Pumpkin Mousse

Someone recently asked me what my favorite dessert is. Without hesitation, I responded chocolate mousse. Not the fluffy, creamy chocolate stuff, but the dark, rich, almost fudge-like chocolate mousse.

I was honestly surprised that I didn’t have to think about it, not being much of a dessert eater. If you’d asked me for my favorite meal, I’d still be thinking of an answer, although a course of foie gras would be part of it…

So after I thought about how much I really do love chocolate mousse, I realized that it’s not on my blog.

But because it is my favorite time of year, and I’m one of those pumpkin “freaks,” I decided to create a pumpkin mousse recipe instead of preparing my traditional chocolate favorite. I wanted it to taste like pumpkin spice, yet still be fluffy, without the use of gelatin.

_mg_2741-2

Here’s what I did.

_mg_2733-2

Pumpkin Mousse
Makes about 10 8-ounce servings

3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 can pumpkin purée
16 ounces marscapone, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon powdered vanilla
Pinch of ground cloves

Beat the egg whites and salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Set in the refrigerator.

In a larger bowl, beat the pumpkin, marscapone, and sugar until smooth.

_mg_2678

Add the spices and blend. Taste the pumpkin mixture for sweetness and flavor. The strength of cinnamon really varies based on the source, so adjust the flavor according to your personal taste.

Also, pumpkin by itself tastes like, well, squash. So the spices, especially the cinnamon, are quite important!

_mg_2679

Gently but carefully fold in the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Try not to over fold, so as not to deflate the egg whites.

When more or less combined, place the pumpkin mousse in individual serving dishes.

_mg_2683

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, well covered. Serve either chilled or at room temperature; I prefer room temperature.

_mg_2707-2

Add a little dollop of whipped cream or marscapone on top, and add some freshly grated nutmeg if desired. A little cookie doesn’t hurt!

_mg_2764-2

After I made the mousse, I realized I’d forgotten the vanilla powder. If you’ve never used it, I highly recommend it for situations when you want vanilla flavor without the extract liquid.

_mg_2684

By Published On: November 28th, 201658 Comments on Pumpkin Mousse

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

58 Comments

  1. The Cooking spoon November 28, 2016 at 7:25 AM - Reply

    What a wonderful dessert. Perfect for fall.

  2. apuginthekitchen November 28, 2016 at 8:30 AM - Reply

    What a wonderful light dessert, I am saving this as I think I would much rather have this than a pumpkin pie. Never used vanilla powder before and must try it.

    • chef mimi November 28, 2016 at 8:47 AM - Reply

      Thanks Suzanne! I was pretty proud of it – but I still love pumpkin pie!

  3. Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef November 28, 2016 at 8:58 AM - Reply

    I love all things pumpkin. Your moose looks delightful, I think I make it for my next book club dinner. I love to get your chocolate mousse recipe. I use vanilla sugar all the time but have never heard of vanilla powder.

    • chef mimi November 28, 2016 at 9:02 AM - Reply

      I really should put it on the blog, it’s just so simple yet decadent. I love pumpkin everything as well – this recipe worked out well. Vanilla powder is just that – no sugar. But vanilla sugar is wonderful, too!

      • Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef November 29, 2016 at 8:21 PM

        I am going to look for vanilla powder. I make my own vanilla sugar by grinding vanilla bean pods with sugar cream in my Vitamix.

    • StefanGourmet November 30, 2016 at 2:19 AM - Reply

      Very funny typo :-) do you use speech to text? Most moose I’ve seen don’t look delightful ;-)

  4. Travel Gourmet November 28, 2016 at 9:04 AM - Reply

    Wonderful recipe, Mimi!

  5. emmabarrett1508 November 28, 2016 at 9:15 AM - Reply

    I’ve never had this before but it looks amazing!

  6. sallybr November 28, 2016 at 9:51 AM - Reply

    I also love pumpkin anything, so this one goes for me “to try soon” files…. seems so light and luscious at the same time!

  7. anotherfoodieblogger November 28, 2016 at 1:23 PM - Reply

    Ooh, I think I would prefer this over pumpkin pie! It looks so fluffy and light!

  8. Lisa @ cheergerm November 28, 2016 at 4:06 PM - Reply

    Lovely Chef Mimi!! A great Christmas light dessert.

  9. Marisa's Italian Kitchen November 28, 2016 at 7:34 PM - Reply

    A perfect dessert after a big meal! My mom would often bake with vanilla powder but I’ve yet to try it!

    • chef mimi November 28, 2016 at 8:12 PM - Reply

      Yeah, it’s good because it doesn’t add a liquid component!

  10. gypsygurl64 November 29, 2016 at 5:08 AM - Reply

    This sounds lovely. I love pumpkin and cinnamon!

  11. Our Growing Paynes November 29, 2016 at 11:48 AM - Reply

    I never heard of vanilla powder, I’ll have to check that out. I like this alternative to pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie but I’ve been looking for something different. This is great.

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:11 AM - Reply

      I think you would like this – lighter than pie filling, but still creamy and has the pumpkin spice flavors.

  12. Greg Henry (@sippitysup) November 29, 2016 at 4:24 PM - Reply

    Vanilla powder is new to me. I’ve recently converted to vanilla paste over extract, so I am intrigued. Gorgeous mousse. GREG

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:11 AM - Reply

      I’ve never heard of vanilla paste! Does it dissolve easily?

