This quick and easy pumpkin chia mousse is thick, creamy and lightly sweetened. Loaded with healthy fat and fiber this mousse makes for a satisfying, guilt-free dessert!
I’ve been a huge fan of chia seeds and chia pudding for years and I’ve made so many chia pudding recipes over the years, but it wasn’t until recently that I started experimenting with making blended chia pudding that’s smooth and creamy. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long because I honestly think I like the texture of the blended chia pudding (aka chia mousse) over the tapioca-like texture of standard chia pudding.
Not only is the pumpkin chia mousse super easy to make, the finished product offers a creamy pumpkin dessert that will satisfy a sweet tooth without any guilt since it’s got loads of nutrients from the pumpkin and plenty of healthy fats and fiber from the chia seeds. Speaking of healthy fats and fiber, this chia mousse is super filling and unlike many sweet treats that have you craving more sugar an hour later, this actually leaves you feeling satisfied!
I’m pretty sure this mousse won’t be a once a year thing around here as I can see myself whipping it up whenever I’m craving a sweet pumpkin pie treat.
I think the crushed graham crackers are a great addition as they add a nice crunchy texture and make this taste even more like pumpkin pie! I instantly fell in love with the mousse, but this was to be expected as I love all things pumpkin and healthy desserts, so just to be sure I rounded up three taste testers. They all agreed the mousse was flavorful, light tasting and delicious — perfect for dessert after a big meal. They were also shocked to hear that it took me only 5-10 minutes to whip it up. I feel like I should have just kept that a secret. 😉
The best part about this pumpkin chia mousse is that it can easily be tweaked to meet the needs of those with special diets! To create a gluten free, vegan version just omit the graham crackers and use a dairy-free topping like coconut milk whipped cream or yogurt. For a sugar-free option, you can sweeten the mousse with stevia.
If you try this pumpkin chia mousse let me know how it turns out in the comment section below. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other readers!
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This quick and easy pumpkin chia mousse is thick, creamy and lightly sweetened. Loaded with healthy fat and fiber this mousse makes for a satisfying, guilt-free dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-dairy milk*
- 3/4 cup 100% pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 full graham cracker sheets (I used Annie’s)
- whipped topping or Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
- In a high powered blender or food processor (affiliate link) add milk, pumpkin, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and add more maple syrup or pumpkin pie spice if needed.
- Transfer mousse to a resealable container, cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
- Crush the graham crackers. To do so you can process them in a mini-chopper or put them in a plastic baggie and roll over with a rolling pin.
- Scoop about 1/2 cup mousse into small ramekins. Top each serving with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and whipped topping or Greek yogurt, if using. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk but canned coconut milk would work great too and make for extra thick and creamy mousse.
- I used maple syrup for sweetening the mousse but you can use your favorite sweetener and if you want a sugar-free version you can use stevia.
- Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Magazine Spiced Pumpkin Mousse.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (without whipped topping)
- Calories: 189
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 104mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: pumpkin pie mousse, pumpkin chia mousse
Lauren says
November 21, 2011 at 6:41 amThis looks fantastic! I am not a fan of pumpkin pie but I do love every other pumpkin dessert. I will definitely bookmark this one.
Sara @ RunnerWife says
November 21, 2011 at 7:44 amThose look delicious!! I am making my very first pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (not for me but for family) but that is such a nice twist on an original favorite!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
November 21, 2011 at 8:47 amI love this recipe! Can’t wait to try 🙂
Melissa says
November 21, 2011 at 9:15 amOoh, Brittany, this looks so good! I am going to try to make myself a single serving version because I’m sure I’d eat the whole batch! 😉
Mattie @ Comfy & Confident says
November 21, 2011 at 9:57 amThat recipe looks delicious. I have been looking for a good pumpkin recipe. I might just have to try this one! thanks!
