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It’ll take about 1 bite of this goodness to realize Pumpkin Crisp is your new favorite fall dessert! The smooth, perfectly spiced pumpkin filling and the crunchy topping is truly a match made in heaven!!
Jump to Recipe
Fellow pumpkin-lovers….hello, hello!!! If you’ve been a follower for awhile, you know I’m a big fan of everything PUMPKIN. From Pumpkin Poke Cake to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, Pumpkin Dump Cake and everything in between….pumpkin is just my favorite, especially during the holiday season!
Well, if you’re like me and love anything pumpkin-flavored, you are going to LOVE this delicious fall dessert! Here’s why…. I took the best part of an apple crisp (the crumbly top part) and the best part of a traditional pumpkin pie (the filling) and combined them into the perfect dessert….Pumpkin Pie Crisp.
Pumpkin Crisp Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree. Be sure that you’re getting the pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar.
- Eggs. The eggs help the pumpkin filling set so it doesn’t stay runny.
- Evaporated Milk. The milk will give the filling its creamy texture and a richer flavor.
- Gingersnap cookies. You’ll use the gingersnap cookies to make a “flour” for part of the topping. The flavor that comes from the gingersnap cookie “flour” is incredible!
- Pumpkin pie spice & vanilla. It’s all about the flavor!!! If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, no worries! You can certainly use a combination of 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Quick Oats. The quick oats help give the crisp a topping texture that you crave on any crisp!
- Brown Sugar. Light or dark brown sugar will be fine.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda.
- Butter. Butter is used in the topping and helps make the topping crisp and to add a rich buttery flavor.
How to Make Pumpkin Crisp
First, you’ll make the pumpkin mixture by whisking together pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a large bowl. You can mix by hand or stir it up with a hand mixer. Then, you’ll pour the filling into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and set aside.
First add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl, including the gingersnap cookie crumbs (I use a food processor to make the crumbs), oats, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
Then you’ll use a fork or pastry cutter to mix in the softened butter and mix until it forms a nice chunky crisp topping.
Sprinkle this mixture over the pumpkin filling and bake!
How do I store pumpkin crisp?
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you will want to store the remaining crisp in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I do recommend enjoying the crisp within a day or two as the topping will get less and less crunchy as the time goes by.
When you’re ready to dive back into the refrigerated crisp, you can certainly eat it right from the container or nuke it in the microwave.
Should I serve pumpkin crisp warm, cold or at room temperature?
Personally, I like the crisp best when it’s still warm. That way, the ice cream begins to get all melty and creamy and that makes me smile. However, I also really enjoy it cold, right out of the refrigerator.
Should I top the pumpkin crisp with whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream?
That’s totally up to you! Here’s how I would decide…
If the crisp will be served warm, you can really go with either! I’m a big fan of warm desserts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It just goes. On this dessert, a scoop of vanilla, vanilla bean or cinnamon ice cream is perfection! But then again, whipped topping is also a perfect match to pumpkin.
If the pumpkin crisp will be served at room temperature or cold, I’d recommend using whipped topping. This will also be the easier choice if bringing the pumpkin crisp to a holiday gathering, so you don’t have to worry about ice cream sitting on the counter and getting soupy.
So long story short, do whichever sounds best to you and whatever works best for your dessert occasion!
Other fall favorites
Pumpkin lovers will also love this one – My Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – Soooo delicious with the smooth cheesecake filling, pie flavors and crumb topping!
Another recipe that I love making in the fall are these Pumpkin Churro Mini Muffins – they’re perfectly pop-able and full of flavor!
Crustless Pumpkin Pie is a dessert I make throughout the year, because it’s an easy recipe, a light dessert (no buttery pie crust) and cures my sweet tooth!
The recipe you’ve been waiting for…
Pumpkin Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup sugar
- One 5-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 cup Gingersnap cookie "flour"*
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a deep square pan or a 2-3 qt casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the filling ingredients; pour into the prepared dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap cookie flour*, oats, brown sugar, soda and powder. Then, use a fork to incorporate the butter into the dry mixture.
- Evenly sprinkle the topping over the pumpkin filling.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin pie filling reaches 175°F. The center will still have a little wiggle, but it won't be super runny.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.
Hi, Is there any other type of flour I could use as I do not care for Gingersnaps?
Hi Bonnie! You could certainly just use regular all-purpose flour. Enjoy – we just LOVE this dessert!!
I’ve never thought to make pumpkin crisp and I can see that I’ve been missing out. It looks amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us at Meal Plan Monday
Hey Julia!! Happy to share the pumpkin crisp recipe – it’s always great sharing content with other fantastic bloggers on Meal Plan Monday. Fun to see what everyone’s been cooking & baking! Thanks for organizing it! 🙂
This recipe is the only one I will ever use when making my pumpkin crisp. It’s better than pumpkin pie in my opinion! The ginger snap cookie crisp on top is just delightful. I always make my own whipped cream with heavy cream, sugar and a dash of vanilla and it is straight perfection! Thank you for sharing such a delicious dessert recipe with the internet!
