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Pumpkin Lush

Averie Sunshine

4.47 from 39 votes

Updated: Sep 12, 2026

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Layered Pumpkin Lush 🍁🧡 An EASY layered dessert with a graham cracker crust, cream cheese, pudding, PUMPKIN, whipped topping, chocolate chips, and toffee bits! A little bit of CRUNCH with lots of fluffy CREAMINESS! A luscious dessert that’s perfect for entertaining because you can make it well in advance.

Easy Pumpkin Lush Dessert Recipe

• Lush desserts (aka delight desserts) are usually made with a shortbread crust or something similar and topped with fluffy goodness in the form of pudding and whipped topping and often with some sort of fruit.
• My mom makes a lemon lush that’s to die for, but I digress. No lemon here. Pumpkin instead. That’s my idea of a great trade.

• It’s an almost no-bake (the crust bakes for just 10 minutes) layered dessert that begins with a slightly crunchy graham cracker crust, a sweet yet tangy layer of cream cheese, a layer of vanilla pudding that’s spiked with pumpkin, topped with whipped topping, and sprinkled with crunchy toffee bits and chocolate chips.

• I love the toffee bits and chocolate chips on top for a texture wake up call. They’re a great contrast to the soft fluffiness below.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Lush

• Unsalted butter and graham cracker crumbs: These make the buttery crust for this quick and easy no-bake pumpkin dessert. Another sweet cracker or cookie can also be used if you want to change up the crust.
• Cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar: These create the sweet cream cheese layer. Lite cream cheese is fine, but use the kind sold in a brick, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
• Instant vanilla pudding mix, milk, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice: These make the creamy pumpkin layer. You must use instant pudding mix, not cook-and-serve pudding. Pumpkin spice pudding mix can be used instead of vanilla if you can find it and want even more pumpkin flavor. Use cow’s milk so the pudding sets properly, and canned pumpkin puree is easiest. Homemade pumpkin puree may be used, but blot it well first since it can contain extra moisture.
• Whipped topping: Cool Whip or a similar tub-style whipped topping works best because it has stabilizers and holds up better over time. I do not recommend homemade whipped cream because it can deflate and make the lush too soft.
• Toffee bits and mini chocolate chips: These add crunch and sweetness on top. You can swap the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips or use extra toffee bits instead.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make Pumpkin Lush

1. Mix together the simple graham cracker crust, then press into a foil-lined 9×9-inch baking dish. Bake the crust just until set, about 10 minutes.
2. While the crust cools, beat together the powdered sugar and cream cheese. Turn the mixture into the cooled crust. 
3. To the same bowl you made the cream cheese mixture in, add the instant pudding mix and cold milk. Stir until thick, then add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and beat to incorporate. 
4. Gently fold 1/2 cup whipped topping into the pumpkin mixture. Then, spread it over the cream cheese layer. 
5. Top with remaining whipped topping, sprinkle with toffee bits and chocolate chips, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. 

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4.47 from 39 votes

Pumpkin Lush

By Averie Sunshine

🍁🧡 An EASY layered dessert with a graham cracker crust, cream cheese, pudding, PUMPKIN, whipped topping, chocolate chips, and toffee bits! A little bit of CRUNCH with lots of fluffy CREAMINESS! A luscious dessert that's perfect for entertaining because you can make it well in advance.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

Video

Equipment

• 9×9-inch baking pan
• Handheld electric mixer

Ingredients 

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (brick style, not whipped, not lite or reduced fat)
• ▢ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups cold milk, (use cow’s milk and not almond, soy, cashewmilk, etc. because pudding won’t thicken; the box will say 2 cups but use 1 1/4 cups)
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed (fat-free or lite okay); divided
• ▢ ½ cup toffee bits
• ▢ ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
• To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
• Add the graham crackers crumbs and toss lightly with a fork to coat crumbs evenly.
• Turn mixture out into prepared pan, forming an even, smooth, flat crust layer by tapping crumbs into place with a spatula or your fingertips.
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until just set; set aside to cool for 10 minutes so you don’t melt the cream cheese in the next step.
• To a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and combined.
• Turn cream cheese mixture out over graham cracker crust and spread it in an even flat layer using a spatula or knife. Be gentle and careful so you don’t rip the somewhat fragile crust; set aside.
• To a large bowl, add the pudding mix, milk, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and beat to incorporate.
• Add 1/2 cup cup whipped topping and beat to incorporate.
• Turn pumpkin mixture out over cream cheese layer, using a spatula to smooth it.
• Evenly spread the remaining 1 1/2 cups whipped topping over the pumpkin layer.
• Evenly sprinkle the toffee bits, chocolate chips, cover with foil and place in fridge to cool for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before slicing and serving.

Notes

Storage: Dessert will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece, Calories: 545cal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 277mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 46g, Vitamin A: 5127IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 128mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Originally published September 30, 2016 and republished September 27, 2024 with updated text and video.