Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cups

If you love pumpkin pie, but don’t always want to go through the process of baking a pie, make pumpkin pie pudding cups! They have the creamy deliciousness of pumpkin pie, but take just a few minutes to assemble.

These pumpkin pie pudding cups are also gluten-free and refined-sugar-free!

I made this pudding recipe to be creamy without adding any egg yolks, so you don’t need to worry about tempering anything either. So easy!

I actually intended for this recipe to be maple ginger pudding! On a whim, I added pumpkin and loved it so much. I ended up going back, making it again and added way more pumpkin for a true pumpkin pie experience.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cups

You’ll need:

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 2 cups of milk (I use organic whole milk)
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin (Make your own puree!)
• 1 tsp dried ginger (this makes it a little spicy; feel free to reduce to 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Read: Why You Need to Keep a Well-Stocked Pantry (and a free download!)

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cups

In a medium-sized saucepan off the heat, add your maple syrup and cornstarch to a pan. Whisk. It may look clumpy right now and that’s okay (left side of picture below).

Turn on the pan to medium heat and whisk a few times until the clumps disintegrate (right side of picture above). This should happen pretty quickly once the syrup heats up!

Add your pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and salt to the pan. Whisk until it is incorporated and you can see a little steam. You just want to heat up the mix a bit at this point. It should only take a few minutes.

Whisk in the milk. The mixture will look really wet at this time and you may feel like it won’t come together. It will; don’t worry!

Run a spatula along the inside edge of the pan to make sure you don’t get big clumps of pudding. Do this occasionally throughout the process.

Let the pudding mix heat up. Whisk occasionally. It will start to thicken up gradually.

I recommend tasting the pudding at this time. If you like desserts a little sweeter, consider adding another tablespoon of maple syrup. The flavors will mellow and come together as it rests, too.

Once you have big thick bubbles, remove the pudding from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream, butter, and vanilla. Whisk smooth and pour into your containers.

From this recipe, I was able to make 6 servings. I filled 4 standard ramekins to the inside lip and added a full ladle to some half-pint jars.

Allow the pudding cups to chill for 2 hours or so. They’re great warm, but I like a cold pudding!

Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed graham crackers or maple granola.

Dealing with pudding skin

You know that skin that forms on top of pudding? Some people don’t like it so they add plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent it. I hear you can also add a little butter on top of your still-hot pudding and let it create a barrier.

Want to know what I do with pudding skin?

Eat it.

It tastes like pudding and I like pudding.

I also don’t like using plastic wrap in my house, so we don’t have any. If you also don’t have plastic wrap but don’t want to eat the skin, you can peel it off and throw it away.

When to Serve Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cups

The convenience of this recipe makes it a natural fit for a special occasion!

You can prepare a batch ahead of time, let it cool, and it’ll be a just-right treat for after dinner.

You can even pop them in the freezer for a bit for an extra cold and creamy treat. Have you ever tried frozen pudding??

These are truly a crowd pleaser and they’re simple enough the kids can help you make them!

Pumpkin pie pudding cups are perfect for any fall occasion including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and holiday parties.

Want some more fall flavor in your life? Check out these 70 Cozy Fall Desserts to Make From Scratch!

Let us know what you think about this recipe in the comments!

If you love fall flavors, check out these recipes:

Wedding Day Apple Crisp

Butterscotch Pudding Pie

Oatmeal Cookie Pie Crust