The Holidays are officially upon us, and I for one am pumped. We kicked off the season with our annual Friendsgiving this past weekend. It was filled with some of my favorite people, LOTS and LOTS of food, and plenty of wine to go around.
I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes from the night over the next week or so in preparations for Thanksgiving. Starting with this pumpkin mousse.
So, some fun facts about me. I have a massive sweet tooth, but also am pretty health conscious and try to really limit the amount of sugar in my diet.
Normally if I’m going to eat a dessert, I’m going to eat a dessert with all the butter and sugar and goodness it has to offer, but entering the holiday season I know we’re going to be a bit overindulgent more frequently than usual so when I was making the menu for Friendsgiving, I tried to take a healthier approach to dessert.
This pumpkin mousse gets it sweetness from maple syrup, not refined sugar, and is…wait for it….vegan (gasp!)
This lightened up dessert still packs a punch on flavor from the homemade pumpkin butter, but could also totally be eaten for breakfast in good conscience.
Pumpkin Mousse
YIELD: 8-9 Servings
PREP TIME: 5-10 Minutes
COOK TIME: 20 Minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2-3.5 Hours (includes chilling)
INGREDIENTS
Pumpkin Butter:
- 1 Can (15 ounce) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup, plus more if needed to sweeten
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Mouse:
- 1 1/2 Cups pumpkin butter
- 3 1/4 Cups almond milk
- 8 Tablespoons chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
To Make the Pumpkin Butter:
- In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat slightly and cook, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens a bit, but is still spreadable (about 20 minutes).
- Taste, add more maple syrup if you desire a sweeter pumpkin butter
- Set aside to cool, while you gather your other ingredients for the mousse*
- If making in advance, transfer to a glass jar(s) and store in the refrigerator for up to a month
To Make the Pumpkin Mousse:
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine pumpkin butter, almond milk, and chia seeds. Refrigerate until thick and pudding-like, about 2 to 3 hours or overnight if you’re making the day before
- Next pour the mixture into a high-speed blender (I used a Vitamix) and blend until a smooth mousse like texture is achieved
- Transfer to individual serving bowls and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve
- Optional: Top with homemade whipped cream (or coconut cream to keep it vegan) and pepita seeds
Whisk & Dine 