  13. Conor Bofin November 29, 2016 at 4:26 PM - Reply

    Lovely dessert Mimi. I must get my hands on pumpkin.

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:11 AM - Reply

      It’s a staple in my house, but it’s probably easier to get my hands on than in Ireland.

  14. Laura @ Feast Wisely November 29, 2016 at 6:01 PM - Reply

    Wow Chef Mimi – I’ve never tried pumpkin in dessert and would love to taste it combined with mascarpone 😄

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:12 AM - Reply

      Creamy and fluffy – I thought it was pretty wonderful!

  15. Cocoa & Lavender November 29, 2016 at 6:04 PM - Reply

    I bet the mascarpone cheese gives this such a great consistency! To be honest, this would make a great pie filling. No, not the traditional pumpkin pie, but something just slightly different…

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:13 AM - Reply

      You’re right, it would be a different kind of pumpkin pie. I guess you could always use a little gelatin to keep it firm, even when not chilled.

  16. The Album November 29, 2016 at 7:03 PM - Reply

    What kind of cookie is that from the picture? Looks like something I’m going to have to make!

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:13 AM - Reply

      It’s just a Savoirdi biscuit – like what you use for Tiramisu! I didn’t have anything else on hand!

  17. StefanGourmet November 30, 2016 at 2:17 AM - Reply

    Wonderful, Mimi. This is a great alternative for pumpkin pie.

    I’ve never heard of vanilla powder. I can buy small sachets of “vanilla sugar”, which is flavored with vanillin (chemical vanilla), but obviously I don’t. Instead I store leftover vanilla beans in a jar with caster sugar to add flavor to the sugar. I’ll look for the powder.

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 8:15 AM - Reply

      I love pumpkin pie filling, but I did love this concoction as well. Vanilla sure is good, although subtle in flavor. (I guess you can make your own that has more vanilla beans in it.) But the vanilla powder has the natural flavor, without the inclusion of sugar, which is why I like it.

  18. kitchenriffs November 30, 2016 at 9:51 AM - Reply

    Love a good mousse! Don’t think I’ve had pumpkin mousse, though — and I know I haven’t made it. Gotta try this — thanks!

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 11:50 AM - Reply

      It’s just something different. In individual dishes, I’m not too tempted to have seconds…

  19. camparigirl November 30, 2016 at 5:21 PM - Reply

    You are killing a girl who just got off sugar again! It looks so delicious!

  20. Julie is Hostess At Heart November 30, 2016 at 5:58 PM - Reply

    What a beautiful mousse! Great instructions on how it’s made. I am a chocolate (good dark chocolate) so I can’t wait for your chocolate mousse post but I’m not sure what my favorite dessert would be. Since I have a sweet tooth it might take a few days to decide.

    • chef mimi November 30, 2016 at 6:34 PM - Reply

      That’s my problem with choosing a favorite dinner! So funny.

  21. Loretta December 3, 2016 at 8:25 AM - Reply

    Love all the seasonal flavors in your pumpkin mousse. Light and airy and oh so decadent too!

  22. leebakers December 3, 2016 at 12:12 PM - Reply

    Looks delicious, and I’m not even a huge pumpkin fan!

    • chef mimi December 3, 2016 at 2:30 PM - Reply

      You’re not a fan of pumpkin?!! No!!!

      • leebakers December 3, 2016 at 3:09 PM

        I like pumpkin when it is reasonable, but pumpkin tortilla chips shouldn’t be a thing (:

      • chef mimi December 3, 2016 at 3:23 PM

        Hahahaha! I’ve never come across those!

  23. Frank Fariello December 4, 2016 at 7:55 AM - Reply

    So glad you *didn’t* use gelatin—I’m sure that egg whites and mascarpone gave a much finer result!

    • chef mimi December 4, 2016 at 7:56 AM - Reply

      Thank you. I like the creaminess from marscapone, and the puffiness from the beaten egg whites!

  24. Elena Scarpone Bourke December 4, 2016 at 11:23 PM - Reply

    That looks luscious. Thanks for posting. I had never heard of vanilla powder. Is this an all natural product?

    • chef mimi December 5, 2016 at 6:52 AM - Reply

      There is dextrose in the vanilla, probably to keep the powder from clumping?

  25. Sumith December 7, 2016 at 12:59 AM - Reply

    I never tried this before. This sounds so delicious. Loved the combination of pumpkin and cinnamon.

  26. ChgoJohn December 7, 2016 at 10:52 PM - Reply

    I’m sure I’ve never enjoyed pumpkin mousse, Mimi, but how I wish that I had. Your dish sounds wonderful! I’ve never seen vanilla powder either but I do love a quest. :)

    • chef mimi December 8, 2016 at 4:22 PM - Reply

      I think when I baked more, when I catered, I got a lot of products from King Arthur’s Flour catalog. I might have gotten it via their website.

  27. David Crichton December 9, 2016 at 5:22 AM - Reply

    Great minds think alike, Mimi. I love how light it is with the egg whites. A few years ago I made this

    http://www.fdathome.co.uk/butternut-squash-ice-cream-with-pumpkin-seed-praline/

    It’s virtually the same thing, just frozen so I can see where you’re coming from. Btw the pumpkin seed praline was the star of the show.

    • chef mimi December 10, 2016 at 11:06 AM - Reply

      Oh, I really want to try this! At one point we lived on Long Island and our local 31 flavors used to have pumpkin ice cream and licorice ice cream that I would always get! (Orange and black at halloween time!)

Leave a Reply. I love 'em!