This was very good! My family loved it. So easy and quick to make. Topped it with butterscotch ice cream. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe.
That’s great to hear, Jane!! And butterscotch ice cream sounds like the perfect way to top it off! Thanks for following along at Dance Around the Kitchen. The feedback is always SO appreciated! ~Kelsey
What is gingersnap cookie ‘flour’? I want to make it this weekend,it sounds amazing
Hi Karen! Gingersnap cookie “flour” is simply cookies that are pulverized into a fine powder, or “flour.” 🙂 Using a food processor is the easiest way to do so!
One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. This should be in restaurants. You’d make millions. I loved this!! Has to be really warm.
That made my day, Heather!! I’m so glad you loved the pumpkin crisp – I’m thinking it’ll be my go-to for Thanksgiving gatherings this year! 🙂
.hi Kelsey the recipe calls for one 5oz can evaporated milk. The smallest can I can find is354 ml. Can you clarify the amount. Thanks,
Hi Joanne! If you can’t get a 5 oz can, the 354 mL (11 oz) can will work, too. You will just need 1/2 c + 2 tbsp (which is 5 oz) of the milk, so you will have some leftover. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!! 🙂
Can I use almond milk instead of evaporated milk? I usually use it for pumpkin pie and it comes out just fine.
Hi Sarah! I would think that if you’ve used it for pumpkin pie, it should turn out just fine! However, I’ve never tried it with almond milk….let me know how it turns out!!
-Kelsey
This looks so good! What a great way to quickly enjoy a pumpkin dessert !
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it for a party?
Hi Vanessa! I recommend making this shortly before the company arrives. You could make the filling and the topping a few hours (or even a day) ahead of time and then assemble and bake right before the party! Hope that helps! 🙂
Absolutely loved this!! I liked how it wasn’t too sweet. I halved the topping just to save on some calories and for me, it was perfect!! And I actually didn’t mind it cold the next day. And the next. And the next. 🙂 When I have pumpkin pie, I always eat it cold so I think that’s why I didn’t mind this cold. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad you loved it!!! And I’m the same way…I’ll eat it hot or cold! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! -Kelsey
Do you think I could double the recipe and use a 13×9 baking dish and increase the baking time? Or what are your thoughts about that?
Hi Kim! First off, doubling the recipe is a great idea, because it’s so yummy and will go quick!! 🙂 A 9×13″ pan should work great. I’d bake it for 40 minutes and see what it looks like. If it’s no longer runny, but just has a little wiggle in the center, it’s done (think of what a pumpkin pie looks like when it’s done). Or, if you have a thermometer, you can simply temp it. Once it reaches 175F, it’s done. If it’s not quite done, I’d add a few minutes and re-test. Good luck – I hope you love it!!! -Kelsey
Did you separate the cake mixture into ramekins to bake or dish it up into the dishes after it was done?
Oh I’m so glad you asked! I baked it in a large dish and scooped it into ramekins to serve it. However, if you wanted to bake it in ramekins, that would work too, you would just want to decrease the bake time. I hope you love it!!! -Kelsey
This is very yummy! I made it GF by subbing GF oats and used Udi’s frozen snickerdoodles in place of the ginger snaps. I also doubled the recipe and made it in a 9×13 pan. It took around an hour to bake (I started at 35 minutes and kept adding 10 minutes until done.)
It is a tiny bit wobbly when it first comes out of the oven, but firms as it cools.
My book club loooved this! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Tammy! I’m so glad it worked well with the GF modifications – using GF snickerdoodles is a great option! Thanks for following my blog and happy holidays to you and your family!!! 🙂
You do not state how many cookies for the topping. That would be helpful in making this recipe.
Hi Deborah – Molasses Cookies vary in size quite a bit from brand to brand, which is why I included the cup measurement instead.
what size dish was the one you used? was that a 8 by 8?
I believe that was an 8×8, yes!
I forgot the baking soda and baking powder!! But somehow it turned out great! The temp was perfect and it tastes oh so good 🙂
Oh good!!! So glad you enjoyed it! -Kelsey
What are the calories per serving?
Hi Angelina –
Thanks so much for the question. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have a plug-in on my site that calculates nutritional information, but hope to sometime down the road! 🙂
-Kelsey
This was amazing 👍
Thank you so much!!! -Kelsey
I’ve made this a few times and my family loves it.
I wondered if you rvrr tried freezing it.
Please let me.
Hi Sherry!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it as much as we always do! 🙂 I’ve never tried freezing it, but if you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out! -Kelsey
How long do I cook it for if I am making it in a small 6 inch cast iron pan, like in your second picture? Also, how many small cast iron pans would I fill with your recipe? I can’t wait to make this!! Thank you.
In your second picture, it shows that you baked it in small cast iron pans. How long did you bake them for?