Kati Mora, MS, RD, Kellogg's FiberPlus(R) Wellness Advocate says
November 21, 2011 at 10:33 amThis looks like a perfect dessert for the season! I too like to play around with recipes before making them for a party. It allows me to get the ingredient mix just right for those that I’m serving. With this recipe in particular, I would like to try using a few spoonfuls of Kellogg’s FiberPlus(R) Caramel Pecan Crunch cereal instead of graham crackers to top it off. I think this would be a great way to use up the last of my cereal before the week is over.
Meg says
November 21, 2011 at 12:13 pmOh man! This looks AMAZING! 🙂
Jessica @ How Sweet says
November 21, 2011 at 2:09 pmThis sounds amazing!!
Paige says
November 21, 2011 at 2:58 pmYum! I always forget about using silken tofu for whipping up mousses…I think I’ll grab some next time I’m at the store and make this 🙂
Eating Bird Food says
November 21, 2011 at 11:16 pmI had kind of forgotten about it as well. Let me know what you think if you end up making it.
Evan Thomas says
November 21, 2011 at 4:26 pmThis looks like a great dessert. I was planning on making pumpkin pie for my relatives; maybe pumpkin mousse, too, wouldn’t be a bad thing 🙂
Eating Bird Food says
November 21, 2011 at 11:13 pmI’m going to make a traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving as well, but you can never have too many pumpkin options. 🙂
danielle says
November 21, 2011 at 5:23 pmYum! Perfect dessert for Thanksgiving!
katie says
November 21, 2011 at 8:35 pmLooks so good and perfect for thanksgiving!!!
I love the photography skills ; )
Eating Bird Food says
November 21, 2011 at 11:15 pmThanks Katie. I feel like I still have a ways to go with my photography knowledge but I can definitely see the difference between my photos now and the ones I was posting 3 years ago!
BroccoliHut says
November 21, 2011 at 8:36 pmWhat an elegant dessert! I love the little shards of chocolate on top 🙂
Megan@eatmybeets says
November 21, 2011 at 8:46 pmlooks delicious! Ah can’t wait for the holiday! 🙂 These blog posts are making me feel like it already passed haha
Kelly@ Foodie Fiasco says
November 22, 2011 at 1:57 amJust give me a bucket of this and I’ll be good. 😉 Do you think I could just use non-dairy yogurt do make this vegan? I hear SoDelicious makes a greek yogurt version now!
Eating Bird Food says
November 22, 2011 at 7:01 amDefinitely, let me know if you try it!!
Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau says
November 22, 2011 at 7:06 pmI love how this is indulgent but still healthy and easy. I’ll be whipping up a batch of this tomorrow!
Kristen says
November 22, 2011 at 11:45 pmThis mousse looks excellent!!
Definitely the perfect treat for thanksgiving!!
Melissa says
November 28, 2011 at 1:00 pmI made this shortly after you posted it and it was really wonderful. It was wonderfully creamy with delicious pumpkin pie flavor, but not too sweet. I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Eating Bird Food says
November 28, 2011 at 5:37 pmThanks so much for coming back and leaving your feedback Melissa. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
amy says
February 11, 2013 at 2:31 pmI made it because it looked good….but I didnt like it. Not worth the price of tofu either.
tory says
October 14, 2013 at 12:33 pmDid not love this recipe.
Karen Gillotti says
November 26, 2014 at 10:15 amI would like to try this but it is not gluten free when you add graham crackers. What is a good substitute?
Brittany Mullins says
November 26, 2014 at 4:22 pmWhat about toasted nuts like almonds or pecans?
Janie says
November 14, 2018 at 9:32 pmCan you add protein powder to this too?
Brittany Mullins says
November 15, 2018 at 8:39 amYes! I love adding protein powder to chia pudding. You might just need to add a little extra almond milk…. depending on how thick your protein powder is! 🙂
Mariah says
June 6, 2019 at 11:05 pmCan this be saved over night? If so how and for how long? It looks really yummy!
Brittany Mullins says
June 6, 2019 at 11:51 pmYes, it should last at least 2-3 days. Enjoy!