Name: Easy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
Prep time: PT-993311H56M22S
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 9 cinnamon flavored graham crackers (1 sleeve); 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 2 Tbsp light brown sugar; 2 Tbsp granulated sugar; ½ tsp cinnamon; 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree; 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature; 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1 (3.4 oz) package cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix; 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk; 1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping; Optional Toppings; Whipped cream topping; Graham cracker crumbs

Jump to Recipe

These No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups layer a buttery cinnamon graham cracker crust under a rich, creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling, all spooned into little 8-ounce mason jars. No oven, no water bath, and just 15 minutes of prep with shortcut ingredients from any grocery store… the easiest pumpkin dessert for fall celebrations and your Thanksgiving dessert table.

Add us as a trusted Google source

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups

Y’all. This is the kind of recipe I reach for when the calendar flips to fall, and everybody suddenly wants pumpkin everything, but I do not want to turn on my oven.

These mini pumpkin cheesecakes taste like a rich slice of pumpkin cheesecake with a sweet graham cracker crust… except they take about 15 minutes and there’s not one single egg or water bath involved. Everybody just grabs a jar.

That’s my kind of dessert 🙂

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No oven required. You don’t bake cheesecakes here, which means no cracked tops, no water bath, and no baking time to babysit. That’s a big deal in Mississippi, where it can still be 90° in October.

It’s mostly shortcuts. Instant pudding, sweetened condensed milk, and a tub of whipped topping do the heavy lifting. I (mostly) love shortcut ingredients… they work, they taste good, and they get dessert on the table.

Perfect for making ahead. Make them the night before, stick them in the fridge, and add your toppings right before serving. Holiday hosting is so much easier when dessert is already done.

Tools Needed

Food processor or blender (for the graham crackers)
Stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer and a large bowl
Rubber spatula
6 mini mason jars, 8 ounces each (any small glass jars or cups will work)
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

Here’s everything that goes into these cups. Nothing fancy, and you can find all of it at regular grocery stores.

For the crust:

Cinnamon graham crackers (one sleeve). Plain graham crackers work great too… just bump up the cinnamon a little.
Unsalted butter, melted. Salted butter is fine in a pinch, and honestly nobody will notice.
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Ground cinnamon

For the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

Canned pumpkin puree. Make sure you grab plain puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. Homemade pumpkin puree works beautifully if you have it.
Cream cheese, at room temperature. This one matters. Cold cream cheese gives you lumps.
Pumpkin pie spice
Cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix. Can’t find it? Use vanilla instant pudding and add a splash of vanilla extract.
Sweetened condensed milk
Whipped topping. I usually prefer homemade whipped cream, but to keep things simple, you can also use your favorite tub of whipped topping or a can of the spray whipped cream.

Optional toppings: canned whipped cream and the leftover graham cracker crumbs.

Find the full recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups

These come together fast, so go ahead and set your cream cheese out first thing.

Make the crust. Add the graham crackers to a food processor or blender and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, both sugars, and the cinnamon, then pulse again until it’s all combined and looks like wet sand.
Fill the jars. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the crust mixture into each serving cup and set them aside. Save a little of the crumb mixture for sprinkling on top later.

Beat the cream cheese. Add the room temperature cream cheese to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add everything else. Add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, instant pudding packet, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth and combined, scraping the bowl once more so you don’t leave a stripe of cream cheese hiding at the bottom.
Fold in the whipped topping. Switch to a spatula and gently fold the whipped topping into the pumpkin mixture. Go easy here… folding keeps the filling light and fluffy instead of soupy.

Divide and serve. Spoon the filling into your prepared cups. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of the leftover graham cracker crumbs, and dig in!

How to Make These in a Muffin Pan

Don’t have little jars? Line a muffin pan with paper liners or cupcake liners, press the crust into the bottom of each muffin cup, and spoon the filling on top. Chill them for at least 4 hours so they firm up enough to lift out. You’ll get more servings this way since a muffin cup is smaller than an 8 ounce jar, and they turn out like sweet little pumpkin cheesecake bites.

Mini muffin tins work too, and those are the perfect size for a party tray.

Pro Tips

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature. Set it on the counter an hour ahead. It’s the best way to avoid lumps in your cream cheese mixture.
Don’t have a stand mixer? A hand mixer or electric mixer does the job just fine.
Scrape the bowl more than you think you need to. Cream cheese loves to hide on the sides of the bowl.
Pulse, don’t blend. Long blending makes the crust greasy. Short pulses give you the texture you want.
Fold the whipped topping in gently. Stirring too hard deflates the whipped cream.
Chill time is your friend. These delicious mini cheesecakes can be eaten right away, but a few hours in the fridge makes the filling firmer and the pumpkin flavor stronger.

Variations

Gingersnap crust. Swap the graham crackers for gingersnap cookies. So good with all those warm spices.
Caramel drizzle. A little caramel sauce over the whipped cream makes these feel fancy.
Maple. Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the filling for a deeper fall flavor.
Pumpkin spice whipped cream. Whip heavy cream with a little sugar and a pinch of pumpkin spice for the topping.
Extra tangy. A couple tablespoons of sour cream in the filling gives it more of that traditional cheesecake flavor.
Cheesecake bars. Press the crust into an 8×8 dish and spread the filling over it for pumpkin cheesecake bars instead of cups.

Serving Suggestions

These are lovely all on their own, but they’re wonderful next to a plate of pumpkin cookies or a warm slice of pumpkin bread on a fall dessert table. I love serving them after a big Thanksgiving meal since they’re light and nobody feels like they have to commit to a whole cheesecake.

They also travel well to potlucks and church dinners… just pop the lids on the jars and go.

Storage Instructions

Keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Mason jar lids, plastic wrap, or an airtight container all work.
Making them a day ahead? Assemble the cups, refrigerate them, and add the whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs right before serving so the crumbs stay crunchy.
I don’t recommend freezing these. The whipped topping gets weepy when it thaws.

FAQ

Can I make these ahead of time?

Absolutely! That’s honestly the best way to do it. Make them the night before, cover them, and refrigerate. Top with whipped cream right before you serve.

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?

I wouldn’t. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so your cups would end up way too sweet. Stick with plain canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree.

Do I have to use mason jars?

Not at all. Small glasses, dessert cups, ramekins, or a muffin pan lined with muffin liners all work. Use whatever you already have.

What if I don’t have a food processor?

Put the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. It works great, and my kids always thought that part was fun.

Can I use whipped cream instead of whipped topping?

Yes! Beat heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold in the same amount. It’s a little softer, so give the cups a few hours to chill.

How long do these need to chill?

They’re ready to eat right away, but 4 hours (or overnight) gives you a firmer, creamier cheesecake texture.

Easy peasy, right? These little cups are proof that a beautiful fall dessert doesn’t have to mean a whole afternoon in the kitchen. Make them your own with a gingersnap crust or a caramel drizzle, and let me know how yours turn out!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tried this recipe? Please take a moment to leave a comment and a star rating below… it helps me grow my blog, and I’d be so grateful!

More Pumpkin Recipes