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    Home » Puddings

    Published on: September 28, 2011 by Janice; Updated on: February 17, 2022 17 Comments

    Gluten-free pumpkin mousse

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This easy pumpkin mousse recipe is gluten-free, made from whipped cream and canned pumpkin, stabilized with gelatin for a light texture and a great alternative to pumpkin pie as a Thanksgiving dessert that you can make the day before.

    pumpkin mousse

    Mousse desserts are typically made where whipped cream is folded with another ingredient to flavour it, like melted chocolate to make chocolate mousse, or lemon curd to make a lemon mousse.

    Technically this kind of dessert doesn't require any gelatin, but gelatin helps to stabilize the mousse, especially if you want to make it ahead of time and store it for a day or two.

    pumpkins

    The beauty of this pumpkin mousse recipe is that it's easy to make and it's gluten free. And it only uses a little over a cup of canned pumpkin, so if you have any leftover from making other pumpkin desserts this season, use it to make mousse! If you prefer to make your own homemade pumpkin purée to use in this recipe instead of canned, make sure to strain out the excess water because homemade pumpkin has a higher moisture content, which could throw off the mousse recipe.

    pumpkin mousse

    The usual fall baking inevitably will obviously include a pumpkin pie, maple apple pie and mini pumpkin pie tarts, and maybe some baked pumpkin donuts and an apple butter pie, time permitting. And, though I love them all, I felt like making something a little different, so I made a pumpkin mousse with a splash of rum in it.

    pumpkin mousse ingredients

    Mousses can be made from the simplest of ingredients: cream, sugar, gelatin, and, in this case, a purée of roasted pumpkin. Since I was pairing the pumpkin mousse with crumbled chocolate spice cookies, I decided to flavour the mousse with just some spiced rum and vanilla (as per this recipe). This mousse is light and doesn't feel heavy, so great to serve after a big meal. 

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    Pumpkin mousse

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    This pumpkin mousse is made with whipped cream and a splash of rum. It's a fun fall dessert that's also gluten-free.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine French
    Keyword pumpkin mousse
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 5 minutes
    Chill time 4 hours
    Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 407kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

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    5 Qt mixer

    Ingredients

    • 15 mL (1 tablespoon) spiced or dark rum
    • 5 mL (1 teaspoon) Knox unflavoured gelatin powder
    • 310 mL (1¼ cups) whipping cream (35 % fat) divided
    • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
    • 310 mL (1¼ cups) pumpkin purée
    • 5 mL (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
    • Chocolate spice cookies or some sweetened and spiced whipped cream, optional

    Instructions

    • Sprinkle the gelatin over the rum in a small teacup. Set aside for 5 minutes while you continue with the recipe.
    • In a small saucepan, combine one third of the heavy cream and the sugar. Stir on medium-low heat to gently warm the cream and dissolve the sugar. You can tell when the sugar is dissolved by the sound and the feel of the spoon while stirring the bottom of the saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved, add the rum and gelatin mixture, and stir until the gelatin dissolves and disappears.
    • Remove the mixture from the heat, add the pumpkin purée and the vanilla. Stir (or whisk gently if necessary) to combine, and be sure to get rid of any lumps. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
    • When the pumpkin mixture is cool, whip the rest of the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream, divide the mixture among 4 glasses, Mason jars, or teacups. Refrigerate them to set, at least 3 or 4 hours before serving.
    • Serve the mousse with chocolate spice cookies, or crumble them over top before serving. You could also top each with a dollop of whipped cream.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 13201IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

    This recipe comes directly from Laura Calder. I only slightly changed her method.

    More Puddings

    • Oven baked rice pudding with jam
    • Maple mousse in maple cookie cups
    • Mascarpone panna cotta topped with lemon jelly and florentine crumble
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    Comments

    1. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

      September 28, 2011 at 4:29 pm

      Oh wow this is heavenly

      Reply
    2. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

      September 29, 2011 at 12:41 am

      This looks so tasty and pretty!

      Reply
    3. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

      September 29, 2011 at 12:41 am

      This looks so tasty and pretty!

      Reply
    4. Heather says

      September 28, 2011 at 10:56 pm

      Mmm...pumpkin and rum. Sold!

      Reply
    5. [email protected] says

      September 29, 2011 at 1:11 am

      Oh what a beautiful and comforting dessert! I'm so glad pumpkin season has arrived! The splash of rum sounds like a great idea here, too! (p.s....I love your teacup and saucer! I collect tea cups!)

      Reply
    6. Moogie says

      September 29, 2011 at 1:21 am

      Lovely photos and a yummy recipe.

      Reply
    7. Ann says

      September 29, 2011 at 4:12 am

      Wow - this is incredible! I love the dish, the photos and fall...like you - I'm not a fan of winter!

      Reply
    8. S.V. says

      September 30, 2011 at 4:24 am

      The mouse looks wonderful, great pictures I love the tea cup. I'm not a fan of winter either it usually means it's raining everyday here in Seattle. UGH!

      Reply
    9. Ali says

      September 30, 2011 at 9:14 am

      Am not a fun of winter too but what are we to do except embrace it, my does your pumpkin mousse look delicious, love the idea of using rum 🙂 In love with your blog 🙂

      Reply
    10. Juanita says

      September 30, 2011 at 3:04 pm

      Love the photos of the pumpkins. Who would've imagined pumpkin as a mousse - love the idea!

      Reply
    11. Rhonda says

      September 30, 2011 at 4:35 pm

      Drool, slurp, my mouth is watering!

      Reply
    12. Becka (The Elegant Eggplant) says

      September 30, 2011 at 6:41 pm

      This is one of my favorite go-to fall desserts! Love your addition of the rum.. makes it extra special 😉

      Reply
    13. Christine's Pantry says

      September 30, 2011 at 6:04 pm

      Congrats on Foodbuzz top 9!

      Reply
    14. mjskit says

      September 30, 2011 at 11:41 pm

      What an absolutely delicious mousse!!! How can you beat pumpkin and rum! Beautiful pictures! Congrats on the Top 9!

      Reply
    15. Jamie says

      October 01, 2011 at 2:11 pm

      I love winter clothese but autumn is most definitely my favorite month for the reasons you stated. Love pumpkin and love baking with it but have never done a mousse. I am loving this!

      Reply
    16. Terra says

      October 04, 2011 at 1:09 am

      Wow, this looks, and sounds fantastic! I am definitely saving this recipe, and may need make it at the restaurant I work at:-) Just beautiful! Hugs, Terra

      Reply
    17. www.citronlimette.com says

      November 08, 2011 at 1:06 am

      Sounds delicious. This time of the year, I love to cook with pumpkin and butternut squash.
      Thanks
      Marie

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

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