Don’t get me wrong, I love a traditional pumpkin pie. A creamy, smooth, and traditional pie really is perfect. But sometimes during the holiday season, there can be pumpkin pie overload. Or if you’re like me, it’s just fun to make a little variation to the usual. It’s for times like these that I reserve this “no-bake” variation. I put “no-bake” in quotations because, I’ll admit, the crust does need a little oven time. But it’s quick and pretty much painless. The ginger snap crust is amped up with the use of crystallized ginger and the pie is finished with a sweet Swiss merengue, a personal favorite of mine.
Watch how to make this no-bake pumpkin pie:
Serve immediately and do I even need to say enjoy?!
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 35 ginger snap cookies (approximately), ground (yielding 1 ¾ cups)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 oz crystallized ginger
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 2.75-oz package unflavored gelatin
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, separated
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
- 3 tbps cornstarch
- 1 cup canned pumpkin pureé (spread on paper towels to soak up extra moisture)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp molasses
For the meringue
- 5 egg whites
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust
- Crumble cookies into a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Add brown sugar and ginger and process until the ginger is completely broken down.
- With processor running, add melted butter through the feed tube until the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Press mixture evenly into the 9-inch springform pan (can also use a 9-inch pie dish), pressing the crumbs about halfway up the sides.
- Bake the shell in a preheated 325°F oven until the crust is fragrant and set, about 13-15 minutes. It is a good idea to line the shell with parchment or foil and pie weights or dry beans to ensure the crust will not slump down the sides.
- Remove crust from oven and let cool.
For the filling
- Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons milk to bloom while preparing the pudding.
- In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the cream, milk, ¼ cup of the dark brown sugar and salt.
- Set over medium-high heat, whisking to ensure the sugar dissolves.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar and cornstarch.
- When the milk and cream mixture begins to steam slowly, temper the egg yolk mixture by ladling heated milk into yolks, whisking constantly. When the egg yolks are warmed, add to cream and milk mixture and whisk until thickened, about 2-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain pudding directly into a food processor.
- Add spices, molasses, vanilla, and bloomed gelatin and mix until gelatin dissolves into the pudding.
- Add pumpkin and mix until incorporated.
- Cool pudding to room temperature then pour into cooled crust and set in the refrigerator to chill completely, about 4-6 hours.
For the meringue (alternatively a 7-minute frosting)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar.
- Set over simmering water and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is at 160°F.
- Remove from heat and place on a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until the mixture is cooled to room temperature.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Remove pie from refrigerator and place on serving platter. Top with meringue frosting and brûlée top, if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice
