serving: whipped cream and cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the pumpkins: Cut a wide opening around the stem of each pumpkin and remove the top, leaving the pumpkin bodies intact to hold the filling. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh and discard. Cover the pumpkins with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.12 mini pumpkins
- Heat the cream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and sugar to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for a full 7 minutes, stirring frequently. The cream can foam up quickly, so stay close and lower the heat as needed to keep it from boiling over. Don’t cut the simmer short, reducing the cream helps the possets set.3 cups heavy cream, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Finish the posset mixture: Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, vanilla bean paste, and pumpkin pie spice. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or large measuring cup with a pour spout.1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Fill and chill: Arrange the hollowed-out pumpkins upright in a rimmed baking dish so they sit level. Pour the posset mixture into the pumpkins, filling each just below the rim. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, until set.
- Serve: Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and serve chilled.For serving: whipped cream and cinnamon sugar
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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